In spite of the name, French fries are practically an American birthright. They’re offered as the first choice side dish with nearly every fast-food and sit-down chain meal available. But here’s the catch: In a recent study of 7,318 New York City patrons leaving fast food chains during the lunch hour, researchers learned that combo meals—meaning meals with sides—averaged 1,100 calories each, which is over half a day’s allotment. It goes to show: When your regular meals at these restaurants are already pushing the nutritional envelope, adding an extra 300 (or more!) empty calories can make for a dietary disaster.

The authors of the best-selling weight-loss series Eat This, Not That! and Cook This, Not That! have rounded up three of the worst orders of fries available at chain restaurants across the country. We’ve also offered up the surprising winner of the fast food French fry cook-off—you’ll never believe which restaurant chain produces the healthiest fried spuds!

Arby’s Curly Fries (Large)

640 calories

34 g fat (5 g saturated, 0 g trans)

1,460 mg sodium

Arby’s is famous for its curly fries—too bad they’re overloaded with fat, calories and sodium. When one side dish accounts for nearly three-quarters of your daily allotment of salt, you know there’s a problem. As fun as these curli-Qs are, stick to the Homefry variety at Arby’s—downsizing to a small Curly Fries will still leave you with a 410-calorie side, which is more than many of Arby’s sandwiches!

Bonus tip: For full nutrition information for all of your favorite chain restaurants and thousands of foods, download the bestselling Eat This, Not That! iPhone app. It’s like having your own personal nutritionist in your pocket at all times, and will help you avoid the caloric calamities and guide you to the best ways to lose your belly fast.

Eat This Instead!

Homestyle Fries (Small)

350 calories

15 g fat (2 g saturated)

720 mg sodium

Jack in the Box Bacon Cheddar Wedges

715 calories

45 g fat (13 g saturated, 1 g trans)

905 mg sodium

It doesn’t take a nutritionist to identify the hazards of a grease-soaked, cheese-slathered sack of deep-fried potatoes, but by appearance alone, nobody could guess what’s really at stake when you order this side from Jack’s. The American Heart Association recommends that people cap their trans fat intake at 1 percent of total calories. For people on a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s about 2 grams per day. See the problem? Another issue, of course, is the overload in calories—about one-third your daily allotment! 

Bonus tip: Cheese fries are clearly an unhealthy choice. But sometimes healthy-seeming options are just as dangerous as the obvious diet-sinkers. For 30 jaw-dropping examples, check out The 30 Worst Sandwiches in America. 

Eat This Instead!

Grilled Chicken Strips (4) with Fire Roasted Salsa

185 calories

2 g fat (0.5 g saturated)

805 mg sodium

Dairy Queen Chili Cheese Fries

1,240 calories

71 g fat (28 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)

2,550 milligrams sodium

This one’s a no-brainer: Chili, cheese, fried potatoes. But even a savvy eater couldn’t possibly anticipate how bad these 3 ingredients could be when combined by one heavy-handed fast-food company. There’s as much sodium in this side dish as you’ll find in 15 strips of bacon. Stick with classic ketchup and recapture nearly a day’s worth of sodium and 930 calories.

Bonus tip: Save calories, time, and money with our free Eat This, Not That! newsletter. Sign up today and you’ll get the Eat This, Not That! guide to shopping once and eating for a week for free!

Eat This Instead!

French Fries (regular)

310 calories

13 g fat (2 g saturated)

640 mg sodium

Five Guys Fries (large)

1,464 calories

71 g fat (14 g saturated)

213 mg sodium

Unfortunately, Five Guys doesn’t offer anything but fries in the side department. Your safest bet, of course, is to skip the fries altogether (you’d be better off adding a second patty to your burger), but if you can’t bring yourself to eat a burger sans fries, then split a regular order. That will still add 310 calories to your meal, but it beats surrendering more than 75% of your day’s calories to a greasy paper bag. 

Bonus tip: Sides account for a third of our combo-meal calories—but drinks account for a quarter of the total calories we consume each day! Battle the liquid bulge: Avoid all drinks on this shocking list of The Worst Drinks in the Supermarket.

Eat This Instead!

Regular Fries (1/2 serving)

310 calories 

15 g fat (3 g saturated) 

45 mg sodium

Chili’s Texas Cheese Fries w/Jalapeno Ranch

1,920 calories

147 g fat (63 g saturated)

3,580 mg sodium

The only thing that comes close to redeeming this cheesy mound of lard and grease is the fact that it’s ostensibly meant to be shared with a few friends. Even so, you’ll collectively be taking in an entire day’s worth of calories, three days’ allotment of saturated fat, and a day and a half’s allotment of sodium. What’s even scarier, if you can imagine, is that even if you try to order more sensibly and ask for the “half” order of Texas Cheese Fries, you’ll still receive a disastrous dish that packs in 1,400 calories. There’s one French fries side dish at Chili’s that’s acceptable, although even in its much-reduced form, you’d be better off splitting it.

Bonus Tip: See what other Chili’s items made our list of The 20 Worst Restaurant Foods in America.

Eat This Instead!

Homestyle Fries

380 calories

23 g fat (4 g saturated)

230 mg sodium

McDonald’s Small French Fries

230 calories

11 g fat (1.5 g saturated)

160 mg sodium

Out of the big three fast food joints (Mickey D’s, Wendy’s, and BK), you’ll find the least caloric, least salty fries underneath the golden arches. The key to ordering a smart side dish is portion sizing—and McDonald’s has that under control.

Place: Magno Pizza
Address: Corner or Hostos and Domenech, Hato Rey, PR
Pic: Panamerican Pizza (Double ham and cheese, tomato, no sauce)
Price: $
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Sushi Friday Lunch with good people. Place: Samurai Bar
Adress: Plaza Las Americas, San Juan, PR
Prices: $-$$

Plate: Spicy Scallops, Crazy Roll, California Roll, Yellowtail, Avocado, Spicy Mayo Octopus. Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Hace unas semanas les escribí sobre la oportunidad que nos brinda el restaurante Morton’s de llevar su exquisita experiencia a la comodidad de nuestro hogar. Primero adquiriendo las carnes y otros productos a través de su catalogo o por Internet. Ahora vamos a comentar sobre cómo podemos preparar esas carnes y otros platos exclusivos de Morton’s con las recetas que han hecho famoso a este reconocido restaurante por más de 30 años.

El ambiente de Morton’s se reconoce por sus muebles oscuros de madera, la pared llena de vinos y fotos de los famosos que visitan a diario estos restaurantes alrededor del mundo y, en Puerto Rico por su famosa barra con una preciosa vista al mar. Aunque todo esto no lo podamos recrear en nuestras casas, si podemos preparar una de sus famosas recetas con su nuevo libro de cocina “Morton’s The Cookbook: 100 Steakhouse Recipes for Every Kitchen”.

El autor es Klaus Fritsch, co fundador de los restaurantes y Tylor Field vicepresidente de Wine & Spirits de Morton’s. “Morton’s The Cookbook” ofrece más de 100 recetas de cócteles, carnes y otros platos principales así como aperitivos, sopas y ensalada y por supuesto los postres que tanto nos gustan. Por si quieres que quede exactamente como se sirve, cada receta se ilustra con una foto a color.

Este libro se enfoca en presentar no solo la receta del plato sino los vinos o bebida que mejor acompañaría al mismo.

Además, como tantos famosos han hecho de Morton’ su “spot” para ser vistos, se comenta sobre los platos favoritos de estos así como anécdotas de esos “celebrities”.

Ya sabes que con el libro de cocina “Morton's The Cookbook: 100 Steakhouse Recipes for Every Kitchen” convertirá su cocina en una sucursal de Morton’s que estoy segura será del gusto de sus amigos y familia. El libro, que puede ser un excelente regalo de Navidad, tiene un costo de $32.50 para adquirir uno llame o visite Morton’s The Steakhouse al Caribe Hilton Hotel or call (787) 977-6262.

Para que vayan practicando les copio una receta de un cóctel, aperitivo, plato principal y por supuesto no puede faltar el postre. !Que rico!

Guava Caipirissima

This rum drink is bright and fruity. Once they discover it, our guests love it. Serves 1

Put the lime wedges, guava, and agave nectar in a cocktail shaker and with the back of a long-handled spoon or a cocktail muddler, press on the fruit and muddle so that the lime wedges and guava are softened.

Add 1 cup of ice cubes and both rums. Shake vigorously and pour into a double old-fashioned glass. Do not strain.

Note: We use Cruzan Estate Diamond rum, which is a relatively light rum.

Warm Blue-Cheese Dip

Donna Rundle, our manager of restaurant services, donated this recipe for the book. It plays on two of the flavors we love at Morton’s: blue cheese and smoked bacon. Once you try it, you’ll be addicted. Everyone we know is mad for it, and it’s as amazing with raw vegetables or crackers as with good French bread. Donna says she got the idea for the dip when, on the way to a family reunion in Kansas, she passed through Newton, Iowa, where Maytag blue cheese is produced. She bought a big wheel of cheese and then set about coming up with any number of ways to serve it. This was one of her favorites. Serves 8 to 10

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes or until nearly crisp. Drain the bacon and wipe the skillet dry.

Return the bacon to the pan, add the garlic, and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes longer or until the bacon is crisp. Take care the garlic does not burn. Drain on paper towels.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the cream and beat well to mix. Fold in the bacon, garlic, blue cheese, and chives.

Transfer to a 2-cup baking dish, top evenly with the almonds, and bake for about 30 minutes or until heated through.

Serve with crackers, baguette slices, or vegetables.

Wine recommendation

Cabernets from Chile tend to have a great vegetal character and strong tannins. They can be drunk young and taste great with this dip. Concha y Toro and Casa Lapostolle Apalta Vineyard are reliable producers.

Steak Florentine

These tasty steaks are served on a bed of spinach, which earns them their name. Both round and butt steaks are full of flavor, and they are so well appreciated all across America that we think of them as “American cuts.” They are chewier than sirloin or tenderloin but full of great beef flavor. If you can find prime beef, buy it, but choice will do just fine here. Serves 2

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let them rest at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a large sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat and when hot, add the shallots and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until soft. Add the spinach to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, or until the spinach just wilts. Do not let it get too limp. Remove the pan from the heat, cover to keep warm, and set aside.

In a small sauté pan, heat the remaining ½ tablespoon butter over medium-low heat and cook the garlic for 2 to 3 minutes or until it begins to brown. Set aside.

Lightly sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper.

In another large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and when very hot, sear the steaks for about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the steaks to a roasting pan and roast for 3 to 4 minutes or until barely medium-rare.

Remove the steaks from the oven and turn on the broiler.

Drain the liquid from the spinach and spread the spinach in a broiler pan. Set the steaks on top of the spinach and then top each steak with the garlic and butter. Sprinkle a tablespoon of cheese over each steak and broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until the cheese melts and is lightly browned. Let the steak rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Divide between 2 plates.

Wine recommendation:

Pinotage wine from New Zealand has medium body with low tannin and high acidity, making it a good match for both the mildly bitter spinach and the Parmesan cheese. Try Te Awa Winery’s Pinotage from Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

Rosso di Montalcino is the little brother to Brunello di Montalcino and will complement this dish nicely. It is a fruity, low-tannin wine that balances the bitter spinach but does not overpower the lean meat. We recommend Banfi Rosso di Montalcino from Tuscany.

Double Chocolate Mousse

You might wonder what took us so long, but we only recently added chocolate mousse to our menu. Since then, restaurant guests have gone wild for it. We use Belgian bittersweet chocolate, which is of very high quality, but any good dark chocolate will do. If you are concerned about the uncooked egg whites called for here, use pasteurized egg whites, which are sold in cartons in supermarkets. This is rich and smooth and chocolaty. Serves 8

In a saucepan, bring ¾ cup of the cream to a boil over medium-high heat.

Put the chocolate and cocoa in a heat-proof glass bowl and pour the hot cream over them. Let the mixture stand for about 1 minute and then whisk until blended. Be sure to break up any clumps of the cocoa. Set aside at room temperature for about 45 minutes, whisking occasionally to keep the mixture smooth. The chocolate needs to cool to 80°F.

In a chilled, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed for 10 to 20 seconds or until they begin to foam. Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat for about 1 minute longer or until soft peaks form.

Sprinkle the sugar over the whites and continue to beat for 1 to 2 minutes longer or until the peaks are stiff but not dry. At this point, the mixer will make a “wop, wop, wop” sound.

Fold the whites into the cooled chocolate (make sure it’s no warmer than 80°F before adding the whites).

Pour the remaining heavy cream into the bowl of the mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on high speed for about 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate. Do not worry if a few flecks of whites remain in the chocolate.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve the mousse spooned on dessert plates or in bowls. Top each serving with a little whipped cream. At Morton’s we pipe the mousse into serving dishes using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.

Por: only in san juan

(San Juan, PR)

Muchas veces salimos a cenar a un restaurante y si nos encanta lo que ordenamos, pensamos que sería de lo más “nice” poder tener la oportunidad de prepararlo en casa. Pues bien, el restaurante Morton’s The Steakhouse nos da esa oportunidad de dos formas. Primero con la llegada de su catalogo y página de Internet “Morton’s The Steakhouse At Home”( www.mortons.allenbrothers.com) que ofrece los famosos cortes de carnes y mariscos de Morton’s a través de su reconocido suplidor Allen Brothers. Sí, porque si no lo sabia, todos los restaurantes de Morton’s a través del mundo sirven la misma calidad de productos ya que todos reciben los mismos directamente del mismo suplidor. Así, cuando viaje y visite otro Morton’s, encontrará la misma calidad y sabor al que está acostumbrado. (Aunque para darles un chismecito, cuentan que importantes “celebrities” de Hollywood que han llegado a Puerto Rico y de repente se pasean por Morton’s del Caribe Hilton, siempre salen diciendo que es donde mejor sabe la comida…quién sabe si el sabor boricua se impone en esa parrilla).

En este catalogo los amantes y conocedores de las carnes podrán ahora disfrutar de la calidad de los cortes de carne de Morton’s en la comodidad de su hogar. Puedes escoger entre una selección de los jugosos New York Strip Steaks, grandes porterhouses de 24 onzas, cortes gruesos de ribeye steaks, Morton’s filets, domestic lamb chops, rabos de langosta West Australian y los famosos colossal shrimp, (que tanto hacen que sus fanáticos se chupen hasta los dedos). Estos serán exquisitos para una cena en su casa, enviarlo como agradecimiento a alguien especial o como un excelente regalo para las fiestas navideñas. Además a través de esta página cibernética, catalogo o el número libre de cargos puede conseguir otros productos de Morton’s como lo son sets de cuchillos, especias para sazonar las carnes y los libros de recetas de Morton’s The Steakhouse. Para solicitar un catalogo puede llamar a través del 1-800-260-0111 u ordene a través de la página www.mortons.allenbrothers.com.

Prime Rib-Eye *drool*

El libro de recetas Morton’s The Cookbook es el complemento perfecto para ese pedido que lleve a cabo por catalogo pues nos trae recetas famosas de este restaurante y las que puede recrear en la comodidad de su hogar para sorprender a su familia y amigos. La semana que viene les escribiré más sobre el libro y por supuesto compartiré con ustedes algunas de las recetas, no solo para comer si no también para preparar uno que otro coctelito….Uy, uy, uy, que rico!

Source: Notecook.com

The Hideout (266 Adelphi St, Brooklyn, NY )
This speakeasy-type small bar is completely hidden from plain view, no signs or lights on the entrance. It's a very cozy lounge though a bit dark for my taste. Your bartender is your "mixologist" for the evening and the complex drinks from the menu will run you between $14-$16, but they're very much worth the money. The fusion of flavors and other ingredients will speak for themselves. Try the "Poisoned Rose"

Pop Burger (58 9th Ave. )
At first I had a hard time finding the place, because it's just a picture of a burger on the door. It's a small place apparently big on take-out. Their specialty is hot dogs and burgers mostly and the
main attraction is the POP burgers, which are two small burgers in a white box, made constantly on they're huge grills and served in less than a minute. A little expensive for the size ($6.75 plus fries and drink) but hey... it's Chelsea.

Chelsea Market (Meat Packing District)
Once the Nabisco factory (where the Oreo was invented!) is now an indoor food court housing many fresh food markets, bakeries, cafes and... The Food Network!

Room Service (35 E 21st St)
This was my first time trying Thai food and I have to say NY is big on Thai. The place has individual rooms with private doors (like a hotel) you can ask for room service from (of course!) If you're just having dinner with a friend, you'll be seated at a table with a door on the back of the chair and a room number (again, completely themed). Choose between chicken, beef and shrimp, your choice of rice or noodles and your sauce. I had some chili and tamarind with white rice and broccoli and it was just the right amount of heat.

Magnolia Bakery (401 Bleeker St)
Famous for its appearance on an episode of Sex and The City, Magnolia Bakery is famous for its cupcakes ranging from $2.50 to $3 for "special cupcakes". After making the line outside on the street, you hand-pick your cupcake from a table, make a box of two or more. I have to say I've never seen so many people crazy about their cupcakes on a Thursday night. I had the Devils Food Cupcake with Mocha frosting. And of course, the service was so friendly, considering it's such a small and hot place to be working at.

Habib's Place (89 Avenue A)
Self-promoted for having "The Best Falafel in the East Village", They're open until very late. I'll remember this as the place I had my first Falafel at, a must if you're a New Yorker who's on-the-go and pressed for time. Fried Falafel patties with fress greens in a wrap or pita.

Westville East (173 Avenue A)
Nestled in the East Village and with locations also in the West Village and soon Chelsea, it's the perfect place for Sunday brunch. The wait time was brutal, but so were the other places around. It's small yet comofrtable, with open doors and windows. I had scrambled eggs with lamb sausage, potato hash (which was delicious) and fresh orange juice. You can choose between baguette, rye, what and the mysterious "Portuguese Muffin" which is basically a bigger English Muffin, as we soon learned. They also serve sandwiches, burgers, and are big on salads and the prices are between $5-$11 mostly.

Of course, when in NYC, you must a slice of pizza. It'll run you between 1-3 depending on your location. We found a place where you can get a slice of cheese and a coke for $2.25.