Cafe Cimino Country Inn

This week I went out of town to a Social Work conference and had a wonderful time. One evening I went out with two Social Worker friends for dinner. We went to the Cafe Cimino Country Inn in Sutton, WV. This place was wonderful. I was a bit worried because the menu was Italian.

http://www.cafeciminocountryinn.com/cafecimino/index.html - go there to see photos of the inn and their menu. This place is wonderful.

We had a young waiter who was obviously very new. He was so nervous and he just found a special place in my heart. The inn is very upscale and quaint. I loved it. I asked the young waiter if it was possible to get vegetables instead of the pasta and the conversation went like this.

Me: Can I get the seasonal mixed vegetables instead of the pasta with the sea scallops wrapped in prosciutto?

Him: Do you mean vegetables under the scallops?

Me: No. I want the vegetables on the side.

Him: I can ask if you can get the vegetables under the scallops instead of the pasta.

Me: No. I don’t want the vegetables under the scallops. I want it BESIDE the scallops.

Him: I think you might be able to get them UNDER the scallops.

Me: I don’t want the vegetables under the scallops. I want them BESIDE the scallops.

Him: People usually just get the pasta.

Me: I am a Diabetic and can’t have the pasta. That is why I would like to get the seasonal vegetables BESIDE the scallops.

Him: I will see if you can get them UNDER the scallops.

Kathy (Friend): NOOOOO. She wants them BESIDE the scallops. NOT UNDER!!

Well he just shook his head at us and left to go talk to the chef. Apparently the chef educated him on trying to accommodate the customer. He returned and said the chef wanted to know if cauliflower, zucchini and pole beans would work for my NEEDS. I fell in love with this young man. He seemed so genuinely happy to be able to offer me something that I could have. I told him that would be perfect. He sighed a big sigh and his face broke into a HUGE smile.

When my dinner arrived I had a very generous portion of seasonal veggies that were cooked to perfection. The scallops were WONDERFUL. They had a light sauce on them and I know that I will be trying to recreate this dish for myself.

My friend Kathy said that she and her husband have stayed at the inn overnight and that the upstairs was beautiful and that they were pampered each time that they came there.

After dinner we walked down the back stairs on the property to another building where we sat on the patio overlooking the river. It was so peaceful.

This restaurant grows all of their fresh vegetables and herbs on the property to use for all of their dishes. Everything tasted so fresh and was beautifully done. I forgot my camera on this trip. I did take a picture with my cell phone though. It isn’t great but can you tell how peaceful it was on the river?

I can honestly recommend this place for both lodging and dinner. The menu is not exactly low carb but the chef will go above and beyond to accommodate you. And if you happen to get a young man to wait on you please be patient with him. He is so sweet and adorable that I could have adopted him.

Logan’s Roadhouse

Are you ready for another eating out option?

Another restaurant that I love to go to is Logan’s Roudhouse. I usually get their Grilled Steak Salad but instead of the steak on the salad I ask for grilled blackened chicken. I request the Parmesan Peppercorn salad dressing for it. They don’t put croutons on the salad which makes it much easier for me. Their website menu describes it as fresh romaine and iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, bacon and a hard-boiled egg topped with mesquite wood-grilled steak.

They have many other items on the menu that are low carb you just have to look. You can get a steak and request a substitute of seasonal vegetables instead of the potato. For sides you can choose from Seasonal vegetables, house salad, caesar salad, grilled vegetable skewer or grilled mushroom skewer.

They have an entire menu for people wanting to eat healthy and they suggest getting a side order of broccoli to go with the main entree. So what do you get to eat at Logan’s that is low carb and healthy?

Applebees

I met a woman at work that has been learning to eat low carb to control her low glucose issues. Her doctor told her that she would become a Diabetic eventually and she needed to try to get this under control now so she is. She is very conscious of everything that she is eating and is doing an amazing job. She was a bit disappointed that she can’t seem to eat out now so I thought that I would start weekly or bi-weekly threads with eating out options.

This week is Applebees. I went out with my girlfriends for dinner on Thursday and we went to Applebees. We tend to go there about once a month. They have 2 options on their menu that I always get but they have many more things that are low carb.

I love their Santa Fe Chicken Salad. I have them leave the tortilla strips off and it fits my needs. The salad has grilled marinated chicken breasts on a bed of greens with homemade pico de gallo and Mexi-ranch dressing, cheese guacamole and sour cream too! Doesn’t this sound wonderful?

Another opton that I get there is the Grilled Shrimp N Spiniach Salad. I don’t have to ask them to leave anything off and it is perfect. It is tender spinach, crips bacon, roasted red peppers, red onions, toasted almonds and hot bacon vinaigrette- all topped with succulent shrimp straight from the grill.

What I suggest is before you go to a restaurant to eat look at their menu online and plan your meal. Call ahead if necessary and ask the manager if you can make exchanges for certain items for the meal. Most restaurants will let you swap out a vegetable for the baked potato. Eating low carb doesn’t mean you have to stop going out. It just means you have to plan for it.

Applebees Menu