Real Food is continuing its disappearing act from restaurants across America. It doesn’t seem to matter whether the restaurant is a franchise or boasts 5 stars.
At a franchise restaurant like Applebees, Chilis, or Bob Evans, you would expect that cheap, processed food dressed up with a gourmet presentation would reign supreme. Food in these types of restaurants is only a small improvement over fast food in most cases and will make you feel just about as rotten shortly afterward (unless, of course, you already feel so rotten from eating processed food much of the time that you don’t notice).
But a 5 star restaurant?
I recently learned that Bern’s Steakhouse, one of the premier 5 star restaurants in my metro area, uses bouillon cubes (aka MSG cubes) to improve the flavor of its signature french onion soup (source: Bern’s waiter). I was devastated! This was one of the few restaurants I thought I was safe to order soup!
Who cares if Bern’s serves organic baby green salad and grassfed steak sourced locally if you still get a migraine from the MSG laced bowl of soup? It makes you wonder what other corners are being cut that you don’t know about yet despite all the lip service being paid to high quality.
Earth to Bern’s:Â Â Bouillon cubes are NOT high quality and should NOT be in your french onion soup.
Just sayin’.
I was also disappointed recently when I enjoyed an evening out at one of my favorite restaurants, Boizao, a Brazilian style restaurant also considered very high end for my Mom’s 80th birthday bash. Â One of my favorite dishes at Boizao is heart of palm with a special dressing. While serving myself a second helping that evening, the restaurant manager happened by and I took the opportunity to ask if it were possible for me to get the recipe for the heart of palm dressing. He then told me that they buy the dressing from a food supplier and that it came in “big bottles” (translation:Â cheap, rancid vegetable oils included). Â I was shocked speechless. Even more amazing, the manager didn’t even seem embarrassed by telling me this!
Didn’t know you were talking to a Real Food blogger, eh buddy?  Oops!  Secret’s out now!
Am I wrong to expect a high end steakhouse to mix up its own dressings fresh with quality ingredients like extra virgin olive oil? Is this too much to ask anymore?
I have reluctantly come to the sad conclusion that pretty much all restaurants have gone to the dogs in America. The only exceptions I come across anymore are tiny little restaurants where the owner is also the chef and simply will not allow these low quality substitutions.
5 star or no stars, the American restaurant dining experience has been relegated to a processed food affair regardless of the size of the tab.  Even if the meat and veggies are decent quality and prepared fresh, little effort is expended on the condiments, dressings, soups, and other extras that round out the meal and make a huge difference to the digestibility and overall nutrition of the experience, not to mention whether you will feel terrible the next day!
Bye Bye Maple Syrup
Another insidious trend taking place is the disappearance of real maple syrup from restaurants serving breakfast.  In a related story, Food Renegade wrote about the disappearance of butter from restaurants in a recent post.
Well, the maple syrup has disappeared too I’m sorry to add!   It used to be when my kids were begging for pancakes when we were traveling, I could at least ask for real butter and maple syrup to cover the bromated, bleached, synthetic vitamin enhanced white flour, garbage pancakes.
Not anymore!  My husband was at a Conference recently at a 5 star resort and when the kids and I joined him for breakfast one morning, I was shocked to discover that only fake, corn syrup sweetened syrup was available with the pancakes or waffles.
You would think that $8 for a plate of pancakes that probably cost the restaurant about 25 cents to make could get you some real maple syrup!   Of course, there was no butter to be found either.
Gotta pay all those property taxes for the golf course view, don’t we?
I saw the disappearance of maple syrup coming a couple of years ago when my family and I were eating at a fantastic little breakfast nook in downtown Sarasota FL.   Upon asking for some maple syrup, I was informed that it would be a $3 additional charge per 1 oz bottle of maple syrup that was provided.  Of course, the high fructose corn syrup sweetened ersatz maple syrup was free.
We paid extra for 3 tiny bottles of real maple syrup but I commented to my husband that it wouldn’t be long before even that option was no longer available.
Sure enough, here we are some months down the road and I haven’t been able to find maple syrup anywhere for quite some time.   I realize the price of maple syrup has gone through the roof, but is that really an excuse?
For IHOP? Â Maybe.
For a 5 star resort or a specialty breakfast nook that prides itself on quality? Most definitely not.
Maybe I should start bringing my own maple syrup to restaurants tucked discreetly into my purse.  But, then I would have to bring some butter and maybe some sea salt too.
Oh, forget it!  How weird and OCD would that be?   I’ll just eat at home!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
This post is so sadly true. Right now I cannot think of any resteraunt with all real food except my kitchen.
I’ve read some good things about Panera, Chipotle and Five Guys Burgers and Fries, but I can’t remember exact details.
It is sad, isn’t it? I’d like a little convenience once in a while and/or just having someone else make my food sometimes. We rarely, rarely go out to eat. It’s also expensive for a family of 6.
If you do find good ones, please pass it along. 🙂 We’re heading to New Smyrna, Florida later this month. I’m sure we’ll eat out a time or two.
Thanks!
This is just based on how I react to eating in these places:
Chipotle isn’t so bad…I would choose to go there if I’m out of town and have to find something.
Panera would be my second choice but only if I’m desperate. They have reasonable breads, bagels, etc… but many of their salad dressings have artificial sweeteners.
Five Guys always made me sick so I’m sure they use artificial ingredients – I would never go back again.
My husband would die if I pulled my own butter out of my handbag, LOL! Luckily when we go out to eat it’s usually for sushi and we know the owners very well. If I have a question, I’ll ask her and get a straight answer – she hates MSG too and removed it from all the restaurant’s food (it’s also a hibachi place) when she and her husband bought it.
Fyi, I take a small toaster, and and electric pan on trips with us and we make sure we have a fridge/ microwave in the room. I make whole meals in the room and no one would even know and its healthier AND cheaper!!
I think my husband and I should open a breakfast/lunch restaurant… I can’t believe some of the things that we make for not much money for those two meals that wipe out what the other restaurants serve!
I am fortunate to live in an area with a small, family-owned restaurant called Soup R Natural where they grow much of their own vegetables and herbs, and source meats, poultry, eggs, dairy, and baked goods from local farms and providers who care about sustainably produced, nutritious food. We frequent this restaurant often — it’s a casual place where you can get soup (homemade) a salad and a sandwich, or a fancier entree if you prefer, for a very reasonable price. When we want something more elaborate, we also have a wonderful restaurant in Baltimore called Woodberry Kitchen. The owner shops farmers markets and has relationships with local farms and small dairies to source the ingredients they use, they preserve foods in house for use during the winter, and recycle pretty much everything.
I’ve started bringing butter to restaurants too as well as salad dressing. It sucks, but at least I feel better about what I’m eating.
Real Maple Syrup has been absent from almost all restaurants for my whole life. I think I’ve found it in maybe one restaurant…ever. In fact, most people I’ve ever met have never tasted real maple syrup and would define the fake stuff as ‘real’ – Aunt Jemima or Log Cabin. I first tasted real maple syrup when I moved to Vermont in 1971….it was love at first taste.
Most people still don’t know that butter is better. I am still able to ask for real butter and some places will still have some little foil covered pads in the fridge. You are right, Sarah, even when you ask for butter many places will bring out a blend or whipped blend. Many waitstaff don’t even know whether their butter is real…I have to taste the suspected substance.
It is very difficult to go eat out when we are so aware of the junky ingredients. It is nearly impossible to find any restaurant that isn’t using crap industrial oils.
I read that Square One Burgers on Dale Mabry in Tampa uses beef tallow for their french fries.
We’ve eaten at the Tampa Refinery and thought it better than average but I believe they use canola oil/veg oils.
Sorry, it isn’t Square One Burgers whose fries are fried in Beef Tallow…The place is called Burger Mongers at 10412 North Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa.
We tried Burger Mongers and there burgers were not very flavorful…Burger 21 have much better burgers. Burger 21 is a Chef Chris Ponte creation. (but I don’t think they use beef tallow for their fries…yet.
Lucy, I had read that the owner of Burger 21 is also the owner of another Tampa establishment? Do you know which one? Thanks.
Hi Sarah!
I laugh as I read this post because *just this morning* I was telling my kids (as I was preparing for their school lunch) that anything I prepare at home will be much more nutritious and healthy for them than anything they can buy at school. I said “it’s because restaurants have to make money so they use cheap ingredients and chemicals to make the food taste good and last longer”. And now, I read that you blogged about this very topic!!! 🙂
My husband and I both agree that it’s not worth going out to eat anymore. In fact, a good date is getting invited to a friend’s house for a home-cooked meal and then maybe movie afterwards! Or games!
You know, Sarah, since all these restaurants are so bad, an excellent post topic would be “Eating Healthfully While Travelling.” Just saying… (-:
Hi Andrea, I actually have a blog on that already:
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/2010/06/eat-healthy-while-traveling-this-summer/