Binghamton’s most famous time of year, Restaurant Week, is back and in full swing. With more than 20 participating restaurants offering great deals on (mostly) great food, mobs of students and locals alike have their forks and knives ready. Yet, with three courses being the standard of Restaurant Week, it’s easy to get carried away quickly and forget about everyone’s favorite word: calories. After all, Binghamton isn’t America’s second most obese city for no reason. The Downtown restaurants offer a huge selection of delicious foods, many of which are loaded with fat, sugar and yes, calories.
Yet it’s not hard to see the healthier alternatives if you’re willing to look for them. Of course, there are a few exceptions. There are some restaurants, including Burger Mondays, Café West 46 and Czech Pleeze to name a few, which do not offer the healthiest meals on their Restaurant Week menu. If you wish, you could always order something that’s not on the Restaurant Week menu. But, who wants to do that?
In an effort to keep Binghamton from becoming No. 1 on American’s fattest cities list, here is a list of 10 healthy dinners from 10 different Restaurant Week locations, in no particular order. Now all you have to worry about is the willpower.
1. Whole in the Wall
Course 1: Organic Mixed Green Salad (with seasoned oil and vinegar)
Course 2: Stir-Fried Vegetables (with organic tofu over brown rice)
Course 3: Fat-free Blood Orange Sorbet
2. Cortese Restaurant
Course 1: Breaded Mushrooms
Course 2: Fresh Salmon (with honey mustard glaze)
Course 3: Espresso
3. Lost Dog Café
Course 1: Sugarcane Shrimp Cocktail
Course 2: Dog House Salad
Course 3: Kale Pesto Salmon
4. saké-tumi
Course 1: Edamame
Course 2: Miso Salmon
Course 3: Green Tea Ice Cream
5. Galaxy Brewing Company
Course 1: Rocket Salad
Course 2: Soup du Jour
Course 3: Quinoa Barley Chili
6. Water Street Brewing Co.
Course 1: Blackberry Salad
Course 2: Corn Chips (with butternut squash salsa)
Course 3: Apple Cider Chicken
7. Number 5 Restaurant
Course 1: Apple Pecan Salad
Course 2: Stuffed Peppers
Course 3: Homemade Ice Cream Sandwich
8. Zona & Co. Grille
Course 1: Black Bean Soup
Course 2: Ancho Citrus Grilled Fish Tacos
Course 3: Rice Pudding
9. The Loft at 99
Course 1: Kale Caesar
Course 2: Grilled Salmon and Beefsteak Tomatoes
Course 3: Gorgonzola and Walnut Stuffed Apples
10. The River Bistro
Course 1: Spinach Salad
Course 2: Pan-Seared Salmon
Course 3: Warm Apple Turnover à la Mode