Hello, Ruby Tuesday

Weekends are always challenging when one is trying to adhere to an eating plan. Even when you're unemployed, and weekends have slightly less meaning.

Friday night, my boyfriend and I went to Ruby Tuesday.  I'd been to there with my mom and brother a week or so before, and was thrilled at all the low/no carb choices, so this seemed like a great place to go for dinner.  Plus he got a 25% off coupon in the mail, which just sweetened the deal.

Ruby's is my favorite of the chain restaurants, and has been for quite a while. One reason for this is their amazing salad bar. They also have a spicy queso dip that's out of this world.  Of course, no queso and no tortilla chips would be had during this visit, but I don't feel like I missed out at all.

We both got the salad bar, of course.  Even late on a Friday night (about 80 minutes before closing), everything was fully stocked and fresh.  Four varieties of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, chick peas, hard-boiled eggs, onions, peppers -- all the usual things, plus 4 or 5 pasta or potato salads, some with meat.  And although I didn't have them, I can tell you from previous experience that their pumpernickel croutons are great.

I was initially thinking I'd get a burger (they do have very tasty burgers, too), but since there are several barbecues coming up in the next few months, I went for something fancier -- a rib eye steak.  I'm normally a little apprehensive about ordering steak in a restaurant that doesn't specialize in steak, fearing it will be overcooked.  Luckily, my rib eye was almost perfectly medium rare, and didn't have much fat.  For my sides, I chose grilled green beans, and mashed cauliflower.

Mashed cauliflower, by the way, really is a godsend for a potato junkie who is on a low-carb diet.  Yeah, it's not potatoes, but it's a damn close facsimile.  Ruby's mashed cauliflower is pretty good.  I think Houlihan's is a bit better, and my own is the best ;)

My boyfriend got Trout Almondine (which he raved about), also with mashed cauliflower, and zucchini.  I tasted the zucchini, and it was very good.  Buttery, almost.  My grilled green beans were grilled too long, unfortunately, but by that point I was too full to really care.  I'd had plenty to eat.

The other sides offered were great -- sugar snap peas, asparagus, roasted spaghetti squash, broccoli... plenty for those not eating carbs.  They even have a spaghetti squash entree, with a red pepper marinara sauce.  I'm very curious about it, but haven't tried it yet. I'm sure I will at some point soon.

Our delicious dinner came out to only 35 bucks after the coupon.  Can't beat that!  It's so nice to be able to go out to dinner and not feel like I'm altering everything I ask for to suit my diet.

Ruby Tuesday at Willowbrook Mall gets 8 out of 10 on my restaurant rating scale. Not stars... forks or spoons, maybe?