Weekend Picks: Time to eat light
Seasons 52's crispy shrimp flatbread appetizer includes poblano peppers, pineapple and feta cheese. Credit: Johnny Simon
The holidays are over, and with them, the days of carefree, careless eating. Now begins the age of virtue, when New Year's resolutions are fresh and jeans too tight.
The following restaurants, which stress fresh, quality ingredients, make mindful eating easy, since their menus have calorie controls built right in.
ENERGY KITCHEN, Syosset
For a quick bite, this gleaming eatery offers a satisfying repertoire -- and nothing exceeds 500 calories. Choices include a Thai chicken wrap (414 calories), seared tuna salad (276 calories) and blue cheese sirloin burger (439 calories).
SEASONS 52, Roosevelt Field
A sophisticated setting and a seasonal New American repertoire of dishes 500 calories and less is geared to the calorie conscious. Consider a lemongrass salmon salad (460 calories), a chipotle shrimp flatbread (400 calories) and a mini indulgence dessert (300 calories or less).
CHEESECAKE FACTORY, Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove; Westbury; Walt Whitman Shops, Huntington Station
Launched last year, the "SkinnyLicious" roster at this quality chain keeps the calorie count under 590 per dish. Shrimp Creole racks up at 550 calories, a BLT at 530 calories and herb-crusted salmon at 560 calories.
