Worse Than Fast Food? The Unhealthiest Dishes At America's Best Restaurants
A meal at one of America's leading fine-dining restaurants can be an experience to remember. From the bread service to the mignardises, a well-executed multi-course prix-fixe meal is a special occasion unto itself. But you might not want to partake in this kind of eating too regularly, because all those calories can quickly add inches to your waistline. We tracked down the unhealthiest dishes at America's 10 best restaurants.
#10 Jean Georges, New York City
The menu at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's New York flagship, isn't overly heavy, with plenty of light options including Maine halibut, black sea bass crusted with nuts and seeds, and char-grilled squab with crushed peas. But the caramelized foie gras with black olive seasoning, lychee, and brioche is unquestionably the heaviest item on the menu, with one four-ounce slab clocking in at 516 calories and 52 grams of fat.
#9 Spago, Los Angeles
There's plenty of meat on the menu at Wolfgang Puck's flagship, but its ricotta gnocchi with braised veal ragout and pecorino Romano hits the trifecta: Heavy pasta, a rich meat sauce, and plenty of cheese.
#8 Gabriel Kreuther, New York City
Foie gras is no stranger to the menu at chef Gabriel Kreuther's newish New York shrine to fine dining, but its perhaps best showcased in his squab and foie gras croustillant, a signature dish that's also undoubtedly the unhealthiest item on the dinner menu. Seared squab breast is wrapped up in pastry along with an ample slab of foie gras, and the crisped squab leg and sautéed vegetables are served along it.
#7 Restaurant Guy Savoy, Las Vegas
At this temple to haute cuisine, no dish will set you back calorie-wise more than foie gras, wild squab, pleasant, mallard duck, and cabbage "en Marmite," with light game jus. A slab of foie gras complemented with rich game and butter-enriched sauce is worth the treadmill time, though.
#6 L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Las Vegas
There are few dishes more high in calories than a big piece of steak, and at Joel Robuchon's Las Vegas outpost he kicks his "entrecote" up a few notches by serving a 12-ounce ribeye with a side of potato purée. And it's not just any steak: It's a wagyu ribeye, which contains far more fat than your standard cut.
#5 The French Laundry, Yountville, Calif.
You'll always find foie gras on the menu at Thomas Keller's mainstay, be it in the form of a torchon, rillette, or terrine. It's always delicious, and always the unhealthiest bite you'll be served that evening.
#4 Eleven Madison Park, New York City
Eleven Madison Park's flagship dish is duck that's been rubbed down with honey and a mixture of spices including lavender, cumin, coriander, and Szechuan peppercorns. The breast is served as-is, and the legs are confited (slow-cooked in fat), combined with foie gras, and topped with a rich potato mousse. It's one of the most delicious dishes being served anywhere, but all that duck fat adds up.
#3 Daniel, New York City
Like any French restaurant worth its salt, Daniel Boulud's flagship has no shortage of foie gras. Their variation is a big slab that's sautéed and flambéed with vodka, and served alongside seasonal fruits.
#2 Providence, Los Angeles
Chef Michael Cimarusti's LA gem is primarily seafood-centric, but there's one fat-laden outlier: A5 Waygu, served with seasonal accompaniments (in this case asparagus, radish, and ramps). You have to admit that it's a gorgeous piece of meat, though.
#1 Le Bernardin, New York City
The finest restaurant in America also serves some of the world's most ingenious and creative seafood preparations. One such dish (and one of the menu's true standouts) is the seafood truffle pasta: crab, scallops, and lobster over fresh tagliatelle with a black truffle emulsion. Like any creamy pasta dish, it's certainly not healthy; unlike most creamy pasta dishes, though, it's worth the calories.