GRILLED BEER-GLAZED CHICKEN (570 CAL) Grilled chicken breast over roasted potatoes and sautéed peppers & onions, topped with corn and green onions. Served with apple & kale coleslaw.
Are you one of the thousands who resolved to eat healthier this year? If so, allow me to introduce you to some exciting new dishes at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery. Just in time to help folks stick to their New Years resolutions, Rock Bottom rolled out its Lighter Choices menu, offering four mouthwatering dishes that are all under 600 calories.
SMOKED CHICKEN TOSTADAS (580 CAL)
Pulled chicken, pepper jack cheese and grilled onions on crispy tortillas. topped with avocado, romaine, corn & black bean salsa, pico de gallo, pickled red onions and Mexican crema.
And no meal at a brewery is complete without a freshly brewed beer, right? About six months ago I featured Rock Bottom’s beer and food pairing chart (found here), a handy, informative chart to help guide diners toward choosing the best type of beer to go with their food. Based on this chart, here are my recommendations for each of these lighter dishes.
Smoked Chicken Tostadas and Smoked Chicken Tacos: Chili Kolsch or Red Ale.
Chile Rub Steak: The Baltic Gnome Porter, or Oat PA (or other rotating IPA).
Grilled Beer-Glazed Chicken: Liquid Sun Saison or Snake Spit Black IPA.
CHILE RUB STEAK (520 CAL) Chipotle-marinated steak with sautéed peppers, onions, corn & mushrooms, tomatillo salsa and cilantro. served with cilantro lime rice.
Yes! You can have your steak and eat it too, all for just 520 calories!
SMOKED CHICKEN TACOS (550 CAL)
Pulled chicken, cabbage, avocado, corn & black bean salsa, pico de gallo, cotija cheese and pickled red onions on corn tortillas. served with fresh greens.
While these light dishes are excellent, delicious options, what can vegetarians like myself order as far as lower-cal items go? Rock Bottom has several meatless choices on the menu, but they aren’t all light. So I did a little research to find out the best picks for healthier vegetarian meals.
The Veggie Tacos have just 623 calories (tacos only; the rice and beans raise the calorie count to 887). Or, order the Housemade Veggie Burger without chipotle mayo; skip the fries, and you’re looking at 646 calories. And the burger is hearty, so even without fries it’s still quite filling. Another idea is to split the Roasted Vegetable Pizza with a friend for just 629 calories.
VEGGIE TACOS Roasted zucchini, mushrooms, red peppers, red onions, avocado and Mexican crema. (Not part of the Lighter Choices menu)
During my recent visit I chose the Veggie Tacos (YUM!). As far as beer pairings go, there were several choices here; I could have gone with “Wheaty, Fruity, or Spicy” or something “Hoppy.” I chose the RBP (Raspberry Bourbon Porter). Admittedly, this probably isn’t the kind of “fruity” beer that the pairing chart has in mind, as RBP is a big, boozy beer coming in at over 10% ABV. But I love my strong beers (especially on a chilly evening) and thought it paired well together.
With the addition of the Lighter Choices dishes, Rock Bottom makes it easy to dine out while sticking to your resolution of healthier eating. Be sure to stop by soon and check out these tasty, low-cal meals!
