Tag Archives: weight watchers dining out

Bond 45

17 May

Times Square doesn’t exactly have the best reputation for good dining.  Sure, there is Restaurant Row, but most people associate the Broadway District with being over priced.   While some are, there are some gems around.  Bond 45 is one of those gems… contrary to its appearance.


(Photo is not mine)

What kind of establishment puts that much neon onto their restaurant?  I shake my head at this, however, once you get past the neon, it’s fantastic.

First, the inside used to be a theater (made famous by Ziegfeld Follies) and it’s beautiful. 

Second, of course, is the food.

We started with roasted cauliflower.  It was good, but I like mine better. 🙂

We also tried the Artichokes alla Giudea which are fried “Roman Jewish” style.

Fantastic flavor and perfect crispness.  The worst part about these is when they are over.

When I was there last, one of my coworkers got the chicken parm and it was sensational (and HUGE!)  Mike went with the Veal Parm and it was absolutely fantastic (and still HUGE!)

I went with the Branzino, which was roasted with herbs, olives, and tomatoes and with a side of parmesan potatoes.  It was SO good.  And the whole plate for 8 points? Score!

Then there is the final cherry on top (which I unfortunately didn’t get a picture of).  They have a big bowl of English Toffee for the way out. I saved Weight Watchers Points for this… that’s how good it is! 

Overall, Bond 45 is so surprisingly good it almost gets more points just for being so surprising.  I have now eaten there twice, and both times have been exceptional.

It’s a bit pricey, but what isn’t in Time Square?

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

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Houndstooth Pub

28 Apr

When Mike suggested we go to a Pub in our neighborhood, at first I thought I couldn’t do that.But I embrace the Weight Watchers philosophy that you can eat whatever you’d like to as long as you honestly track it (everything has a point value) and then balance it.  Sure, you can have a giant piece of cake, but it could cost you your entire point value for the day.  You do that once or twice and you realize you’d much rather have something filling and then a bite of chocolate cake. It’s all about trade offs and balancing your food, like a bank account. I’ve realized the more honest I am about what I eat, the better I do (psss… 11 and a half pounds down!)

Houndstooth Pub is an unassuming bar and restaurant on 8th Ave between 36th and 37th.  Turns out, a lot of people go there for drinks. I never knew it was so hopping, but it was quite LOUD on this weekday night.  Luckily, their tables are a bit set back from the bar, so it wasn’t too bad and I didn’t notice the noise much after we tried to squeeze through the crowd to our table.

Mike saw frog’s legs on the menu and decided that this was the place for him to try them for the first time. Now I’ve never been a fan, but seriously? At a pub?!  I tried not to make too many faces… but I thought he was pretty f-in crazy (sorry honey!)

I tried one… it was pretty bad. The frog meat was pretty greasy and rubbery (how I remember frog usually being) and the breading just tasted stale.  Bleh.  Mike tried a few… and then that was it.  Poor Kermy…

Mike chose the Grilled Marinated Chicken Breast, Homemade Mozzarella, Arugula & Onions, served on Toasted Rosemary Herb Bread with Mission Olive Mayo.  The menu says sweet potato fries, but clearly they were not.  The sandwich was good for pub food. Juicy and flavorful.

I went bold (perhaps inspired by Mike’s frogs leg choice) and went with a stew. I think it was lamb stew.  I had done well with points for most of the day, so I ate the stew and went without the bread. The stew was 1 cup for 5 points. Not terrible! I was actually glad the portion was a bit on the small side.

Overall, I thought the Houndstooth was actually quite good for pub fare.  I think it would probably be a good place to grab a drink and a bite, but it’s just a bit too crowded.  I’m not sure if I’ll be rushing back though.

Total Nom Points: 6.5 out of 10

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Mandarin Court Restaurant- Dim Sum

16 Apr

Another Chinatown meal while on Jury Duty: Dim Sum made me nervous… especially on Weight Watchers. I thought even if I could get away with eating there and not feeling sick (unfortunately, Chinatown dim sum and my belly don’t usually go well together), I could never do it for less than 1,000 points. Right? Wrong.  4 steamed dumplings = 4 points. So 8 dumplings = 8 points. Not too shabby.  I used UrbanSpoon to find a place close and it came up with Mandarin Court Restaurant on Mott (just below Canal).

The experience was hysterical.  A woman came down the row of tables with a cart of dim sum and starts yelling things. It wasn’t until she was next to my table, screaming at ME, that I realized she was asking “Pork? Chicken? Fresh Made Riiiiiiice?”  I asked her “is that shrimp” while pointing to a dish and she put it on my table.  I was still looking at the menu and thought she was maybe delivering an order since I had not placed one yet so I told her that I hadn’t ordered it. She protested that yes, I just did.  It was at this point that a bus boy stepped in and explained to her that I needed a few minutes (or something like that).  Thanks bus boy!

I decided on pork and shrimp.  The pork was good, but nothing special.

The shrimp was really a full shrimp wrapped in a wonton wrapper.  Good, but again, not great.

Tried to get a shot of the actual shrimp in the dumpling…

And guess what? It made me sick afterwards.  BOOOO

Total Nom Points: 4 out of 10

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