Have your bread and eat it too

Over at Noshtopia this morning, they’re talking about ways you can still say “yes” to the bread basket when dining out without going overboard on calories. I fully admit, that basket of yummy-carb-goodness along with a pat of butter, soak of balsamic and olive oil or smear of hummus or tapenade or whatever other accoutrement they’re serving up is my biggest restaurant weakness. I’m embarrassed to admit how many pieces I can eat before I even order (which is funny considering that I can’t even remember the last time I ate bread on the side with dinner at home, even if all I was having was a salad).

Noshtopia’s advice includes asking that your server to limit the variety of bread in your basket to just one kind (great point – the temptation to taste each of the focaccia, the cheese bread, the olive bread AND the artisanal rye makes those slices add up a lot faster) and asking them to remove the basket from your table after you’ve had just one slice. Which reminds me of the time I ate dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant (which boasts one of the best bread baskets in Toronto, in my opinion) and Suzanne Somers, who was dining at the next table, waved the bread away. I knew the Thighmaster alone couldn’t take the credit for those legs!

When it comes to dining out, what’s your biggest weakness? How do you overcome the temptation? (or do you? What’s worth the splurge?) Share your tips, tricks or just dish on your biggest indulgences by emailing us here.