1 Republik Review

Happy weekend readers! I hope everyone had a great Friday night.

Last week I bought a Groupon deal for 1 Republik in Hoboken which entitled me to 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, and 2 drinks for $30.  Groupons always burn a hole in my pocket and I wanted to use it right away.  Dan and I went last night for the first time, and it was pretty good!

We got there at Happy Hour so we had a drink at the bar before sitting down for our feast.  Wine for me, Dog Fish Ale for Dan.

For our appetizer, we ordered the Mac and Cheese. This was no ordinary Mac and Cheese though.  Three cheeses they used were Marscapone, Goat and Gruyere which were complimented with bacon and wild mushrooms.  I forgot that there was bacon inside until I started eating it and it was a nice addition to the dish.  I’m not a mushroom lover but I ate them in this dish because they were disguised by all of the delicious cheese, yum!

(It looked better when it was served to us but I remembered to take a picture after we dug in.)

For my entrée, I rolled with the Southwest burger which came with Pepperjack cheese, avocado, sour cream, pickled hot peppers and salsa.  To avoid more fat than I was already destined to consume, I subbed the ground beef for a turkey burger and ordered a house salad instead of fries.

Most of the flavors meshed together and I couldn’t distinguish between the avocado and sour cream but the pickled hot peppers stood out.  I usually would order my meal without them, but I thought the menu said pickled peppers.  I assumed they would be red peppers but the hot peppers were a pleasant surprise! I didn’t love the bread that the burger came on, so next time I would order it without a bun.  The salad had the perfect light balsamic-y flavor to dress up the lettuce.

I say 1 Republik is a win and I will definitely be back!

Eating Healthy while Dining Out

While I could have done without both the avocado and sour cream, I tried to healthify these very decadent dishes.

When we go out to eat, we don’t usually order an appetizer so this was a treat because of the Groupon.  The Mac and Cheese was obviously calorie-dense, so I scooped out just three bites onto my plate so I could have a taste.  Always portion out family style appetizers onto your plate so you don’t end up eating more than you anticipated out of the serving bowl.

Like I said before, I would do without the bun on the burger next time.  Substituting the salad for fries made me feel better about eating a calorie splurge burger.  I didn’t even miss the fries because the burger was so good.  We have been trained to eat fries with a burger, but we really shouldn’t do that! Fries can add 400 (or more!) calories to a meal, so swapping them out for a healthier side is a figure-friendly idea.

I also rolled with wine instead beer or a cocktail because it usually has less calories than my favorite beers.  Wine has about 100-120 calories per glass where a Blue Moon has 171 calories.  Sugary drinks are far more than both of those.  If I want to have a vodka drink, I’ll order a vodka soda with a small splash of cranberry juice and lime.  Using soda water as a base slashes so many calories and you still get the cranberry flavor.

I hope these tips help!

We’re off to the NYC Marathon Expo in the city today. I’m so excited to see all the exhibitors and maybe get some free goodies!