We’re all doing the best we can. We’re trying to eat right, exercise, drink all the water, but at what cost? JLo looks great and all, but imagine keeping up her diet and workout routine while working a forty hour week, seeing friends, and keeping up with various Real Housewife franchises? Can it even be done? I don’t know, and I don’t care to find out.
Living a full, balanced life is much for fulfilling than being a slave to your quest for abs. And guys, I know from experience because for a couple years I had one ab and it was really overrated. Having a social life is important, laughing with friends is self-care, and no one wants to be friends with someone who brings a baggie of cold cod out to dinner. So what do you do? You go out to dinner and order something reasonably healthy-ish. In the interest of social life and BMI harmony, I’m sharing some of my favorite healthy-ish dishes from our favorite Southie restaurants, and there’s not one dumb salad in the bunch.
The Bowery Bar
Steak Tips are are almost always a safe bet, and The Bowery Bar serves theirs with roasted potatoes and asparagus, so you don’t even need to be needy and ask to sub for fries. If red meat isn’t your thing (it is very much mine) theres also Shrimp Tostados and Pan Roasted Salmon, my pescatarian friends.
Yellow Door Taqueria
It’s well documented that I’m a HUGE Yellow Door fan (I’m anxiously awaiting the opening of their South End location), and although I don’t really go for health-ish reasons, I go for guacamole and margarita reasons, they have plenty of healthy-ish options! Mezcal Shrimp Tacos (no cheese or crema here), Sea Bass Cerviche, and Celery Root and Apple Taco just might cross over from healthy-ish to healthy, but I’m not a nutritionist so don’t quote me.
224 Boston Street
Somewhere along the way comfort food got a real bum rap. We think of it as heavy, unhealthy, and downright shameful food. Believe me when I say that’s not how it has to be! 224 Boston Street has amazing healthy-ish comfort food like Mussles Fra Diablo, Pork Tenderloin and Half Roast Chicken, and unlike more traditional comfort food you don’t need to wait till some tool ghosts you to eat it!
Lucy’s American Taverns
Ok, now I know most of us don’t think “wings” when we think healthy-ish eating, Lucy’s Famous Wings have a Memphis option, dry rub and grilled so they are a much better option than something deep fried and served in a buttery buffalo sauce (a lot of restaurants put like STICKS of butter in their buffalo sauce, that’s what makes it so delicious). If you’re not a wing person, Steak Tips and Tuna Poke are great choices!
Lower Mills Tavern
LMT may be known for their Wednesday Burger and Beer special, but their menu is overflowing with fresh and local meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, heck even their ice cream and booze is locally made! Some of our favorites are the Seared Tuna, Chicken Lollipops, and Roasted Eggplant, but since their menu changes seasonally and they are always adding amazing daily specials, it’s tough to play favorites!
dbar
We here at Caught In Dot LOVE dbar! We love their wine dinners, their themed nights, their tea dances, their patio parties, and we love that we can get delicious food that doesn’t undo a week’s worth of yoga. Some of our favorite dishes to share are The Family Jewels (aka meatballs), Brussel Sprouts, Tuna Cerviche, Jumbo Lump Crabcake, and Mussels. And dbar gets bonus points because after dinner you can get your cardio on the dance floor.
Bonus: Dorchester Brewing Company
A brewery might seem like a strange pick for a healthy-ish meal, but as that sexpot Dr. Ian Malcolm said, life, uuuuuuuhhh, finds a way. I don’t know what the exact menu is yet, but M & M BBQ is putting down stakes at Dorchester Brewing Co., and where there is barbecue there is almost always some fresh frilled meats, so I’m pretty confident there will be healthy-ish options!
Bone Apple Tea!
Heather has been writing for Caught In Southie since pretty much the beginning and for that we apologize. She can often be found on her couch with a log of raw cookie dough. Her biggest fear is being on an episode of Dateline and her wildest dream is being a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Feel free to let her know if there’s something you think she should write about, unless it’s stupid.
