Homestyle Restaurants

Depending on where you live, you may be familiar with "homestyle restaurants." The meals are supposed to mimic "homecooking," and generally include classic favorites like mashed potatoes, meatloaf, fried chicken and hamburgers.

In my part of the world, we have a homestyle restaurant on every neighborhood block. Quality differs, and in some cases may be just a step above the typical diner or "greasy spoon." Other homestyle restaurants, however, may actually come close to imitating the type of meals Grandma used to put on the table.

Choosing a healthy homestyle restaurant meal isn't always easy. Around here, butter is added to every vegetable. (Except green beans, which are cooked in ham broth.) Many dishes are fried, and the "wheat" bread is rarely 100% whole grain. Salads in homestyle restaurants are typically nothing more than some iceberg lettuce with a tomato slice and a couple of carrot shreds.

As a result, we try to avoid homestyle restaurants as much as possible. When forced to eat at one, however, I usually stick to these menu items:

• Baked potato
• Vegetable or seafood soups
• Broiled fish

Not the healthiest of all meals--and I admit to sometimes indulging in a side of French fries--but better than most homestyle fare.