Petro's Iron Skillet Gets It RIGHT in Knoxville
This entry was posted on 5/20/2007 8:21 PM and is filed under uncategorized.
Okay, I finally got a chance to take a look and try out the Iron Skillet menu that has the new nutritional options in it. I must say that I was impressed and surprised at the care they took to develop the menu. They were also very careful to make sure that the new foods they carry ARE actually nutritious for you.
For breakfast, I tried their new vegetable omelet. I requested the egg substitute with sides of sliced tomato and one slice of the new hearty whole grain bread (an exchange for two slices of the regular whole wheat bread) lightly buttered, of course. I also asked for some salsa to "flavor up" the omelet. I ordered a glass of 2% free milk to complete my meal.
The new hearty whole grain bread got a pass from Pam Whitfield, as she explained that the fiber content was excellent. One slice contained 30% more fiber, the same amount of sugar and less sodium than two slices of regular whole wheat bread. The calories were a little high, so factor that into your diet but don't avoid the bread. The nutrition it offers outweighs the caloric content. Just cut back some place else. The taste was fantastic and I look forward to ordering much more of it in the future.
Also for breakfast on the bar, they are now offering two excellent cold cereal options; Allbran and Rice Crispies.
Fresh fruits abound for buffet options, but avoid the canned fruit if sugar is a sin for you. The canned fruit IS in light syrup, so will add the carbohydrates on fast, as well as the empty calories. Opt for the fresh fruit and you will be just fine!! Yogurt is offered on the buffet, but until they get another brand, watch the sugar content. It is very high in sugar for the serving size it offers. Opt for the fresh fruit with some of the cottage cheese and you will increase your calorie to nutrition ratio.
One thing I was very happy to see (although, because of my diabetes, I could not eat it) was the new hearty whole wheat french toast topped with bananas and offered with sugar free maple syrup. Wow! What a way to get your protein, fiber, fruit, and with a glass of 2% milk, a great breakfast. Ask for some toasted pecans or some walnuts to add on top and you will add to the flavor as well as getting some of those "good, heart healthy" oils into your diet.
Lunch was equally as impressive. I had a grilled chicken breast sandwich on whole grain bread with a side of vegy style soup. I ordered all the fixin's on my sandwich...lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, and....no, I held the mayo and opted for mustard. It was great, but a little too filling for me as I could only get through about half of it. A great, low calorie option for the extremely hungry truck driver. Just make sure you opt for the broth style soup and avoid the cream style ones.
If you head for the salad bar for lunch, go get it! Even though I would not have thought it possible, they actually improved their salad bar. Now offered is whole boiled eggs, which seemed to be a desired item to us truck drivers. They were flying off the bar. The vegetables seemed fresher and the number of fresh vegetable options has increased, while decreasing the number of mayo-laden mixed salads. They are still missing the nuts and seeds, but we will work on them with that. If you would like to see a few sliced roasted almonds or some sunflower seeds on the bar for your salads, then you have to keep asking for them.
Dinner was also great. I had the grilled salmon with the vegetable medley side. If you are not much of a vegy eater, don't strum your nose to this mix until you try it. Steamed just right, the vegetables actually took on a sweet taste without all the calories. I also ordered a baked potato with one teaspoon each of butter and sour cream. I got a salad off of the bar and used their new fat free ranch dressing option.
Iron Skillet is now offering "pouches" of fat free reduced calorie dressing. But, as I warned before, when manufacturers remove one thing, they replace it with something else to make it taste better. In the case of the Ken's Low Fat Italian Dressing, drivers with blood pressure or sodium issues should avoid it altogether. Packing 700mg of sodium in one packet, it takes up one-third of your daily allotment of sodium. Too high a cost for the calories you save. Opt for a lower sodium, higher calorie dressing and use the fork dipping trick I have taught you.
Although they did the job right, there is still much to be done. Iron Skillet needs to get a light brand yogurt with a much lower sugar content. Also, their canned fruit needs to come packed in water and sweetened with Splenda. The hearty whole grain wheat bread needs to be offered as a "toast" option with breakfast platters, and not just as a french toast option. They are still over-salting their broth based soups and I can not seem to convince them that people will add their desired amount of salt from the shaker on the tables. Fat free mayonnaise is still missing from their menu as is skim (fat free) milk. Also missing from the buffet (which is much improved, by the way) is desserts that are diet friendly. Some kind of baked pear or baked apple offered with sugar-free caramel topping in a squeeze bottle and sugar free/fat free whipped topping would do the trick while offering the conscientious eater an opportunity to pick up another fruit serving.
So, in all, because their changes were so significantly to the benefit of the driver and the driver's health. Because they were so careful to take total nutrition in consideration while maintaining the highest level of taste, I give the Iron Skillet located on Watt Road in Knoxville, Tennessee a complete and well earned FORKS UP!!
I will continue to monitor the changes this chain has made and will report to you on their ability to maintain the food and nutrition across the country at their other sites. If you have the opportunity to enjoy the new menu options, please let me know what you think, so I can post your notes to the other drivers who are seeking to change their lives, their bodies, and their health.
Pick up your forks, drivers, and enjoy!! Keep healthy, keep happy, keep safe, and keep moving your body. Park That Truck!!
For breakfast, I tried their new vegetable omelet. I requested the egg substitute with sides of sliced tomato and one slice of the new hearty whole grain bread (an exchange for two slices of the regular whole wheat bread) lightly buttered, of course. I also asked for some salsa to "flavor up" the omelet. I ordered a glass of 2% free milk to complete my meal.
The new hearty whole grain bread got a pass from Pam Whitfield, as she explained that the fiber content was excellent. One slice contained 30% more fiber, the same amount of sugar and less sodium than two slices of regular whole wheat bread. The calories were a little high, so factor that into your diet but don't avoid the bread. The nutrition it offers outweighs the caloric content. Just cut back some place else. The taste was fantastic and I look forward to ordering much more of it in the future.
Also for breakfast on the bar, they are now offering two excellent cold cereal options; Allbran and Rice Crispies.
Fresh fruits abound for buffet options, but avoid the canned fruit if sugar is a sin for you. The canned fruit IS in light syrup, so will add the carbohydrates on fast, as well as the empty calories. Opt for the fresh fruit and you will be just fine!! Yogurt is offered on the buffet, but until they get another brand, watch the sugar content. It is very high in sugar for the serving size it offers. Opt for the fresh fruit with some of the cottage cheese and you will increase your calorie to nutrition ratio.
One thing I was very happy to see (although, because of my diabetes, I could not eat it) was the new hearty whole wheat french toast topped with bananas and offered with sugar free maple syrup. Wow! What a way to get your protein, fiber, fruit, and with a glass of 2% milk, a great breakfast. Ask for some toasted pecans or some walnuts to add on top and you will add to the flavor as well as getting some of those "good, heart healthy" oils into your diet.
Lunch was equally as impressive. I had a grilled chicken breast sandwich on whole grain bread with a side of vegy style soup. I ordered all the fixin's on my sandwich...lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, and....no, I held the mayo and opted for mustard. It was great, but a little too filling for me as I could only get through about half of it. A great, low calorie option for the extremely hungry truck driver. Just make sure you opt for the broth style soup and avoid the cream style ones.
If you head for the salad bar for lunch, go get it! Even though I would not have thought it possible, they actually improved their salad bar. Now offered is whole boiled eggs, which seemed to be a desired item to us truck drivers. They were flying off the bar. The vegetables seemed fresher and the number of fresh vegetable options has increased, while decreasing the number of mayo-laden mixed salads. They are still missing the nuts and seeds, but we will work on them with that. If you would like to see a few sliced roasted almonds or some sunflower seeds on the bar for your salads, then you have to keep asking for them.
Dinner was also great. I had the grilled salmon with the vegetable medley side. If you are not much of a vegy eater, don't strum your nose to this mix until you try it. Steamed just right, the vegetables actually took on a sweet taste without all the calories. I also ordered a baked potato with one teaspoon each of butter and sour cream. I got a salad off of the bar and used their new fat free ranch dressing option.
Iron Skillet is now offering "pouches" of fat free reduced calorie dressing. But, as I warned before, when manufacturers remove one thing, they replace it with something else to make it taste better. In the case of the Ken's Low Fat Italian Dressing, drivers with blood pressure or sodium issues should avoid it altogether. Packing 700mg of sodium in one packet, it takes up one-third of your daily allotment of sodium. Too high a cost for the calories you save. Opt for a lower sodium, higher calorie dressing and use the fork dipping trick I have taught you.
Although they did the job right, there is still much to be done. Iron Skillet needs to get a light brand yogurt with a much lower sugar content. Also, their canned fruit needs to come packed in water and sweetened with Splenda. The hearty whole grain wheat bread needs to be offered as a "toast" option with breakfast platters, and not just as a french toast option. They are still over-salting their broth based soups and I can not seem to convince them that people will add their desired amount of salt from the shaker on the tables. Fat free mayonnaise is still missing from their menu as is skim (fat free) milk. Also missing from the buffet (which is much improved, by the way) is desserts that are diet friendly. Some kind of baked pear or baked apple offered with sugar-free caramel topping in a squeeze bottle and sugar free/fat free whipped topping would do the trick while offering the conscientious eater an opportunity to pick up another fruit serving.
So, in all, because their changes were so significantly to the benefit of the driver and the driver's health. Because they were so careful to take total nutrition in consideration while maintaining the highest level of taste, I give the Iron Skillet located on Watt Road in Knoxville, Tennessee a complete and well earned FORKS UP!!
I will continue to monitor the changes this chain has made and will report to you on their ability to maintain the food and nutrition across the country at their other sites. If you have the opportunity to enjoy the new menu options, please let me know what you think, so I can post your notes to the other drivers who are seeking to change their lives, their bodies, and their health.
Pick up your forks, drivers, and enjoy!! Keep healthy, keep happy, keep safe, and keep moving your body. Park That Truck!!