Cheesecake Factory, Red Robin Lead 2014 'Xtreme Eating Awards'
When it comes to serving up large meals with lots of calories, The Cheesecake Factory -- which operates about 150 outlets throughout the world -- apparently, er, takes the cake.
So says the nonprofit public health and nutrition advocate Center for Science in the Public Interest, which placed three of the Southern California-based restaurant chain's menu offerings among the nine dishes included on its "Xtreme Eating Awards" list for 2014.
"Two out of three American adults are overweight or obese and one in 10 adults has diabetes, thanks in part to The Cheesecake Factory, Chevy's Fresh Mex, Maggiano's Little Italy and much of the rest of America's chain restaurant industry," CSPI dietitian Paige Einstein said in a news release announcing the awards.
The Cheesecake Factory's Bruléed French Toast, a plate of custard-soaked bread, topped with powdered sugar and served with maple-butter syrup and bacon, provides 2,780 calories, along with 93 grams of saturated fat, 2,230 milligrams of sodium and 24 teaspoons of what the CSPI calls "mostly" added sugar.
Then, to work all of the calorie content off, an eater would have to exercise the equivalent of swimming laps for seven hours.
The American Heart Association, as a matter of fact, recommends a daily limit of nine teaspoons of added sugar for men and six for women.
As well, the restaurant's Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic may indeed include healthy ingredients like mushrooms, tomato, peas, and caramelized onions, but the plate's cream sauce boosts the caloric load to 2,410 calories, the dish also contains 63 grams of saturated fat and 1,370 milligrams of sodium.
Similarly bountiful in calories, The Cheesecake Factory's Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake comes in at 1,500 calories.
"The Cheesecake Factory remains the most calorically-extreme chain that we've seen," Einstein said.
Nonetheless, the CSPI's "Xtreme Eating Awards" were topped by the Monster A.1. Peppercorn burger with Bottomless Steak Fries and Monster Salted Caramel Milkshake, served up by the 470-location Red Robin Gourmet Burgers -- with a whopping total of 3,540 calories, 69 grams of saturated fat and 6,280 mgs of salt.
"When French toast is 'Bruléed,' fries are 'bottomless,' and steaks are now garnished with not just one, but two Italian sausages, it's clear," said Einstein, "that caloric extremism still rules the roost."
Click here to see the rest of the dishes on the CSPI's "Xtreme Eating Awards" list.
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