Finding Balance At K.T. Burger

It's the day after Thanksgiving.  We are deep into the heart of football season.  Days and evenings seem to be filled with rich food, fun drinks, and lots of sitting, watching & cheering.  Sometimes, like this particular occasion, it's not about being perfect but about doing the best you can, finding the healthier option, making a few "game-time" compromises, and being mindful.  This is the situation I stumbled upon the other week.  Due to the terrible weather, my family and I did not drive into Fort Worth for the TCU vs. Baylor game and instead found ourselves in the fun and friendly K.T. Burger in Highland Park Village.  With tv's everywhere that ensure a view of the game wherever you sit and a menu not overwhelmingly huge but with a good variety of options, the evening turned out to be a win for my family as well as for my team.  Go Frogs!

Menu Mentions:
You can certainly arrive here ready for a big burger with fries and a beer and be pleased.  However, K.T. Burger also offers a variety of other options from breakfast or brisket tacos to their Abscondo Salad (delicious!) to sandwiches & burgers to their hearty dark beer venison chili.  In regards to drinks, they have beer, wine, margaritas & sangrias for the adults and specialty sodas and shakes for the kids.

Cold & hungry this particular evening, I knew a salad was not going to cut it.  However, being the day after Thanksgiving, I also did not want something super heavy.  So, after perusing the menu, I found something yummy but not over the top.  I traded out the burger for the ALT (avocado, lettuce & tomato sandwich) on toasted whole grain bread and the beer for a glass of red wine.  To lighten the dish up a bit more, you could leave the mayo but ask that they not butter the bread.  Or you can always ask for no mayo, but the sandwich might be a bit dryer.  Instead of ordering the side of fries, get the side of super thin and crispy made in-house potato chips and split with a friend.  This meal is a great example of navigating the not-so-healthy menus and putting together dishes that satisfy but still fuel.

Nutrition Notes:

Fiber... whole grain bread, lettuce, tomato... helps keep you full, promotes a healthy GI system and can lower cholesterol.

Monounsaturated Fats... avocado... a healthy fat that can help improve cholesterol levels by increasing HDL (good cholesterol) and lowering LD (bad cholesterol)

Vitamin E... avocado... an antioxidant that helps protect the body against cell damage that can lead to cancer and heart disease.

Lutein... avocado... a carotenoid (along with beta-carotene & zeaxanthin) that helps slow the progression of macular degeneration.

Lycopene... tomatoes... powerful antioxidant that helps prevent hardening of the arteries and may protect against certain cancers.



My Conclusion (Based on a ranking of 1 to 5... 1 = will not return; 5 = will return tomorrow)

Taste = 4.6
Nutrition = 4
Service = 5

Overall Rating = 4.5