The 2,710-Calorie Meal: Where To Find It Around Citrus Heights

If you’re watching your weight, there are some entrees at area restaurants you may want to avoid.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently put out a list of high-calorie, fat-packed options served up at national restaurant chains. And most of the meals exceed the recommended daily calorie intake for the average person.

The organization reveals the caloric, fat and sugar contents of specific dishes at Sonic, IHOP, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, Outback Steakhouse, The Cheesecake Factory and Red Lobster.

The diet sabotaging dishes have been highlighted in their Xtreme Eating Awards.

The “winning” selections include:

Outback Steakhouse: 16-ounce prime rib, dressed baked potato and blue cheese wedge salad (2,400 calories).

The Cheesecake Factory: Louisiana Chicken Pasta with New Orleans sauce (2,370 calories). The restaurant reappears for dessert with its Warm Apple Crisp (1,740 calories).

Sonic: Pineapple Upside Down Master Blast (2,020 calories).

IHOP: Chorizo Fiesta Omelette (1,300 calories).

Red Lobster: Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut, Walt’s Favorite, and Linguine Alfredo shrimp dishes with fries, Caesar salad and one Cheddar Bay biscuit (2,710 calories).

Red Lobster takes issue with the Xtreme findings, and argues that CSPI’s list mischaracterizes the nature of that particular menu item and fails to mention that guests can create much lighter options as part of that dish with selections such as wood-grilled salmon and garlic grilled shrimp.

“The Create Your Own Combination lets guests choose two or three preparations from a list of nine to create a dish that meets their individual tastes and dietary preferences,” said a Red Lobster spokesperson. “In fact, there are more than 500 possible combinations guests can create as part of Create Your Own. CSPI’s Xtreme Eating Awards hone in on just one atypical combination and as a result inaccurately portrays the nature of this menu item. They neglected to reference other possible combinations, guest choice and the lighter options available.”

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is a nonprofit health advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on nutrition and food safety policies. CSPI is supported by the 900,000 U.S. and Canadian subscribers to its Nutrition Action Healthletter and by foundation grants.

California can still take solace in the fact that the state is considered one of the “least fattest” states, according to a Gallup report released only weeks ago.

Photo credit: The Center for Science in the Public Interest

--Patch writers Kara Seymour and Charlene Arsenault contributed to this report.