Orlando's Season 52 Makes Healthy Eating Fun

I'll admit that I'm not the worlds healthiest eater. I like my food fried and greasy and lots of it. I've always judged a restaurant on the simple ratio of dollars to food portion. The Cheesecake Factory is notorious for giving you so much food that if you tried to eat all of it, you'd probably upchuck it before your check came. Still, in a sitting at The Cheesecake Factory, I could down all I'm giving and still complain about the portion size. So when I was recently invited to dinner with some friends of mine in Orlando at a restaurant known for it's smaller proportions and it's healthier cooking practices, I'll have to admit that I was a bit skeptical. Still, after a night of dinning at Season's 52, my perspective was changed forever.

First, let me say that I felt incredibly underdressed going in. Not knowing what to expect, I dressed rather casually(cargo shorts and a ringer tee) and the mood in that place was much more of a minimum requirement of a polo and khakis. The place is dimly lit and the ambiance is elegant and upscale. The location in Orlando had a piano bar and it's clientele featured Grant Hill.

The place is well decorated and the booths are spacious and comfortable. They had over 140 available wines. And of those wines, 70 were served by the glass, and I was impressed at how knowledgeable our server was. She knew a lot about the wines they carried and helped my girlfriend pick out a nice glass of merlot.

As for the menu, it's unconventional in comparison to other restaurants I was used to frequenting. The whole premise of Seasons 52 is to give their patrons a healthy dining experience and use the best foods of each season on their menus. What does that mean? It means that the menu is changed and updated every season and all prepared without any butter or trans fat. Each entrée is 475 calories or less and is giving in a portion size that will almost guarantee that you'll never overeat. Still, I was skeptical. I didn't want to overpay for tiny portions.