Applebee's Under 550 Calories Menu Review and a Giveaway!

Shortly after I posted my recreation of Applebee’s VeggiePatch Pizza, I was contact by a representative for them asking if I’d like to try out their new Under 550 Calories menu. I’ve seen the commercials over the last month so I was already familiar with the concept, and while I hadn’t tried any of the dishes yet I was eager to give them a chance.

Last night we went to the Applebee’s around the corner from our house and overall had a great experience.

To start off I ordered the SkinnyBee Margarita to keep with the low-calorie theme.

 From Applebee’s website: 100% delicious margarita flavor with around 100 calories. 

Made with Hornitos™ 100% Agave tequila and Applebee’s® signature SkinnyBee™ Margarita Mix.

The margarita was light and refreshing. There wasn’t a strong sour mix taste, which I quite enjoyed.

Brent ordered the Roasted Garlic Sirloin for his entrée. I knew that he would order this. He has a weak spot for steak and roasted garlic.

From Applebee’s website: 

If you like garlic, you’re at the right steak. We marinate this 7 oz. sirloin in garlic and serve it over sautéed onions.

 Herbed potatoes and a grilled portobello mushroom cap filled with creamed spinach add even more flavor.

Brent and I both thought the steak had great flavor and he said it was very similar to their Bourbon steak. The portion size of the steak was good and we both liked the spinach stuffed Portobello. The steak didn’t have a strong roasted garlic flavor to us, but we use a lot of garlic at home. Brent felt the meal was light on potatoes but considering it is suppose to be low calorie it was understandable.

I chose the Lemon Parmesan Shrimp for my entrée. At the restaurant this item was in the Under 550 Calories section but on their website it is listed under Weight Watchers. I looked up the nutritional value and several sources say the calorie content is 510 calories. So either I screwed up or the dish fits in both. Either way, I can’t believe it is less than 550 calories because it was so much food.  

From Applebee’s website:

 Blackened shrimp sautéed with tomatoes, onions and basil. 

Served over creamy rice with a decadent lemon cream sauce and Parmesan cheese.

If you don’t like spicy food, don’t let the blackened shrimp scare you away. They were very lightly blackened and they were cooked nicely. The rice had just a touch of creaminess to it but could have used a bit more flavor. Nothing a little salt and pepper didn’t fix really. The lemon parmesan sauce was tasty, not overpowering and was used sparingly. They definitely didn’t drown the dish in it which is a good thing. I loved the onion, tomato, and basil on top – it had great flavor and a little kick. I did feel that the dish could have used a good squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavors and bring the whole dish home.

Overall, Brent and I were pretty impressed with menu and the items we had. The portions were good – I couldn’t even finish mine actually, and the prices were also very reasonable.  And if I didn’t know the calorie count beforehand, I probably wouldn’t have guessed they were a part of a low calorie menu.

Check out some other diner reviews of Applebee’s Under 550 Calorie Menu by clicking here.

So here is the best part. I have a $25 Gift Card for one of you to go and try Applebee’s for yourself! The contest will run until 6PM Sunday night and you can enter up to five times.

Update: The giveaway is now closed. Thanks to those that entered! 

Here’s how you can enter:

1. Leave me a comment telling me if you’ve tried any of their Under 550 Calorie meals and what you thought, OR which dish you’d be most excited to try. You can find the menu here.

2. Like Kitten with a Whisk on Facebook or share this post on Facebook. Then come back here and tell me you did in a new comment.

3. Follow me @kittenwhiskblog on Twitter or share this post on Twitter. Then come back here and tell me you did in a new comment.

4. Follow me on Pinterest. Then come back here and tell me you did in a new comment.

5. Subscribe to Kitten with a Whisk by email, RSS feed, adding it to your reader, or using the Networked Blogs or Google Friend Connect widgets. All those options are located on the right side bar, but you only get credit for subscribing to one. Then come back here and tell me you did in a new comment.

Contest is open to U.S. Residents only and be sure to add a new comment for each entry. I will announce the winner Monday morning. Good Luck!

Disclosure: I received a gift card to try Applebee’s Under 550 calorie menu, however all thoughts expressed in this post are my own. Giveaway is also sponsored by Applebee’s.