On Friday, December 10th, Neil and I had a chance to visit the Tony Roma's in Orlando, Florida, where we finally got to try their new low carb offerings. Bringing with us Brett and Wanda Railey of Low Carb Dieters Page was a plus, as we were able to get the opinions of four long-time industry people.

Our first impressions were very positive, as we were seated quickly and the staff was very attentive. In fact, they have signage out front to let you know when they can offer immediate seating, or how long a wait you might be looking at. All restaurants could take a lesson from this feature.

As we tried to decide what we'd be ordering that evening, we spoke with our waitress about our review process and asked several questions about their low carb sauce and ordering options. She referred our questions to the management and within a few minutes, the Executive General Manager, Peter Olivares, and the Kitchen Manager, Sam S. Mazzei made a visit to our table.

They were warm and welcoming and well prepared to answer whatever we threw at them. We confirmed that their low carb sauce (creatively dubbed "Nada Carb") was made for them by Heritage Foods (who brought you Imitaters.)

 

 

I ordered The Original Baby Back Ribs (with the Low Carb Sauce — pictured bottom right), Neil had the Carolina Honeys Tenders (ordinarily prepared in a honey-based sauce, but in this case, with the low carb sauce — pictured bottom left), and both Brett and Wanda ordered the St. Louis Style Ribs (again, with the low carb sauce — pictured top right.) And we all had salads (pictured top left.)

We all felt the Nada Carb sauce was really delicious — better than many high carb sauces we've had, so all four of us felt a little decadent eating it. My Baby Back Ribs were exceptionally moist and tender and practically fell off the bone. My dinner came with Ranch Style Green Beans. While I thought at first I might not like green beans made with ranch-type seasonings, I found we were all fighting over this tasty side.

The St. Louis style ribs were less tender than the baby back ribs, but very flavorful and more meaty. We ended up splitting things, so everyone got a taste of everything.

Neil's Carolina Tenders were remarkably crisp on the outside despite being drenched in sauce, yet remained moist and good on the inside. The chicken was properly cooked — not too well done.

We also had a side order of broccoli covered in melted cheese. All in all, each dish was a delight and we'd definitely recommend Tony Roma's for anyone who loves good barbeque and needs to remain true to their low carb lifestyle!

Good pricing, helpful staff, very clean premises. Oh, and if you love the Nada Carb sauce, you can buy a bottle or two at your local Tony Roma's, or order it online at their website!


         

Review content copyright © January 2005  Lora Ruffner and Neil Beaty for Low Carb Luxury.
Inset food photos copyright © 2005  Neil Beaty for Low Carb Luxury.

Tony Roma's logo copyright © 2005 Romacorp, Inc.; Dallas, Texas.