Biggest Loser Celebrity Chef Devin Alexander Creates Low Calorie Diet for Shade Hotel: 30 Days of Devinly Decadence

There’s still time to work on those New Year’s resolutions. Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach has partnered with Celebrity Chef Devin Alexander to put together a menu that cuts the calories but keeps all the flavors, textures, and sensations we love. The South Bay Foodies sampled a few of her “Devinly” creations and we agree, they may be low in calories but are decadent indeed.

Chef Devin Partners with Shade Hotel Owner, Michael Zislis

The idea to have a fun, low calorie menu at Shade started with a meet-up between Chef Devin and Michael Zislis, Shade Hotel’s proprietor.

Chef Devin Alexander, left, and Shade Hotel owner Michael Zislis, partnered to bring an equally low calorie and delicious menu to guests of Zinc Restaurant.

A conversation between the two resulted in Chef Devin preparing a meal for Zislis that was beyond expectations in flavor and nutritional value. Immediately putting on his entrepreneur hat, Zislis wanted to make a way for the public to enjoy similar meals at a local venue. The result was “30 Days of Devinly Decadence” at Zinc, Shade Hotel’s in-house restaurant.

Sampling the Menu: 30 Days of Devinly Decadence

The idea for the menu at Zinc was to create a menu that Zislis himself could enjoy for 30 days in an effort to jump-start healthy eating and weight loss in 2013.

For 30 days, the menu would feature delicious, low calorie items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For the late night and happy hour crowds, the menu would feature cocktails and small plates as well.

Here’s a rundown on some of the Devinly Decadence menu items we sampled* at a recent dinner with Chef Devin, Zislis, and folks from the local media.

• Little Dev Burger ($12) – This is a makeover of a fast-food burger you are probably familiar with. You know, the one with “Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun”? Well this one is just like that one with a big exception: its only 371 calories with 11 grams of fat. Served with sweet potato skins (see below) or a salad.

Made just like the one you’d get from a drive-through window but you’ll feel so much better about eating it. Its less than 500 caloies with only 11 grams of fat.

• Sexy Cocktails ($9 each) – You can watch your calories and still have a few at happy hour. These cocktails all feature the real deal when it comes to the booze in the recipe (Don Julio tequila or Ketel One vodka). A few extra steps – like the berries in the Blueberry Margarita – keep the calories down. Other options include the Sparkly Greyhound and the Ripped Russian…all under 200 calories.

Real-deal cocktails with Don Julio tequila or Ketel One vodka. From left: Sparkly Greyhoun, Much Better Frozen Blueberry Margarita, and the Ripped Russian. Sparkly Greyhound was my favorite with Ketel One, fresh-squeezed pink grapefruit juice, and grapefruit sparkling water.

• Sweet Potato Skins ($7) – There are 288 calories in the full order of nine seasoned sweet potato rounds with low fat cheddar, nitrate-free turkey bacon bits, green onion, and Greek yogurt. They’re served dripping with all the things you like on a potato minus the guilt!

They’re dripping with all the flavors and textures that make potato skins so great, but the calories are no where to be found.

• Crab Cakes ($15) – Lump crab cakes served with lemon caper dipping sauce. Also comes with sweet potato skins and a salad.

The “unfried” state of these crab cakes is unnoticeable. The lemon caper dipping sauce raises the flavor as well.

• Bundt Cakes and Muffins ($5 each) – If you run through this menu you can eat dessert with confidence…and still be low on calories. Ha! With fewer than 250 calories, you’ll be wondering why they taste so good. Bundt cakes include lemon and Godiva chocolate; muffins are Nutty Doodle and Banana Mania.

The desserts on the 30 Days of Devinly Decadence are aptly named (from bottom, clockwise): Life-altering lemon bundt, Nutty doodle muffin, Rich chocolate Godiva bundt, and Banana mania muffin.

There’s still time to get a taste from the 30 Days of Decadence menu. The special event runs through Monday, February 3 during breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

• Zinc @ Shade Hotel
  http://www.shadehotel.com/eat_zincbar.php
  1221 North Valley Drive
  Manhattan Beach, CA
  (310) 546-4995

* Some items mentioned in this article were provided on a complimentary basis for the purpose of this review. Prices and menu items mentioned are subject to change without notice. This story was accurate when it was published and reflects the uninfluenced opinions of the reviewers.