Hey everyone! Welcome to my South Beach Diet Phase 2 hubs, which I'm writing based on the popularity of the Phase 1 hubs for dining out at popular chain restaurants. Those of you on SBD know that the first phase is the hardest. You can only eat lean meats, lean dairy products, eggs, nuts and vegetables. No sugar, no carbs of any kind (bread, cereal, pasta, potatoes, rice), no fruit, no alcohol. But once you get through those two weeks and switch to Phase 2, you are able to enjoy most fruits again, as well as whole grain products, and a limited amount of red wine.

With Romano's Macaroni Grill, the beauty is that whole-wheat penne pasta is available as an option for every pasta dish on the menu. So while you are able to enjoy every item from my Phase 1 choices, you can add these items for Phase 2:

Pasta

Remember that these are all served with different types of pasta, so for them to be Phase 2 eligible, you have to ask for the whole-wheat penne substitution....

Pasta Milano-Grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh mushrooms, in a roasted garlic cream sauce. Remember that this is probably a full-fat sauce, so you might want to see if it can be served on the side.

Penne Rustica-Shrimp, grilled chicken and smoked prosciutto and baked under a crust of Parmesan cheese

Carmela's Chicken Rigatoni-Grilled chicken, mushrooms, caramelized onions, basil, and Parmesan cheese and tossed with a Marsala wine sauce

Shrimp Portofino-Sauteed shrimp with mushrooms, pine nuts, and spinach in a lemon butter sauce

Penne with Oven Roasted Chicken-Oven roasted chicken, asparagus, fresh buffalo mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes, and sautéed in a light olive oil garlic sauce

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce-Okay, so it would be whole-wheat penne with meat sauce, but taste just as good. Naturally, the meat sauce is tomato based.

There are two dishes that I'm not 100% sure about, because there is white wine used in the sauce. I'm guessing that cooking the wine reduces or eliminates the sugars in it, thus making these dishes acceptable, but you may want to consult with a South Beach Diet expert beforehand......

Sizzling Shrimp Scampi-Juicy shrimp sautéed with garlic, lemon butter, white wine, red and green bell peppers, and tomatoes. It's served sizzling in a cast iron skillet at your table

Seafood Linguine-Shrimp, scallops, and clams sautéed with oven-roasted tomatoes, basil, arugula, and served with a white wine, garlic and olive oil sauce

Beverages

Everything in Phase 1 applies here, and then the best part-you can also enjoy any type of red wine. Macaroni Grill makes a Chianti that is commercially available, and for you novice wine drinkers, this is a nice light red and a great choice to pair with any of the pastas above.