This Father’s Day, we took a trip over to Paradiso 37 for a Taste of the Americas! My dad had been wanting to try this place out for a while but we don’t go out to eat super often, so Father’s Day was the perfect excuse to check it out.

The atmosphere was great with some hints of Central and South American flair, but not too much as to represent all of the countries in the Americas. It was pretty laid back, which felt nice compared to the hustle-and-bustle that Disney Springs provides. Because it covers everywhere from North to South, there are quite a few menu options, many of which I found to be great for dieters. There’s something for everyone here, and as I’ll get more into, they work with you if you want to change something around!

I honestly don’t really have any negative things to say about this restaurant. They were so accommodating that the only thing I could potentially list as a con would be if you struggle to control yourself when faced with tortilla chips at a Mexican restaurant.

Everything was absolutely delicious and I did not feel guilty walking out of this restaurant, which made me so thrilled!

My dad really wanted one of their burgers that has pineapple on it, but with grilled chicken since we don’t eat beef. They were able to make the switch for my dad without any problem or eyebrow raising, and my dad said that his chicken was grilled to absolute perfection. If you’re watching what you eat, his order - the Columbian Bacon-Pineapple Burger - also usually comes with queso, cilantro-crema, and (as the name suggests) bacon, but it made for a good cheat meal with the grilled chicken swapped out for beef. But if beef is your thing, it’s normally cooked with an
​8 oz. Angus steak burger.

Anthony got the ribs and also said they were great, so if you or someone you know is curious about these, they sound worth it based on Anthony’s description!
​He mentioned that the meat was tender, but still stayed on the bone so it was easy to eat. They came with fries, but if you wanted a different side, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to oblige. Anthony is just lucky and has the metabolism of a Derby race horse, haha!

My mom and I both got the fish tacos, but with a twist. I asked if it was possible to get grilled fish as opposed to battered like it lists on the menu, and again, this was absolutely no problem. The grilled fish was perfect and everything came on the side: corn salsa, a lightly dressed cabbage slaw, and the cilantro-lime crema. There are enough generic options of all of these things to track it with a good guesstimate in My Fitness Pal or Weight Watchers, so I was able to do so with confidence and feel in control of how much food I was eating. ​

The service was great, the food was wonderful, and I couldn’t recommend this place highly enough! I also wanted to give an honorable mention to their house-made fire-roasted salsa. It comes when you order some tortilla chips, and it was super smooth and mild with a great black bean salsa flavor. 

Have you been to Paradiso 37? What did you think?

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I recently went to Tony's Town Square at the Magic Kingdom with my soon to be in-laws and parents! It was the only place I could grab a reservation for as we planned the Disney day with them on a relatively short notice (at least in the world of Disney reservations where things get snagged so far in advance), plus Anthony had been wanting to try this place for a while now.

The atmosphere was very charming once you got past the waiting area (a noisy spot next to the lobby where you go to meet Mickey or Tinkerbell), with cute nods to Lady and the Tramp throughout the restaurant. But I couldn't help but worry about my Weight Watchers points and calories since everything on the menu was looking to be high in carbs and loaded with sauces.

But all hope was not lost! With some mild caution, you too can make it work here without fearing the scale the next day. Here's my full review, keeping a Weight Watchers oriented lens on the whole while.

From a healthy eating standpoint, none of your options are truly healthy. Even the salads are loaded with stuff! That’s not necessarily bad - just head in to the restaurant with the mindset that you’re going to enjoy an Italian meal in a pretty location and track as best as you can.

My mom had the margherita pizza, which wasn’t really a margherita pizza - it was basically your typical thin crust cheese pizza with basil on it, so she was a bit disappointed that it was lacking in plum tomatoes and ricotta cheese. The pizza wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t extraordinary either, so if you’re tracking Weight Watchers points or calories, I’d recommend spending those points or calories on something else.

There are a few menu options here that are very trackable. My dad enjoyed his gnocchi, which appeared to be about a cup’s worth so he could track that with ease. My spinach and ricotta ravioli, as well, was trackable, especially since I found a generic option for spinach ravioli in my tracking apps. The sauce is what the diet killer here is, but I found that my plate was essentially a pool of it when all was said and done, so you can easily still enjoy the flavor of it without overindulging. Also, both my dad and I found that our plates had a decent amount of vegetables!

Also worth noting that there are some nasty reviews of Tony’s on TripAdvisor, but it appears as if they’ve revamped their menu and tried to make it a more enjoyable experience for guests. If you go into it expecting it to be a step or two above Olive Garden or Carrabba’s, then you definitely won’t be disappointed.

• Plan ahead if you can help it. If you book your reservation before the day of, take a look at the menu and play around in your Weight Watchers or calorie tracking app. Like I said, I found some generic options for what I ate and was able to guesstimate pretty fairly for how many points I had. If you book your reservation the day of, try to get a quick glance at the menu (available on the My Disney Experience app) when you can. If you're really stressed about it, you can always check my recommendations in my Restaurants Guide (or use this blog post!).  
• Watch the sauce! If I could go back in time, I'd ask for the sauce on the side if at all possible. But if, like me, you forget to do this, don't worry - try your best to wipe some of the sauce off or to the side and use it more like a dip (the 'dip your fork in sauce before the food' trick is a beautiful thing in situations like this) so you aren't eating food smothered in sauce that will rack up your points. 
• Use this as your cheat meal. Lots of programs allow some sort of cheat meal, whether it's a designated cheat meal for the week or WW Weekly Smart Points. Just relax and enjoy! There are plenty of other restaurants at Walt Disney World where you can enjoy the food without having to modify much of anything, so use this opportunity to just enjoy some Italian food.
• Evaluate the menu options. Like I said, the pizza was mediocre. Whether you're trying to watch your points/calories/etc. while you're on vacation or using this as a cheat meal, I personally find it's always good to ask myself if this meal is worth it. In the case of the pizza, no - I can get better pizza elsewhere on property, so I opted for a pasta dish with grilled chicken (that provided some much needed and filling protein to an otherwise carb-heavy dish!). 
• Bring a measuring cup! I know you're probably sick of me recommending these portable, collapsible measuring cups, but situations like this are perfect for them! This way, you can accurately measure out a serving of pasta. 

Have you ever eaten out and thought to yourself, "Oh no, this meal was so not worth it?" Let's chat about our restaurant blunders in the comments!

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