The Healthiest Things to Order at a Bar and Grill

There is a version of a night out that goes like this: you meet friends at a bar and grill, you glance at the menu for about thirty seconds, you order whatever has the most cheese on it, and then you spend the drive home wondering why you feel like a bowling ball.

There is another version. Same bar. Same friends. Same great night. You just ordered better.

Healthy bar and grill food is not a myth, and it is not one sad plate of lettuce parked in the corner of the menu so somebody can say the option exists. At BASK46 on US-46 in Woodland Park, NJ, the lighter half of the kitchen gets the same attention as the burgers and the brick oven pizza. Grilled salmon. Skirt steak with chimichurri. Tacos you can order in a lettuce wrap. Salads big enough to be dinner rather than a preamble to dinner.

Here is exactly what to order, how to order it, and what to drink with it.

What "healthy" actually means when you are eating out

Forget counting anything. When you are at a bar and grill, almost all of the difference comes down to three decisions, and none of them require you to interrogate your server.

• How it is cooked. Grilled, sauteed, steamed and roasted plates land differently than breaded and fried ones. Same protein, different finish.

• What comes next to it. Most entrees come with a default side. Swapping it is free, easy and the single highest-impact move on this list.

• How much of the plate is vegetables. A plate that is half greens, peppers, spinach or broccoli eats slower and holds you longer than one that is not.

That is the whole system. Everything below is just applying it to the full BASK46 menu.

Start with the salads - and turn one into a real meal

The salads section of the menu is where most people expect to compromise, and it is genuinely the strongest lighter category in the building. Every salad takes an add-on: grilled chicken for $5, or steak, salmon or shrimp for $7. That add-on is what turns a starter into an entree.

• Arugula ($15) - roasted beets, crumbled goat cheese, candied walnuts, dried cranberries and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. The most interesting salad on the menu and the one to order if you think you do not like salads.

• Avocado Steak ($23) - marinated skirt steak over romaine with roasted corn, pico de gallo, cucumbers and a cilantro lime vinaigrette. Already a full dinner, no add-ons needed.

• Cobb ($16) - bacon, tomato, corn, hard boiled egg and cheeses. Protein-heavy and filling. Ask for the dressing on the side and you control the whole plate.

• Caesar ($13) - the reliable one. Add grilled chicken or shrimp and you have the cleanest full meal on the menu for under $21.

• Buffalo Chicken ($18) - romaine, red onions, cucumbers, carrots, cherry tomatoes and blue cheese crumbles. Order the chicken grilled rather than breaded and you keep the buffalo flavor without the fryer.

The move: dressing on the side, every time. You will almost always use less than the kitchen would, and you get to taste the actual salad underneath it.

The grilled entrees are the quiet MVPs

This is the section most people scroll straight past on their way to the burgers, and it is where the best lighter eating on the menu lives. Several of these come with your choice of two sides, which means you are already holding the swap card described further down.

• Grilled Salmon ($25) - served with a choice of two sides. Pair it with sauteed asparagus and garlic spinach and you have a plate that would not look out of place at a much more serious restaurant.

• Skirt Steak ($32) - grilled and topped with chimichurri, plus two sides. Chimichurri is herbs, garlic, vinegar and oil, which is a very different animal than a heavy cream sauce.

• Oh I'm On A Diet Chicken ($22) - sliced grilled chicken breast with two sides. The name is a joke. The plate is not: it is the most straightforward lighter entree we serve.

• Filet Mignon Stir Fry ($24) - filet mignon with sauteed peppers, onions and mushrooms in a sesame ginger sauce over rice. Vegetable-forward and genuinely satisfying.

• Fajitas ($20) - grilled chicken with peppers and onions on a sizzling platter. Lean on the peppers, the pico and the tortillas; the cheese and sour cream are optional and they are on the side for a reason.

Order your tacos in a lettuce wrap

Every taco on the menu comes with a choice of soft flour shell, hard corn shell, or lettuce wrap. That third option is right there on the menu and almost nobody uses it. It is the easiest swap in the building and it costs nothing.

• Blackened Shrimp ($19) - pico de gallo, avocado and lime crema. The best candidate for the lettuce wrap treatment.

• Chicken ($16) - chopped cilantro, onions and salsa verde. Simple and clean.

• Carne Asada ($18) - marinated steak, queso blanco and salsa verde with crispy fried onions.

• Korean ($18) - grilled marinated steak with sweet and spicy sauce and ginger coleslaw.

The sides menu is the actual cheat code

Fries come with a lot of things here. They are very good fries. But almost every plate that arrives with them can arrive with something else instead, and the sides list is deeper than most people realize.

• Broccoli ($8)

• Sauteed Asparagus ($10)

• Sauteed Garlic Spinach ($10)

• Honey & Bacon Brussels Sprouts ($10) - not a health food, but it is the vegetable that converts people who claim not to eat vegetables.

• House Salad ($6) or Caesar Salad ($7) - the cheapest upgrade on the entire menu.

• Roasted Potatoes ($10) - roasted rather than fried, and they hold up next to the salmon or the skirt steak.

One swap changes the whole plate. Ask for it. Nobody at the kitchen window is judging you.

Lighter ways into the appetizer menu

The appetizer list is unapologetically a bar snack list, and that is the point of a bar and grill. But there are real options here if you want to start the meal without ending it.

• Chicken Pot Stickers ($14) - available steamed or fried, with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce. Steamed is the pick.

• Cauliflower Bites ($15) - buffalo or thai chili with pineapple. Still a fried app, but it is a vegetable doing the work of a wing, and the thai chili version is excellent.

• French Onion Soup or Soup of the Day ($8) - a cup of soup before an entree takes the edge off in a way an order of nachos never does.

And if the table wants the Disco Fries, the Loaded Mac & Cheese or one of the burgers, let them have it. There is a night for that too, and we wrote a whole post about what makes a great burger for exactly those nights. Ordering lighter is a choice you make on a given evening, not a rule you have to defend to your friends.

If the table is getting pizza anyway

Brick oven pizza is a big part of who we are, so here is the honest guidance: order one to share instead of everyone ordering their own entree, and pair it with a salad. The vegetable-forward pies do most of the work on their own.

• Garden of Eden ($16) - fresh spinach, fresh tomatoes, drizzled marinara, dollops of ricotta and feta.

• Veggie Lover ($16) - black olives, green peppers, mushrooms and onions.

• BASK 46 Margherita ($16) - fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil. Nothing hiding, nothing heavy.

• Arugula ($18) - arugula, prosciutto, red onions, roasted red peppers, garlic, shaved parmesan and balsamic glaze. Half pizza, half salad.

What to drink

Nobody comes to a bar and grill for the water, so let us be useful instead of preachy. On the drinks menu, the lighter end of the list is the citrus-forward and soda-topped side.

• Bask Mule ($13) - Jameson Orange, lime juice and ginger beer topped with club soda. The lightest signature cocktail we make.

• Austin Ranch Water ($15) - Tito's, Chinola passion fruit liqueur, agave, fresh lime and a splash of club soda.

• Purple French ($15) - Empress Gin, lime juice and agave topped with prosecco.

• Spicy Blackberry Margarita ($15) - Mala Vida Blanco Tequila, blackberry syrup, lime juice, agave and black lava salt.

The Espresso Martini Bar is fantastic and it is essentially dessert - the Classic and Midnight in Austin both lean rich and sweet. Save those for a night when they are the plan rather than the accident. If you want something spirit-forward instead, the Bask Old Fashioned ($14) is built on bourbon, honey syrup and bitters. There is also a full beer list if that is more your speed, and if you want the story behind the cocktail program, we broke down how our cocktails get built in an earlier post.

One more practical note: a glass of water between rounds does more for how you feel tomorrow than anything you order off the food menu tonight.

Three lighter orders to steal

The weekday lunch

Caesar salad with grilled chicken, dressing on the side, plus a cup of soup of the day. Under $25 and you go back to work awake.

The full dinner

Grilled salmon with sauteed asparagus and garlic spinach, and a Bask Mule. This is the order to point at when somebody claims a bar and grill cannot do a proper dinner.

The group table

Blackened shrimp tacos in lettuce wraps, one arugula salad to share, one Garden of Eden pizza in the middle of the table, and a round of Austin Ranch Waters. Everyone eats, nobody feels flattened.

Healthy bar and grill food in Woodland Park, NJ

When you search for a restaurant near me in Woodland Park, you are usually solving two problems at once: you want somewhere good, and you want somewhere that will not derail the rest of your week. BASK46 sits at 1530 US-46 in Woodland Park, NJ 07424, minutes from Totowa and Little Falls, with a parking lot that actually has spaces in it.

We are open Monday through Thursday and Sunday from 12:00 pm to 12:00 am, and Friday and Saturday from 12:00 pm to 2:00 am. If you are coming after work, the happy hour runs on the lighter, more social end of the evening and pairs well with everything in this guide.

Browse the full menu, check the drinks list, and take the grilled salmon home. Call us at (973) 256-2275 with any questions - including "can I get that with broccoli instead of fries," which is always yes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the healthiest thing to order at a bar and grill?

A grilled protein with a vegetable side is the most reliable answer anywhere you go. At BASK46 that is the grilled salmon or the skirt steak with two vegetable sides, or a large salad with grilled chicken, steak, salmon or shrimp added.

Does BASK46 have healthy options in Woodland Park, NJ?

Yes. Five salads, grilled salmon, skirt steak, grilled chicken entrees, lettuce-wrap tacos and a full vegetable sides list - broccoli, asparagus, garlic spinach and brussels sprouts. The complete list is on the menu page.

Can I swap fries for a vegetable or a salad?

Yes, and you should. Any plate that comes with fries can come with a side salad, broccoli, asparagus, garlic spinach, brussels sprouts or roasted potatoes instead. Just ask when you order.

Are there low-carb options on the menu?

The lettuce-wrap tacos, the salads and the grilled entrees with two vegetable sides are the strongest low-carb picks. The Avocado Steak salad and the blackened shrimp tacos in lettuce wraps are the two most popular.

What is the lightest cocktail at the bar?

The Bask Mule is the lightest signature cocktail, followed by the Austin Ranch Water and the Purple French - all three finish with club soda or prosecco rather than cream or liqueur. The full list is on the drinks menu.

Come eat well. BASK46 is at 1530 US-46, Woodland Park, NJ 07424. Open daily from noon.