CLE Restaurants Embrace The Keto Craze

Keto, short for ketogenic, is the diet of the moment. Being in that fat-burning metabolic state of ketosis has helped converts see lightning-fast results — shedding as much as 10 or 20 pounds in the first month. The best part? The high-fat diet is pretty non-restrictive. While you have to cut out sugar and carbs, there’s no need to count calories. Practitioners still enjoy cheese, eggs, above-ground vegetables, fish and 4 to 6 ounces of meat. Local restaurants are capitalizing on the health trend by creating delicious keto options. “It’s an easier diet to stick to because avocado and healthy fats taste good and people like the way they feel on it,” says Adam Heath, director of operations at Rebol. “We just want to take the guesswork out.” These dishes will make your taste buds happy without knocking you out of ketosis.



Elite Eating's Keto Steak Bowl ($12)
Skip the night out and get a perfectly measured Mediterranean steak bowl delivered straight to your doorstep from the Ohio City meal prep company, which offers the bowl as part of its weekly program. Creamy yogurt sauce, steak, cauliflower rice, roasted chickpeas, broccoli and butternut squash combine to create a microwavable keto masterpiece. “Rather than using a fatty meat like brisket, we keep the steak lean to make room for the creamy in-house yogurt sauce, which is clean fat,” says co-founder Victor Kirallah. eliteeatingcle.com

Rebol's Keto Taco Supreme ($9) (Pictured Above)

Coconut pork belly, avocado and sweet potato pico de gallo, egg-based yum yum sauce and house-made hot sauce create a spicy, creamy, healthy ode to a fast food classic. The nod to Taco Bell is loaded onto naan bread, which fits a keto diet at 1 net carb. “We weren’t attempting to conjure images of unhealthy food but we were going for familiarity,” says Adam Heath, director of operations. “We try to give people the food they like, but much healthier versions of it.” 101 W. Superior Ave., Cleveland, 216-505-5898, wearerebol.com



Townhall's Keto Bibimbap ($13)
The classic Korean rice dish gets the keto treatment with a cauliflower rice-and-kimchi base and a spicy togarashi aioli. Spice-seared tuna, cucumber-jalapeno slaw, seaweed, hearts of palm and an egg round out the hearty, Asian dish. “My molecular gastronomy degree really helps me understand the natural chemistry of food,” says executive chef of restaurant development Erik Roth, who spent three years creating his keto menu. “If someone wants to eat keto, I want to represent it the best I can by making it taste like normal food they like.” 1909 W. 25th St., Cleveland, 216-344-9400, townhallohiocity.com