platinum plates Adventures In nining Entice your taste buds — and shape up — at these healthy eating destinations. BY LISA BRODY Here's to a new year with new resolutions! Many of us have vowed to lose weight and shape up for 2009 — both of which require making healthy food choices. For me, enjoying a good meal is one of life's greatest plea- sures, so I'm a proponent of eating the foods I love in moderation. With several new dining establishments to try in 2009, it's easy to enjoy a delicious, healthy meal. Ethnic cuisine offers tantalizing treats for different palates, and many are both heart healthy and calo- rie conscious. Wasabi Korean & Japanese Cuisine has opened in Detroit's Park Shelton condominium complex, a 1926 Art Deco building near the Detroit Institute of Arts on E. Kirby (artist Diego Rivera is rumored to have resided in the building while working on his famous DIA murals). The restaurant features healthy, authentic Asian cuisine. On the other side of town, at Five Mile and Beck roads in Plymouth, Tomo Japanese Cuisine recently debuted its many familiar and delicious Japanese dishes. And, with a name like "Tomo," which means "friends" in Japanese, you're guaranteed friendly service. Near Papa Joe's new loca- tion in Rochester Hills is the elegant pan-Asian res- taurant Peng Lai, on Rochester Road. The restaurant blends flavors from China, Thailand, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Akshay Indian Cuisine, on Opdyke Road at South Boulevard in Bloomfield Hills, is a cozy and affordable restaurant presenting dishes from North India, South Indian and Indo-China. Even the calorie conscious can enjoy an Italian meal, at least in modera- tion. Due Venti, on S. Main in Clawson, is an intimate, 50-seat Italian trattoria featuring light, fresh northern Italian cuisine. The menu changes seasonally. Mexican food packs a lot of flavor and can be a fun experience in the cold winter months. Tasca de Plata, on N. Canton Center Road, offers paellas that serve from two to six, an assortment of authentic tapas and exclusive entrees. Rojo Mexican Bistro, at Twelve Mile Crossing at Fountain Walk in Novi, adds a contemporary flare to fiery and authentic Mexican food. If you're in the mood for something really different, try Tunisian cuisine, Akshay Indian Cuisine in Bloomfield Hills similar to Middle Eastern food but with its own indi- vidual character. Find it at La Marsa, with four loca- tions: Pontiac Lake in Waterford; Kingswood Plaza at Square Lake Road and Woodward in Bloomfield Hills; Muirwood Square Plaza at Grand River and Drake in Farmington Hills; and Rochester Road in Troy. I VFAL CHOP BALDOSTANA Serves 1 person INGREDIENTS 12oz. Veal Chop (bone-in) 2 cups unsalted butter 1 /2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove (minced) 1 bunch of parsley (minced) 2 eggs 1 cup of flour 1 /2 Lemon Salt Pepper Bread crumbs Stuffing mixture: 1 large slice of Taleggio cheese 1 porcini mushroom (sliced) 2 slices of white truffle PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS: Trim the bones of the veal chop. Then open a small pocket in the veal chop with a sharp knife. Stuff the Taleggio cheese, porcini mushroom, and truffle into the pocket. Close the pocket using a kitchen hammer. Then put veal chop into egg wash, then into the flour, then into the bread crumbs. Put butter and olive oil into a non-stick pan and heat to 450 degrees F. Put veal chop in pan and cook for 4 minutes on each side. Remove the veal chop from pan and place on kitchen paper or paper towel to remove excess oil. Serve with 1 /2 lemon wedge. ADVERTISEMENT B8 • JANUARY 2009 • JN platinum 11 Posts, 1Vstorante 11 Posto Ristorante 29110 Franklin Rd Southfield, MI 48034 248-827-8070 wvvw.il-posto.net