In the days before GLP-1 drugs, Matt McMillin, chief culinary officer of Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, shed 100 pounds by cooking and eating more mindfully: Smaller portions of the food he loved prepared with healthier cooking techniques.
To share his weight-loss win with the restaurants’ guests, he created a Life Balance menu featuring 10 items all under 700 calories. “I used the same exact ingredients as I did on the rest of the menu, but in smaller quantities and served the dishes in more mindful portions,” he said. At the time, he didn’t want to substitute low- and non-fat ingredients for traditional ones like butter, cream cheese and sour cream—all of which are generously used on Cooper’s Hawk’s admittedly indulgent regular menu.
Life Balance is just one section of the extensive menu at the casual-dining chain and has proven to be popular with diners seeking less decadent choices when visiting one of the 71 locations. But in the eight years since Life Balance’s debut, McMillin’s philosophy has changed. He started experimenting with lower-fat ingredients and techniques that could make these menu items even more flavorful, rich-tasting and craveable—without changing their healthy profiles.
This fall, Life Balance “2.0” launched, featuring four entrees that McMillin elevated with ingredients like nonfat Greek yogurt, ricotta cheese and creamy French feta, and techniques including caramelizing onions, roasting vegetables and sauce reductions.
Chicken as a starting point
The previous Life Balance menu offered a turkey burger, but McMillin sources chicken from Harrison’s Poultry in Glenview, Illinois, a local purveyor close to Cooper’s Hawk headquarters in Downer’s Grove. “They send us premium chicken thighs that come in ground and we form into patties in house,” he said. The thighs turn out a juicier, more flavorful burger, he added. The kitchen tops the grilled patties with a “mindful” slice of Tillamook cheese, braised onions, lettuce and tomato. “The better the ingredients, the less you need,” he said.
Then instead of dressing the burger with a meager one-third teaspoon of herbed mayo as used with the turkey version, McMillin whipped up a “signature sauce” blended with Greek yogurt, mayo, horseradish and ketchup. “At Cooper’s Hawk, we’re known for our incredible sauces, and this one rivals those,” he said. “It’s not crazy high in calories and we can give you a couple of ounces.” The All-American Chicken Burger comes in 700 calories and includes a side salad.
“The bun is the challenge and what drives up the calories, but we’re close to finding a substitute,” McMillin said, without giving away any secrets.
Parmesan-Crusted chicken boasts a creamy tomato broth enriched with French feta.
Also new is the Parmesan-Crusted Chicken with Capellini Pasta, Creamy Tomato Broth, Spinach and Roasted Tomato Bruschetta Relish (520 calories.) McMillin amplified the flavors of the former Roasted Chicken Giardiniera, which it replaced, by enriching the tomato broth with French feta cheese. “It imparts this viscosity, like butter, and makes it richer,” he said. For the bruschetta relish, he revamped the tomato relish used on the regular menu, which has lots of olive oil, cutting back on the oil and cooking down the roasted tomato mixture to concentrate the flavor. The result—“a chicken dish that is low-calorie comfort food,” he said.
Salmon and steak get a makeover
Steak is a Cooper’s Hawk specialty, so McMillin made sure there was an option for guests ordering from the Life Balance menu. Grilled Tenderloin Medallions with Fingerling Potato and French Onion Gratin, Roasted Broccolini, Oven-Roasted Tomatoes and Sweet Ancho Jus (590 calories) is the craveable result. Grilled Tenderloin Medallions were on the previous menu, but the sides offered in the updated version raise the dish up several notches.
McMillin is especially proud of the potato and onion gratin, which “is so rich and delicious, you’d never know it’s lower in calories,” he said. To make the gratin, he steams and then roasts the fingerlings, then makes a base using yogurt, caramelized onions and cheese “that’s like a French onion dip” and bakes it in the oven.
The chef also loves broccolini, he said, prepared as a side by first blanching it, then spraying it with olive oil, sprinkling with salt and pepper, and slipping it under the broiler. Grape tomatoes are another favorite, as they’re sweet all year round. These are slowly roasted with a little olive oil, salt and pepper to get them “super sweet. We just need to put a few on the plate for a pop of incredibly sweet flavor,” he said.
The last prep step is the ancho jus, a quick mix of the steak’s cooking juices and an ancho chili paste made in house. “It’s kind of a poor man’s mole that adds viscosity to the jus and we put just a little on the plate,” said McMillin.
Lemon-Herb Glazed Salmon comes with a generous dollop of creamy house-made tartar sauce.
Along with the medallions, the former Life Balance menu included a salmon dish, but the updated menu has a new and improved prep method and sauce.
“We used to have fish and chips on our regular menu, with this incredible tartar sauce where we hand-chopped lots of ingredients, including fresh tarragon, and mixed it together with mayo,” said McMillin. Using that as a template, he created an Herb Tartar with a Greek yogurt base combined with onion, capers, parsley and lemon. A big dollop goes on the Lemon-Herb Glazed Salmon right before it comes out the service window, he said. The salmon is also prepared with a Calabrian White Wine Broth for another flavor boost and served with roasted broccolini, fingerling potatoes and piquillo peppers. Total calories per serving: 560.
On the appetizer side, Asian Ahi Tuna Sashimi is packed with protein and flavor.
The entree list is rounded out with Blackened Ahi Tuna (605 calories), a holdover from the previous menu. Since protein is in high demand by diners, Cooper’s Hawk’s goal is “to put as much protein in dishes while staying under 700 calories,” said McMillin. Life Balance appetizers provide some protein too, including Asian Ahi Tuna Sashimi and Chicken Potstickers, both holdovers from the previous menu.
Something to drink with that?
Cooper’s Hawk is as much a wine destination as it is a dinner restaurant, complete with a prestigious Wine Club. A new Lite + Brite selection offers a variety of wines with 9% ABV and 90 calories per glass. These lower-alcohol French-born red and white wines have been very well received by both Life Balance diners and regular guests, as the flavor and quality is excellent, said McMillin. They’ve also been used in cocktails, like a wine-based Watermelon Paloma served over the summer.
Cooper’s Hawk is also ramping up its non-alcoholic wine selection, adding house brand Vivanté, a bubbly white. “We are accommodating the growing number of ‘zebra stripers’—those who may alternate between alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages during one dinner—and those who prefer not to drink at all,” said McMillin. The goal with these wines—as with the Life Balance menu itself—is to make guests feel inclusive and not like they’re missing out.
What’s next for Life Balance? “We’re looking at the GLP-1 trend and taking that into consideration, and will continue to evolve the menu,” said McMillin.