This is my favorite 'safe' way to dine out, now.

Here in Sacramento CA, we have several 'mongolian BBQ restaurants: Picture a buffet or Smorgasboard table. You grab a bowl, and file past binsof finely sliced frozen meats (pork, beef, turkey, & lamb, usually), then various veggies( celery, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, tomatoes, cilantro, cabbage, those tiny ears of corn, noodles, etc.), then various oils & sauces (wine, vinegar, ginger, hot oil, sesame oil, teriyaki, lobster sauce, etc), then hand your bowl to a guy slaving over a big, round, flat griddle. He may add some water, and then dumps your bowl on the griddle, & shepherds it around the circumference of the thing, basically stir-frying or saute-ing it for about a minute and a half, then plops it back in the bowl & hands it back to you.

These are generally all-you can-eat operations, so I go up 2 or 3 times, picking 'safe' stuff (lots of meat, then cabbage, onions, mushrooms, & cilantro makes up my usual bowl) I add a tablespoon of cooking wine, some hot oil, some sesame oil, & usually about a quarter teaspoon of crushed garlic. DW & I have water, & tea w/dinner, we tip the cooks a dollar or so each 'pass', & we still get out of the place for under $20, full as we'd like to be!

If you can find a place like this in your area, I heartily recommend trying it out. Places like this aren't terribly elegant, but they make for a satisfying meal that you have complete 'control' over, at a price that makes you grin . I don't mind paying top dollar for a nice piece of prime rib in a downtown linen-tablecloth restaurant, but paying that much folding money makes it real hard toss away the steamy baked potato that I love so much!