But nutritionists are more lenient today than 10 or 20 years ago. Nutritionists generally see no connection between the advent of drugs to lower cholesterol and increased meat consumption. In fact, many Americans in recent years heeded the message of new diet gurus who advocated high-protein meals. Eight new Morton's of Chicago Steakhouse restaurants opened last year. The company has two New York City locations, where the competition has been growing.
Converts are everywhere.
One is Courtney Carper, former vegetarian. Unappetizing meat served at a summer camp in her youth started her on the path to an all-vegetable diet. Then, last fall, she took a bite of a friend's hamburger at a Steak n Shake in Lawrence, Kan. I love Wendy's hamburgers, KC strips, filet mignon. For those who dine in, the beef industry is beginning to borrow some tricks from poultry counterparts to make home cooking less time-consuming.