HOUSTON -- Local 2 Investigates is dining out again tonight. We're testing your favorite restaurant meals to see if they are actually more fattening than fast food. Last night, we put popular salads and pastas to the test. Tonight, we test a Houston staple -- fajitas.

We'll also see if a low-fat meal is really low-fat.

Investigative reporter Amy Davis counts the calories and measures the fat you may not know you're getting.

Local 2 investigates is telling you what some of your favorite restaurants will not -- how many calories and how much fat you're eating with their meals.

We've tested Houston restaurant meals, comparing them to a McDonald's Big Mac. Our fast food barometer has 540 calories and 29 grams of fat.

Last night, our test showed the grilled chicken and pasta pesto deli salad from Cafe Express was loaded with 660 calories and 33 grams of fat.

You could eat two Big Macs or a Big Mac and large fries, and still consume fewer calories than the Cajun chicken and shrimp pasta from Bennigan's. It had 1,200 calories and 46 grams of fat.

"We assume if it's chicken or fish, it's lower in calories," said Roberta Anding, a clinical dietician who works for Texas Children's Hospital and the Houston Texans.

Anding is here to help us explain why seemingly healthy meals may be more fattening than we think.

Our first test tonight is a Houston favorite -- chicken fajitas from Pappasito's, complete with rice, beans and two tortillas.

Our test shows it has 1,150 calories and 34 grams of fat and we even left off the sour cream and cheese. That's almost double the calories and a little more fat than a Big Mac.

"What's surprising and what's driving the high calories is the large portions," said Anding.

Anding says calories rule and just because a meal may be lean, doesn't mean you can eat huge portions and escape those calories.

"You can't see it, but the calories are being hidden inside," Anding explained.

The next meal: grilled center-cut pork chops, a loaded baked potato and grilled veggies from Saltgrass Steakhouse. It totaled 1,020 calories and 37 grams of fat.

"Actually that meal is a relatively lean meal," said Anding. "The problem is too many calories, too big a portion. So, you could shave off about 300 calories of that 1,000-calorie meal by sharing the meal with a friend."

For our final test, we find out if "low-fat" really is low fat. We checked a selection from T.G.I. Friday's low-fat menu. It promises the Zen chicken pot stickers appetizer has less than 10 grams of fat and 500 calories.

Does it?

Our test shows the appetizer has 300 calories and 7 grams of fat. That's well within the low-fat promise and just as advertised.

Our clinical dietician says our test shows how beneficial it would be for restaurants to list all the nutrition information for their meals -- letting you know exactly what you're getting. She believes more restaurants will include the information if customers demand it.

Restaurant Responses

From Pappasito's:

"All foods can be part of a healthy lifestyle when enjoyed in moderation. At Pappasito's, we continually strive to provide our Guests with menu options so they can make the choices they feel best fit their lifestyles. Every day, our Guests make special requests, and we are always happy to offer suggestions and make accommodations to meet their needs, whether they're feeling a little indulgent or wanting something a little lighter."

From T.G.I. Friday's:

"Our guests love the choices that T.G.I. Friday's offers, from indulgent to Better For You items, which include low fat and low carb entrées, and all of the Friday's flavors that our guests love. T.G.I. Friday's was also the first in the industry to take a broad position on portion size with its Right Portion, Right Price menu, which is extremely popular with our guests. T.G.I. Friday's offers a wide variety of menu items prepared by staff using proprietary recipes. Since any deviation from a recipe would alter nutritional information, Friday's doesn't currently provide nutritional information for many of its menu items," said Mike Archer, president and COO of T.G.I. Friday's USA.

From Saltgrass Steakhouse (Landry's Restaurants, Inc.):

"Nutritional value is important to us and to our guests. We offer a variety of health-conscious options for our guests. Our main staple is protein and we provide it at reasonable caloric levels. Ordering pork chops, potatoes, and vegetables provides excellent nutritional value. Requesting cheddar cheese, bacon, and sour cream, as in this test, will increase calories and fat intake of the meal and most consumers understand this fact. Although several fast food establishments do provide nutritional values, it is not customary for full service dining establishments to provide this information. Today's consumer is educated on what they can eat. We understand that the consumer has choices and we will continue to provide our guests with high quality, nutritional meals and will strive to accommodate their requests anyway we can. We support those choices by preparing food the way they want it. We can steam, sauté in olive oil, cook without salt or butter; whatever the guest preference is, we can do it."

From Bennigan's:

"We are the first to admit that the majority of loyal customers eat at Bennigan's to feed their guilty pleasures. People who count calories are not our core audience. In fact, our most popular items include dishes like the battered and fried Monte Cristo sandwich and the Death By Chocolate dessert. For more than three decades, Bennigan's has remained the one real escape with license to indulge across the nation and around the world. Sure, we have lighter options on our menu. But even the strictest eaters deserve to have fun once in a while," said Flynn Dekker, senior vice president of marketing, Metromedia Restaurant Group.

From Café Express:

"Cafe Express is based on the foundation of fresh, made-from-scratch food with a gourmet philosophy. Above all is the manner in which our food is prepared and the vast amount of fresh alternatives offered at the Oasis Table, which prove to be very accommodating to those who may be limiting overall fat intake but do not want to sacrifice flavor. We believe that our guests should be given the freedom and flexibility to personalize their food to their individual needs and desires. For instance, requesting the dressing or sauce on the side can easily lower the calories of any dish. The option for customization is one of the many beauties that Cafe Express brings to the table. No tricks, no games -- just good food for a contemporary lifestyle."