Chips, guac and salsa

When dining out with friends now, splitting an appetizer goes beyond what one person is in the mood to eat. My co-worker and I became menu sleuths for the appetizer selection at Heartland Cafe and read every item thoroughly. I have decided that I LOVE menus with descriptions that go beyond a few words - we knew what most of the ingredients were so we were able to narrow our selection before asking our bartender if our choice was gluten and lactose free. He checked with the kitchen. Our selection of chips, guac and salsa was a winner! (If they didn't put sour cream on it! Not an issue for me - but my friend was bummed when there was no sour cream for her. We should have asked for it on the side...next time.) We feasted on corn chips and the dips. I'll admit - I've never had guac before. Ever. I've been meaning to try it, but never got around to it. Normally I eat my chips plain or with salt. But since I can't afford to skimp on any safe foods that are out there - I dove right in and really enjoyed the different tastes and textures between the guac and salsa.

So my last-minute dining out adventure was a success! I'm glad I was able to get off to such a positive start - this will help give me the courage to speak up at restaurants and not feel embarrassed. My biggest dining out fear is that I'll be viewed as that super picky customer. I would much rather suck it up and deal if my food is far from stellar at a restaurant, but now my health depends on it. The pain from lactose easily can get to a get-thee-to-an-emergency-room level within 20 minutes and the gluten pain and energy drop lasts two to three days. Not worth it!