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| Valerie's lunch on top; My gluten free lunch on bottom |
I spent a recent weekend visiting my friends Jing and Zoe in
Madison, WI. They are vegetarian and I
am gluten and dairy free and (when good) low fructose. Surprisingly, it is easy for the three of us
to find delicious things to eat together!
Zoe pulled up the Madison Gluten Intolerance Group’s list of recommended restaurants. What a great list - there were tons of options! Jing and Zoe previously went to
Himal Chuli and loved it. Most of the
Nepali food is naturally gluten and dairy free so we went in with hungry
stomachs. Only a few of their dishes
were dumpling or bread based and they were mostly appetizers. Majority of the menu was vegetarian and in
the spirit of our group, I chose a meat free dish as well.
Their prices are such a great deal, too. Many items are around $10 or less. It is a cozy restaurant – probably around two
dozen seats or so, but a great place to eat.
The staff was knowledgeable and attentive – our glasses were never half
empty before they were refilled with cold water with lemon, lime and I mint. This restaurant is worth a visit!
Normally, I'll settle for a plain chicken breast and veggies when out, but she was getting excited about the flavors and her excitement was contagious. We talked through a dish - salmon over a bead of steamed spinach with tomatoes and roasted pumpkin seeds. About ten minutes later, she stopped by the table again and asked if I would like a plain potato - she was making them for mashed potatoes and at that point in the process they were safe for me to eat. The food arrived along with everyone else's and was delicious. I had a colorful plate with food that was created with me in mind. The food was wonderfully seasoned and I cleaned my plate. And when the check came, I was pleasantly surprised by seeing my order as "chef's special" - listed at the same price of the other entrees.
Yesterday two of my friends and I went to Ribfest at Lincoln/Damen/Irving Park in Chicago. The festival is exactly what the name implies: dozens of different varieties of ribs. As soon as we got there, one of the boys asked, "You're not still on your vegan diet, are you?" Fortunately for him and a relief for me - adding meat back into my diet increased the number of foods I could eat. By a lot.
at came in contact with those). And then she recommended the soup. I asked if she was sure that there was no gluten in there (some broths contain gluten) so she checked the allergen binder. Someone walking by pointed out that there was milk in there. Yikes! So we figuratively took a few steps back. There were pictures of salads and we figured out that I could have a salad without bread or sauce (soy sauce often contains wheat). The Asian Endamame Salad was a great choice. When ringing me up, she asked what size - apparently the larger portion was served over wontons. Delicious, but deadly (or at least, illness-inducing for me). I went with the side salad and heard her carefully repeat no bread, no sauce and the order was passed along the line with those instructions. When my food arrived, it was identified as with no bread, no sauce. This may seem like a little much, but this is now my typical dialogue with food service employees when dining out. I'm grateful for allergen charts and binders of nutritional information available so employees can quickly identify safe options for diners with food allergies. Corner Bakery, which has many locations in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, did a great job with their online material. Their allergen information is on the last few pages of their document. It is also dated from 2008. They are one of the first restaurants I've seen with check marks in a separate column for vegan items! Awesome!
It was made with rice flour, she said. And probably some oil. When eating out, I haven't had the courage to ask for an oil-free dish yet. Since I already need to avoid gluten and cow's milk since I am super sensetive, I don't want to be precieved as an overly-picky guest. At a vegan restuarant, I only needed to say the wonderful v- word and I had loads of options available to me. One disappointment with the menu - online, vegan entres are clearly marked. This is not the case with the menu at the restaurant. There are also plenty of vegan drinks, our server said, but I didn't try one. Maybe next time.
oticed the heavy mention of meat. The salmon and sushi sounded so good - so did the hamburger on the homemade gluten free bun! For ease, I went to the salad vendor and marvelled at all their gluten free choices, marked with a green g. I identified myself as gluten intolerant and ordered tofu for my protien and choose some other toppings. I told the man wild rice (clearly labeled gluten free) and he put the ingredient next to it on it. I asked what that was but he didn't understand. I asked someone else and she told me: bulgar.
It was the best gluten free bread I have ever had! I used it to scoop up some of the baked goat cheese on top of its tomato soup-like mixture. I did my best to savor every bite. The chef came out and asked how the bread was. This was an experience I would only expect in a larger city with a larger number of people who need to follow a gluten free diet.
ade a little card to keep in my wallet that reminds me what boosts to avoid at Jamba Juice, for instance.
Know what to say! At Chipotle, I do most of my ordering online and now just have to leave a "Change gloves" comment since they recognize my name. If I am going through their line, I ask, "Can you change your gloves? I'm gluten intolerant." The crew are fantastic and always wash their hands and change their gloves; they normally complete the rest of my order so only gluten and dairy free hands have worked with putting my bowl or tacos together. When at a restaurant, the script is a lot more free-flowing, but normally starts with "I'm gluten and lactose intolerant, so I can't have things like wheat flour or any dairy." Depending on my server's response (or lack thereof), I'll continue and say more or take out my dining card.
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The taste? AMAZING! The ground corn, chicken and spices combined for such a powerful flavor combination. And the location? I was eating in the cafeteria at Macy's. The location is kind of a big deal for me - I haven't gone to any cafeteria-style settings because it is much harder for my gluten-free needs to be addressed. I had a great lunch and enjoyed my tamales!
my intolerances restrict me from a lot of foods, I can no longer afford to be a picky eater. So with an open mind and my dining card in hand, I ordered sushi. This was the time I was the most thankful to have my Triumph Dining Card! I told the waitress I was gluten intolerant and could not eat anything with soy sauce and showed her the card. While she was reading it (in both English on the reverse in Japanese) I also said I never had sushi before and asked for recommendations. I ordered one roll of the Salmon Sushi and a bowl of Edadame (which triggered two other bowls being ordered for a table of five). The sushi was really good, but I was kicking myself for not bringing any of my travel packs of gluten free soy sauce with me. I'm looking forward to being more adventerous with my sushi selections in the future.
dessert...frozen yogurt at Forever Yogurt. I was planning on just sitting at the table with everyone, but then I noticed their nutrition information...which included allergens...with many gluten free options and more importantly for this dessert...NON-DAIRY FROZEN YOGURT!! I had the Orange Burst Sorbet with fresh raspberries on top. There were plenty of sweet toppings to chose from, but getting a fruit flavor pulls me to having more fruit. I loved sitting with my friends and eating the same thing as everyone else (except for the one smart person in our group who ordered hot chocolate). I can see Forever Yogurt being one of my favorite summer spots - the consistency of frozen yogurt is greatly missed with my dairy free diet.
asparagus with Serrano ham and Manchego cheese, with sherry vinaigrette
forget about the dairy free portion of my diet. A call to Nick's earlier in the week confirmed that their crust was also dairy free. So all I had to do was tell my dad what pizza to order - no cheese - and we were good. When we went to pick up the pizza, panic really set in: I saw a lot of people working with pizza dough and using large knives to cut the pizza into slices. I confirmed with our cashier that my pizza was gluten-free and nervously asked about the knife they used to cut it. The cashier said they have a special knife they use for the gluten free pizzas and the pizzas are even cooked in their own tin. Cross contamination fears minimized!
e hostess was extremely helpful on the phone and said that it was no problem and they could accommodate us. When we arrived, I reminded them that two of us were gluten free and the hostess immediately responded with the other two food intolerances/allergies! Major points there! And of course, our waitress has a roommate who has Celiac disease (cue “It’s a Small World After All”) so Eliot and I were in very good hands. The waitress pointed out what dishes we could have and which ones could be modified for us. When dining out, I try to order things I won’t necessarily cook for myself. So I ordered the Mussels Molee – “prince edward island mussels steamed in an aromatic, turmeric-infused coconut milk broth”. With the waitress’s suggestion, I also ordered a side of their basmati rice. I also splurged and had an amazing glass of white wine: Yealand Savignon Blan from New Zealand! Everything was absolutely delicious. Until I went dairy-free, I never realized how much I love white sauces. The coconut milk sauce was very rich and creamy. And my thoughts on the mussels? I was poking around the empty mussel shells when Eliot asked what I was doing. “I think there’s one more!” They were really tasty. I only tried mussels once before and they were not nearly as tender as the ones at Marigold. It was a great time dining out with my friends! As always, it is very nice to be able to relax with friends over a meal and know that everyone can have a delicious dish or two! (Just don’t try to pass the Naan!) If you are gluten free, you MUST visit Marigold!
Eating around the holidays is MUCH better this time around! Last year, I received a box of Frango chocolates (loaded with milk). At our office Christmas party at Maggiano’s, I was just dairy free and I filled up on bread because I could not eat any of the appetizers (this was before my salad eating days), and my plain grilled chicken breast and barely blanched green beans on a pitiful looking plate arrived AFTER everyone else was finished with their first helpings. I did not stay to see what my fruit cup looked like. Situations like this are what give me major food anxiety that prevent me from feeling safe or enjoying dining out.
Thankfully, this year’s holiday festivities are off to a great start!
Instead of chocolates, I received gluten free cookies from my boss and his
wife! Yay for food I can eat myself rather than regift!!! I spoke to someone from Maggiano’s a week ago to go over my menu. The restaurant prides themselves on being able to make some gluten free food, but as I saw with how dairy-free was handled last year, I was obviously very skeptical. One of the two salads would be safe (the other had blue cheese), salmon over herbs and gf pasta with a red sauce, and dessert would be a plate of fruit. My salmon and pasta would have special preparation to make sure that they were gf. I was feeling better after talking to the Maggiano’s representative, but was still scared of a repeat of last year.
I must say, I am quite impressed by Maggiano’s making me dairy and gluten free food. (And this time around, I received my food first!) The salmon was especially delicious and their gf pasta was just like 
I make at home. The fruit plate was a little disappointing only because I am so used to having traditional desserts converted to gf at home. But when dining out with a food allergy or two, it seems like fruit is the easiest solution for the chefs. If you are just gluten free, Maggiano’s did have more (dairy filled) gf options! Be sure to ask!
