Tag Archives: gluten-free dining tips

Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Dining // Chipotle

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I have a new job. Well, I suppose it isn’t all that new since I just had my 3-month review (I did quite well, thank you :) ). But during this little new phase I have had to find new emergency options (ok, they maybe are also kind of treat options for bad or stressful days too) near my new work location. Thus far, one of my favorite options is the local Chipotle. They explain what may and may not be problematic for gluten-free people here, on their website. From what I gather it may be wise to ask your server to change their gloves. I think this may be especially important given that I have seen many workers there reach for the “default” option of a flour tortilla before taking an order. Far be it from me to ever criticize someone for efficiency, and in their position, I would likely be making the exact same motion,  but in the gluten-free world we have to watch out for these poor efficiency mavens, and correct their course in a friendly manner before the rest of the workday is ruined by digestive travails.

I think at this point I should mention that large, wheat-filled tortillas are dragged down the counter, not entirely shielded from contact from the food grade plastic and stainless steel by the aluminum foil that will eventually entomb their delicious burritos.  I feel pretty safe with my standard burrito bowl option, the cardboard boat-like structure safely sailing my meal past any visible contaminants.

But on to favorites. This is what I typically order:

A burrito bowl, with white rice, pinto beans, chicken, all three salsas and hot sauces, sour cream, no cheese, and sometimes lettuce. Also, there is a “secret” item here (sort of in the manner of the “short” drink size at Starbucks ; readily available at all of then but never on a menu…), the “kid’s chip.” It is this perfect little serving size of chips that comes in a cute little bag, and it isn’t on the “adult” menu.

I get all three hot sauces/salsa in an effort to get more vegetables and spice in!

Happy Dining!

Seattle Sans Gluten // Taste of India

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I know, another Indian restaurant. Taste of India is my favorite Indian place in Seattle though! I cannot get enough of their food. Between the endless refills of yummy chai, fresh flavorful dishes, and truly amazing service, I thought they couldn’t get any better. But then, this happened:

They re-did their whole menu with the gluten-free items denoted with a special symbol! The servers were always very knowledgeable about which of their dishes were gluten-free when I asked before, but now I don’t have to! The majority of the menu is marked with this symbol too, so the options are almost limitless.

A fun little bonus of this place is they almost always give you either a free appetizer, a free dessert, or both! The pakoras are gluten-free, so if you get those, you can dig in!

I love love love this place. And now it’s even easier to eat at for those of you who are starting to eat out gluten-free!

Happy dining!

Gluten-Free Dining at P.F. Chang’s

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  Gluten-free sauces and lettuce cups to start. I never go without getting lettuce cups. They are so good!

Lots of sauces for easy flavor customization!

Logo on plates denoting gluten-free status

Moo Goo Gai Pan

Singapore Street Noodles. One of my favorites!

One of my all-time favorite places to go for reliable, well-priced gluten-free food is P.F. Chang’s. They have a really fantastic gluten-free menu, the servers are all trained in the gluten-free offerings, from which sauces to bring (which are always held in red containers to differentiate them from their gluten-containing counterparts), to what notes to make on your order. Gluten-free foods are served on plates that are marked with the P.F. Chang’s logo and a stripe, so there is no confusion. I am never disappointed by that place! If you are looking for a tasty, low-stress gluten-free dining experience, I highly recommend P.F. Chang’s!

Seattle Sans Gluten // Cafe Piccolo

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I do a lot of (some may say obsessive) browsing on the internet, looking for restaurants that serve gluten-free food. Italian food has been difficult to find, beyond gluten-free pizza and maybe pasta. So when I read that Cafe Piccolo made gluten-free ravioli, bread, parmigiana, and lasagna, I knew I had to go try it for myself.

Their menu has little notes on it about their ability to substitute gluten-free bread or pasta. The website says that they cannot make gluten-free ravioli or lasagna, but that is no longer the case! Our server informed us that the only thing the kitchen was unable to make gluten-free was the gnocchi. I briefly considered being sad about that, but I had so many choices (at an Italian restaurant!) that I really didn’t mind.

We settled on the antipasto plate to start. Our server brought out house-made gluten-free bread to accompany it. The bread was served with a wonderful paste made of herbs, spices, balsamic vinegar, and roasted garlic. I am so used to ordering antipasto with “no bread.” It was really nice to eat cheese and meat with some starch alongside it!

I really enjoyed the antipasto as well. The was a wide assortment of items on the plate, from carrots in mint oil, to marinated mushrooms, to cheese, to cured meat. There was just enough for a few tastes or bites of each item, but the variety was wider than a lot of antipasto plates I have encountered.

For our main course, we shared the Ravioli Sage and Brown Butter:

and the Calamari Amatriciana:

Both were very good, but I definitely preferred the calamari dish. The pasta, house made squid ink pappardelle, had a really great, soft, chewy (dare I say glutinous?) texture, and the calamari was cooked perfectly. One note, though, the food was very salty for my taste. I know that salt is a matter of palate, and mine probably just differed a great deal from that of the chef’s, but it made it a bit difficult for me to fully enjoy the meal. The boyfriend said he did not find it to be too salty, so I really do think it may have been just a matter of taste.

Every dessert at Cafe Piccolo is gluten-free! We finally settled on the Goat Cheesecake. It was really fantastic, and it got even better with every bite. It had a creamy texture and a really great tanginess that was never overpowering. I decided dessert needed some company in my belly, so I ordered the house Limoncello, which was wonderful. They also make a lot of other flavors of “-cello” there. The boyfriend had fennelcello, and he thought it was really good (I don’t really like fennel, so my opinion is not worth noting here).

Overall this was a really great dining experience. Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and the gluten-free options. The restaurant itself had a softly lit, homey feel. The menu was extensive (and tasty sounding!) enough that I would like to go back to try some of the things that I was not able to on the first visit. Thank you, Cafe Piccolo for catering to gluten-free diners!

Gluten-Free Dining at Olive Garden

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Gluten-Free Penne Rigate Pomodoro at Olive Garden

I recently learned that Olive Garden has added some gluten-free options to their menu. I was not in Seattle yesterday, and so my gluten-free restaurant options were a bit more limited than usual. Lunchtime was nigh and I was hungry, so my boyfriend and I decided to give the gluten-free menu at Olive Garden a try.

I asked our hostess for the gluten-free menu before we were shown to our table. This can help gluten-free dining to go more smoothly as it saves the wait staff or host a trip, and it gives the host a chance to alert your server that at least one of your party is of gluten-free status before they even get to your table and introduce themselves. It also gives them the option, if they choose, of assigning your table to someone more experienced or well-versed in the gluten-free options on the menu.

Their Gluten-Free menu was not huge, but there were enough choices available that I did not feel limited. It also had a lot of choices for those of you that are dairy-free as well. I chose the Penne Rigate Pomodoro, and my boyfriend went with the Herb-Grilled Salmon.

The hard copy of the menu we were given listed the salmon as herb-crusted, just like the “regular” menu. The online description, “brushed with Italian herbs” is more accurate. The Boyfriend still thought it was good, but it wasn’t quite what he was expecting.

I went with pasta, mostly because I was curious about what type they would use and whether the texture would be up to par. There were two pasta options on the gluten-free menu, I went with the one that sounded like it had the chunkier sauce. It was actually pretty good. I believe they used a corn-based pasta. The texture was not as good as some of the brands I cook at home, but it was certainly passable and it was fun to order pasta in a restaurant.

Of course we had to order the salad (I mean really, why else does anyone even go to Olive Garden?), we simply had it without croutons and I ate my usual embarrassingly large amount of it. As in, more than one serving-bowlful. I didn’t even miss the croutons.

We also took advantage of a new wine serving size they offer (don’t judge us, it was a snow day!). It’s called the Quartino, and it’s basically a glass and a half of wine for only 2-3 dollars more than the glass price. We split two of those, so we didn’t have to get an entire bottle, and we also saved some cash.

Overall, eating there was a good experience. They seemed well-prepared for gluten-free patrons (and believe me, in the town I was in that is definitely not always the case!), I felt safe simply ordering from the gluten-free menu, and I left full of decently tasty food and wine. It’s always nice to have a few chain restaurants in my mental gluten-free restaurant inventory for times when I am not in a region that has fully embraced the fact that gluten-free diners are here to stay. I would definitely go to Olive Garden again in the future.

Resources for Finding Gluten-Free-Friendly Restaurants

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My last post detailed some tips for navigating a small section of some menus. But how can we find the places that will likely be able to serve foods that fit into dietary restrictions? Below are some resources for finding gluten-free-friendly restaurants near you:

urbanspoon.com
This is by far my favorite way to find restaurants. You can set whatever filters you would like, including price point, neighborhood, gluten-free friendly, waterfront, etc., hit search, and ta-da! a list of restaurants that meet your criteria pops up complete with user reviews and links to directions. In my experience this site works a bit better for more metropolitan areas, as the content is user-generated. Also available as an app.

glutenfreerestaurants.org
This is a section of the site run by the Gluten Intolerance Group. These guys are the big guns. They have very high standards for gluten-free labeling and accreditation. Any restaurant they list has been through rigorous screening and training to make their menus and restaurants safe for gluten-free dining, earning the GFFS (Gluten Free Food Service) accreditation. The GFFS accreditation is currently the only one of its kind. This would be a great resource if you are just starting out with being gluten-free and are nervous about eating outside of your house.

glutenfreeregistry.com
This is a list of gluten-free friendly restaurants, sorted by area. To be on this list restaurants must list gluten-free items on their menu, provide a gluten-free menu, or offer replacements for gluten-containing food. This is helpful, as other lists include restaurants that can be navigated by those that have dietary restrictions and know the right questions to ask, but the restaurant may not necessarily be doing a lot of the legwork. They also have apps for smart phones or iPads.

yelp.com
If user-generated content and reviews appeal to you, then you will love this site. Personally, I find their site a bit harder to navigate to find gluten-free restaurants, but their popularity means that a lot of people post reviews. I usually type something like “gluten free” or “gluten free menu” into the search bar at the top after I input my location, and then filter the results from there. Like I said, not as efficient, but easy to get a gauge for what a place is like before you go. Users can also post “lists” of restaurants, and they can be titled gluten-free, or variants thereof. Those show up under “related lists” at the bottom of a search.

Those four should be a pretty good start. Do you have any resources you like to use to find gluten-free-friendly restaurants?

Happy dining!

Tips for Safely Ordering Fried Food in Restaurants when Following a Gluten-Free Diet

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I don’t usually order fried food when eating out, but sometimes, while perusing a menu, it seems like it will hit just the right spot. There are, however, a few important questions to ask your server before ordering them.

First of all: “Is this item dusted with flour, breaded or covered in batter before frying?” The one to especially look out for is the dusting. Many sautéed fish and calamari are dusted first to help them brown up and add a bit of crisp, even if they aren’t deep-fried, which makes this a more hidden source of gluten. If the answer to the dusting is yes, don’t despair. These items can usually be made in a separate pan without the dusting.

The breading and the batter are obviously no-gos, but hopefully that information was listed on the menu. If it wasn’t your server can tell you, or ask the kitchen to verify.

Secondly: “Do you fry your gluten-free items in the same fryer as you fry your gluten-containing items?” It may be helpful here to list a few of said gluten-containing items (onion rings, fried mushrooms, jalapeno poppers, chicken strips, etc.) that you have already spotted on the menu. This is usually a lot easier than explaining in detail about cross-contamination, and it’s a lot easier for your server to accurately answer your question this way. I have found that it is not entirely helpful to ask about a “dedicated fryer” as this usually refers to a fryer reserved for vegetarian items, not those that are gluten-free.

Some words to look out for on a menu that indicate something may be fried or dusted with flour are: crispy, battered, breaded, or crunchy.

Happy munching!