“I had a very pleasant experience recently at Carino’s Italian Grill in
“The menu was varied and everything sounded wonderful. The young waiter had a few questions about gf just for his own information and then proceeded to take our order. I had a grilled chicken breast over a bed of the best tasting green beans I have ever eaten. The waiter sat a basket of their bread and a dish of the oil/herb to dip it in and then picked the basket back up and asked if I’d rather it be on the other side of the table. It was the most pleasant dining experience I have had recently. They did their job well and I had absolutely no reaction to anything whatsoever.
“I even asked to speak to the manager who came to the table. I thanked him for their concern and commitment. He explained that the wife of one of their other restaurant manager’s has Celiac’s and they worked with her to develop their menu selections and precautions. It was WONDERFUL and I will go back.. I felt like a "normal" person for a change who just happened to have some dietary issues. I saw nothing to cause alarm and I could even watch the cooking process from where I was seated.
“Hope this helps.” Thank you. It certainly does help. I’m looking forward to publish more and more guest reviews. I can’t be everywhere at once, although I would love to try. Also, the community that uses this blog needs to hear more than one voice. I hope that contributions like this encourage others to submit guest reviews. Send me an e-mail at gfceliac@gmail.com or leave a comment at the end of this or any other article.
Carino’s Italian Grill has an excellent reputation in the gluten free community. Click here to link to their site.
Published 9/06/08
I ate two times at the Outback from their gluten free menu. The first time, in Las Vegas, our waitor was excellent. I ordered the mashed potatoes, steamed unseasoned, broccoli and grilled chicken. The only part I questioned was the barbecue sauce. But, it was on the gluten free menu, it was served separately, and I didn’t have any reaction at all to it, AND IT WAS DELICIOUS. After getting back from Las Vegas however, we went to our local Outback, in New London, CT where the waitress was wonderful, but her cook may have been confused. I ordered the exact same meal I’d had in Vegas a few days prior, but they served it with a seasoning on the chicken. Before eating it however, I asked her to ask the chef if the seasoning was gluten free, and she did. The place was busy, and she was patient. She said he said yes, and that it was on the menu. But when we checked the menu, it was listed as coming with the barbecue sauce, not the seasoning. Whatever the case, I didn’t eat much of the chicken and I took one of those NOW gluten enzymes afterwards which helped. My Bad.
Overall, my experience with the Outback was a really good one, and I’ll definitely go back again. At this point, I think it’s great they even try. So many restaurants skirt around it, it’s not safe. But, as long as you trust your own judgement, you’ll be fine. It’s too bad Annies or Amy’s doesn’t make those portable packets of barbecue sauce, like ketchup, so we can carry them to restaurants, etc. Or, maybe the Outback will offer something like labeled, gluten free condiment packets.