I enjoyed my lunch at BJs Restaurant and Brewhouse. I ordered from a printed gluten free menu that included two entrees, several dinner salads, stuffed baked potatoes, as well as gluten free pizza and beer. My waitress was clearly ‘celiac-savvy’. My gluten free pizza looked great! Some gluten free pizza-makers put their emphasis on the crust and throw on a few toppings. This pizza looked awesome! The taste was equally great. The crust was firm but still easy-to-chew. The seasoning was subtle but excellent. BJs is much more than a pizza restaurant. It has a full menu of Italian and other foods.

I enjoyed my meal at the restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. BJs also operates restaurants in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

Restaurant chains that serve the gluten free community are vital to our ‘good life’. It is sometimes good to eat in a restaurant that seems familiar even though it is far from home. Restaurant chains are large corporations with legal departments that will make sure that individual restaurants do not make promises they can’t keep. To find other gluten-friendly restaurant chains, scroll down to the bottom this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag that reads “chair restaurants”. The computer will create a special page that contains the first few sentences of articles that have that same tag. Click on the excerpt to read the entire article

Ted’s Montana Grill offers a great gluten free bunless bison burger. The rest of the menu (both gluten free and conventional) seems to be equally good, but one of my first objectives in trying out a new restaurant is to find out if the bunless burgers are attractively presented, good tasting, and large enough to satisfy my appetite. The meal I enjoyed at Ted’s exceeded my expectations!

Ted’s Montana Grill operates restaurants in 14 states. Click here to read their gluten free menu.

Click here for information about Ted’s concerns for the weight loss diet, the heart healthy diet, and the needs of diabetics. FYI, as many of you know, my wife experienced a cardiac arrest on March 29. She is doing miraculously well and we expect full recovery. I’ve had the chance to do a lot of thinking about a lot of different of subjects. One result can be seen in the first sentence. When I review a restaurant or a food product, I’ll link you to all the nutrition information that I can find.

Restaurant chains that serve the gluten free community are vital to our ‘good life’. It is sometimes good to eat in a restaurant that seems familiar even though it is far from home. Restaurant chains are large corporations with legal departments that will make sure that individual restaurants do not make promises they can’t keep. To find other gluten-friendly restaurant chains, scroll down to the bottom this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag that reads “chair restaurants”. The computer will create a special page that contains the first few sentences of articles that have that same tag. Click on the excerpt to read the entire article.

I enjoyed really great chicken salad at Chick-Fil-A in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last weekend. Since ChIck-Fil-A is so well-known to celiacs, I had looked forward to eating there and was a bit disappointed. That was my only option for a complete meal that I could get from the printed menu or the menu that was posted on-line. I could probably have gotten good answers if I had asked questions, but I prefer to limit my dinner-salad-eating to situations where I have no other options. Since Chick-Fil-A has such a great reputation in the gluten free community, I was expecting them to have gluten free information fully publicized on the site, on the menu, and in posters displayed in the restaurant. For example: I know that at least two different chicken fillets are available without a bun. Will I be able ignore the absence of the customary bun? Does the bunless meal contain enough food to fill my stomach? The only ready to find out is the ‘hard way’.

Restaurant chains that serve the gluten free community are vital to our ‘good life’. It is sometimes good to eat in a restaurant that seems familiar even though it is far from home. Restaurant chains are large corporations with legal departments that will make sure that individual restaurants do not make promises they can’t keep. To find other gluten-friendly restaurant chains, scroll down to the bottom this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag that reads “chair restaurants”. The computer will create a special page that contains the first few sentences of articles that have that same tag. Click on the excerpt to read the entire article.

Having a gluten free crust does not guarantee that a pizza is gluten free. Celiacs know this, of course — the toppings must be gluten free and the assembling and baking must be done in a way that avoids cross-contamination. Any restaurant whose menu or website that even suggests that having a gluten free crust makes a pizza  ‘safe’ has already made one mistake and may make others.

On the other hand, offering a gluten free crust is a good first step. Perhaps the only person who is not celiac-savvy is the person who prints the menu or prepares the website. If we ask the right questions, we may find that we are in a ‘safe’ place. (By the way,asking questions is better than just looking around. You need to know if the people in the restaurant are knowledgeable enough to take care of your needs.)

♦ Gently remind the person you’re talking to that a celiac pizza-fan needs more information than whether the crust is gluten free.

♦ Ask which toppings are gluten free. If the answer boils down to “I have no idea” (and it often will), it is time to ask to talk to someone else, order a salad, or simply walk out.  Hopefully, the answer will be ‘yes’. Thus you can questions about how the sauces were prepared and handled.

♦ It’s now time to find out about cross-contamination. Where and how was the crust baked? How was it protected from contact with other foods? Was the pizza assembled in a  gluten free  area by a person wearing fresh gloves, cut with a dedicated cutter or knife, and baked in isolated area in oven?

During all this, avoid using the words ‘contaminated’ or ‘clean’. We are not suggesting that their establishment may be contaminated or unclean in the usual sense of the word.

Conversations like this are difficult to say the least. It took me at least a year to become reasonably comfortable doing it. But contentious restaurant appreciate your questions and suggestions. One restaurant manager served complimentary wine with our dinner because he appreciated my suggestions. You don’t need the good will of the rest of the people — you won’t be returning to their restaurant.

I received several comments last week about my series of posts on methods for losing weight living gluten free. One of you expanded on my idea of “gluten entitlement” by stating that she feels “gluten obligation”. This writer is the only celiac in the house and therefore feels obligated to “eat the rest of it”. We all hate to waste food, but….

Several of you sent me restaurant and recommendations. Just to remind you of my policy — I place comments after the appropriate article based solely on your recommendations. I then verify the information by checking the website and/or e-mailing the establishment. I place the “verification date” or the date I sent the e-mail after your comment. I am a disappointed by the fact that very few establishments answer my e-mails. How should I respond to that? Is a restaurant or bakery that does not respond to my e-mails seriously or mention gluten free options on their site seriously interested in serving the gluten free community? My personal opinion is NO! These establishments are off my personal list of places to patronize.

By the way, when you are sending a recommendation, be sure to include the city and state in which the establishment is located. That makes it simpler for all of us.

Our gluten free lifestyle makes many restaurants off-limits to us and makes us strongly loyal to others. We can save money by taking advantage of the of the ‘loyalty rewards’ offered by these gluten friendly restaurants.

Here are links to gluten friendly restaurants that offer discount cards and coupons or other incentives to drum up business and encourage customers to return regularly. These programs change so frequently and have so much ‘fine print’ involved that I will not try to summarize them. I’ll just give you the name of the restaurant and the name of their ‘loyalty’ program.

→ The Outback Steakhouse calls its program “My Outback Awards”.

→ P.F. Chang’s “Warrior Card” offers a 10% discount  on all meals.

→ Red Robin’s “Royalty Card” offers significant discounts.

→ Austin Grill, with restaurants in and around the District of Columbia, operates a  ‘loyalty program’.

→ Elephant Walk offers ‘loyalty rewards’ to patrons of their restaurants in the Boston area. The restaurants offer French and Cambodian cuisine.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company is a great place to relax and enjoy yourself. It’s not a place for a gourmet meal and I could probably make a better margarita. But that is not the point — the atmosphere is a combination of a totally drug-free San Francisco in the early sixty’s and the world in which Forrest Gump lived his remarkable life. You’ll love, for example, the unique system for summoning your server. You’ll enjoy the shop that sells Forrest Gump memorabilia. You’ll have a great experience.

Bubba Gump’s operates restaurants in nine states and several foreign countries. First, choose your location and then you have the opportunity to download that restaurant’s gluten free menu.

Triumph Dining recently launched an expanded an updated version of its Gluten Free Restaurant Guide and has authorized me to celebrate this happy event by giving away copies of this wonderfully useful book. I have already sent a copy to the fourth person to submit a brief article on how to ensure an enjoyable, relaxing, and ‘safe’ restaurant experience. Ill be awarding books to the eighth, twelfth, and sixteenth person to submit their ideas. Here is what my fifth contributor had to say:

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“Many people who are celiacs will avoid restaurants quite often because the experience is just too complicated for themselves and the servers, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

“However as more and more of us get diagnosed with celiac disease and learn that we have gluten intolerance I am finding that many restaurants are starting to offer gluten-free options on the menu as well as doing a better job of teaching their service staff about our special requirements. There’s still a long road ahead of us, because many restaurants are not hip to the gluten-free way of life-so until that happens I want you to be aware that the learning curve can feel straight up for both you and your server.

“Occasionally, you’ll come across a restaurant and server who is up on this situation, but that is the exception and not the rule.

“The reality is with some planning and the right strategies you will feel confident walking into any restaurant and know that you are getting a wheat and gluten-free meal.

“The first rule that I always follow when eating out is to try and learn as much as I can about the restaurant in advance. For example if somebody wants to go to an Italian restaurant I know right away that my options are going to be severely limited because Italian cuisine is based heavily around pasta and breads. But that doesn’t mean I can’t go it just means I’m going to be eating salads, potatoes, and have to order other side dishes like rice and vegetables.

“In addition I want to keep in mind that some of the Italian menu items are often breaded such as veal parmigiana, which is made often with a combination of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. If they have a website – usually a quick scan of the appetizers and entrees will reveal if they have enough options to assemble a gluten free meal for me.

“The second rule that I always follow if I am at all unsure my server might mess up is to explain the reasons why I have these special dietary requirements. And I’m going to give you some power phrases in a minute to help get their attention and drive the point home. If you’re thinking that your server isn’t taking your requests seriously I recommend you use sentences and words like I have a severe allergy to wheat and gluten, it is extremely important that I do not eat that in your restaurant tonight. Statements like that always get the point across.

“The reality is celiac disease and gluten intolerance does not produce the same violent reactions that food allergies do with things like shellfish and peanuts. However most restaurant staff understand the ramifications and consequences of an allergic reaction in a restaurant-so I always play on that fear instead of trying to explain the complexities of a food intolerance or celiac disease.

“I’m finding with increasing frequency that when I explain my need to avoid wheat and gluten, that a common response from the server is are you a celiac?, To which I always reply [even though I am not] yes, and I really appreciate you taking care of me tonight. This usually, in fact almost always gets the point across and confirms in my mind that the server understands my needs.
The third and final thing that I always ask when the food arrives is asking “you double checked and there is no wheat or gluten in anything I am eating right?”

“It is extremely rare that this last question fails to confirm that my meal is safe if I’ve taken the appropriate measures in advance.

“A couple of other ideas that I have found to be helpful, include asking to speak to the manager of the restaurant when you arrive. The idea here being that the restaurant manager is more accountable to the operation and the safety of his or her customers, then servers are. In addition servers might be new, or managing multiple tables-so if the manager is involved in your dining experience you further minimize the risks of winding up with wheat or gluten in your meal.

“Many people find that over time they develop a list of their favorite restaurants and cuisines in their area, and if they travel a lot, restaurants and restaurant chains that will go out of their way to accommodate you or have gluten-free foods on the menu.

“Many restaurants and restaurant chains especially, will provide information about their menus, and gluten-free details that you can study online.

“Remember that the onus is on you to tell your servers as much information as necessary to make sure that you have a safe meal.

“And lastly planning and learning as much as you can, before going to any restaurant will help you tremendously. If you can’t do any research before you get there, these tips should help you enjoy a gluten and wheat-free meal.”

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I hope many more of you will submit your ideas on this vital issue. My e-mail address is gfceliac@gmail.com. To learn more about Triumph Dining and the many resources it has to offer, click on the icon in the right sidebar. To read all the letters that have been submitted, scroll down to the end of this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag that reads “restaurant guide giveaway”.

Triumph Dining has authorized me to give away copies of its newly updated and expanded Gluten Free Restaurant Guide. I will be awarding copies of the new guide to the fourth, eighth, twelfth, and sixteenth person persons who submits a brief essay on “Ways to Insure an Enjoyable, Relaxing, and ‘Safe’ Restaurant Experience”. I will not announce our first winner’s name until I have his or her permission to do so, but here is our winning essay:

I usually have a few standards that I eat at my regular restaurants that I know I can eat, but when going to a new restaurant or eating a new dish, I do the following:

2. Check the Menu online. This especially helps if the menu includes the main ingredients in different dishes.

3) Be Seen by a Waiter with Allergies. I went to a birthday dinner a few months ago, and it was a revelation having a waiter who had allergies herself. She was amazing about helping me to navigate the menu so I felt confident being a little more adventurous with my food choices.

4) Go to restaurants that serve Healthy Alternatives. I went to a restaurant that had many gluten free sugar free items on the menu for health reasons. The pancakes were delicious! The first pancakes I’d had in more than 6 months!

5) Ask you waiter for the list of the ingredients in the dish. There are often hidden components in cooking ingredients. For instance, I have a corn allergy and servers don’t always know that baking powder is often made with corn starch. If they go through the ingredients list, I can let them know if I can have the dish or not.
Hope this list helps someone else!

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Yes, this list will help! And when this project is finished, we will each have twenty or more lists to consider. I am sure that we will want to see them side-by-side. I’ll use “tags” to make this possible. Scroll down to the bottom of this article (after the ads) and click on the red tag that says “safe restaurants”. You will be taken to a page that will show the beginning of all the articles containing your lists. Click on any list  that you want to read in full.