This weekend was the big Texas vs. Oklahoma football game in Dallas, and it is one of my very favorite weekends of every year. This year, however, was the first for which I had to remain gluten-free (for this very reason I took last year off). It was mildly successful...
As always I brought some food with me for the hotel room just in case I couldn't find anything else. Unfortunately the Hilton Anatole didn't have a microwave or refrigerator (just for those expensive snacks) in the room so my frozen dishes that I brought went bad, but I was able to substitute some hunger with the carrots and hummus that I brought. On a side note, we got totally hooked up with everything at the Anatole thanks to Pam and Katherine Frolow!
So, when we arrived around 1pm on Friday we were definitely hungry so I spoke to the concierge and he let me know that the Media Grill could accommodate my gluten-free diet so we ventured that way. This experience wasn't very good though. The waiter was clueless and VERY insensitive to my dietary needs. He wasn't provided any information, and didn't seem willing or caring enough to work with me to speak with the chef and figure out what I could eat. Finally, I ended up asking to speak to the chef directly and got a side Mediterranean salad, green beans steamed and a cheese burger with no bun. To top it off, I had a small reaction and was pretty uncomfortable for the next couple of hours. I think it probably had something to do with the preparation technique which I didn't go into with the chef because I was already so frustrated...let's just say that the rest of the weekend I was extra careful.
Dinner Friday night was awesome. We made reservations at State & Allen Lounge in Uptown who I had also called to ask about menu adjustments. When we were ready to order our waiter got the manager and she worked with me on everything, and even let me read some labels and ask a ton of questions. My order was the Love Love Chicken Bowl (risotto, chicken, butter and hot sauce, vegetables) and it was so good, I finished it off AND didn't get sick, thank you S&A!
The rest of the night was a blast, we hit up the Londoner pub in Uptown with the rest of our fellow MBAs and then got a good night's rest for the fair and football game the next day. Knowing darn well that the fair was full of fried food and beer I ordered three scrambled eggs and orange juice from room service in the hopes that it would keep me full until about 5pm. At the fair I was able to buy a bag of Fritos and a bag of Lays and then on top of that we had packed some pecans just in case so I could snack, but I was SO jealous of everyone who was able to eat Fletcher's corndogs, fried mac 'n' cheese and fried mashed potatoes!
For dinner we had reservations with all of the girls at Sambuca, who I had worked with beforehand as well (and subsequently forced everyone to go to ;)). Their knowledge and willingness to work with me on the menu was great, but the meal was just o.k. I ordered the chicken parmesean with grilled chicken but the chef didn't feel comfortable putting cheese on it so it was basically grilled chicken with marinara sauce...good but not what I expected. I also got a huge side of green beans which were awesome, well seasoned and cooked. I think I could have ordered a little better and been very happy.
Sunday we headed for Austin, got some Starbucks on the way, and made great time despite some heavy rains and traffic around Waco. Upon arrival I do admit to ordering P.F. Changs to-go for a nice big, yummy lunch/dinner. Overall the food situation was o.k. could have been a little better, but considering it's a hugely hectic weekend full of food and drink it was a success.
Thanks to everyone who helped me out and were flexible with my needs, especially Ashley, Christina and Katherine!! Hook 'Em!
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