Off the Menu: Z'Tejas

Today for lunch I met a great friend of mine at Z'Tejas and found a very good gluten-free menu! If you look at the link above I've taken you to the gluten-free menus for the Arboretum location where I dined today. I've been to the 6th street location and the gluten-free menu was not as extensive, so please keep this in mind when you are choosing where to go!

G-Free Lunch Menu:
- Z'Salad (with grilled chicken or grilled shrimp)
- Grilled Fish Salad
- Smoked Chicken and Black Bean Salad
- Wild Mushroom Enchiladas
- Grilled Salmon
- Pesto Rubbed Chicken
- Sides: green chile rice, black beans and vegetable of the day
- Drinks: 6th street frozen margarita, Redbridge beer and Republic of Tea (many varieties)

I had the Pesto Rubbed Chicken with the green chile rice and vegetables and was very satisfied!

Here are the remaining menus:

Arboretum: http://austinarboretum.ztejas.com/menus/Austin-menu.html
Downtown: http://austin6thstreet.ztejas.com/menus/Austin-menu.html
Avery Ranch: http://averyranch.ztejas.com/menus/AveryRanch-menu.html

Please note you need to have updated software to see the java menus. Enjoy!

Food Diary: Trip to Cleveland to Visit the Fam!

This past weekend I took a trip home to visit my family. With my MBA starting soon I won't have another chance until probably Thanksgiving to simply hang out with them without the worry of a test or project looming. I flew in Thursday night and came home rather late last night. Our weekend was full of fun things, including boating out on Lake Erie.

I must start out by saying that my mom is fantastic. Almost everyday the week before I came she was chatting me with questions about food options, ingredients, recipes, etc...she wanted to make SURE I wouldn't go hungry :) I think in the process she also realized how expensive eating gluten-free can be! That being said, I didn't have to find too many restaurants and was able to eat a number of meals and snacks without going out.

Thursday:
So, on Thursday I was flying out around 5pm. I ate a normal lunch and had a snack before embarking on my trip. Flight out of Austin went great, and as any traveler knows, you always hit a road bump. This time it was a 2-hour delay in the Houston airport (IAH). I've flown through Houston a few times and knew that I couldn't wait until 12:30am to eat dinner so...the hunt was on for g-free food.

I went to customer service to see if I could have the easy way out (a flat out "yes, this or that place has gluten-free options") but no such luck. Therefore, I started walking. I found a Wendy's where I know I can have the frosty and chili, but other than that it was potato chips, candy or fruit from the airport store. Thinking that the search was pretty much pointless I decided to start drinking wine instead (good alternative right?) so I found the Fox News Sports Bar by my gate and went on in for a 9-ounce glass of Pinot Grigio. I thought I'd give the waiter a test run and was surprised to find that he did know what gluten-free was but the only option he could safely give me with chips and salsa...DONE!  Dinner was served as I waited and waited for take-off.


Friday:
We had a fun day planned and breakfast was small but tasty. My mom had picked up gluten-free baked goods from the local farmer's market (wish I remembered the vendor!) so I had a shortcake with fruit on top, yum! Shopping was on the agenda, as well as lunch with grandma. We had been planning on this for awhile so we'd already decided on Rusty Bucket. They actually have a very impressive gluten-free menu as you can see, so I got the pasta with chicken and was nice and full for shopping. I made sure to thank the manager for having gluten-free menu options...and he said they get a TON of gluten-free diners in their location...I'm surprised he didn't know it's because it's basically the only place within 10 miles that is listed as gluten-free :)

Shopping went well and we found out that my brother was headed into town. After some hemming and hawing about dinner, we debated between Hunan by the Falls who could make me gluten-free dishes and some chain restaurants, but my brother got his way and we were back at Rusty Bucket again! Luckily the manager didn't see us or I would've been embarrassed, but you can't argue with a solid g-free menu. I got the quesadillas and was satisfied once again.

Saturday:
Boat bound! We have a boat on Catawba Island which is close to the awesome Lake Erie islands. We went up there early and got going over to Kelley's Island. Lunch was some chicken salad, fruit and g-free crackers that my mom had bought and was awesome! We went bike riding around the island and decided to stop at the Kelley's Island Winery where we had a snack of cheddar cheese - a nice hold over until dinner.

Dinner was cooked on the grill! The guys were able to find a grill by the marina so I was able to use the foccacia bread my mom got from the farmer's market, along with a Jennie-O turkey burger and Amy's g-free macaroni and cheese. Easy and very fulfilling day!

Sunday:
Time to get packed up to head home. But first a full day of eating. For breakfast my dad made eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. I stuck with the eggs and fruit which we made sure he cooked on the griddle first (after washing again) and didn't let anything else touch it! That was a nice chance for us to sit around and hang out.

Shortly after we headed to Put-in-Bay (Middle Bass Island). My mom had done some research on gluten-free on her last trip so we had an idea of where to go. This island is famous for bars and some heavy drinking so of course we had to visit the Mojito bar, longest bar in the world and the Roundhouse bar. By this time however I was famished so we decided to stop at the Crescent Tavern.

They were so helpful, bringing out every single vat of salad dressing so I could read the ingredients! I was able to have a chicken spinach salad and they were willing to cook me up a plate of baby baked potatoes as a substitute for french fries = much appreciated.

Finally, it was time to head home. Ate some leftover chicken salad mom made (simply chicken chunks, celery, onions and light Hellman's mayo) and that held me over the rest of the day. It was probably the least worrisome trip I've had, thanks mom and dad!!

Off the Menu: Galaxy Cafe

Galaxy Cafe has a couple of Austin locations...closest to us is the original on West Lynn (see map in sidebar). They have a decent gluten-free menu and everything I've had off of it is pretty good except the rice wrap of which I was not a huge fan.

Just a side note...you will see on their website that they have a sister restaurant, Zocalo. I've contacted them a few times to see if I could get some solid answers on gluten-free options and they really don't have any. Their tortillas are warmed on the same surfaces, etc. so I would avoid until they create a menu and make some changes to the kitchen.

Breakfast:
American Breakfast - scrambled eggs, bacon and rice bread
Mediterranean Breafast - scrambled eggs, tomato, feta cheese and basil - served with rice bread and cup of fruit

Wraps (served on rice tortillas):
Grilled Fish Wrap with a Side
Veggie Wrap with a Side
Club Wrap with a Side

Sandwiches on Rice Bread:
Mozzarella Sandwich with a Side
Turkey and Brie Sandwich with a Side

Salads:
Greek Salad
Hot Shrimp Salad with Baby Spinach

Kid's Menu:
Grilled Chicken with a Side
G-Free Pasta (only during dinner)

Sides:
Fresh Fruit
Seasonal Veggies
Whipped Sweet Potatoes
Soup Cup
Side Salad

Dinner (ONLY during dinner hours):
Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Roasted Tomato and Prosciutto Grilled Chicken
G-Free Pasta with Homemade Marinara
G-Free Pasta with Lemon-Cilantro Butter

Dessert:
Flourless Chocolate Torte
Creme Brulee

Enjoy!! Dinner menu is best :)

Off the Menu: Chez Zee American Bistro

Last night a friend and I went to Chez Zee. I had heard they had gluten-free options but hadn't yet given them a try. I've gone there many times for happy hour ($2 off wine, and all night on Wednesdays for ladies) but not normally to eat. It's a little on the $$$ money-side but the atmosphere is worth it. Last night I had the gluten-free pasta with chicken and it was great, here is the rest of the menu:

Brunch:
- Eggs Sardou
- Portabellino Benedict Platter
- Fresh Spinach and Mushroom Omelet
- Smoked Chicken Omelet
- Goat Cheese and Tomato Omelet
- Steak and Eggs

Lunch:
- Gluten-free Garden Salad
- Grilled Steak Salad
- Tuna Nicoise Salad
- Gluten-free Pasta (garlic white wine sauce)

Dinner:
- Pecan Crusted Salmon
- Grilled Pork Chop
- New York Strip
- Portabella Plate
- Gluten-free Pasta (see above)

Sides (had to work my way through the menu on these):
- Sauteed Spinach and Mushrooms
- Sweet Potato Pudding
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Grilled Asparagus
- Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Definitely some good options..check it out!

Food Diary: Weekend in H-Town! (Houston)

This weekend I went to visit one of my best friends in Houston. If you've seen my side bar you'll know I did some research beforehand to ensure our consumption success. Luckily, Frannie is amazing and did some research and grocery shopping on her own :) It was a great weekend with only one small hiccup for Sunday brunch, but even that wasn't too bad...

Friday:
I arrived at Frannie's around 6:30pm and she had wine and cheeses with gluten-free crackers waiting!! We're both huge fans of NutThins but she also purchased some Mary's Gone Crackers for us to munch on...great start. We went to pick up a friend at the airport and then headed to Yard House for dinner. They have a completely separate menu for gluten-free and were VERY aware of what it meant and what I could eat, phew! It was a fantastic dinner :)

Saturday:
Wow did we have a big day...shopping, getting hair feathers (super cute), visiting friends at a crawfish boil...and some great meals on top of that. Waking up a little later than expected we had a small breakfast (she had gotten some fresh pineapple, yum) and then got going. Our lunch was at Ruggles Green who has the gluten-free options embedded in their menu, everything (and it's a lot) with a blue dot could be made gfree. I got a chicken caesar salad and french fries (score!). It's a cute place where you order at the counter and then they bring your meal to the table, we sat outside and luckily didn't melt.

For dinner we stuck with my go-to, P.F. Changs. I have to admit their stuff is awesome and their gluten-free menu is fantastic. Even the girls ordered all of their food off of the gfree menu so we could share (they are so sweet). We had an appetizer of gfree chicken lettuce wraps, then for dinner shared the shrimp, Mongolian beef and chicken fried rice. Afterward, we went to a really fun piano bar called 88 Keys!

Sunday:
This one was a little tricky. Frannie went to the website of a cute place called Tiny Boxwood's. They state on their website that they have gluten-free options so we were good to go! Unfortunately, when we got there we were told that those options were only available during the week for lunch and not during brunch, shoot. The manager on duty (I assume that was her role) was a complete B. We asked her a couple different options, "maybe you could make some scrambled eggs", NO, "maybe you could do the mediterranean plate without the bread", NO, ugh...so I ended up with the fruit parfait without granola (basically fruit and yogurt) which was actually fantastic but still. If you are going to put gluten-free options on your menu and not offer them at brunch you NEED to do an * to let people know, it's deceiving! However, I will give them the credit of having the best lemonade ever, flavored with mint AND they are connected to a beautiful nursery where I bought an aloe plant.

Overall, the eating was fabulous and we had a lot of good luck! I had so much fun during our girls weekend, it was relaxing and enjoyable...plus Frannie is moving to South Africa so this was one of the last times I'll see her before she moves. She wants me to come visit...now that would be an interesting food diary :)

Gluten-Free Pizza Coming to California Pizza Kitchen!

June 29th - who's up for lunch with me that day??
http://glutenfreeworks.com/blog/2011/05/12/gluten-free-pizza-coming-to-california-pizza-kitchen/

Gluten-Free Works: By Jennifer Harris

Yes, you read that title right.  California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) will add gluten-free crust to its June 29th new menu roll out. The chain already has a gluten-free menu, but it has not included pizza until now.
 
“The new menu will introduce nine new items, as well as a new focus on identifying options for better health and wellness,” said CPK’s co-chief executive Rick Rosenfield.  The new menu will identify the chain’s use of natural chicken, turkey, pork and sausage products, and will add salads with fewer than 600 calories for the full serving.

This Examiner has not been to a California Pizza Kitchen since being diagnosed, so it will be interesting to see how the crust is received.  There is no mention of the pizza crust supplier, or what safe handling procedures will be introduced to ensure the gluten-free pizzas will be prepared without cross contamination.

Because this Examiner works locally at a gluten-free consultant and has been in kitchen’s where pizzas are prepared, it is very important to establish safe handling procedures and to verify the gluten-status of each topping/ingredient used to prepare the pizzas.  It is quite easy to prevent cross contamination in this type of an environment, but all of the staff has to be well trained and committed to providing safe, yummy, gluten-free pizza.

Article: The Demand for Gluten-Free - RestaurantBriefing.com

Check it out...awareness, whoo!
http://restaurantbriefing.com/2011/04/the-demand-for-gluten-free/

An increasing number of restaurateurs are responding to 18+ million Americans with a gluten intolerance and another three million who actually have been diagnosed with celiac disease (the only autoimmune disorder with a known trigger: gluten).

This number is likely to grow – according to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA), only 3-5% of those with the disease have been diagnosed to date. The Wall Street Journal estimated the market for gluten-free foods at $2.6 billion in 2010 alone. From featuring gluten-free options to separate menus and customized preparations, more chefs are paying attention to this market. In fact, 1,500 chefs participating in the NRA’s Hottest Menu Trends survey named gluten-free/food-allergy-conscious meals in the top ten for 2011.

When the owner of Zpizza, headquartered in Irvine, CA, discovered he had a gluten intolerance, a gluten-free pizza was added to the menu. Now, in addition to gluten-free dough, all dough is rolled out in rice flour to eliminate cross contamination. “We don’t advertise gluten-free pizza, but we’ve discovered many of our Facebook fans and Twitter followers do that for us,” says Brandi Babb, VP training/franchise relations. She says they’ve discovered that many allergies are linked, and quite often those who are intolerant of gluten also have dairy and soy allergies, so Zpizza hired a company to verify that the gluten-free crust and some toppings are gluten-, dairy-, and soy-free. Employees go through extensive training, available in English and Spanish, and managers go through an NFCA-certification process. Mitchell’s Fish Market, headquartered in Orlando, FL, decided to create a separate menu with 20+ gluten-free items four years ago after receiving numerous requests. “All items on this menu have been confirmed gluten-free by an outside company,” reports Will Wadsworth, executive development chef. “Plus, our ordering system allows waitstaff to mark gluten-free orders clearly.” At Maggiano’s Little Italy, based in Dallas, TX, when guests say that they have an allergy or are gluten-intolerant, the server asks the chef to speak with the guest. “The chef discusses items on the menu that are gluten-free and also offers to create gluten-free dishes for them,” says Jeff Mann, senior culinary manager. “We want these guests to feel special and comfortable and to know they can trust us.” Jeff adds that to increase the number of gluten-free dishes on the menu, they’ve removed flour as a thickening agent from most sauces, using cornstarch or reducing sauces. They also use a gluten-free fusilli. Chefs report 5% of visits each day are by guests with gluten issues.

All restaurants that offer gluten-free items must use separate pans, utensils, and designated prep areas to avoid cross-contamination. “Before developing gluten-free options, look at where wheat, rye, and barley are in your kitchen,” advises Peter Pollay, owner, Posana Cafe, Asheville, NC. “Nothing that touches these things – grill grates, fryer oil, etc. – can come in contact with food that needs to be gluten-free. This is not a fad; people with celiac disease have zero tolerance.” Because his wife has celiac disease when he opened the cafe, he made a point of offering a number of gluten-free dishes. “I really wanted a safe place for my family to eat,” says Peter, who adds that 20-25% of his business is from customers who have celiac disease or an intolerance to gluten. Through a customer Peter found out about the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America and the cafe has recently completed the Gluten- Free Accreditation program and audit by the Gluten Intolerance Group. “We’ve started working with the Asheville and Charlotte GIG chapters and have a table at their events, plus I’m on a panel at their annual convention this year, which is great word of mouth for us.” Brandi adds, “Don’t promise big and deliver small, especially when it comes to the gluten-free community. This is a serious issue for many guests, including children, and your business must commit to keeping them safe. They are the most gracious, grateful, and loyal group of guests.”

To advise those who are gluten intolerant and restaurants that want to appeal to this group, there are many organizations around the country, some of which offer specific guidance and accreditation for restaurants. 

The NFCA’s GREAT foodservice program, approved by the American Dietetic Association and American Culinary Federation, equips chefs, restaurants, and cafeterias with the knowledge and tools to safely provide customers with gluten-free meal options. A systematic curriculum provides specific protocols for preparing gluten-free foods. The online program includes a toolkit containing training for managers and a bi-lingual (English/Spanish) training DVD for staff. Cost: $200/kitchen with sliding scale for chains and those with multiple kitchens.

The Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) has two programs for food services restaurants created by registered dietitians: Gluten-Free Food Service Accreditation program helping restaurants set up policies and procedures, identify core best practices and changes that are reasonable to do at little or no cost. Staff training is customized to the location and auditors are sent in periodically to conduct GF safety audits. The Gluten Free Restaurant Awareness program provides restaurants with menu review, training manuals and ongoing support and includes 1600 restaurants.

On the Menu LLC provides gluten and allergin identification, including a detailed review of ingredients used in recipes along with a kitchen inspection to determine areas where cross-contact is a concern. Staff training materials and training sessions are also provided.

Off the Menu: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

Everyone loves a great movie...and of course that is made even better at Alamo Drafthouse by food and drink. Being an Austin-based company I was completely shocked when I found out they just re-worked their menu and gluten-free options, but was very pleasantly surprised! It's not an extensive list...but you can definitely order along with the rest :)

Appetizers:
Red Pepper Hummus (just veggies no pita chips)
POPCORN!
Chips and Salsa

Salads (All but three dressings are gluten-free and they are listed on the menu):
Cobb Salad
Once Upon A Time In Mexico
House Salad
Caesar Salad
Greek Salad
Side Salad

Dessert:
Creme Brulee

So, sit back and enjoy the movie!

Work Trip to Bethlehem, PA - Food Diary

Hey followers! If you follow me on Twitter, or know me personally, you are well aware that I was concerned about my trip to Bethlehem, PA (city of about 70,000) and what I could possibly find to eat in a small, rural city. I have to say it was a challenge, but luckily I had a patient co-worker, Google, and a cell phone to help.

Traveling is the worst. It is challenging and on top of having to organize your itinerary, your flights, the rental car and the hotel as a Celiac you have to plan out your meals. I've gotten used to flying and the fact that there aren't really options in the airport, so that wasn't too bad...but upon arrival we had to start working almost immediately which left little time to do research.

Luckily, between the two of us we called some of the local places we'd passed on the way to Lehigh University (where the conference was being held) and found a place called Molly's Pub that was willing to work with me. It is quite surprising that a pub would have ANY knowledge of gluten-free or have home made burgers but they did. I ended up with a cheeseburger (no bun of course) and their hummus with veggies. It settled way and I knew I could check one meal off the list.

The next day we got free breakfast at the hotel and it was fairly decent. They had some Fruit at the Bottom yogurt for me along with hard-boiled eggs and juice. No complaints.  At lunch we wandered around near campus, block after block, and finally found an organic cafe called BlueSky Cafe. This was BAD news.

BlueSky Cafe had no idea what I could eat. After going back and forth to the kitchen and dealing with some very unfriendly and unhelpful kitchen staff members they determined that I could have some chicken and vegetables cooked in a pan with potato chips. Please note this was not on the menu...there were tons of things that could have been made g-free but they were unwilling to work with me on it. Anyway, got the meal, started eating and a frazzled woman (come to find out, the owner) runs up to me and says "STOP eating the chips they have gluten in them". OMG...are you serious? We have a presentation in 15 minutes and I could not get sick...luckily I had only had 4 chips and the issues were minimal, phew.

Okay...so after quite a scare at lunch we thought it best to go with a place that we knew had gluten-free menu items, Sagra Bistro for dinner. It was fantastic, but unfortunately a little higher priced (figures). I got the lemon zest chicken, melted mozzarella with tomatoes and even blackberry sorbet for dessert. It was SO nice to have a full meal that I could safely eat and not worry about afterward. I would highly suggest this place if you visit this area.

Last but not least...Sunday. We were done with the conference early and decided to head back toward Philly where we were flying out. We did a search for gluten-free in Philadelphia on Urbanspoon and had a lot of options show up. We ended up visiting a small town on the way called Doylestown...they had TWO pizza places with gluten-free crust. Our first choice was Baked on Main but they weren't open, so we hit up Jules Thin Crust right down the street. It was fantastic...see below:

I was so pleased, I want to open a franchise here! The last mountain to climb was flying home. I got a pleasant surprise when I asked my Continental flight attendant to see the cheese plate...the crackers are separately packaged and it's only $6.95 - whooo! Celiac's go ahead and fly Continental because I can't have anything on any other flights. See below...

So, that was my trip. I avoided getting sick and conquered middle of no where PA. I hope this helps others either at Lehigh, around the area or who may be traveling that way!

Off the Menu: Panera

GLUTEN FREE LIST - Panera Bread **





**Although we try to meet your special requirements, we cannot ensure that these 


items have not come into contact with gluten in our bakery-café.





** Gorgonzola and bleu cheeses are commonly made with mold incubated on wheat.  


Some may choose to avoid these cheeses for this reason and you may substitute 


another cheese if you prefer. Items containing these ingredients are indicated 


below with (G) or (BC).





Salads:    (including the salad dressing)


(source of modified food starch is corn) 


Greek Salad 


Caesar Salad (without croutons) 


Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (without croutons) 


Mediterranean Salmon Salad


Salmon Caesar Salad (without croutons)


Asian Sesame Chicken Salad (without Won Ton noodles) 


Classic Cafe Salad 


Tomato, Mozzarella & Basil Salad (without croutons)*


Strawberry Poppyseed Salad 


Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with Chicken 


Fuji Apple Chicken Salad (G) 


Orchard Harvest Chicken Salad (G)


Chopped Chicken Cobb Salad (G)


BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad


Fruit Cup: All watermelon


Mixed Fruit Cup: with watermelon, cantaloupe, red seedless grapes, and 


strawberry.








Soups:


Low Fat Vegetarian Black Bean


Creamy Tomato (without croutons)


Summer Corn Chowder


Low-Fat Chicken Tortilla Soup





Salad Dressings:


Balsamic Vinaigrette


Caesar


Greek


Poppyseed


Asian Sesame Vinaigrette


White Balsamic Vinaigrette


Cherry Balsamic Vinaigrette





BBQ Ranch





Beverages:


Coffee


Juice, both apple and orange


Lemonade


Milk


Soda, fountain and bottled


Tea, regular and Chai Tea


All lattes & Frozen beverages


Strawberry Smoothie


Strawberry Lemonade


Hot Chocolate


Pumpkin Spice Latte 


Gingerbread Latte





Panera Bread Potato Chips

Is every meal out the last one?

I've been having a hard time handling my emotions toward food. I've gained a couple pounds and am at a higher weight than I have been for years. Looking back and consulting my trusted sources I realize that whenever I eat out I feel like it'll be my last meal.

Before I knew what I could eat, and where, I obsessed over finding tasty meals that were in line with my special dietary needs. Would I be able to eat this again? I found myself ordering the most enticing item on the gluten-free menu and eating all of it. NowI know there are multiple restaurants that cater to my diet, and they aren't inconvenient, but still have not convinced myself that I may not find a tasty meal ever again.

This is not something I've ever thought about or dealt with. Normally I can eat healthy and know that if I want to splurge one day during the week that I can...but now I feel as if I don't have that kind of control because I'd have to find the place, find a person to join me and worry about their willingness to eat where I can...it's tiring and makes me feel like a burden.

Now that I am aware of why I've been splurging more than normal I've been able to identify these situations...which is always the first step on the path of change. I'm sick of being a couple pounds over my normal weight but also sick of this disease. There are so many days I want to pick up a Lean Cuisine and know that I'm having a low calorie meal that I can afford and enjoy at the same time...and NOT get sick.

I just wish upon myself the strength to make good decisions and understand that no meal is the end and there are more to come in the future. I have a great support system that fully understands my Celiac and will help me through the physical and mental challenges I face.

Off the Menu: Pluckers

Wednesday night trivia at Pluckers was great! Plus they have a whole gluten-free menu. I can't find it online so I took some pictures so I could have it and share it with you all:

Wings - Gluten-Free Sauces:
Spicy BBQ
Dr. Pepper
Jamaican Jerk
Honey BBQ
Buffalo Medium
Fire in the Hole
Ranch
Goldrush
Cajun
Spicy Ranch
Buffalo Mild
Buffalo Hot

Burgers, Sandwiches and Tenders (Obviously w/out bun)
The Bypass Burger
Chicken Club
Honey BBQ Burger
The Larry Bird
The Boring Burger
Naked Boneless Wings

Sides
Plain Corn on the Cob (no cajun)
Side Salad
Side Caesar Salad


Salads
Grilled Buffalo Chicken Salad
Honey BBQ Chicken Chop
Grilled Chicken Garden Salad