Category: Gluten-Free Living

Gluten-Free Pasadena, California

We love eating out in Pasadena, and have a found a great number of restaurants that have gluten-free options and/or are willing to modify menu items to accommodate gluten-free diners. Please note that many of the place listed below prepare foods in shared spaces with gluten-based items, so you need to be careful when ordering.

I’ve found most of the staff and management in these restaurants have been extremely accommodating. Staff who are not familiar with what it means to be gluten free are willing to defer to managers and chefs. But, as always, ask lots of questions before ordering. Continue reading “Gluten-Free Pasadena, California”

Eating Gluten Free in Restaurants

  1. Let’s face it: very few restaurants in the world have dedicated gluten-free kitchens. If you are newly gluten free, the thought of eating out can be terrifying. If you’ve been gluten free for a while, the thought of easting out in a restaurant can be…enough to make you want to stay home and cook a four-course meal.

    It just seems easier.

    The good news is the number of restaurants offering choices to gluten-free diners is increasing rapidly. But there is also bad news, so let’s start with that.

    Very few of those restaurants can guarantee a wholly safe environment. For example, my local pizza place offers a gluten-free crust, an option that is so popular, it’s prominently featured in the printed menu. I’ve been very lucky when it comes to avoiding cross-contamination, but I am *always* aware this is a possibility.

    I mean, it’s a pizza joint. There is flour everywhere in that kitchen. All the precautions in the world cannot eliminate that fact, and I think long and hard before I order pizza. I know I’m taking a risk, and, sigh, end up ordering a salad more often than not. Being glutened is never fun. This is true of just about every restaurant you, me, and all of our gluten-free compatriots enter.

    Then there are restaurants who know they must offer *something* for the gluten-free diner, but don’t have the underlying knowledge to do it right. Or maybe they aren’t willing to truly commit to what it means to offer safe gluten-free options to their customers…

    Yeah, I’m looking at you, quinoa. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy quinoa very much, and am glad my gluten-free life lead me to discovering it. But quinoa has become the signal that a restaurant item is gluten free. I find that limiting, boring, and, yes, a bit condescending. Smart chefs know that most of the foods on their menu are naturally gluten free; suggesting there is only one food that is safe annoys me.

    (Puts away soapbox for the moment, and concentrates on the good news.)

    It *is* possible to eat safely in restaurants, but it does take some work. Here are my key tips:

    1. Understand The Menu. As noted in my pizza joint example above, certain restaurants are going to be more challenging that others. Certain cuisines — South American, Mexican, Indian, and others — are more inherently gluten free than others. This includes Chinese restaurants (soy sauce galore!), though if you’re cautious, you can eat, well, okay in most establishments. You may be stuck with steamed veggies and plain rice, but that’s not the worst thing ever.

    2. Understand The Ingredients. This is absolutely essential. For example, soy sauce, which is wheat-based, shows up in all sorts of foods (especially salad dressings and sauces). Breaded items, fried items, even fish can have wheat flour (fish is often dusted with flour to help with browning). Learn the lingo to help identify hidden sources of gluten.

    3. Be Your Own Advocate. I ask a lot of questions. A lot. And one key clue about my potential safety comes during my first encounter with waitstaff. If they don’t know their menu, don’t understand what gluten free means, or, ahem, say “is rice okay?”, then I assume they are not well-trained. I immediately ask to speak with a manager or the chef. This seems harsh, but it’s my life.

    4. Don’t Be *That* Person. You know the person I’m talking about. Heck, you’ve been out with that person. The person who, during the busiest hours at a restaurant decides to dissect each and every menu item because they’re “gluten free”…and then they order a beer with their meal. If it’s a new-to-me place, I spend time in advance studying the menu (most places have their menus online), and, if I have time, I even call ahead to ask questions. I find I get much better service if I’m prepared and focused.

    5. Be Clear. Explain that you are gluten free for health reasons, serious health reasons. Don’t equivocate. No, it’s not okay if onion rings are fried in the same oil as your fries. No, it’s not okay to “just take it off” when bread is accidentally placed on your plate. Be very clear, and read the next tip!

    6. Accept What You Can’t Change. Celiac is *not* an allergy; we know this. But waitstaff are, generally, trained in the dangers of serving the wrong ingredients to people with serious allergies. I used to complain to my husband, but now I accept that “allergy” is critical shorthand in the restaurant world.

    7. Ask For a GF Menu. Many restaurants, particularly chain restaurants, have a) a separate menu, b) allergen information on their menu items, or c) clear indicators that an item is gluten free on their menu. of course, when you’re ordering a GF meal, it is still your responsibility to make it clear you are ordering gluten free. Do not assume the server can read your mind.

    8. Plan In Advance. When making reservations, let the restaurant know there is a gluten-free diner in the party. When trying a new restaurant, do your homework (in off-peak hours, if you’re calling). Figure out your menu modifications in advance, if necessary. The way to safety is taking care. The way to take care is to be prepared.

What are your favorite restaurant survival tips? Please share below.

Tip of the Week

Keep a list of restaurants in your area that serve gluten-free items, with notes about your favorite dishes. When it comes time to dine out with friends or family, you’ll have suggestions ready to go! I also track great restaurants when I travel, and update them on Glutenfreeliac to help with future travel.

Meal of the Week

 

Gluten-Free Holiday Survival Guide

I love this time of year. I love entertaining. I love cooking. I love spending time with family and friends — last night, we had an impromptu gathering that made me so happy, I just want to do it every weekend! But this time of year also comes with many stresses. By the time New Year’s Eve rolls around, I’ll have attended three to four Christmas celebrations in two states, three cities.

Add to that the many meals out, office parties, social gatherings, and, heck, just sitting down for a quick bite while shopping (hint: carry something like Lara bars in your bag!), and this season takes on new challenges for those of us who must eat gluten free. It doesn’t matter how experienced you are at this game, a gluten-free life adds complexity. My husband is booking Christmas dinner right now, and he has me checking menus to make sure I’ll be able to eat something.

(And if he goes with the restaurant he just showed me, I’ll be in heaven!)

I’ve put together this Gluten-Free Holiday Survival Guide to help everyone from the newly gluten free to the seasoned pro survive. It’s the time of year to find the joy in life…and keep the stress at a minimum! Read on for suggestions for surviving your holiday.

Surviving Work Parties

It turns out I’m going to miss the first annual gingerbread house decorating party at my office. That still means I have to attend a bunch of other parties, large and small, at my workplace. These parties will range from a company-wide event where my inability to eat just about everything will go unnoticed to potlucks where it won’t.

Let’s face it: this time of year abounds with holidays centered around foods. Thanksgiving. Christmas. Hanukkah. So many of the foods traditional to these holidays contain gluten. If you’re one who has trouble resisting temptation, it can be a challenge.

Still, as you might guess, I love parties, and I food. I’m also gluten-free. This means I’ve learned to cope with situations where I may not have as much control over my diet as I’d like. Events at the office fall squarely into that category, so here are some suggestions for navigating the season while still enjoying work events. Continue reading “Surviving Work Parties”

Surviving Holiday Parties

Dinner parties are one thing, party-parties are another. You know the type of event I mean: foods are laid out all over the place, and sussing out the ingredient list for each item is a challenge. These types of situations are gluten-free nightmares.

I’m going to offer up the first of many silver linings here: contributing a dish of your own to the smorgasbord of items. Potlucks are both dangerous and a secret weapon. It’s easy enough to arrive with a bottle of wine and something for the table (again, as always, when bringing food to someone’s home, give them the courtesy of advance notice…if only to allow them input into what is needed; it doesn’t help if every guest brings chips and dip when maybe something more along the lines of dessert is needed). Continue reading “Surviving Holiday Parties”

Surviving Dinner Parties

This Thanksgiving, we had an unexpected additional guest at the table, someone we didn’t know. No problem. I generally cook enough to feed a small army, and one more person at the table is always welcome.

During the last-minute rush to get everything prepared to put on the table, this particular guest walked up to me and quietly mentioned he had an allergy to nuts, so if I could point out what he couldn’t eat, it was appreciated.

Granted, his timing could have been better — racing through the ingredients list of every dish while I fried fritters and stirred gravy and wondered where I’d hidden the last of the butter was a challenge. But I managed, noting only the green been casserole had any type of nut in it. And I cursed my last-second decision to add a bit of hazelnut to that dish, because, frankly, the gluten-free mushroom soup/sauce I made was absolutely delicious! Continue reading “Surviving Dinner Parties”

Surviving Family

I love my family. I do. But by the time the holiday season is over, I am relieved to be back to my boring, family-light existence. The compressed time we spend together means everything that happens is intensified. That doesn’t mean it isn’t fun, but it can be challenging. I generally have at least three Christmas celebrations: one at my mother’s, one at the in-laws, and one at home with my husband. There is a lot of travel involved with these three events, including a couple of plane flights.

Oh, and sometimes, there’s a fourth celebration with old friends who are family in every way but blood.

So, okay, if you’re gluten-free, take all that and multiply by a factor unique to your own family. Or families, as the case may be. My sister is also gluten-free, so I get lots of support there. I am pretty sure my brothers will cheerfully eat anything they’re fed. My mom doesn’t eat red meat or fish or chicken with bones or, sigh, vegetables. We work it out. Continue reading “Surviving Family”