Category Archives: Retaurants

Yesterday, I had a great lunch with my mom at Nolen Kitchen in Charlotte, North Carolina.  So great that I had to share.  It is one of my favorite lunch places, and we sat outside which made the dining experience that much better.  Nolen Kitchen has mediterranean cuisine, which is a perfect fit for someone who eats a lot of meat and veggies.

When in the south, I have to have sweet tea with lunch… there is something so thirst quenching about it (even though it is also high in calories… you probably sweat them all out while sweating in this heat).

For lunch, I ordered a Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken on top… sans the feta.  I love that the greek salad at Nolen Kitchen has largely chopped peppers, onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  And the dressing is a red wine vinaigrette that is very light and yet also very flavorful.  I think I see next week’s lunches to bring to school!

The best part of lunchtime was dessert.  We happened to walk into Yoforia, a self serve frozen yogurt place, just to see if there were any dairy free options.  I was beyond excited when I saw “dairy free raspberry sorbet.”  Finally, I can eat in an ice cream store again!  I haven’t had ice cream outside of my own freezer in over a year.  Just being in an ice cream store was the pinnacle of summer for me.

I wish everyday’s lunch could be like this!  Happy Allergy Free Eating!

Eating out in restaurants can be a challenge… a big one.  I know that I have to tell the waiter that I have food allergies, but am often embarrassed or just tired of saying it.  At first, it was really hard to realize that I have to look at a menu for what I CAN eat instead of what I WANT to eat.  But, as with anything else, it has gotten easier with time and experience… and a little patience.  I now know what to look for on a menu and what substitutions to ask for.  I really do feel like I can still enjoy restaurant dining.  Recently, I have been on vacation which brings the easy thrill of eating out… so I wanted to share with you what great wheat and dairy free meals I have found on menus!

Burger Sushi!  At Cowfish Burger Bar, they actually put burger meat right into the sushi.  Genius and delicious.  And of course gluten free soy sauce on the side.

Chicken Curry at a local Indian restaurant, Blue Taj.

Tofu Scramble at Flying Biscuit Cafe.  Seriously, you have no idea it isn’t scrambled eggs.

Grilled romaine salad with cherry tomatoes, red onions, and walnuts.  The lettuce was actually charred!

Steak dinner at Port Land Grille.  Two veggie sides instead of mashed potatoes… I did miss the mashed, but the steak made up for it!

Chicken Tacos with rice and beans at Cantina 1511… a mexican restaurant with it’s very own gluten free menu!

Restaurant dining can be fun and delicious.  There are more options than you think.  Actually, ethnic restaurants have the most options… which says a lot about our own American dining.  Happy Allergy Free Eating Out!

My mom was visiting this weekend, and we ate our way through the East Coast.  We spent time in downtown Boston, Maine, and Rhode Island.  Lots of sightseeing, walking, eating, and laughing!  We love spending time together, and we especially love to eat together.  As I eat out more in restaurants, it is getting easier to decide what to eat and how to ask the right questions of waiters and waitresses.

On the menu this weekend was beet salad and Kobe beef tips at Met Bar and Grill in Boston:

I have really come to love beets!  They don’t taste at all how I thought they would.

Kobe beef has such a unique meat taste.  Yum.

In Maine, my mom and I both love to get our lobster fill.  So I got beef tenderloin and a lobster tail:

In Newport, Rhode Island, I ordered a mixed green salad with crab meat at the Barking Crab.  By their own protocol, a manager came to talk to me about my allergies and even served my meal to me.

I ate all the crab meat before I remembered to take a picture!

I have to say, having allergies actually made it easier to eat out and feel good about what I am eating.  I wasn’t tempted to order fried seafood like I normally would because I knew how I would feel.  I did have to substitute a few side orders with veggies, but that isn’t a bad thing!  You really are what you eat, and I know now that I can eat out and feel great.  I don’t feel like I have to diet now after a long weekend of eating.  Summer is just the start of fresh eating and healthy living!

In my daily busy life, I have had to eat meals out more than usual.  It can be tough eating in restaurants while having allergies, but I do always find waiters and waitresses very agreeable and friendly when they hear the word “allergy.”  I always fear that they will spit in my food, but instead, they seek out a manager who comes to my table to reassure me that my meal will meet my needs.  I have to get used to this… it’s like having a personal chef looking out for me!

In my recent outings, I have found some more than accommodating restaurants.  Margaritas gave me corn tortillas for my fajitas instead of flour ones.  Not Your Average Joe’s has an entire gluten free section.  Gennaro’s Italian Eatery serves gluten free pasta.  It is so nice to see allergy free foods becoming more wide spread than my own kitchen.  The biggest surprise, however, was today.

I was speaking at a math conference at Bridgewater University, where they offered lunch.  When I entered the lunch line, I was nervous.  Potato salad.  Pasta Salad.  Cookies.  Chips.  Sandwiches.  Ugh!  But then I saw it….

Gluten Free sandwiches!  I was in awe.  I could eat lunch with the other kids!  I had a chicken and bacon sandwich, and couldn’t have been happier.  I am so fortunate to have discovered my allergies in a time where the trend is growing with me, and not against me.

Happy Allergy Free Eating Out!

My parents live in North Carolina and I have been down south visiting them this week.  As a nice treat, we like to go out for lunch.  As a person with food allergies, this can be tough.  But I am always impressed with how the waiter or waitress responds because they take the allergies very seriously, but are also very accommodating.  Usually when I ask a question, they go and ask the chef and report back to me… very reassuring.  Here are some of my dairy and wheat free lunches this week…

At an Italian place, it was tough finding a dairy and wheat free meal, but the chef so nicely made me some grilled chicken and vegetables with a balsamic glaze.

At a Mexican restaurant, I got fajitas with corn tortillas… an easy switch from the advertised flour tortillas.  So much food!

At a general American restaurant, I got a salad with crab meat, tomatoes, and avocado.  One of the best salads I’ve ever had!

Just to top it all off… not only are the accents and weather different down here than in the Northeast, but so are the ice cream flavors.  Ever heard of Cayenne, Banana and Honey, Reisling and pear, or Goat Cheese and Fig ice cream?!

So, eating out with allergies isn’t always easy, but it is easy to ask questions so you know exactly what you are eating.  Happy allergy free eating…out!

Last night, I went out to dinner with a very good friend of mine.  Since we both love sushi, we went to Typhoon Asian Bistro.  Added bonus- rice is gluten free!  I knew I would actually have a choice of what to eat and wouldn’t have to ask the waiter a million questions.  Asian food can be very food allergy friendly… I just have to stay away from the white fish products and soy sauce.

When we sat down, I informed the waiter that I was gluten free, and he said that they had a gluten free menu.  Even bigger bonus!  My friend told the waiter to bring her a gluten free menu as well… I think it takes a great friend to say “hey, I am going to do this with you.”  We were both amazed at the choices!  We thought the several pages of the original menu was extensive, but never imagined how big the gluten free menu would be, too.  We stuck with our favorites of salmon, tuna, and crab… no white fish here!

The waiter was even sure to bring wheat free and low sodium soy sauce for both of us, without me having to ask.  I was impressed at how accommodating he was, given my food allergies.  I have learned over the past few months, that all you have to do is ask for a special request.  Most restaurants are very friendly and not annoyed when I say that I have food allergies.  I never want to be a pain in a restaurant in fear that they will spit in my food, but Typhoon Asian Bistro was great.  And clearly they respect food allergies if they have an entire gluten free menu!  I am seeing more and more of those these days.  All you have to do is ask.