Today I had an appointment with an allergist to do a skin prick test to determine what else I am allergic to. I know get to add to my list: tomatoes, pineapple, rye and black pepper.
It's interesting that I have never liked whole tomatoes, and maybe my body was trying to tell me something. I've often had trouble digesting tomato products (sauces etc) so this makes sense to me. I don't eat pineapple very often, and I can't eat bread so I really interact with rye.
I am used to putting pepper on my food....guess that is no more! I do find it interesting to find out what my body does not like, so I can work towards being my healthier self.
One thing I find interesting is how people react to my allergies. The majority are empathetic and caring. Sometimes I do get people that make me feel bad about having allergies, either by what they say or the tone they say things in.
Here are some suggestions of things not to say to someone with food allergies:
"Ohhh I am going to touch X and then touch you!" (that is almost on the verge of bullying)
"Man, you make things difficult!" (I already know this, you don't need to make a point of it)
"Are you making this up? Are you really allergic to all that?" (No, I have spent time and money trying to figure out what is going on with my body).
More restaurant reviews to come!
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Kansas City Part 1: Melting Pot
My Mother and I were in Kansas City in late July for a wonderful weekend. We ate at 4 restaurants, which I will be reviewing in a series of posts. While all 4 had wonderful things about them, I am going to review them in the order from least favorite to most favorite. It was a tough decision, but there was a clear winner in my mind!
In 4th place...The Melting Pot (Plaza)
This was my first experience at the Melting Pot. The server was very accommodating to my food allergies. My Mother and I split a gluten-free fondue dinner that consisted of four courses: cheese, salad, meats, desert.
Simply put, it was too much food. If I went back again I would skip desert, or maybe just go there for an appetizer course.
The cheese course was tasty, and the veggies and gluten free bread were delicious topped with cheese! My Mom and I had fun with our first course of fondue forks.
Next came the salad--we didn't dip that in cheese. It was just a standard salad, and I didn't finish all of it as I knew there were 2 more courses to come.
Our meat course arrived, with uncooked meat on a plate for each of us. I had steak and chicken, and my mom had the same but with shrimp as well. You cooked your meat to your liking and then had an array of dipping sauces to choose from.
My favorite was a sweet and sour sauce that went well with the chicken of course, but surprisingly gave a nice bit of tang to my steak as well.
The desert was delicious, but I think neither of us ate much of it, as we were so stuffed. My favorites were the gluten free brownies and the marshmallows!
Overall, the food was pretty good, but there was just too much of it! I did not get sick afterwards, but I did have a belly-ache from being full!
In 4th place...The Melting Pot (Plaza)
This was my first experience at the Melting Pot. The server was very accommodating to my food allergies. My Mother and I split a gluten-free fondue dinner that consisted of four courses: cheese, salad, meats, desert.
Simply put, it was too much food. If I went back again I would skip desert, or maybe just go there for an appetizer course.
The cheese course was tasty, and the veggies and gluten free bread were delicious topped with cheese! My Mom and I had fun with our first course of fondue forks.
Next came the salad--we didn't dip that in cheese. It was just a standard salad, and I didn't finish all of it as I knew there were 2 more courses to come.
Our meat course arrived, with uncooked meat on a plate for each of us. I had steak and chicken, and my mom had the same but with shrimp as well. You cooked your meat to your liking and then had an array of dipping sauces to choose from.
My favorite was a sweet and sour sauce that went well with the chicken of course, but surprisingly gave a nice bit of tang to my steak as well.
The desert was delicious, but I think neither of us ate much of it, as we were so stuffed. My favorites were the gluten free brownies and the marshmallows!
Overall, the food was pretty good, but there was just too much of it! I did not get sick afterwards, but I did have a belly-ache from being full!
Monday, September 8, 2014
Chipotle
Last night, a friend and I decided to grab a quick bite at Chipotle. I am not much of a fast-food person, but I have had decent Chipotle experiences in the past, and it was a nice evening to find a place with a patio.
We dined at the Chipotle in Newmarket Square at 21st and Maize. When I talked to the staff about food allergies, she was very happy to accommodate me. I asked her to please change her gloves and to get new bins of the foods I was going to eat from. Later, when I was talking with my friend, I noted about a year ago I never would have so confidently requested my needs, now I am getting more matter-of-fact instead of hesitant and tentative. It has been a journey.
My food was very good and it was gone in about 5 minutes---I was hungry! The taco shells were nice and crispy, and my favorite barbacoa meat never lets me down, with its spicy tang.
Now, I need to introduce you to a term I use sometimes. When I say "glutened" I mean it as in "Oops, I got glutened." This means that accidentally gluten made it's way into my body and I became ill after eating a meal.
It appears I got glutened after eating this meal, but I am not 100% certain. In full disclosure I have had some stomach issues over the past week, so it could be that the food just didn't agree with me.
We dined at the Chipotle in Newmarket Square at 21st and Maize. When I talked to the staff about food allergies, she was very happy to accommodate me. I asked her to please change her gloves and to get new bins of the foods I was going to eat from. Later, when I was talking with my friend, I noted about a year ago I never would have so confidently requested my needs, now I am getting more matter-of-fact instead of hesitant and tentative. It has been a journey.
My food was very good and it was gone in about 5 minutes---I was hungry! The taco shells were nice and crispy, and my favorite barbacoa meat never lets me down, with its spicy tang.
Now, I need to introduce you to a term I use sometimes. When I say "glutened" I mean it as in "Oops, I got glutened." This means that accidentally gluten made it's way into my body and I became ill after eating a meal.
It appears I got glutened after eating this meal, but I am not 100% certain. In full disclosure I have had some stomach issues over the past week, so it could be that the food just didn't agree with me.
Review: Bonefish Grill in Wichita, KS
I have dined at Bonefish Grill several times without
becoming ill afterwards, and it has been a place I have been to for dinner a
few times. Last week, I was able to eat
lunch there for the first time with some friends.
Bonefish has a decent gluten free menu that you can find at http://bloominbrandscms.blob.core.windows.net/bfglocations-menus/gluten_free.pdf
Sadly, one of my favorite appetizers is no longer available.
I used to love to just get plain edamame while waiting for my entrée. Since
their menu has changed, they have edamame hummus, yet it is not gluten free. As
a matter of fact there are no gluten free appetizers for lunch and only 1 for
dinner. This is not a huge issue for me as I am not normally a huge appetizer
person, but sometimes it is nice to get appetizers to share.
I ordered The Angler’s steak. Yes, steak at a seafood restaurant.
I am not a huge seafood person, but I have been satisfied with Bonefish in
general so I keep finding my way back. For my side dish, I ordered garlic
mashed potatoes.
It was sort of an odd food delivery. My friend’s daughter
got her child’s meal about 10 minutes before the rest of the food arrived, so
she was almost done by the time we started eating. My steak was cooked just as
I ordered and it was tender and satisfying.
My garlic mashed potatoes didn’t last long on my plate at all, they are
smooth and the garlic gives a typically bland side dish a great flavor.
I was surprised that their lunch prices are not very much
different than their dinner prices. With tip my total was around $22. This is more than I would have liked to pay
for lunch, and I will probably save Bonefish as a very occasional dinner
experience.
#bonefish
Outback--West Wichita
A few weeks ago, my Mother was in town and my sister and I joined her for dinner. We went to Outback, as it is one of the places in town I can easily eat at, and it sounded good to everyone that night.
When we arrived, it was fairly busy for a Sunday evening, but the weather was pleasant outside for our 20 minute wait for a table.
My food was delicious. My steak was cook just as ordered and the baked potato melted in my mouth. Because of my allergies, the asparagus had to be cooked a bit plain, so I ended up taking it home to doctor it up, but I won't fault them on that, I know it is difficult to work around allergies.
Now, the not so good part.....Typically I am very understanding that waiters and waitresses have many things going on and occasional "oops" are ok. Our waitress seemed to forget about us multiple times and this was one of the not so great service experiences I have had. Right when we got seated I asked for napkins and silverware as there were none on the table. Fast forward 15 minutes, still no napkins etc but my mom and sister's very greasy appetizer had arrived. The whole 15 minutes they were eating it, we had no sight of our waitress. Finally I had to flag another waiter down and ask him for napkins. He ended up bringing the napkins the same time our waitress was bringing napkins and the entrees.
She didn't ask me if I wanted a refill of my non-water beverage until I was almost done with my entree. If she would have asked 15 minutes earlier I would have taken one, but I was afraid it would take me another 15-20 minutes just to get a drink so I declined.
It took TWO hours that evening, which for Outback is by far the longest I have ever spent there. None of our food was particularly complicated.
When we arrived, it was fairly busy for a Sunday evening, but the weather was pleasant outside for our 20 minute wait for a table.
My food was delicious. My steak was cook just as ordered and the baked potato melted in my mouth. Because of my allergies, the asparagus had to be cooked a bit plain, so I ended up taking it home to doctor it up, but I won't fault them on that, I know it is difficult to work around allergies.
Now, the not so good part.....Typically I am very understanding that waiters and waitresses have many things going on and occasional "oops" are ok. Our waitress seemed to forget about us multiple times and this was one of the not so great service experiences I have had. Right when we got seated I asked for napkins and silverware as there were none on the table. Fast forward 15 minutes, still no napkins etc but my mom and sister's very greasy appetizer had arrived. The whole 15 minutes they were eating it, we had no sight of our waitress. Finally I had to flag another waiter down and ask him for napkins. He ended up bringing the napkins the same time our waitress was bringing napkins and the entrees.
She didn't ask me if I wanted a refill of my non-water beverage until I was almost done with my entree. If she would have asked 15 minutes earlier I would have taken one, but I was afraid it would take me another 15-20 minutes just to get a drink so I declined.
It took TWO hours that evening, which for Outback is by far the longest I have ever spent there. None of our food was particularly complicated.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Welcome!
Welcome to the Candid Celiac!
My name is Liz and I am 32 year old and live in Wichita, Kansas. The majority of my food reviews will center around this area, and any travels I take. I am currently living with celiac disease (so no gluten for me) and also have a peanut allergy, so I read labels constantly!
On this blog, I will share reviews of how restaurants handle diners with food allergies, as well as reviews of products, books, magazines etc. I am always open to feedback and ideas!
Some upcoming blog posts to look for:
--Wichita reviews: Outback, Bonefish
--Kansas City reviews: Melting Pot, Seasons, Cafe Gratitude, Jack Stack BBQ
Thanks for joining, and come back soon!
My name is Liz and I am 32 year old and live in Wichita, Kansas. The majority of my food reviews will center around this area, and any travels I take. I am currently living with celiac disease (so no gluten for me) and also have a peanut allergy, so I read labels constantly!
On this blog, I will share reviews of how restaurants handle diners with food allergies, as well as reviews of products, books, magazines etc. I am always open to feedback and ideas!
Some upcoming blog posts to look for:
--Wichita reviews: Outback, Bonefish
--Kansas City reviews: Melting Pot, Seasons, Cafe Gratitude, Jack Stack BBQ
Thanks for joining, and come back soon!
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