<p>MFS is in sooo many things. I, for one, don’t avoid it.</p>
<p>For me, the worst part about being gluten-free is when I’m traveling. Finding quick food at the airport is darn near impossible. I get so sick of salads, yogurt, LaraBars, Trio Bars, etc. It would be really great if someday, you could easily find GF sandwiches anywhere you go. That would be so handy. At home, it’s no big deal. But out and about, I sure miss the convenience!</p>
<p>^^totally agree; airports are the WORST…that is my biggest concern about my daughter in college; her having to plan for flight delays, long travel etc…her flight to her school is very short, but she has already had airport food problems on other long trips she has taken alone…</p>
<p>some airports (I think Orlando) actually have some of the chain restaurants that have a GF menu (Maybe Macaroni Grill??) but they are few and far between…</p>
<p>jason’s deli ( mentioned in an earlier post) just opened at RDU (Raleigh-Durham); when we were just there they unfortunately told us that they would not have the GF menu available at that location (“boo-hiss” said I)</p>
<p>Ah, the Legal Seafood in Philadelphia Airport…we were stranded there for 9 hrs not too long ago and discovered that Legal has a <em>great</em> GF menu! </p>
<p>Thanks, Rodney. Glad to have that clarified. My Dh will be very happy. </p>
<p>One of the best places to have GF – if you must! – is DisneyWorld. They bring their chefs out to talk to you at the sit-down places and will even create a dish just for you if nec. Customer service – it’s wonderful.</p>
<p>Fridays this Lent have been tough as it’s already hard enough trying to figure out what to eat without taking meat products out of the equation. Especially the days that I’ve been on the road.</p>
<p>Publix has Udi’s bread/bagels on sale for 2/$8 this week :)</p>
<p>I had already booked a trip to WDW when I found out about the celiac. A quick phone call got the restaurant reservations to note that. I’m so happy that I won’t have to worry about that during the vacation. </p>
<p>A tip I got from a friend when I first found out: when you go out to eat, ask to speak to the manager before you are seating and ask about the best GF options on the menu. That way you’re not putting the wait staff on the spot & you don’t have to discuss it in front of your dining partners. I have been pleasantly surprised by how many local restaurants have GF options, even to the point of making a separate GF menu.</p>
<p>Novelisto: now only if I didn’t have to drive 2 hours to get to Phila Int Air (although with Legal and Southwest there; hmmmmm)…good to know though!!</p>
<p>Legal has the BEST GF seafood menu; the breaded shrimp are terrific!!..and they have rolls!! (you have to ask unless they know you are GF)</p>
<p>I ate at a Legal Seafood in DC last summer. I about cried when they brought me my very own rolls! It was a delicious meal.</p>
<p>I’ve had very good luck at chains like PF Chang’s and Outback. And yes, Disney is wonderful. We’ve been to Disneyland 3 years in a row now, and I did not have to starve or resort to Lara Bars while in the park.</p>
<p>I’m not in the GF category, but the restaurant I work at, Carrabba’s, has a gluten-free menu that’s really good and contains many of our signature dishes including chicken marsala. </p>
<p>Did a quick search and other chains include Outback, PF Chang’s, Bonefish, Red Robin, Chili’s, Fleming’s and Uno. Seems like more are adding gluten free menus as well.</p>
<p>EDIT: Oops, cross-posted some of these with above, but it seems OSI has all their restaurants featuring gluten-free items (also includes Roy’s along with Outback, Carrabba’s, Flemings)</p>
<p>We were at Chiles last night. I checked online before I went. Their gluten free page looks long, but in reality, not a lot of choices. Mostly salads with no croutons or tortilla strips and most dressings are ruled out.</p>
<p>^^yup, we are not thrilled with Chile’s; there was something on the menu in corn tortillas (good) but they couldn’t even tell us if the filling was GF (bad); then they decided to eliminate the corn tortillas in favor of flour ones (very bad)…</p>
<p>For those of you who celebrate Passover, Whole Foods has GF matzo this year that isn’t $25/box (pls dont even go there, you have no idea)…on sale this week for $6.39 and delicious (couldn’t resist tasting last night!!)</p>
<p>Chili’s has always wrecked my stomach. Long before I suspected a gluten issue, I knew that dinner at Chili’s would be a “short term rental.” (I know, TMI) but of course, it was one of the kids favorites when they were younger. </p>
<p>I don’t celebrate Passover, but I love matzo so thank you for that tip Rodney.</p>
<p>I’ve posted this before, so forgive me. A couple of years ago I had a severe allergic reaction after I had eaten beef quesadillas at Chiles. I couldn’t imagine what caused it, so asked Chile’s for a list of ingredients. I thought, “beef, tortillas, sour cream, cheese.” What a surprise I received. Here’s the list:</p>
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<p>^^haha; you do realize that the soy sauce listed for the beef fajitas has wheat in it, but the soy sauce listed below that under the condiments does not??? Do they even know what’s going on?</p>
<p>I didn’t even like Chili’s before my daughter was diagnosed…</p>
<p>off to make GF matzo balls…wish me luck!!</p>
<p>^^^ This looks bad, but if you buy the same things in a grocery store the list of ingredients will contain a similar if not largely identical list of jaw-breaking chemicals.</p>
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<p>I live where Chilis started. In the 80s, it was so good. I used to crave their burgers. Excellent quesadillas, too. They have changed so much, I assume going to food that is less expensive to produce, easier to freeze and ship to all the stores.</p>
<p>I have to say that one of the best sponge cakes I’ve ever made was from a recipe listed on a canister of Manishewitz potato startch. Totally gluten-free (but not egg-free), it comes out pretty good in both flavor and texture. Doesn’t taste anything like your standard Passover baked-goods fare.</p>
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<p>Right and it is horrifying. I was talking to a mom who says she doesn’t eat anything from a bag or a can or a box. I think that is going overboard, as I’ve heard that many of the frozen veggies are quite healthy.</p>
<p>Why is there mayonnaise and ranch dressing in a quesadilla? Blech. Think I’ll stick with my local, hole in the wall Mexican restaurant and just ask for corn tortillas. </p>
<p>Stupid question from a gentile: regular matzos have wheat but no leavening, correct? (I’m trying to remember the full Passover story here.) But are other Passover baked goods (like the Manishewitz coffee cake mix) gluten free?</p>
<p>Rob: Correct; regular matzos have wheat but no leavening…</p>
<p>but some other passover goods are GF(it depends though; as long as it doesn’t have matzoh meal in the recipe)…</p>
<p>I don’t know about the Manishwitz coffee cake mix; I know that this time of year, Shabbatai has a TON of GF baked goods but they are insanely expensive…</p>
<p>Like with everything else, one has to read the package; potato starch, tapioca starch is the standard substitute in most of these…</p>
<p>use tamari instead of soy sauce. </p>
<p>Rice pasta. Tinkyada brand.</p>
<p>I am very lucky in that the grocery store that is close enough to walk to has made it their mission to carry all the gluten free products they can find & to make a spreadsheet of the store & include products that are naturally gluten free & on which aisle they can be foiund.
They carry 5 kinds of gluten free beer! & I even found one that is drinkable!</p>
<p>When I learned I had to go gluten free I was quite sad as I would have gone to my favorite artisan pizza place one more time cause the tummy ache was worth it, but I just saw a chalkboard sign outside stating that they now make Gluten Free pizza! :D</p>
<p>I agree if you stick to less processing of foods in any case you are better off, but it is really nice to have options available.</p>