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Review: Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 1 Comment

It has been a long time since I last ate at Carrabba’s Italian Grill. There is one close to us, but for some reason, I never think about going there. A couple of weeks back I heard that they expanded and updated the gluten-free menu, so I made it a point to go last weekend.

The gluten-free menu is quite extensive with choices that are sure to please just about anyone. There are appetizers, soups, pasta, salads, chicken, fish, and steak options. After changing my mind several times, I finally decided on the Johnny Rocco Salad. The salad is made up of wood-grilled shrimp, scallops, roasted red peppers, olives, ricotta salta, romaine lettuce, and mixed greens tossed in an Italian vinaigrette. I asked them to leave off the ricotta and chose a different dressing since I am also dairy-free in addition to gluten-free.

This salad was out of this world! The shrimp and scallops were plentiful and cooked to perfection. The balsamic vinaigrette went perfectly with the ingredients. This is definitely a salad I would order again.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill has locations across the US. They take their gluten-free menu seriously, consulting lead dietitian, Maria Carafe when designing the gluten-free menu and dishes. I highly recommend giving Carrabba’s a try if you haven’t yet.

Review: Red Lobster Gluten-Free

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

We went on a short road trip yesterday to Cleveland to see my grandmother and have lunch with her. One of my grandmother’s favorite restaurants is Red Lobster, so we picked her up and away we went. Having previously written about the gluten-free at Red Lobster, I knew there would be plenty of options for me to choose from and I was especially excited about dessert.

The gluten-free menu at Red Lobster is updated on a regular basis and has the dates that it’s valid for listed at the top of the page. Frequently updated allergen menus are important as suppliers and ingredients can change. After browsing the menu I finally settled on the Wood-Grilled Salmon with Baked Potato & Green Beans (dry). The dish also came with broccoli.

IMG 2737My salmon was cooked perfectly, as were the vegetables. I hate mushy broccoli, so I was thrilled when it came out perfectly. I thought the grilled lemon was a nice touch. Dessert, NY Style Cheesecake with Strawberries, was on my mind from the time I walked in the door, though I wondered how the cheesecake would be gluten-free with the crust. Turns out there is no crust!

I don’t think I can put into words how wonderful this cheesecake was! It was creamy, rich, dense, and full of flavor and I didn’t miss the crust one bit. Now that I know that this dessert is as phenomenal as it is, I see frequent stops by my local Red Lobster, which happens to be less than 10 minutes from my house. To-go cheesecake, anyone? It is a good thing I am training for a marathon this fall! Red Lobster has locations across the US and has a restaurant locator on the top left of their home page.

Have you eaten gluten-free at Red Lobster? Did you try the NY Style Cheesecake?

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill Gluten-Free Menu

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Living in Columbus, Ohio means having access to a plethora of restaurants that offer gluten-free menus. While it used to be that we only had a handful of places where we knew we could dine gluten-free safely, there are so many now that it is often hard to decide. I’ll take that any day over only having a couple to choose from.

Official Website Menu Information: Firebirds Gluten-Free Menu
Location Finder: Find a Firebirds Location Near You

Below we’ve collected what foods are currently safe to eat at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill for your convenience:

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill Gluten-Free Menu

  • Salads & Entree Salads
  • Soups
  • Entrees
  • Seafood, Ribs & Combos
  • Sides (Seven different choices)
  • Kids Menu
  • Flourless Chocolate Cake

The Grilled Shrimp & Strawberry Salad and Grilled Tenderloin Salad have caught my eye and I can’t wait to try them!

As always, when dining out gluten-free, do your due diligence and make sure the staff understands your needs. There are very few restaurants that are 100% gluten-free, so cross-contamination is always a risk. If you don’t feel comfortable with what you are hearing from the staff, perhaps it is best to dine elsewhere.

For information about other gluten-free restaurants menus, check out our gluten-free restaurants page.

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill has locations in thirteen different states. Have you dined gluten-free at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill? Please share your experience below.

Max and Erma’s Gluten-Free Menu

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 1 Comment

Max & Erma’s has been a Columbus, Ohio staple for as long as I can remember. We moved to Columbus in 1985 when my dad got transferred for his job and one of the first meals we ate here was at Max & Erma’s on Henderson Rd. That location was one of the quirky restaurants I had been in, having rotary telephones on each table so that guests could call neighboring tables.

Once I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and followed a gluten-free diet, the only thing I could eat at Max & Erma’s was a plain burger, plain salad, and plain baked potato. As gluten-free awareness spread and neighboring restaurants added gluten-free menus and options, I was disappointed that Max & Erma’s still only offered a few plain menu items.

When I received an email with Max & Erma’s Summer Menu this week, I headed to the website to check to see if they had added a gluten-free menu yet. I was thrilled to see they had! It looks like the menu was added last fall and has a wide variety of salads, burgers (sans buns), entrees, sandwiches (sans bread), and even ice cream for dessert! There are notes beside each menu item for modifications that need to be made to make the item gluten-free.

Santafe

(source) *gluten-free without breadstick, ranch, and tortilla strips

The Santa Fe Chicken Salad looks like a great salad and there are several dressing choices that pair well with the combo to sub for the ranch dressing. If you are a burger fan, the Sauteed Mushroom and Swiss Burger is one of my all-time favorites.

Max & Erma’s has locations across nine different states. Have you dined gluten-free at Max & Erma’s? 

*As always, dining out with Celiac Disease can be risky; each person should take whatever precautions are necessary for them to remain safe.

Champp’s Gluten-Free Menu

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

We have been dining at Champps for a long time. By a long time, I mean since our 18-year-old son was still in diapers. When I first began the gluten-free diet (2006), the server at Champp’s would bring me a printed piece of paper with a few gluten-free options listed on it. That menu disappeared for a while, then a new piece of paper showed up, though outdated, so Champp’s was not high on my list of restaurants to frequent unless I was meeting a group of people there.

Official Website Menu Information: Champps Gluten-Free Menu
Location Finder: Find a Champps Location Near You

I am meeting a few friends at Champp’s soon and I headed to the website to see if anything had changed with their menus I was thrilled to learn that they have added a gluten-free menu. I have to admit that I am not crazy about the name, as I think “gluten-free-Friendly” is the more appropriate terminology. Whatever, I was thrilled to see the gluten-free choices have grown.

The new menu offers appetizers, side and dinner salads, entrees, burgers, and sides. Long gone are the days of few options, one won’t feel deprived when dining at Chammp’s now. Before lamenting the lack of desserts on the “Gluten-Friendly Menu”, focus on filling up on the main course offerings, as Champp’s portions are notoriously large.

As always, dining out with Celiac Disease can be risky; each person should take whatever precautions are necessary for them to remain safe. Please remember to notify your server and manager on duty so that they can take precautions to help prevent cross-contamination.

As always, when dining out gluten-free, do your due diligence and make sure the staff understands your needs. There are very few restaurants that are 100% gluten-free, so cross-contamination is always a risk. If you don’t feel comfortable with what you are hearing from the staff, perhaps it is best to dine elsewhere.

For information about other gluten-free restaurants menus, check out our gluten-free restaurants page.

Have you tried the new gluten-free offerings at Champps?