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Gluten-Free Dining Options in Washington D.C.

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During a recent trip to Washington, DC for the Fancy Food show, I got to experience a little of what the area has to offer gluten-free diners.  Can you imagine having gluten-free pizza and pasta delivered to your front door?  Frankly, I before I experienced it myself, I could not.  One night when we were beat from walking the show floor all day, where we ate food samples most of the day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Delight gluten-free team decided to order dinner in.  We ordered gluten-free pizza, gluten-free pasta and a Greek salad from Mamma Lucia’s, a place that happens to deliver to our Executive Editor’s area of town.

I could hardly believe that we could just call the restaurant, place our order and then wait for the order of gluten-free food to appear in about 30 minutes.  But in fact, that is exactly what happened!  I was in the mood for pasta and salad but managed to snag a small piece of pizza from one of the two gluten-free pizza boxes as well.  The pasta was very good and the pizza, made with a Still Riding Pizza crust, was surprisingly tasty!

For lunch one day, we enjoyed standard lunch fare from Lilit Café.  Not only do they offer gluten-free French fries and onion rings, they offer gluten-free sub rolls and sandwich bread!  It was a little overwhelming to decide what to order with so many options, but I settled on a Chicken & Cheese Philly sandwich on a roll.  It did not disappoint!  I’m pretty sure you could get away with serving the sandwich I had to a gluten eater and they’d never question the roll.  It just tasted like a sub roll – no odd texture or taste – just great bread!

One evening we went to Austin Grill for a Tex-Mex dinner.  The place has a great gluten-free menu and there were many terrific looking items to choose from.   For the first time in over five years, I was able to order chicken enchiladas (made with corn tortillas, of course) with a red sauce.  My meal came with rice and beans, but all I really cared about was the delicious enchiladas! The food is made with very fresh ingredients, yet the prices are very reasonable.  There are several locations of Austin Grill in and around our nation’s capital.

It seems that the gluten-free set in DC and the surrounding areas have it made in the shade!

Orange Leaf Yogurt Gluten-Free Menu

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It is always nice to be able to join friends for a frozen treat on a hot afternoon or after a nice meal out. Self-serve frozen yogurt places are popping up all over the place, so I thought it was time that I check one out. I was able to visit Orange Leaf Yogurt this weekend for a mid-afternoon snack.

I had tried several other times to visit Orange Leaf, but the line had been out the front door. I don’t like crowds. Especially when I am trying to ascertain if I can safely eat someplace for the first time. I opted to head back at a less crazy time, which is clearly mid-afternoon on a Saturday.

There were only a few people in the store when I walked in. I loved the light, bright and funky décor. There is a wall of self-serve yogurt machines and then a toppings bar.  I asked the manager on duty which flavors were gluten-free. I was told that the gluten-free flavors were any of the following:

  • Banana
  • Blueberry
  • Blueberry Banana
  • Butter Pecan
  • Caramel
  • Caramel Chocolate
  • Cherry
  • Chocolate
  • Chocolate Cherry
  • Chocolate Coconut
  • Chocolate Mint
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter
  • Chocolate Raspberry
  • Classic Tart
  • Coconut
  • Coffee
  • Cotton Candy
  • Dole Pineapple
  • Eggnog
  • Grape
  • Grapefruit
  • Green Apple
  • Green Tea
  • Honeydew
  • Kiwi
  • Lemon
  • Lychee
  • Mango
  • Mango, Strawberry, Banana
  • NSA Chocolate
  • NSA Vanilla
  • Orange
  • Passion Fruit
  • Peach
  • Peanut Butter
  • Peppermint
  • Pineapple
  • Strawberry, Banana
  • Pistachio
  • Pomegranate
  • Raspberry
  • Raspberry Banana
  • Raspberry Lemonade
  • Strawberry
  • Strawberry Banana
  • Strawberry, Raspberry, Blueberry
  • Taro
  • Vanilla
  • Watermelon
  • White Chocolate

Obviously, not all of the above flavors are available at all times, though I had a nice selection to choose from.  I opted for pineapple, coconut, coffee & caramel.  I headed over to the toppings bar, which is a cross-contamination nightmare.  In all honesty, I didn’t feel safe adding any of the fruit or toppings that were out in the open, as there were gluten-containing toppings placed right next to them.  I saw that some of the toppings had other toppings that didn’t belong in them and that was enough to convince me to skip them.  There was another small section that had closed bins that I chose peanut M&M’s and regular M&M’s from.  I went to add some Reese’s Pieces, but when I grabbed the scoop, a malted milk ball rolled out.  Not good. My advice is to stay away from the toppings or ask if there is a specific topping that an employee can get from the back that hasn’t been put out and is “at risk” yet.

The yogurt was good, but not something that I would probably opt to have on a regular basis.

Orange Leaf has many locations across the country.  Have you tried Orange Leaf?  What was your experience like?

Review: Mimi’s Cafe Gluten-Free Options

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 3 Comments

Last year we wrote a post about Mimi’s Café Gluten-Free Menu. It was nice to see the menu written out, as each time I have been to one of their restaurant locations, I am presented with a notebook with confusing information inside. The other night was no different.

Hannah and I headed out to have a girly dinner and then try a new frozen yogurt place in town (which ended up being packed and we settled for Coldstone). We wanted to hit the new Jason’s Deli up the street, but they don’t open until later this week.  Mimi’s was the next choice on our list. I have dined at Mimi’s many times in the past, but it has probably been over a year since the last time I was there.

I was hoping that they would have improved their menu delivery since the last time that I was there, but that was not the case.  The notebook was brought out, which I don’t mean to complain about, as it is more than some places offer.  I would just think that with as common as gluten-free dining has become if you are offering it, you should have a printed menu to hand out.

There are lists inside the notebook that are meant to follow the menu, which they do somewhat.  The problem I found was conflicting information throughout the list.  For example, one place would mention that the ginger/honey glaze contained gluten, while another area of the list/menu didn’t.  I was reassured when the manager came over to see if I had questions about the menu and we talked about some of my questions and the procedures at Mimi’s.  They seem to have a good understanding of cross-contamination and have good procedures in place to try to avoid it at all costs.  They are willing to work & modify dishes as needed.

I chose to order the Broiled Chicken & Fruit plate with a side of brown rice.  The chicken is not marinated (the marinated chicken contains gluten).  None of the dressings are gluten-free, so I had olive oil & balsamic vinegar.  If you don’t like O & V, consider bringing your own.  This was a good size portion, though it wouldn’t have been enough for me had I not ordered the rice.  I might ask for extra salad or fruit if I were to order this again.  Aside from that, the chicken was flavorful and moist.  The fruit was tasty and not bland, which is sometimes the case in restaurants.

 

Mimi’s Café has locations across the  US.  Ever wonder how Mimi’s Café came to be?  Read on…

In 1944, an American airman named Arthur J. Simms fell in love with the beauty, foods and flavors of France. It was to become a passion that would change his life.
Stationed there during the final days of World War II, young Arthur J. was taken by the friendly neighborhood bistros and warm, inviting cafés. Arthur J. loved the simple yet charming meals. He savored the aroma of freshly baked breads, café au lait and the company of good friends raising toasts all around. Equally captivating was a mademoiselle he met by chance, who went by the name of Mimi. Arthur J. Simms never forgot his days in France. In 1978, he opened the first Mimi’s Cafe® – a neighborhood bistro inspired by his memories of Mimi and passion for good food, wine and camaraderie that he remembered so fondly.

Have you dined at Mimi’s Café?  If so, what did you order?  Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Review: Gluten-Free Menu at Rosa Mexicano

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When the Atlanta location of Rosa Mexicano opened several years ago, word quickly spread that the menu there was very gluten-free and friendly.  The gluten-free training of the staff was slightly shaky at first, but servers who couldn’t answer questions about gluten-free options quickly referred to the chef so they could relay accurate information to gluten-free patrons. I’ve enjoyed lunches with gluten-free friends and joined gluten-eating friends for brunch at Rosa Mexicano many times.

For whatever reason, I’ve never been there for dinner, but all my meals there have been both gluten-free and delicious.  When I found out that the company was rolling out a new gluten-free menu, I made a date to meet a friend there for lunch. The regular menu at Rosa Mexicano is very gluten-free friendly.  In fact, there are more items on the menu that are gluten-free than ones that aren’t.  Even so, after checking out the numerous gluten-free choices, I asked the server if I could have something that was not listed as gluten-free.  It appeared from the description of the Quesadilla de Pollo that it could easily be made gluten-free if made with corn tortillas instead of flour.  The server checked with the chef and said they could easily use corn tortillas to make me a gluten-free quesadilla.

While some people might not be comfortable asking for a special request meal when so much on the menu is already gluten-free, I feel that since I often did that when I ate gluten, there is no reason to stop now.  If something can’t be prepared gluten-free, chefs will let you know and you just order something else.  The key is to always have a second or third menu selection to fall back on, just in case what you want can’t be prepared gluten-free.

My chicken quesadilla made with fresh corn tortillas was simply delicious!  The chips with red sauce we noshed on were as fabulous as ever.  I think I could drink the red sauce from a mug – it’s that incredible!  We skipped the guacamole which is prepared tableside, but it’s also incredible if you like fresh guacamole, of course. After we finished lunch, our server brought us out a lovely light dessert, compliments of the chef.  It was a house made watermelon sorbet with fresh fruit in a light sauce and it was absolutely incredible!  This is a seasonal dessert so it’s not always available.  As it turned out, one of the owners of the company in NYC actually treated us to our meal that day.

Without question, lunch at Rosa Mexicano in Atlanta is one of the best values around.  You get creative dishes prepared with fresh ingredients for the same price as many places here charge for over-processed bland meals.  There are locations of Rosa Mexicano in the following cities:

  • NEW YORK, NY (FIRST AVENUE)
  • NEW YORK, NY (LINCOLN CENTER)
  • NEW YORK, NY (UNION SQUARE)
  • HACKENSACK, NJ
  • WASHINGTON, DC
  • NATIONAL HARBOR, MD
  • ATLANTA, GA
  • MIAMI, FL
  • LOS ANGELES, CA
  • SOUTH BEACH, FL

*The meal reviewed above was provided to me free of charge. As always, my opinions are my own and have not been influenced by any outside sources.

Trusting Gluten-Free Restaurants

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 6 Comments

Have you heard about the chef out of Colorado that was bragging on Facebook this week about feeding his customers gluten despite their asking for gluten-free food? Unfortunately, this is not an April Fool joke and is true.

It is one thing to inadvertently get cross-contamination in your food when dining out, but to be intentionally poisoned? The thought of this makes me sick. Chef Damian Cardone blatantly bragged to his Facebook followers that when customers ordered gluten-free pasta, he fed them regular pasta and then claimed no one got sick. You can read more about this debacle here, as the posts have since been removed from Facebook.

It would seem to me that this guy should be punished in some way, shape, or form. I would sincerely hope that he is not currently cooking meals for anyone and if he is, that they don’t have to be gluten-free or allergen-free. If this guy was willing to serve gluten to Celiacs, what is to say that he wouldn’t serve peanuts to someone with a life-threatening peanut allergy or serve food that he had dropped on the floor? He clearly can’t be trusted.

Having worked in several restaurants, I can understand that it can be frustrating when a customer makes special requests, however, the restaurant is a “service” industry. Chefs, servers, and greeters are there to make guests feel welcome and cater to their needs, not complain about them or take it upon themselves to completely disregard the request & serve them the very item they asked to not have.  If a chef or restaurant doesn’t want to deal with special requests or allergies, then clearly state so on the menu. Will your business suffer? Maybe. I can assure you of one thing, the path that Chef Damian chose is not the way to go.  News like this travels fast and affects a lot of people. In this day & age, social networking can make or break you.

So, what can you do to stay safe when dining out? As we all know, dining out can be risky. There are certain things you can do to minimize your risk, but that risk can’t be completely eliminated unless you dine at home. Speak with the manager on duty and ask that they oversee the preparation of your meal from start to finish. Ask about the precautionary measures that are taken to avoid cross-contamination, such as separating pans, and cleaning the grill or special plates.  When in doubt, always ask.  When you have a good experience make sure to thank the staff and tip accordingly.  I am extremely loyal to restaurants where I have a good experience.