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Not All Gluten-Free Menus are Created Equal – Even Within the Same Chain

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

In the past, I’ve had incredible gluten-free meals at the Margaritaville locations in Orlando and Panama City Beach, FL. When down in PCB last weekend for a wedding, I was thrilled to find out that the Margaritaville there finally had a gluten-free menu. We were meeting friends for dinner and the evening was more about catching up with them, than having a fabulous meal. Still, I thought it would be nice to have a burger with a bun and fries at the least gluten-free friendly area in the entire Southeast.

The joke about Panama City is that they are five years behind the rest of the world. This is fine if you don’t have to eat gluten-free and want to live in a very laid-back place that has no change of seasons. Personally, I can’t imagine not having seasons, after having moved away from the Florida panhandle over twenty years ago. And since I do eat gluten-free, this is the last place I’d choose to go on vacation. We were there to attend a wedding and I can survive a weekend not eating like gluten-free royalty for one trip a year.

I usually do my homework and thought I’d covered my bases before arriving in Margaritaville. We were so excited to see our friends that we made it to the table without asking for a gluten-free menu. My husband went back up front to get one and was told to ask the server for it. The server said they didn’t have a gluten-free menu. I let him know that according to three people we’d spoken with, they did indeed have one and to ask a manager to help him find it.

The confused server returned with something that looked like they might have just written and printed up in the back on the spot. I say this because there was a typo on it, and under “Nachos” it said – no queso, no sour cream. Here is a hint – if you find a place listing dairy as unsafe, they might not know what gluten-free means. In this case, we could not get to the bottom of the sour cream question because we didn’t want to ruin the evening by holding up ordering in the busiest restaurant on the beach.

I ordered a cheeseburger with no bun, which was not even on the gluten-free menu. The server was able to confirm it was gluten-free, without a bun. When our meals finally arrived, there was no cheese on my burger so it had to go back. I passed on the server’s offer to bring the cheese on the side – I think he must be new to the service industry. My meal was fine and most importantly, it was indeed gluten-free. The fries at that location are not safe but the dirty rice is.

So, I had the most boring meal of the three-day trip that night, which was fine as we were not there for a dining experience in the first place. It should be said that the others at our party all enjoyed their meals. I’d recommend the PCB Margaritaville location if you don’t have any dietary restrictions – no doubt!

After a fun visit with old friends, we parked in the overflow lot across from our hotel and noticed the Boar’s Head sign about twenty yards away. When we visited Panama City years ago, we loved eating at the Boar’s Head. It has been there for over 30 years and has always had exceptional food. In other words, it’s unlike most tourist trap places in the area. Because I’d not found a safe dessert throughout the trip, I suggested we stroll on over and find out if the Boar’s Head had any gluten-free desserts.

To our great surprise, the hostess knew off the top of her head that both the chocolate mousse and lemon creme brulee were gluten-free. We were seated in the fairly dead restaurant and decided on the mousse for me and bread pudding for my husband. Both desserts were excellent it was the perfect end to a nice trip that wasn’t overly exciting in terms of gluten-free dining options.

The moral of the story for me is that I should not assume that every location of a chain with a gluten-free menu has the same gluten-free menu. If no doctors know how to diagnose celiac disease in an area, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a gluten-free knowledgeable community – especially in the dining scene.

The next time we’re in the area, we’ll be having dinner at the Boar’s Head. We would have been much better off going there, where there is no gluten-free menu, than going to Margaritaville which had one not worth offering.

This is the first time we’ve experienced the same chain offering different gluten-free menus at different locations. Please let us know if you know of other places that do the same.

Hardee’s Gluten-Free Menu

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 7 Comments

Have a Hardee’s near you? I don’t anymore, and I am bummed because they have some gluten-free options on their website and a coupon. Check out their website with the gluten-free options and print the coupon for a free drink or free salad with purchase.

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

Below we’ve collected what foods are currently safe to eat at Hardee’s for your convenience:

Hardees Gluten-Free Menu

Thickburgers:

  • Low Carb Thickburger® (Lettuce Wrap)

Sides:

  • Side Salad (Dressing not included)
  • Green Beans
  • Cole Slaw
  • Mashed Potatoes (Gravy not included)

Desserts:

  • Single Scoop Ice Cream Bowl
  • Hand Scooped Ice-Cream Shake™

Condiments & Dressings:

  • Barbecue Sauce Dipping Cup
  • Barbecue Sauce Packet
  • Buffalo Sauce Dipping Cup
  • Butter Blend, Packet
  • Buttermilk Ranch Dipping Cup
  • Fat-Free Italian Salad Dressing
  • Honey Mustard Dipping Cup
  • Honey Packet
  • Horseradish Packet
  • Hot Sauce Packet
  • Jam, Strawberry
  • Jelly, Grape
  • Ketchup
  • Lemon Juice
  • Mayonnaise
  • Mayonnaise Packet
  • Mustard
  • Mustard Packet
  • Picante Sauce Packet
  • Ranch Dressing
  • Tartar Sauce
  • Texas Pete® Hot Sauce

Breakfast:

  • Low Carb Breakfast Bowl®
  • Grits

If you have any questions about gluten-free food at Hardee’s, please see the email below from Beth:

(Email from Hardee’s)

How’s this sound? Folded eggs topped with a sausage patty and Swiss cheese, piled with a loaded omelet, and finished with shredded cheddar and bacon bits. A charbroiled 100% Black Angus beef patty, cheese, and all the fixings, packed in a fresh whole-leaf lettuce wrap. Oh, did I mention these were gluten-free options? Who knew you could gluten-free it at the drive-through at Hardee’s?

What many people don’t know is that at Hardee’s you can order anything on the menu any way you like it.  No gluten?  No problem. Visit www.hardees.com/menu/indulge for some ideas and to download a coupon to make your own flavor experiment with us.

It’s really the easiest way to treat yourself to a tasty, inexpensive, fast option that satisfies your appetite while sticking to your diet.

Spread the word, indulge yourself, and let us know what options you come up with.  Tell us your own personal favorite menu creation.  You never know – we may just name it after you!

Gluten-free it,
Beth
For Hardee’s
(314) 552-6749

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.

Newman’s Own Gluten-Free Products

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

Newman’s Own products are not only made with excellent quality ingredients, many of them are also a great option for those who can’t eat gluten. We loved the products when we ate gluten so we were thrilled to find out that they have a lot of gluten-free products, once I had to go gluten-free. If fact, I can’t think of anything we enjoyed from the line before, that is not gluten-free.

The Natural Newman’s Own popcorn has been a staple in our house for a while. The pasta sauces and salsas have as well. There are 15 or so pasta sauces in the line and all are gluten-free. There are over 10 salsas – all gluten-free also. I love the Tequila Lime salsa, though it does not actually contain Tequila.

organic_salsa_familyWe’ve tried several of the pasta sauces and have so far never been disappointed. Our favorite is probably Tomato Basil sauce. I actually add some of the Italian Blend spice from Alchemy Spice to it and use the sauce for lasagna, spaghetti, anything that calls for Italian red sauce, including pizza. One we’ve not tried yet is the Five Cheese pasta sauce. As I love all things cheese, this one would likely be right up my alley. My favorite salad dressings from the line are Caesar and Greek. All of the popcorn flavors are gluten-free.

I’ve not tried any of the five refrigerated dressings, two of which are gluten-free. The pizza, cookies and cereals are not gluten-free. Their wheat-free  cookies now have a warning label on the package about gluten. The cookies have always said “wheat-free” and people were likely just consuming them and finding out too late they are made with barley flour. The first time I saw the package it did not have the warning about gluten. I meet way too many people that think if a label doesn’t say wheat on it, it’s gluten-free. In many countries all forms of gluten must be listed on the label, but this is not the case in the U.S.

If you avoid other allergens than gluten, the Newman’s Own product line will serve you well. Check out this easy to understand allergen/sensitivities chart. You’ll notice that the list contains all major allergens and gluten, MSG and sulfites. I’ve not seen such a complete list as this on any other food manufacturers website. All of the salsas and drinks are free of all eight allergens, gluten MSG and sulfites.

Also of note, many of the Newman’s Own gluten-free products in the product line are free of dairy, soy, nuts and MSG as well. As I have stated again and again, MSG is gluten-free. I personally try and avoid it as I don’t think it’s generally healthy. It’s probably fine if you don’t consume a ton of it but since it’s added to so many packaged food products, it’s hard to tell how much you’re consuming. And no one seems to know how much is too much anyway.

One of the best things about this company is how much money they give to well deserving charities. That is what got me hooked years ago when Paul Newman started the company. He was extremely fortunate and wanted to pay it forward. That is something we can all respect and aspire to do ourselves – in any small way we can.

Here is quick look at how much the company donates to charities and information about the Hole in the Wall camps they support:

We anticipated sales of $1,200 a year and a loss, despite our gambling winnings, of $6,000. But in these twenty-six years we have earned over $270 million, which we’ve given to countless charities.

Hole in the Wall Camps is a nonprofit umbrella organization that serves a global family of camps for children with serious illnesses and life-threatening conditions as well as camps in formation. Since its founding in 1988, the family of Hole in the Wall Camps has provided more than 119,374 children with a camp experience, all free of charge.

Let us know what your favorite Newman’s Own product is. I’ve yet to find the drinks they make locally but some of them sound great!

Review of Gluten-Free Crackers

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Both Saltine and Ritz crackers were a staple in our house when I was growing up. I was more into water table crackers with fancy toppings when I was diagnosed with celiac disease than the crackers of my childhood. Still, to this day, I’ve not really found a “replacement” for Saltine or Ritz crackers. But I have found some gluten-free crackers worth keeping on hand in my exhaustive, expensive and extensive quest.

Glutano crackers were the first gluten-free crackers I tried and they didn’t not appeal to me at all, though they are very popular with many people. I wasn’t crazy about basic rice crackers either. I like some of the Nut Thins – probably the Pecan  and Smokehouse are my favorite flavors. Mary’s Gone Crackers makes some nice flavored gluten-free crackers that I pair with strong flavored cheeses or spreads. These crackers also work especially well as a filler in meat loaf.

Glutino now offers four flavors of gluten-free crackers but I only like the Vegetable flavor. It is really about as close to a Ritz cracker as I’ve found, though of course it has a veggie flavor to it which a Ritz doesn’t have. Many people love all the flavors but the Cheddar, Multigrain and Original crackers did not appeal to me enough to buy them again.

For a basic plain cracker to be eaten with a nice spread or topping I like Ener-G Crackers. But I love their Onion Crackersand I can even eat them plain! I’d love the company to reduce the size of their crackers though. The huge rectangle shape is quite awkward to serve at a party and they are fairly difficult to cut down to a more manageable size.

Periodically I check the gluten-free product listings on Amazon.com and over a year ago I found a gluten-free product line called Valpi-Form. The France based company makes several phenomenal gluten-free products, one of which is their Salty crackers. This is the only cracker I’ve found to be similar to a Saltine in taste, size and texture. The problem is that they  – or anything from the line – are rarely in stock. And as soon as the products arrive on Amazon.com, most are sold out in a couple of hours. People can sign up to be notified when out of stock products arrive on Amazon.com.

Many people consider Schar crackers the closest thing to a Saltine but they are too buttery and crumbly for me to agree with that assessment. They are quite good crackers though, and as long as you are not trying to spread anything on them, they should not crumble. The packaging improved immensely a while back so that half the box will not be in pieces either.

Over the last few years I’ve tried gluten-free crackers that literally tasted like dirt – or the box they came in. I would not repeat the name of the products if I could remember them because everyone has different tastes and I don’t want to deter anyone from trying something just because I don’t like it. One of the items I bought after reading rave reviews about it – so I was the odd man out thinking they were horrible.

Photo courtesy of The Grainless Baker

To my great surprise there are actually two types of crackers for which I’ve found gluten-free versions that taste better than the gluten ones I was trying to replace. The Graham Crackers from The Grainless Baker are the best such product I’ve had and I’ve tried five gluten-free brands that I can remember.

My gluten eating husband will eat every single Grainless Baker graham cracker if I don’t hide them from him and he doesn’t even like gluten crackers! Put a little peanut butter on one for a truly decadent snack or just enjoy them plain with hot tea. Or use them or the graham cracker crumbs from the company for the best graham cracker pie crust ever!

Last but not least, the Cheese Crackers from the Sunny Valley Wheat-Free Bakery (all products are gluten-free)  in WA State are my favorite gluten-free cracker EVER! If you want to know what they taste like, think of a Cheez-It cracker that is made only with real ingredients. This of course means the gluten-free cheese crackers taste better than Cheez-It crackers. They are actually cheesier if you can believe it!

Tell us what your favorite gluten-free crackers is in the comments below.

Note: I have not tried the new Cheese Crackers from The Grainless Baker as I just found out about them today. Their Graham Crackers are now available at Return to Eden.

Applebees Gluten-Free Menu

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Applebees restaurants are everywhere these days, so it has always been frustrating to see that their corporate office will not commit to anything on their menu being gluten-free. With that said, that does not mean that you can’t eat a gluten-free meal at an Applebees restaurant! Major companies are often hesitant to confirm anything is gluten-free due to cross-contamination concerns, but they still have many gluten-free options available on their menu. You’ll just have to work a little harder and make sure your server is aware of your gluten-free needs.

Official Website Menu Information: Applebees Gluten-Free Menu
Location Finder: Find an Applebees Location Near You

According to my research and experiences dining at Applebee’s, there are a few fairly safe items that are gluten-free on Applebee’s menu. Here are the items which are more than likely safe if cross-contamination is avoided:

  • Garlic Herb Chicken
  • Chicken Caesar Salad (make sure they know not to use croutons)
  • Fiesta Lime Chicken
  • Chips with Salsa

Make sure you educate your server on cross-contamination concerns so they can be sure that croutons aren’t added and then removed from the salad, for example. Typically when your server realizes the severity of your diet they can accommodate you without any problems.

Applebees also offers a “to-go” service, so knowing that there are a few okay items at Applebees can be useful when traveling. Just make sure you educate the person over the phone about your dietary needs when you place your order!

Have you eaten a gluten-free meal at Applebees?  Let us know your experience (positive or negative) below in the comments!

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.