Dining Out

(this is not my kitchen, but I'm hoping there's a light at the end of the remodeling tunnel)

My kitchen is currently under siege, i.e. being completely renovated, so I won't be posting any recipes this week. On the one hand: YAY! On the other hand: BOO.... eating out twice daily for a week is tough when you have food intolerances. My husband and I have assembled a list of local restaurants where we know that I can easily order off the menu, and we usually head to those places first. But monotony gets boring, so we keep trying out new places as well. I've had quite a learning curve when it comes to ordering in restaurants, so I thought I'd share what I've learned along the way. I'm holed up in the bedroom with the cat (pissed off), dog (confused), and stacks of boxes for company, so I figure I should make use of my free time!

First of all, I assume that I'm going to ingest traces of gluten and/or potato in a restaurant. It's really, really hard to avoid. My goal is to minimize that occurrence, but I recognize that there are many factors in the restaurant kitchen that are out of my control. For me that's okay; I don't tend to feel sick after eating out. But it's something to keep in mind.

Some cuisines are more easily adaptable to gluten-free/potato-free. I've found that Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Mediterranean work best for me. These cuisines tend to rely on rice or corn as a starch and have some entrees with basically just meat + vegetables. Don't be afraid to ask the waiter whether dishes can be altered slightly. Usually restaurants are happy to hold the breading/msg/soy sauce/mystery sauce/etc. if you ask nicely. Rice or corn chips can be substituted in for french fries, bread, couscous, baked potatoes, etc. Corn tortillas sometimes contain xanthan gum but are often okay; I just check with the waitstaff. Another alternative for side dishes is to request an extra vegetable (preferably steamed) or a cup of fruit.

Salads are probably the easiest dish to fall back on. It's totally acceptable to ask for oil and vinegar on the side rather than a pre-prepared dressing. I've been surprised to discover that even tiny hole-in-the-wall diners will accomodate that request.

I adore vegan restaurants but find that they can be tricky for me because so many fake meats contain gluten and/or cellulose. Be sure to ask questions when ordering.

Gluten-free restaurants.... well, that's practically a lost cause as far as I'm concerned. Most gluten-free products available in grocery stores and restaurants contain potatoes in some form. I definitely avoid gluten-free baked goods and generally don't even bother looking at the gluten-free menu (many restaurants are starting to feature one!) because of all the potato additives that take the place of gluten. I would rather order off the regular menu and ask for a substitution.

If you must eat fast food, your safest bets are Chipotle (allergen info), a salad at Subway (allergen info),  or the hot and cold bars at Whole Foods or your local natural foods store.

If you google "gluten free restaurant" you will find a couple different websites devoted to listing gluten-free restaurants (this is an example) but remember that gluten-free does not equal potato-free.

Happy eating!

(this is also not my house)