Gluten Free in Denver!

I knew long before I left for ASHA i was going to have no problems eating in Denver. First of all, I should mention that my sister has lived in Denver for around 4 years and she is Gluten Free by association (both our parents are gene carriers). I of course, took a bunch of snacks and oatmeal with me just in case I didn't get to leave my booth, but was hoping they weren't going to be necessary.

In the convention center, I was told if I had purchased a ticketed lunch, I could have eaten a gluten free turkey sandwich. I didn't get a ticketed lunch, but was able to get the chef to make me a lettuce wrapped hamburger after an hour of running around the convention center.

For dinner one night after the convention my sister too me out to meet some of her friends. We went to this amazing restaurant called Angelo's (http://angelosdenver.com) on 6th street. They had amazing cooked and raw oysters and all of the pastas could be made with gluten free pasta. I had Gorganzola Steak Fettucine. It is a dish i would come back for.

The next night we went to a cute little Morrocan restaurant called Cafe Paprika (http://www.cafepaprika.com). I had lamb shank with basmati rice and it was amazing. I did learn the soup ha flour in it, but the salad was just as good.

My last morning in town, my sister took me to brunch at a top rated new brunch spot. Owned by a celiac, this place can make anything on the menu gluten free. Revelry Kitchen (http://www.revelrydenver.com) has a seasonal menu. Here are just a few pictures of the amazing food we ate!!! My sister and I both had roasted pumpkin cinnamon rolls with bacon to start. She had biscuits and gravy while I had a lobster BLT with fries. I also got a muffin trio to go. I was also in love with my coffee cup!!

Have any favorite gluten free spots of your own in Denver? Share them in the comments!!

Breana

Vacation!!!!

For the first time in a few years I finally got to go on vacation to a NEW place!!! New York was an amazing adventure filled with the 3 F's (friends, family, and food). This was my first trip to a new place since my diagnosis almost seven years ago. I know what you are thinking, wow! this girl never gets to travel. Well it's true, traveling is something I want to do but don't have a budget for right now. I didn't realize how different it was going to be traveling with food allergies. Keep reading to learn about some restaurants I found and the ways I managed to not get glutened.

The first part of the trip was spent in upstate New York. Kingston/Boiceville were beautiful with a small town feel. My cousin got married at Onteora Mountain House. It was a beautiful venue in the mountains. The rehearsal dinner was at Hickory Smoked BBQ in Kingston. The restaurant was amazing at verifying all of the food they served. Platters were delivered to each table, but to make sure there was not going to be an issue, a separate plate was brought to me (directly from the kitchen) with a little bit of everything I could eat. When I wanted more food, the wait staff was great at bringing me out individual servings of everything. The wedding venue itself provided a gluten-free/ vegetarian option for wedding guests. I am still trying to figure out what I ate, but can tell you they have great bartenders that make great drinks. I don't know what I would have done without the open bar. The brunch provided the next morning was nice with an omelette station, fresh fruit, and some other not gluten free items.

Next came a few days in the East Northport neighborhood of Long Island. This included a day trip to Greenport, some wine tasting, and a stop at a side of the road farm stand. Greenport was a cute little city right on the water. We had amazing seafood at a restaurant called Crabby Jerry's. I didn't get a picture of my fresh seafood because I was so hungry I couldn't wait to start eating. We found an old-school ice cream shop and got root beer floats, took a walk and ride on a carousel. On the way home we stopped at Pindar Winery, only to find out they do not ship to California, and at a farm stand to get some fresh corn and fruit.

The trip ended with a few beautiful and hot days in "The City". My family and I stayed in a beautiful (brand new) Hampton Inn a few blocks from Times Square. We ate at a variety of different restaurants including Etcetera, Etcetera (http://etcetcnyc.com), The Lincoln Square Steak (http://lincolnsquaresteak.com), Macy's in Harold Square, and Ben's Kosher Cuisine. We also did the typical touristy thing, sightseeing by Circle Line Tour, The Empire State Building, the 9/11 Museum, and Times Square. Check out those amazing coffee cups from the Hampton Inn.

 This was dinner on the way home! The wine was courtesy of United Airlines for not having a pilot in the correct airport when it was time to take off. We only left 90 minutes late!

 I was very impressed how gluten free friendly all of the restaurants on the trip were. I had no trouble finding food to eat or places to snack around the city. My fear of traveling is over and i know i can feel comfortable eating most anywhere I choose to travel.

Have you been to NYC and found a gluten free friendly restaurant? Please share!!

Breana

Gluten Free Menu at Cheesecake Factory!!

Disclaimer: The menu may have been edited since this post was published.

I recently heard that Cheesecake Factory was re-releasing a fairly large gluten free menu. I was surprised at the multi-page menu that was provided when I asked. I was also surprised how knowledgeable the server was when I asked questions about food preparation protocol. I have learned the hard way in the past that asking how pasta is prepared (checking for use of separate pasta water) can be the difference between sleeping at night and being up sick. I loved my food, see the pictures below, although it was a little dry I would still eat it again. I had a great experience with this specific location, luckily it's near my house, and I would have no problems going back.

This is the menu I got at my location, I cannot guarantee it is the same at all locations. If you get a different menu, please leave a comment and let everyone know what you noticed.

This is the picture on the back of the menu, I forgot to take a picture of my actual cheesecake. It is the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake and it was really good.

 

This is a picture of my actual food. I had Evelyn's Favorite Pasta.

Hope you enjoy a great meal!

Breana