SafeCeliac

Blog moved to www.safeceliac.com

2009-09-30T10:25:00.002-04:00

SafeCeliac has moved away from this blogspot site, and now all new posts will be done directly on www.safeceliac.com. All the posts and comments found here have been moved to the new site, and this blog will eventually be deleted.

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Cora's Breakfast in Cambridge

2008-11-08T21:11:00.003-05:00

Well, I finally made it to Cora's Breakfast in Cambridge (on Hespeler Road). I had heard through the grapevine that they had buckwheat crepes, so I was looking forward to seeing if they were gluten-free.

Unfortunately, they are not and they do contain gluten. Also of note: the breakfast sausage contains gluten as well.

However, the breakfast was still incredible. There are plenty of dishes that celiacs can enjoy, including omelettes, fruit bowls, etc. (Their fruit creations are amazing!)

A little tip: get there early, as by 9:00 am on a Saturday they already have a lineup!

Enjoy!

Langdon Hall

2008-08-23T12:13:00.000-04:00

This week my wife and I went to Langdon Hall in Cambridge for dinner. What an amazing experience. The food was incredible, and the service was top notch as well. As a Celiac, you are in great hands. I mentioned to the server that I had Celiac disease and I didn't have to explain anything about what I could and couldn't have. She knew exactly what that meant.

They started me off with in house baked gluten free bread. It was a cinnamon-nut bread, which the waitress commented on as being 'different' for dinner but was great nonetheless. (I wouldn't say it was the best gluten free bread I've ever had, but certainly very decent and a welcome treat at a restaurant.) The only other restaurant I've ever had this treatment at was Verses in Kitchener.

Anyway, the menu seemed to have lots of choices for Celiacs - though you have to be a real 'foodie' to understand some of the things on there. There were lots of 'high' end food options like foie gras, duck, seafood, lamb, and items you don't usually find even at upscale establishments.

I wasn't too adventurous, and ended up choosing a salad to start (which was wonderful) and followed by a main course of beef two ways. The beef was served with mushroom quinoa, and steamed spinach and other veggies which was actually really good. The presentation of the food was so well done.

My wife chose a scallop appetizer (which was also gluten free) and tasted amazing. Probably the best scallop I've ever eaten, and cooked perfectly. Her main entree was duck, which I didn't try since we didn't ask if it was gluten-free.

We were too full for dessert, which actually turned out ok since this was one area that Langdon Hall didn't do very well for Celiacs. The only option was gelato (which apparently is very good there), but we decided against it. Lots of non-GF options though.

All in all, it's definitely a great place to go as a Celiac - highly recommended! But be warned - it's probably one of the most expensive restaurants in the area. Our meal, which was 2 appetizers, 2 glasses of wine and 2 entrees was almost $190 after tip! You could almost eat twice at Charbries or Verses for that price. But it's definitely worth a try for some special occasion.

Feel free to leave a comment if you've been to Langdon Hall yourself, or want to share any other restaurant information here.

Aroma Cafe in Uptown Waterloo

2008-08-23T12:04:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since my last post - life has been busy. But one of the gems that I found in the last few months was a little cafe in Uptown Waterloo called the Aroma Cafe.

Besides having excellent coffee, the Aroma Cafe has a wide selection of gluten-free products. They have muffins (the types change regularly: I've tried blueberry, poppyseed, apple cinnamon, and others), cakes, desserts, soup, and even sandwiches that are all GF. I haven't yet tried a sandwich or dessert there - if you have, please feel free to leave a comment.

I spoke to the owner and I was impressed with her knowledge about eating gluten free. One thing to note though: because it is a small cafe, they will use the same knives and cutting boards as they do with non-GF products. They seem to be careful, but it may make sense to ask them to wipe down the cutting board and knife to be extra careful.

The Aroma Cafe is located in the Atrium, which is beside Angie's on Erb Street.

33 Erb Street West
519-884-0411

El Rinconcito Mexicano - Mexican Restaurant in Cambridge

2008-04-12T11:49:00.006-04:00

Let me start by saying that El Rinconcito Mexicano is probably my best restaurant find in years.

Firstly, finding a real authentic Mexican restaurant in Kitchener-Waterloo is impossible - they just don't exist. El Rinconcito Mexicano is probably as authentic as you get, and the food is incredible. Since we now live in Cambridge, we are about 10 minutes away from this restaurant, located on Ainslie street near Main in downtown Galt.

Secondly, real Mexican food is usually very Celiac friendly since a lot of it is made from corn flour. El Rinconcito Mexicano's menu has plenty of options: from corn tacos, enchiladas (made from corn) and also other options that are less known to me, such as gorditas. You have to stay away from the burritos and other items made with flour tortillas, but the two ladies that work there (I think mother and daughter) are very friendly and helpful if you can't understand the somewhat cryptic menu. (See below for what their menu looks like!)

All of the food is home made and cooked fresh. The prices are very reasonable: you can easily eat most of the dishes for $8 tax included. I've been twice now and had the enchiladas (with chicken) and also the soft tacos (I've tried chicken, pork and beef). I also had the gordita which was amazing. Although there are some standard drinks available (Coke, Sprite, etc.) many of their drinks are sodas from Mexico, like grapefruit or orange soda. Pretty cool.

Now, don't expect fine dining here. The decor is made up of a good mishmash of what looks to be garage sale items and old furniture from a student apartment. There are probably only about 5 tables, so if it's busy you're stuck with takeout. Here's a picture to illustrate:

But all of this adds to it's character, and quite frankly with food this good it doesn't matter what you're sitting on. It's clean - that's the most important point here.

Plus, if you ever need ingredients for your Mexican feast at home, the restaurant has also a few shelves of hard to find items such as corn flour, mole sauce (not GF), peppers and salsas from Mexico.

Well there you have it. Even though from Waterloo it's probably about a 30 minute drive, it's definitely worth the trip some Saturday afternoon for a great Mexican lunch! Enjoy.

Blackshop Restaurant in Cambridge

2008-04-12T11:25:00.002-04:00

My wife and I went to Blackshop on Hespeler road for her birthday a few weeks ago. Although I can honestly say that their sister restaurant in Waterloo (Sole) is not my favourite, Sole does treat Celiacs very well. I thought I'd see if Blackshop was similar.

Well, my overall impression was similar to Sole. The atmosphere was wonderful, and the menu looked great. The waitress didn't know much about Celiac disease but asked the chef about all my choices.

But overall the food just didn't taste amazing, as the menu, atmosphere (and price) would lead you to believe. I found it just mediocre, and actually didn't feel well afterwards.

I ended up ordering from their Southwestern specialty menu. For an appetizer I had an interesting twist on tacos - the shells were made from shredded and baked Parmesan cheese. Unfortunately the beef was served at room temperature. I didn't complain because I thought maybe it was supposed to be served that way. (?) Overall, I can't really say I enjoyed it though.

I chose the Enchiladas for my main meal. They were stuffed with pulled pork, which in theory sounds amazing but overall just tasted 'ok' - they definitely didn't wow me in any way. My wife ordered the Tequila Tiger Shrimp, and although the shrimp was good it was way too spicy for her to eat. They marked it with a '2 chilies' meaning it's medium, but it was way hotter than my '3 chili' tacos which we both could eat without breaking a sweat.

Here's one I haven't heard before though. My wife ordered the potato frites for an appetizer - basically french fries - and I asked the waitress if they were gluten-free and cooked in a separate fryer so I could sample them. She came back and said they were cooked in the same oil as other gluten-products, but "the chef says it's ok because all gluten breaks down in such a hot fryer and therefore you have nothing to worry about".

Wow! That's news to me, and of course I didn't believe it. All literature I've read certainly does not give this indication, and thus I stayed away from the fries. (As an aside - does that mean I can have onion rings because all the gluten content breaks down? Hahaha, wishful thinking.)

So that was pretty shocking. That comment alone makes me very skeptical about a restaurant. I appreciate the fact that they mention it, but a comment like "if you are very sensitive to gluten you might want to stay away from the fried food" would be a better answer.

Anyway, by the end of dinner, I wasn't feeling all that great, so we passed up on dessert. I really wanted to try their creme brule, (and it is my favourite) so you can tell I really wasn't feeling good! I'm really not sure if it was gluten contamination in their food or just indigestion. (I didn't get completely sick, just an upset stomach.)

I don't know if I'd return to Blackshop any time soon - their atmosphere and menu does look good, and perhaps their regular menu items are more tried and true. But for a $120 meal for 2 people (including wine), I feel like their are plenty of other restaurants (like Verses or Charbries in Waterloo) that would be much better options.

Have you been to Blackshop? What was your experience like? Feel free to leave a comment.

Fifty's Restaurant in Cambridge

2008-04-12T11:09:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago my wife and I visited Fifty's restaurant in Cambridge on Hespeler Road. It's a diner, with a menu that's typically tough for a Celiac to find options on - burgers, sandwiches, etc. But we thought we'd give it a try as sometimes you can find hidden gems in places like this.

I was hopeful, but I can honestly say it was a disaster. Although their menu was rather large (you could almost have anything: sandwiches, salads, ribs, chicken, fish, etc.) most didn't look appetizing or definitely contained gluten.

Firstly, the server didn't really know too much about eating gluten free, but she did offer to check with the kitchen staff. So I asked about the burgers (of course without the bun) but they contain wheat. The fries are cooked in the same oil as chicken fingers and other gluten-products. So that was out.

I ended up choosing the chicken breast sandwich without the bun, and coleslaw. I got the meal about 20 minutes later and the chicken was on a bun. I mentioned this to the waitress and she went back to the kitchen and returned in 2 minutes with a 'new' plate - she said this one was cooked fresh and didn't touch any bread.

I'm not sure what to think of that. Maybe their chicken breasts are already cooked and they could produce another one in 2 minutes, but it seemed awfully quick considering the first try took almost 20 minutes.

Anyway, the meal came with a mustard-mayo condiment on the side, which I asked about and the waitress said: "well the kitchen wouldn't have served you it because I marked 'no wheat' on your order...so it must be ok". I thanked her politely but didn't eat it. About 5 minutes later she came back and said that it probably did have wheat in it after all.

Finally, my coleslaw had a few chunks of chicken in it. And my wife's didn't and that concerned me. How did a couple pieces of chicken get in the coleslaw? It just makes me think that the kitchen isn't being very careful in their preparation.

Anyway, the bottom line is that I won't be going back to Fifty's any time soon. In fact, my wife's dinner wasn't very good either (just a simple club sandwich)...so even if you're not a Celiac, I wouldn't recommend Fifty's.

All inclusive resorts and travelling

2008-04-12T10:51:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted - seems like March just flew by. We have a family tradition of going south in March, and this year we went down to Club Med in the Bahamas.

I thought a little post about travelling and being a Celiac might start a good discussion on resorts to go to, travel tips, etc.

Firstly - when travelling I always try to bring my own food on the plane. You can easily make a GF sandwich, pack some snacks, and buy something to drink at the airport. On many flights I've been promised GF food, and they forget, give it to someone else by accident, or like many flights now, don't even offer a GF option. (It seems to be more common that you have to purchase a meal on the flight, and there is little (if anything) that is gluten-free.)

We've been to a variety of resorts, from Club Med, Sandals, Iberostar, and others. Although we like to experiment, time and time again we come back to Club Med for their food. Both my mother and I are Celiacs and have had good experiences at Club Med. Usually the staff speak English very well, and you can always talk to the head chef about the buffet.

On a few occasions, the chef walked my mother and I through the buffet and let us know what we could and couldn't eat. I also had soup on a few nights (they used cornstarch to thicken it), but on other nights they specifically said that wheat flour was used. My rule of thumb is always to ask.

Of course, being at Club Med does pose its challenges: they have a pastry chef on staff and amazing chocolate bread! (I remember how good these treats were from before I was diagnosed.)

Of the week we were there, we visited the buffet and both specialty restaurants. Neither my mother or I ever got sick, and we always ate very well.

I've also been on a couple cruises, and my mother has been on many through Princess. They've always tried to accommodate the GF-diet by having gluten free meal options and even gluten-free bread (usually just 'ok', but the fact that it's available is amazing).

I think they do a terrific job, but on a ship that large with so many staff and guests, things sometimes get lost in the mix. As an example, on my mother's last cruise they presented her meal, and she got half way through before they returned and said there was wheat in the sauce. She got very sick that evening...

As for other resorts we've been to, they usually have enough options that I can manage to eat GF for a week. Sticking to the basics is always a good bet - grilled fish, salads, etc. But it's nice to just not worry about it while on vacation. If you're heading to Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, etc. - knowing a little Spanish goes a long way. But if you stick to the larger resorts like Club Med, usually the chefs all speak English and also French.

If you have any travelling tips or good resort destinations, please feel free to comment.

Lee Restaurant in Toronto

2008-02-18T13:03:00.003-05:00

This Saturday I had the pleasure of visiting Lee Restaurant in Toronto. If you don't know much about Lee, it's owned by chef Susur Lee, a renowned and famous chef. (He's been on numerous TV shows, including Iron Chef America, and Opening Soon. In fact, the episode of Opening Soon was about Lee Restaurant!)

Lee is right beside his other restaurant (aptly named Susur) on King Street in downtown Toronto. The menu at Lee is all about tapas, and the atmosphere is hip and funky. We had reservations right when they opened at 5:30, and by 6:30 the restaurant was jam packed. Don't expect much privacy as the tables are fairly close together.

My wife and I had a wonderful dinner. The server knew all about Celiac disease and let me know which items on the menu I could and couldn't order. She even knew which items contained soya sauce, which of course most of the time has wheat.

I'd say about 1/3 to 1/2 of the items were naturally gluten-free. (You can check out an example of the menu yourself here: http://www.susur.com/lee/index.html, though it does change.)

The food was outstanding. Some of the best tapas I've ever had, in fact.

I ordered the Coconut with lime, chili and shrimp soup, and my wife and I shared a beet salad with blue cheese dish, a baked polenta with ricotta cheese dish (almost like lasagna), the 4 meat satay, and jerk chicken. All of the items were naturally gluten free except on the of the 3 sauces that came with the meat satays, which I avoided. It was a ton of food, and we were very stuffed.

Unfortunately we were so stuffed that we had to pass on dessert, which looked amazing too. My guess was that they had 3 items on the menu that were gluten-free, including creme brulee. (though I didn't ask any more details at that point)

We both ordered drinks ($13 for a martini - a little steep, but a very good martini!) and the bill came to just over $100. This floored me. For the amount of food and drink we got, the quality, and service, the price was a steal really. As a Celiac, I had full confidence in the server's suggestions and knowledge about gluten-free, as they apparently have Celiacs in their restaurant frequently.

So if you haven't tried Lee and you're in Toronto - go for it!

http://www.susur.com/lee/

(Ever been to Susur? How is it? I imagine it's just incredible.)

Masala Bay Restaurant in Waterloo

2008-02-08T07:42:00.000-05:00

Masala Bay in Uptown Waterloo (3B Regina St. North) is one of my favourite restaurants in Waterloo. I visit there frequently - their lunch buffet is wonderful and very good quality. Best of all, most of the dishes are gluten-free.

I've often asked the chef (a really nice man, by the way) about the use of gluten in their dishes and he definitely knows what it means to not have gluten. To illustrate my point: yesterday for lunch there was a new dish I've never tried called "yogurt curry", which had balls of something in with a sauce.

I asked him about the dish and he indeed said it was gluten-free. He said the balls were made from gram flour, which immediately I didn't recognize so I was concerned. (Gram flour is not a flour I use regularly or see regularly in foods, so I couldn't remember if it indeed was gluten-free).

He mentioned to me that gram flour is simply chickpea flour, which is indeed correct and is gluten-free. In fact, gram flour is a staple in Indian cuisine - a good thing for us Celiacs since wheat is therefore rarely used.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Besan and http://www.celiac.ca/EnglishCCA/egfdiet2.html#allowed for more information about gram flour.

Anyway, my point of this story is that not only is Masala Bay a wonderful restaurant serving great food, but the chef knows about what is and isn't gluten-free, so definitely ask him if you have any questions.

As for the restaurant itself - don't expect "Curry in a Hurry" prices - the lunch buffet is $12.99 but is well worth every penny compared to 'fast food' curry places like Curry in a Hurry. Dinner is much more expensive, and quite frankly I prefer lunch because you get many of the same dishes but at a fraction of the cost.

Either way, if you've never been to Masala Bay, it's well worth the visit.

Lily Ruth Restaurant in Cambridge

2008-02-07T08:56:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday night I visited Lily Ruth restaurant in downtown Galt. We called ahead for reservations, and I talked to the owner about gluten-free options. She knew about Celiac disease and said they have plenty of dishes on the menu that were gluten-free or could be made gluten-free.

Definitely a good start! My mother was coming into town as well, and she's a Celiac as well. So we were pleased.

The restaurant has a nice atmosphere inside, and if you want privacy try to reserve the table for four in the back of the restaurant. (though don't expect speedy service back there - I think a few times they may have forgotten about us!)

The current menu is located here: http://www.lilyruth.com/main2.cfm?id=BA6C46D2-80C6-EFE0-D72D30194E2066F2. As you can see, dinner entrees range from $15-$28, which is probably about right for this kind of upscale casual dining.

My starter was the soup of the day - a black bean soup which was above average. It didn't blow me away, but it was good. I always ask about the soup since it's hard to find gluten-free soups at restaurants...though I am finding that more restaurants of this calibre make their stock from scratch without gluten.

For my entree, I ordered the simply named "Chicken Breast" dish, which is described as:

Boneless, skinless, breast of chicken
Stuffed with Quebec double cream Brie
Wrapped in Parma ham
Pan fried and served with a mesquite veloute

On paper, this sounds great. Unfortunately I can't say I really enjoyed it. The chef made it without the veloute (which is a stock, and presumably had gluten in it) so it was a tad dry. To be honest, it didn't taste like anything really.

However, my mother's meal (which I got to try) was excellent. She ordered the White Ruffy that came on rice. The chef modified it slightly from the menu - I can't remember what in the wasabi pea crust had gluten in it. But overall it was amazing, which was good. The rice was also gluten-free, we checked with our server.

Both my wife and dad's meal were very good as well (though contained gluten).

We also asked about a few of the other dishes. They have a 'famous' burger and frites, which might sound odd at a restaurant of this nature, but think classic French. The burger is homemade and contains no gluten, however the fries are fried in the same fryer as other foods containing gluten. Bummer. I might order it next time, but something about eating a burger with mashed potatoes just isn't the same.

The warm salmon salad is also gluten-free.

For dessert - my favourite - creme brulee. It had a little bit of citrus taste to it and was delicious.

Overall, I was really impressed with the staff, the service (even though slow, we weren't in a rush), and some of the food - just not what I ordered. I think I'd give Lily Ruth another try since they did seem to be careful about our food...but I'd pick something else off the menu.

Here's their website if you'd like to learn more about them:
http://www.lilyruth.com

Been there? What did you think? Do you have any other restaurant suggestions in KW or Cambridge? Feel free to leave a comment!

Elixir in Cambridge

2008-01-28T09:14:00.000-05:00

This weekend I visited Elixir Restaurant in Cambridge. It's an Italian restaurant, so when my wife booked the reservation she asked the staff if they had options for Celiacs.

Indeed the said they had plenty of naturally gluten-free options, and all sauces and soups are made from scratch. In addition, if we ordered in advance, they would be able to provide some of their pastas gluten-free (using rice noodles).

I was impressed already, and we hadn't even stepped foot in the restaurant!

I ended up not pre-ordering any pasta, but when we got there and viewed the menu, indeed there were quite a few items that appeared gluten-free (meats, fish, etc.) The waitress seemed to know a little about Celiac disease, but seemed to be very careful and asked the kitchen staff about my whole meal.

In ended up ordering their famous lamb shank (served on mashed potatoes), with their red lentil soup to start. (It's almost a rule for me to order the soup if it's gluten-free, and especially if it's made from scratch. Most often Celiac's cannot have soup at restaurants due to the possibility of gluten in the stock or the use of wheat as a thickener.)

The soup was very tasty, and the lamb shank was very tender - the meat just fell of the bone.

The biggest disappointment of the meal was dessert. They only had two options, neither of which were gluten-free. I asked if they had ice cream or something simple, but no luck. Elixir is a small restaurant, and the main meal was quite good, so I suppose I shouldn't complain on this point. But it is nice to have a least some simple dessert option for Celiacs.

But overall if you don't have a big sweet tooth, as a Celiac you will probably enjoy Elixir.

ADDRESS:
34 Main Street, Cambridge

TELEPHONE:
519-623-2800

Casa Greek (Cambridge)

2008-01-20T17:29:00.000-05:00

Last night I visited Casa Greek on Hespeler Road in Cambridge. My wife and I were driving around the city hungry, looking for options, and ended up here by chance.

At first I was a little bit skeptical. The decor is a little cheesy, and this is a 'family-style' diner which didn't seem authentically Greek. But, we were very hungry and got a table immediately - for a Saturday night at 7 pm, this was our only real requirement!

The waiter didn't seem to know too much about Celiac disease, but he checked with the chef regarding my meal and I could eat everything. I had the chicken souvlaki meal, which comes with Greek salad, roasted potatoes and rice. The waiter thought the rice might be a problem, but turns out it was fine. I also asked about the salad dressing and chicken marinade, and both were made without gluten.

Overall, it was a really good meal, and I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the fact that you get a *ton* of food - definitely make sure you prepare an appetite as the portions are huge.

The salad was amazing, and the rest of the meal was equally good. I don't know if I can say it is completely authentic, but it was definitely better than other Greek meals I've had recently (i.e. Mediterraneo's in Waterloo, not to mention most of their items have gluten).

And finally, the price for the amount of food is amazing. The chicken souvlaki meal was $11.99, and my wife's Gyro dinner (not gluten-free) was $9.99.

I would definitely recommend Casa Greek if you're a Celiac and are looking for a good-sized Greek meal.

Casa Greek
350 Hespeler Road
Cambridge, ON N1R 7N7
519-620-1101

Hannah's Bella Bistro

2008-01-12T20:38:00.000-05:00

I've written about Hannah's Tapas Lounge in the past, but the main dining room (Hannah's Bella Bistro) is a wonderful spot for an upscale lunch or dinner.

I was there last week for dinner and had a great experience. I've always been impressed with their food, but more importantly their knowledge and care for eating gluten-free is outstanding.

Example: I ordered one of the specials for the evening: a bison entree. It came with a glaze, so I asked about it to make sure it was gluten-free. The waitress came back and said that the chef put a little bit of soy sauce in the glaze, so it was not gluten-free. Instead they'd make me a special sauce for the bison.

Sometimes I can't believe how well people do their jobs. It may seem like a simple thing to Celiacs (most soy sauce has wheat in it), but as a chef running a busy restaurant, remembering a little detail like that is impressive. Kudos to the chef.

If you've never visited Hannah's, I'd highly recommend it:
http://www.hannahsbellabistro.com

Sole in Waterloo

2008-01-12T20:32:00.001-05:00

A comment was left about Sole (off of Erb Street, near Caroline) a few weeks back, and I agree with the author: they seem to have a good knowledge about eating gluten-free. If I recall correctly, I think one of their staff has Celiac disease.

I've never had a problem finding something to eat at Sole, and I've always been treated well.

On a personal level though, I don't really find their food top notch. Don't get me wrong: their menu looks great, and the presentation is good, but I just usually don't find myself being "wowed" with the taste. I've talked to different people about this and some very much agree with me, and some don't.

I'd love to hear your comments!

In the end, Sole is a great restaurant for Celiacs and has a great atmosphere. I think for the money, you get a better meal at Hannah's or Charbries. Just my 2 cents...

Expanding my horizons

2008-01-12T20:25:00.001-05:00

As it turns out, I'm moving to Cambridge next week and will hopefully be extending my restaurant adventures ever so slightly out of the Kitchener-Waterloo region.

So expect to see more reviews from restaurants in Kitchener, Waterloo and now Cambridge on www.safeceliac.com.

If you have any great tips of restaurants to visit (or not to), please leave a comment.

Gadino's Pizza (gluten-free pizza!)

2008-01-12T20:16:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a comment, I found out about Gadino's Pizza in Kitchener. A couple weeks ago, I called them to order a pizza: yes indeed they make gluten-free pizzas and I got to taste one first hand.

I can't honestly say that the crust was the best pizza crust I've ever had (it was pretty tough at the edges), but overall it was a great pizza. And ordering in pizza is such a treat for Celiac's that I was pretty ecstatic. I'd definitely order it again!

I tried to ask a few questions about their toppings but unfortunately I don't have too many tips to share. The man I was talking to didn't know if the pepperoni or ham was gluten-free. I stayed away from both of those toppings, but he said other customers haven't complained of any problems. If you find out more details, feel free to leave a comment.

He was a very nice man though - I think he might have been the owner. He even called me back about 1 hour later to see how I liked the pizza.

Here's Gadino's phone number once again: 519-579 2901.

Enjoy!

Gluten-free pizza delivery

2007-12-19T23:02:00.000-05:00

After just posting about Wendy's and fast food, I should mention this: on my drive home, I saw a pizza delivery car in front of me that said "Gluten-free pizza delivery".

Seriously? That would be incredible!

Unfortunately I missed the name or phone number.

There once was a small pizza chain in KW that delivered gluten-free pizzas, but they went under a few years ago. This was definitely a different car, so my question is: does anyone have any information about this? I'd love to have a gluten-free pizza delivered to me again.

I also heard a rumor from a friend (a non-Celiac), saying that he thought he saw a sign about gluten-free pizzas in the plaza on Ottawa Street across from Montana's restaurant. I haven't actually checked it out myself though.

If you know anything about restaurants serving gluten-free pizza in KW, please leave a comment - I'd love to know about them!

In the mean time, I'll have to do a little research myself.

Wendy's new "Menu Items Without Gluten" guide

2007-12-19T22:40:00.000-05:00

Today I discovered that Wendy's has a new "Menu Items Without Gluten Guide", released in December 2007. Was I ever surprised to see this on their website:

I've eaten at Wendy's plenty of times in the past, and their nutrition guide was decent. (You could look at all the individual ingredients, and determine what was gluten-free - manually.)

But this just seems like a new "ray of light" for Celiacs. A guide specifically targeted towards eating gluten-free is something I wish all restaurants would have. So kudos to Wendys!

I actually somewhat wonder if a Celiac created the guide. Or they've just really done their research. They even have little symbols beside some of the menu items, indicating that a given item contains maltodextrin. That's interesting because currently maltodextrin for Celiacs is allowed, though even only a few years ago it was questionable. (The production of maltodextrin in Canada is apparently corn or tapioca based in 99% of the cases. Personally I like to see "corn maltodextrin", but this is not required by Canadian labels.)

So the special maltodextrin symbol is probably someone being very thorough and ensuring you (as a Celiac) are comfortable with it.

Check out the guide for yourself on Wendy's website:
http://www.wendys.com/food/NutritionLanding.jsp

Finally, interestingly enough their burger patties are indeed gluten-free. Their old guide specified the burgers had gluten, but I was never sure if the reasoning was the bun. So, today I had my first Wendy's burger in a long time, without the bun. I enjoyed it, but perhaps it's not for everyone:

Yeah, this Big Bacon Classic looks nasty but was actually was tasty. Maybe it's because I haven't had a Wendy's hamburger in ages. Next time...bring on the 3/4 pounder with three patties! (ok, my stomach can handle it, but probably not the rest of my body. Well, that's probably not true...my stomach could barely handle the above, even if it was gluten-free.)

More fast food another day! (maybe)

Village Creperie

2007-12-19T18:10:00.001-05:00

The Village Creperie is a new restaurant in Kitchener's Belmont Village. I learned about it through a review in The Record, and my wife called them asking about gluten-free options. She really wanted to try it, but didn't expect much for a Celiac.

Was she (and I) ever shocked to hear how much they knew about Celiac disease...and that just about all of their dinner crepes are made with buckwheat flour. Although the name might be misleading, buckwheat flour is in fact gluten-free and is part of the rhubarb family. Even on the phone, the staff member knew exactly what Celiac disease was and could tell us what was available. They also suggested that if I'd like dessert, they could make up a rice-batter especially made for dessert crepes. You have to order this 24-hours in advance though - so call ahead.

So, we went for dinner last Saturday night and had a great time. Most of the appetizer crepes are not gluten-free, but I had a Greek salad and it was tasty. My dinner crepe was a chimichurri-chicken crepe, and was fresh and excellent. My wife ordered the Spanish pinto bean crepe, which also was good but I preferred the taste of the chimichurri-chicken. One of our friends had the salmon crepe which was also very good. (the wonderful thing was - I could sample them all because they were all gluten-free!)

Dessert was the best part though. Although we ordered the rice batter 24-hours in advance, they somehow lost the order. It didn't matter though - they made me a crepe using buckwheat flour and it was amazing nonetheless. (I had the organic banana, peanut butter, chocolate and honey crepe).

For a while there I almost forgot I was a Celiac. I could eat nearly everything on the menu, and all of it tasted great. Not to mention I was eating crepes - something I haven't done in years!

So, there you have it. Definitely a 5 out of 5.

Oh finally - this isn't a fast food crepe restaurant, it's more of a classic ('upscale') restaurant establishment. Our bill, including wine, two salads, two dinner crepes, and two dessert crepes was $75. Definitely not bad considering what you get.

Here's their website:
http://www.villagecreperie.ca/

If you know of any other restaurants suitable for Celiacs in the KW area, feel free to leave a comment!

Yukikos

2007-12-15T18:09:00.000-05:00

I've always found Yukikos in Waterloo a reliable spot for Celiacs. Not only do they have good food, but great desserts - many of which are gluten free.

A couple of weeks ago I visited Yukikos for lunch. I ordered beef tacos, and an outstanding squash soup. Although soups are often tricky at restaurants (mostly because of gluten in the chicken stock or thickeners they use), the server checked and the soup was indeed gluten-free. The tacos were made from corn and the ground beef was gluten-free as well.

I wish I had room for dessert. They had 3 desserts that were gluten free - two flourless cakes and a creme brulee (my favourite)! It's sometimes difficult to find one dessert option at a restaurant, let alone three.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Yukikos to other Celiacs. The food is always wonderful and the knowledge of the staff regarding eating gluten-free is definitely above average.

Yukikos
22 WILLIAM ST W
WATERLOO, ON
N2L 1J4
519-576-9424

If you have another restaurant tip, feel free to leave a comment!

Kelsey's in Waterloo

2007-11-13T22:26:00.000-05:00

I've written about Kelsey's before and how it didn't really cater well to Celiacs. Well, my wife had an inkling for nachos, so we decided to visit the King Street location in north Waterloo this evening for dinner.

I was actually pleasantly surprised! The waitress knew what gluten was, and checked up with the kitchen on a number of items on the menu for me.

We started with a huge plate of nachos - we had to have them without the ground beef because the seasonings they use are not gluten-free. Our waitress offered to replace the beef with grilled chicken, but we decided to just go without meat. The chips were indeed corn chips (she checked with the chef, and they only contained corn flour), and the toppings were just fresh tomatoes, lettuce, jalapenos, and cheese.

By the way, the plate of nachos is huge! Way too much for two of us...as an appetizer.

The main courses are a bit of a challenge at Kelseys. Instead of opting for just a chicken salad like I have in the past, I decided on a sandwich...without the bun. It's a trick I've really come to depend on since many sandwiches are gluten-free once you take away the bread.

I ended up with a chicken club - chicken, bacon, melted cheddar and tomatoes and lettuce. The waitress checked up on it and it was indeed gluten-free. It was really tasty, though I suppose not very healthy. You can't eat like this every day - but if you're eating out, you might as well enjoy it, right?

The meal came with fries or a salad. The fries are cooked in the same fryer as other products containing gluten, so they were out. I opted for a house salad with just oil and vinegar dressing. It was decent - fairly fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and shredded cheese.

The bottom line? A fairly decent meal at a restaurant I once deemed one of "KW's Worst Restaurants". (http://safeceliac.blogspot.com/2007/09/kitchener-waterloos-worst-restaurants.html) I guess I stand corrected.

Been to Kelseys? What did you order? Any good tips? Feel free to share a comment!

SafeCeliac.com is here!

2007-11-01T20:29:00.001-04:00

The SafeCeliac blog is now located at www.safeceliac.com (or www.safeceliac.ca).

If you have comments, or have thoughts about any restaurants in the Kitchener, Waterloo or Cambridge area, please feel free to leave them here. Just add a comment to this or any other blog post.

Hope to hear from you.

Rainbow Caribbean in Kitchener

2007-11-01T20:20:00.000-04:00

One of my favourite restaurants in Kitchener-Waterloo is Rainbow Caribbean in the heart of downtown Kitchener. I initially got hooked on their food when they had a location in University Plaza, but that location has been shut down for a few years now...so I have to trek to King & Queen St. to get this wonderful food.

I always get the curry chicken meal, which comes with rice & peas. I spoke to the manager about their ingredients, and he checked with the staff and ensured me that no gluten was used in the chicken curry.

I've been visiting this restaurant for at least 4 years, and have never tried any other dish because the curry is so good (and addictive)!

And it's a pretty fair deal too: the main dish, a plantain slice, and salad (I have oil & vinegar dressing) for well under $10. The meal is quite large and is great for either lunch or dinner.

If you haven't tried it, venture down there and give it a whirl. Oh yeah, and you have to try "The Best" brand of juices - the mixed fruit or mango juice is amazing. Basically it's just squeezed juice into a can. Sweet and wonderful.

St. Louis Bar and Grill

2007-11-01T20:08:00.000-04:00

Last week I visited St. Louis Bar and Grill on Northfield Drive in Waterloo. (283 Northfield Drive, 519-883-4777). I was taking a little risk - eating typical pub food for a Celiac is tough - but it's always interesting to try new places and see what options are available. A little bit of a fact finding mission...

I'm happy to report that my experience was actually very positive. The waitress initially didn't know much about their ingredients cooking techniques, but I was impressed on how much research she did by talking to the kitchen staff.

I ended up having the ribs & wings combo. First the wings: they are not battered, but they are deep fried. However, they are deep fried in their own fryer, separate from battered food. Secondly, their sauces are fine too. I had the medium sauce, but I wouldn't presume all of them would be gluten-free though. (such as honey garlic?)

The ribs are also fine, and the waitress checked all of the ingredients in the BBQ sauce for me. She even came back and asked if "corn starch" was ok to have. Very impressive.

Finally, I couldn't have the fries because they were fried in the same fryer as gluten-products. Instead, it was replaced with a salad, which had a simple vinaigrette that was also ok.

Overall, I was impressed with the options available to me, and the care taken by the staff to ensure the food I was eating was indeed gluten-free. The food - well - you can't eat like this all the time. I definitely wouldn't say they were the best ribs or wings I've ever had either, but I would go back because I know it's safe and I haven't found another place for wings in town.

Have you been there? What did you think? Any other pubs you have visited that have good gluten-free options? Feel free to leave a comment!

Ben Thanh Restaurant in Waterloo

2007-10-19T21:15:00.000-04:00

Eating out at Asian restaurants is often a challenge for Celiacs. So many dishes seem to have soy sauce, which of course has wheat in it. (Well, many brands do).

Luckily there are usually options for Celiacs. My first choice at Chinese food restaurants is usually Singapore Noodles - a rice noodle dish that isn't in a sauce. Of course, I always ask the server to ensure they don't use soy sauce or other sauces, or other gluten products. Sometimes it is tough to get a concise answer though! (If you have any suggestions of other dishes to try, please leave a comment!)

But...this review isn't about Chinese restaurants. It's about a great Thai restaurant on Northfield in Waterloo called Ben Thanh. It's actually a chain with a few locations in Ontario. (Guelph, Waterloo, Cambridge, Burlington, London and Hamilton).

The good thing about Thai restaurants is they usually have a lot of fresh options, and not as many dishes that are fried or are in sauces. Ben Thanh is great because they seem to know their dishes well. I've been there many times and the server always goes to talk to the chefs about what dishes would be safe for me to eat.

So far, here are my findings:

The Lean Beef Pho Soup is gluten-free, and makes a great meal. I don't eat the sauce that comes on the side.
The Pad Thai is gluten-free
The fresh shrimp rolls are gluten-free (shrimp wrapped in rice paper, with lettuce and mint). Again I avoid the sauce.
The fried spring rolls (again wrapped in rice paper) might be gluten-free, but I'm almost certain a separate fryer is not used (so I'd avoid them).
The Vermicelli platters all have meat that is marinated in soy sauce - stay away from these dishes.

So far that's all the information I've discovered. Been to Ben Thanh or other Thai restaurants? Please leave a comment if you have anything to share!

Oh and finally, it's always recommended to ask your server - don't just take my word for it. Preparation techniques or ingredients can change at any time.

Enjoy eating out!

The Keg

2007-10-12T22:46:00.001-04:00

I've posted about The Keg in Waterloo before, but I just visited there this evening and had some additional information to post.

I decided today to have the prime rib, instead of my usual steak option. I always mention to my server that I cannot have gluten, and in this case I specifically questioned the "au jus" that was to accompany the prime rib.

The server didn't know off hand if I could have the au jus, but went to check with the cooking staff. A few minutes later, the host (or manager, I'm not sure which) came to talk to me and mentioned that the au jus contained "corn gluten". He wasn't sure exactly if I could have corn gluten, even though their allergy book indicated that it was fine for Celiacs. (yes, that means they actually have an allergy book. Very cool.)

I did ensure him that "corn gluten" is fine (the word gluten is a little scary, but corn gluten is just corn), and therefore the au jus was fine.

Also, I requested a Caesar salad without croutons, and apparently they made it in a separate bowl so there was no contamination. (The Caesar dressing is safe, I've checked.)

Finally, my meal came with a baked potato and beans and mushrooms. The beans and mushrooms were a little different than the ones my wife (a non-Celiac) got. Hers were cooked in some sort of sauce, and mine were completely plain - probably steamed. I'm not sure exactly why I couldn't have the normal veggies, but they were obviously cautious in preparing my meal.

Overall, it was a great dinner and I really appreciated the staff's knowledge and care about eating gluten-free.

Trip to Madison, Wisconsin

2007-10-12T22:29:00.001-04:00

A few times a year I travel to Madison, Wisconsin on business. It's a great city with lots of interesting restaurants. Eating out tips are always handy, so in the case you find yourself in Madison, here are some restaurants you can try.

1) Sardine's - I ate here recently, and the server definitely knew about eating gluten-free. She mentioned (without me asking) that their fries are cooked in a separate fryer and in peanut oil. I had the steak frites, and a nice fresh salad. Very good.

617 Williamson St. (in back)
Madison,WI 53703
(608) 441-1600

2) Bandung Indonesian Restaurant - this is actually right across the street from Sardine's. I was a little worried at first since the menu had a lot of stir fries and dishes with sauces. However, when I mentioned I was on a gluten-free diet, they produced a menu that had all the items on the menu that were completely gluten-free, or could be modified (and instructions on the menu how...e.g. "No soy sauce", "Rice noodles instead of egg noodles", etc.). Any restaurant that has a gluten-free menu is good in my books.

600 Williamson St
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 255-6910
bandungrestaurant.com

3) Einstein Bagels - I visit this chain often because it has good salad options. The one salad that I've checked up on is the Chipotle salad. The ingredients are indeed gluten-free, including the dressing...with one exception: I don't eat the tortilla strips since the last time I was there they mentioned that they've changed the ones they use recently, and couldn't tell me if they were gluten-free. They are in a separate little container though, so there is no contamination.

4) Mexican food - Madison has a plethora of good Mexican food restaurants. This is good news for Celiacs as a lot of authentic Mexican food is made from corn. (notably corn tortillas) I always try fit in a couple Mexican meals when I'm in Madison.

Well, that's just a few of the establishments I visited on my last trip. I'll post other restaurant options as I take more business trips there.

Have your own favourite restaurants outside of the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge areas? Feel free to add a comment!

Gluten-free in England and Italy

2007-10-12T21:35:00.000-04:00

I've now returned from my 3-week trip in Europe - 1 week in England and 2 weeks in Italy. I thought a little summary post about the trip (with respect to being a Celiac) would be helpful.

So, here are my observations:

England

It seems like London is further ahead in gluten-free options than we are here in Ontario. The grocery stores had plenty of GF options; but more importantly they label so many of their products as gluten free or non-gluten free. Just look for the special gluten-free symbol on the front of the product! Pretty handy.

However - they must have slightly different 'rules' about what ingredients are and aren't allowed in England. I say this because some products that were labeled gluten free had ingredients that I wouldn't dare to eat. For instance, "wheat starch (gluten-free)" seems like an oxymoron to me, but I'm not sure what sort of processing was used (and can't pretend to be an expert). I just stayed away from these products.

Which reminds me, if you fly British Airways, you get food made in Britain. No kidding! But the bun that came with my gluten-free meal had ingredients listed on it...one of which was this same "gluten-free wheat starch". Just be careful.

With all that said, I do think that London at least is further along in terms of gluten-free options. Restaurants - especially 'fast' food chains - seem to have more gluten-free options. For instance, a few of the Starbucks I visited had a gluten-free pastries. Pret a Manger, another popular fast food restaurant had "sandwiches without the bun". I had a shrimp salad which was amazingly fresh and tasted great.

The restaurants we visited were pretty knowledgeable as well, but I guess I was most impressed with the large food chains that had options usually not found here in Ontario.

Oh, and before I forget. I found a gluten-free beer in England! That's two that I know of now (the other one being La Messagère of course). Here's a picture:

Italy

Eating in Italy was both easy and tough for me. It was easy because although many places we visited didn't speak English, the business card-sized note I made up in Italian indicating that I needed gluten-free food was ideal. It worked so well, I almost feel like making one in English so I don't have to explain to my server every time I go out to eat!

It was tough though because my wife (who isn't a Celiac) ate so much great bread and pasta that I was pretty jealous.

But overall, I didn't have a tough time. At our first town (Padua/Padova), we found a natural food store that helped us find gluten-free products. They directed us to the pharmacy - yes that's correct - you buy gluten-free products at pharmacies in Italy.

So we found a pharmacy close by and it had so many gluten-free products. Needless to say I stocked up (see the picture below).

The fresh (not-frozen) Schar products were really the best of the bunch, though everything was very good. The Bon Matin buns were sweet breakfast buns, perfect with a little Nutella on them for breakfasts. I also bought sandwich buns and just purchased sliced meat and cheese from the markets for lunches. Not only was this cost effective, but a quick and delicious lunch. The pharmacy also gave me a handful of free sample products, such as cookies, crackers and savoury snacks!

As an aside: Italy's sliced meats are a lot different than the processed meats we get here in Ontario at grocery stores. They have a lot less preservatives and fillers - in fact, finding ones with gluten is very unlikely. Even salami and sausages that I found were pretty much pork, salt, pepper and spices.

Dinners worked out well - instead of the 'primi' course (which is usually pasta), I enjoyed salads, prosciutto with melon, or cheeses. Often I tried the risotto if it was available, and the servers ensured me that it was cooked without gluten. (The most common problem with risotto is the chicken broth that the rice is cooked in. This chicken stock often contains gluten in store bought products in Canada.) It seemed fine in Italy, but definitely check if you are there and have risotto.

The second course was easy as it's almost always meat or fish. In fact, if you don't order a side dish, sometimes you just get the meat. (A little shocking when you just get a whole fish plopped down in front of you!). Anyway, most of these second courses were just grilled or baked, with not a lot of sauces to worry about. But very tasty indeed!

All in all, it was a great trip, and a lot less troublesome than expected.

Do you have any vacation tips, especially when visiting foreign countries? Please add a comment!

One last picture from Italy:

Trip to England and Italy

2007-09-09T18:10:00.000-04:00

Next week I leave for London, England for 1 week, and a tour of Italy for 2 weeks. We'll see how eating gluten-free is like in both places.

I've heard that there are many gluten-free options in Italy since many Italians have Celiac disease. I don't speak Italian, but have an allergy phrase book, and also a business-card sized description of what I cannot eat (with some suggestions of what I can eat) in Italian.

If this is helpful for anyone, this is what an Italian friend wrote up for me:

Soffro di una forte allergia al glutine, per cui NON posso mangiare nessun tipo di frumento, segale, orzo o malto (niente pasta, pizza, pane, fritto impanato, etc.).

Posso invece mangiare prodotti elaborati dal mais, dal riso e dalla patata.

Restaurant Review - Hannah's Tapas Bar in Waterloo

2007-09-08T13:37:00.000-04:00

The other night we visited Hannah's Tapas Bar for dinner (http://www.hannahsbellabistro.com/). For a Friday night, the restaurant wasn't very busy, but apparently gets busy later in the evening as people are looking for snacks ('tapas' are really just small tasting plates, like appetizers.) Also, Friday night happens to be $4 martini night! You only could choose from 4 different types of martinis, but the 4 they had were still excellent.

The atmosphere was cool, and the waitress was very professional. It was hard to tell if she knew about Celiac disease, but she seemed to know that gluten was wheat and related products.

Our party of 4 ordered a variety of tapas, and I could eat most of them. The waitress went over the whole menu and indicated what was and wasn't gluten-free. At one point the waitress recommended a dish cooked with beer. This just shows you that even though wait staff may know some things about eating gluten-free, it's always best to ask lots of questions.

The highlights for me were the scallops, shrimp, warm olives and tomato & goat cheese salad.

We ended up passing on dessert (even though they had creme brulee - my favourite). Instead, our party went for a walk and ended up at Yukiko's for dessert. (They also had creme brulee which was gluten-free. It was decent, but not the best I've ever had.)

Overall, the food was excellent...but perhaps a bit pricey if you are hungry and are looking for quantity. The bill for the 4 of us was around $110, including a couple drinks each. Service was good, and knowledge about eating gluten-free was definitely better than average.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5
Celiac friendly: 4 out of 5
Value: 3 out of 5

Restaurant Review - Wildfire (in Niagara Falls)

2007-09-03T21:50:00.000-04:00

This weekend I went to visit Niagara Falls for a family get-together, and ended up at a newly renovated restaurant called Wildfire Grill House & Lounge. (6788 Thorold Stone Road, Niagara Falls, Ontario, 905-356-3473). Apparently this is somewhat of a restaurant chain (with another location in St. Catherines), but I don't think is associated with a chain of restaurants by the same name in the United States.

Their menu is fairly broad - from pizzas all the way to steak and seafood. I'd rate the atmosphere and menu along the lines of The Keg. It's definitely not fancy dining, but upscale in terms of chain restaurants and prices.

We went on a Sunday night at around 6 pm and the restaurant was nearly empty. We also had a party of 3 children. There was no kids menu but they did have kiddie pizzas or kiddie pasta as options.

Since more of the lower end menu choices involved gluten (pizzas, pastas, etc.) I ended up asking about the Prime Rib with Crab Legs. It was $42.95 - yes, quite steep. (It was really the crab that pushed it up into the 40's, since the Prime Rib alone was much less...but I'm a sucker for good crab).

It was obvious that the waitress had never heard of Celiac disease, but she did apparently talk to the chef to make sure my meal would be safe. As I expected, it turns out that the jus for the prime rib was not gluten-free so she recommended against the whole dish. I ended up with a filet mignon, which cost more money. I wasn't willing to give up on the crab - so my dish was $47.95. Right out - yes, that's expensive. For a high end restaurant with a unique atmosphere...maybe. But for a restaurant somewhat equivalent to The Keg, it was quite over the top for price.

The waitress asked me if I wanted rice or baked potato, and since I always end up with potato, I thought I'd inquire about the rice dish. The waitress said it was wild rice and probably would be fine, but I asked if she could check with the chef anyway in case it was cooked in non-GF chicken broth, which is common in restaurants. I said if rice wasn't gluten-free, then the potato would do.

Because of the price and my worry for such a big meal (steak & seafood), I bowed out gracefully on appetizers.

When the meal came I ended up getting the potato, meaning the rice was likely not gluten-free, or the waitress forgot. The meal wasn't as large as expected, but still was plenty of food. Although the food was decent, the crab was not worth the money. It wasn't really fishy, but it didn't really have that sweet taste that good crab can have. In a way, it really didn't taste like anything. I guess it's hard to expect much from a restaurant chain claiming to be a 'grill house', but like I mentioned, I am a sucker for good carb.

The 8 oz steak was good, but its bacon wrapping (almost the best part!) wasn't superb. The potato came with just butter, and a selection of toppings served table-side.

All in all, the food was decent, but not for the price. An equivalent meal at The Keg would have probably been about $10 less; or I would have expected much better preparation. And even though the waitress hadn't heard of Celiac disease, she did seem to do her homework with the chef.

Would I return? Perhaps. But no seafood next time.

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5
Celiac friendly: 3 out of 5
Value: 2 out of 5

Kitchener-Waterloo's Worst Restaurants for Celiacs

2007-09-01T14:17:00.000-04:00

Well, I've mentioned my favourite restaurants in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. But which ones should you avoid? Here are Kitchener-Waterloo's worst restaurants when it comes to gluten-free options.

East Side Marios - what a disaster. There's almost nothing on the menu that is gluten-free. The last time I went for lunch, I had a chicken salad, hold the marinade on the chicken, and hold the dressing. (yes, that tasty salad dressing they have is NOT gluten-free). So basically it was plain chicken on a bed of lettuce. My mother (who also has Celiac disease) went to another East Side Marios, ordered a simple steak and got sick. Not cool.
Boston Pizza - along the same lines as East Sides. I think the only thing on the menu that's gluten-free are their ribs, which are not very good. If you want ribs, try Montanas as their Texas Bold BBQ Sauce is gluten-free.
Kelsey's - is along the same lines as East Side Marios. I ended up with a salmon salad, with oil and vinegar dressing.
Barley Works at the Huether Hotel - when I asked the waitress about gluten-free options (after an explanation of what it meant to be gluten-free), she chuckled and said: "Good luck". She was nice enough mind you, and checked with the kitchen staff - but in the end she told me that pretty much the whole kitchen is based around wheat. The end result? A very plain steak without spices or marinade, with boiled vegetables (broccoli, carrots and cauliflower - yuck). At least they tried, but I wouldn't go back.
Tim Hortons - I wouldn't really expect much, but being such a large chain and so prominent in Ontario, I'd expect at least something on the menu for Celiacs (well, besides coffee of course!). Even chili at Wendy's is gluten-free, but not at Tim Hortons.

Seems like a pretty common thread: low-cost dining and pub food is tough for Celiacs. Although I'm not surprised, it's such a shame because you can make many simple foods without wheat and have them taste good. And with so many people suffering from Celiac disease, you would think that these large restaurant chains would start thinking about more gluten-free options.

But besides Tim Hortons and other obvious ones like pizza places, many fast food restaurants have options that are gluten-free.

Wendy's - chili and salads (taco salad)
Harvey's - some salads
Subway - salads
McDonalds - fries, hamburger patties, salads

Have your own 'worst' restaurant? Feel free to post your own comments.

Kitchener-Waterloo's Best Restaurants for Celiacs

2007-09-01T13:59:00.000-04:00

Here are my current favourite restaurants in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. These restaurants have many gluten free options and seem to know a lot about how to serve a good meal that is gluten-free.

Charbries (http://www.charbries.com/index.html) - The food, service and atmosphere is top notch here. They seem very knowledgeable about Celiac disease, and the last few times I've visited there they've mentioned they have a staff member with Celiac disease. Their caesar salad (prepared table-side) is wonderful - just ask them to make it without the croutons and Worcestershire sauce (which contains malt). Their main dishes are all outstanding, and most can be custom made to be gluten-free if they aren't already. Leave room for dessert - home made ice creams or creme brulee. With a new menu every season, you can always find a reason to visit Charbries.
Verses Restaurant (http://www.versesrestaurant.ca/) - Well, I just wrote a post about their amazing gluten-free bread, and just for that they deserve to be in this list!
Del Dente's (http://www.charcoalsteakhouse.ca/deldente.html)- At Del Dente's, all orders are made from scratch. I went with a party of 4 individuals and get this: one had Celiac disease (that's me), one had an allergy to garlic, and one had an allergy to nuts. They must have thought we were part of some strange allergy convention or something. Anyway, they catered to all of us, and none of us got sick. The food was also very tasty.
The Keg - Ok, so I'm a sucker for steak. I've heard rumours that the Keg 'dusts' their steaks with flour, but the Waterloo Keg on Northfield Ave does not. The last time I was there, my server had Celiac disease and we looked at the ingredients in the caeasar salad dressing and there was no gluten. Just ask them to make the salad in a new bowl, so you don't get contamination with croutons from someone else's order. The steak is obviously the highlight, but add some crab or lobster and enjoy the feast.

Well, those are my favourites. Please feel free to leave a comment with your own favourites! And as always, don't forget to ask your server whether your choices are indeed gluten-free, as staff and preparation techniques are always changing.

Verses Restaurant (Amazing gluten-free bread)

2007-08-31T09:38:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I went to Verses as part of Kitchener-Waterloo's Summerlicious. Most high end restaurants know about Celiac disease and the importance of a gluten-free diet. Verses was no exception - the service was wonderful and the food was great.

However the real highlight for me was their gluten-free bread. Most restaurants serve bread at the beginning of a meal, but I can't think of too many restaurants that offer gluten-free bread for their Celiac customers. Verses goes the extra mile and has gluten-free bread!

And here's the kicker: I've never had gluten-free bread that tastes this good. It was absolutely incredible! It was a cheese bread, and didn't taste at all like any other gluten-free breads I've ever tried. It didn't fall apart, had good texture, and really just tasted like 'normal' fresh bread. Quite amazing.

After asking the manager about it, she informed me that it's made by a lady at the Kitchener market. I haven't investigated more since, but I plan to.

In the mean time, if you know any more information about this lady at the market, feel free to leave a comment.

For more information about Verses, see http://www.versesrestaurant.ca. I would highly recommend this restaurant.

Restaurants You Thought You Couldn't Eat At

2007-08-21T21:39:00.001-04:00

Here are a few restaurants in Waterloo, Ontario that I never would have imagined I could eat at being on a gluten-free diet.

Although some of these I frequent often, it's always important to mention to your server that you have Celiac disease and that you need to have a meal without any gluten. Recipes, techniques or kitchen personelle can change at any time.

Feel free to comment on this list if you have any favourite restaurants or good tips!

Bakers Cove Seafood Restaurant - I believe the owner has a friend that is a Celiac, and is well versed in preparation techniques to avoid contamination. Although I'm a sucker for good french fries (and they cook them in a separate fryer from the breaded fish), their grilled fish sprinkled with rice flour is incredible as well. Fish and chips for a Celiac - gotta love it. (www.bakerscoveseafood.ca/)
Ennios Pasta House - Last time I was there my server was a Celiac as well! They may not mention this on their menu (I can't quite remember), but they do indeed have rice noodles so many of their pasta dishes can be modified to be gluten-free. Ask them to make the sauce from scratch - I had the alfredo last time I was there and they prepared it without wheat flour.
Mongolian Grill - if you ask your server, they will give you a list of all the sauces that do and don't contain wheat-related products. Also, when you go up to fry your creation, mention to the cook that you are allergic to wheat products and they'll clean the grill area for your stir fry very well, and take extra precautions against contamination from other meals around you. There is always a risk of contamination at restaurants like this, but I definitely have been impressed with their effort.
Subway - Often I need a quick meal, and some of Subway's salads are indeed gluten-free. I've researched their ingredients and the Subway Club salad and Subway Melt salad (including the Kraft dressing packets) are gluten free. Depending on the Subway you go to, they can be very clean and will change their gloves and knives for you if you mention it to them. The Subway in Uptown Waterloo is one I frequent regularly.
McDonalds - Ok, this isn't a "Best of Waterloo" series (wait for an upcoming post), but again if you need a fast food fix McDonalds does have some options for you. The meat patties are gluten-free (so you can order a burger without the bun) and the fries are cooked in a separate fryer as well. Now whether you want to go to McD's is another topic altogether...

Ok, that's it for now. More to come soon!

Welcome to SafeCeliac

2007-08-08T22:21:00.000-04:00

Welcome to SafeCeliac - the place to find information about restaurants for individuals on a gluten-free diet.

I was diagnosed with Celiac disease in 2003, and have found one of the most challenging aspects is eating out. Many restaurants don't have gluten-free options, or don't know much about making gluten-free dishes that are palatable.

However, when a restaurant does provide a gluten-free meal that tastes great (and also comes with a dessert!), it's such a great dining experience.

So - this site is targeted towards reviewing restaurants...but not in the traditional sense. SafeCeliac is tailored towards individuals with Celiac disease, so restaurants are reviewed based not only on the quality of food, but the knowledge of the staff about the gluten-free diet, the menu and its respective gluten-free options, and the ability for the restaurant to tailor dishes to meet a gluten-free diet.

I'm based out of the Kitchener-Waterloo area, so most of the reviews here are from this area. (Although I do often travel outside this region, especially to the Greater Toronto Area)

Please feel free to leave comments related to your experiences as well!