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.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Lee Restaurant in Toronto
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.)
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.)
Friday, February 8, 2008
Masala Bay Restaurant in Waterloo
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.
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.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Lily Ruth Restaurant in Cambridge
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!
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!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Elixir in Cambridge
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
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
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Casa Greek (Cambridge)
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
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
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Hannah's Bella Bistro
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
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
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