Wendy's new "Menu Items Without Gluten" guide

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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!