This past weekend, I went to visit my friends A. and S. and their twin 3-year-olds in New Jersey. They were good enough to pick up some gluten-free goodies for me to eat while I was visiting, and planned a pasta night and a pizza night for my visit. For pizza night, the Gluten-Free option was Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Mix.
This mix was easy to make (enough so that I made it with 3-year-old twins with very little hassle), and not as watery as some of the other gluten-free mixes. It's good, but has a somewhat strange texture. I guess the best way to describe it is chunkier than a regular pizza mix. A. tried both, and said that in comparison to the Better Homes and Gardens pizza dough recipe, the gluten-free dough had more flavor.
I did use a pizza stone to cook it, and if I had it to do over, I would have used less of the dough to get a thinner crust, since it was pretty thick in some places. It was delicious, and the family sent me home with lots of leftovers, so I'll be enjoying it some more later today. :)
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Eating Out: The Boynton
This is an eating out post, even though we actually ate at home. M. and I really love The Boynton, in Worcester, MA, not in small part because they offer the best gluten-free pizza I've ever had.
Their pizza has a thin, crispy crust, and they have some great topping choices. Tonight I went with the Red Hot Chicken Pizza, which they describe as "A white peppercorn pizza sauce topped with spicy grilled chicken strips and topped with a blend of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses." It's more tangy than I usually like, but for some reason, I find it to be outrageously delicious.
We also get the potato skins regularly, which I've never had problems with. The Boynton also had a full gluten-free menu one night a week at one point, but we managed to never get there while they had it, and they've since gotten rid of it.
The Boynton has three gluten-free beers, including Redbridge and two Green's offerings. They have a lot of other beers, as well, so your favorite beer lover would have a grand time deciding what to drink. Their non-gf menu is extensive, and according to M., very enjoyable. Try it the next time you're in Worcester!
Their pizza has a thin, crispy crust, and they have some great topping choices. Tonight I went with the Red Hot Chicken Pizza, which they describe as "A white peppercorn pizza sauce topped with spicy grilled chicken strips and topped with a blend of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses." It's more tangy than I usually like, but for some reason, I find it to be outrageously delicious.
We also get the potato skins regularly, which I've never had problems with. The Boynton also had a full gluten-free menu one night a week at one point, but we managed to never get there while they had it, and they've since gotten rid of it.
The Boynton has three gluten-free beers, including Redbridge and two Green's offerings. They have a lot of other beers, as well, so your favorite beer lover would have a grand time deciding what to drink. Their non-gf menu is extensive, and according to M., very enjoyable. Try it the next time you're in Worcester!
Eating Out: Uno Chicago Grill
Last night, my fiance (M.) and I went to Uno Chicago Grill in Worcester, MA with one of M.'s co-workers. This particular Uno's is right across from the DCU Center, so it gets busy when there's an event there. We happened to luck out last night, arriving right after a hockey game started at the DCU, so the restaurant had pretty much cleared out.
We had decided to go to Uno's because I discovered last night that they had a gluten-free menu, including gluten-free pizza (which I will have to try at some point, to compare to The Boynton, which is a post for another day). Our waitress was somewhat on the incompetent side, and our first clue was how long it took me to get a gluten-free menu. I asked for one when we ordered our drinks, and she brought our drinks (and no gluten-free menu), left, then came back and asked if we were ready to order. I asked again, and five minutes later actually got the menu.
I waffled on whether I should order the pizza or the steak, since I was really in the mood for steak, but also love pizza. I've noticed that on some gluten-free menus, the restaurants will write tips like "Order without the bun," or "Order without sauce." I've found that these restaurants tend to be the ones that are better about providing food that is safe for me to eat. Uno's did not indicate anything like this.
Out of curiosity, I opened the regular menu and compared the gluten-free steak to the regular menu steak. They were exactly the same, but the regular menu indicated that the steak came with a breadstick. I voiced my concern to my dinner companions, and M. said if it's on the gluten-free menu, it shouldn't come with a breadstick, and if that's the only thing keeping me from ordering the steak, that's silly. I agreed on both counts, and decided to order the steak. I didn't mention the breadstick, hoping for the best, and figuring that I wasn't starving, so if I had to send it back, so be it.
When our food came out, I realized that trust was a poor choice. Surprise, surprise, my steak had a breadstick on it. I told my waitress that I couldn't eat it, since I ordered gluten-free and there was a breadstick on the plate. She took the plate and told me she'd be right back. A few minutes later, she came back and said it would be about five minutes (which was fine by me, since that meant they were giving me a fresh steak rather than throwing the contaminated one back on the grill). A while later, someone who I would guess was a manager came out with my plate, said, "Here's your breadstick-free steak," and left.
I must say that the food was delicious. I had mashed potatoes and broccoli, which were both yummy, and the steak was juicy and wonderful. It would have been nice, however, to eat with M. and D., rather than after. We finished up our meal, got the bill, paid, and left. At that point I realized that I never got a single apology. Not one person said they were sorry or asked if they could do anything else for me or my companions. They also didn't offer to comp anything on our bill to make up for the fact that I had to sit and watch M. and D. eat for 10 minutes. I'm not looking for free food, but I think that offering to take a drink off our bill or give us a coupon is a good way to encourage someone who has had a less-than-ideal experience to come back. I used to work at a chain restaurant, and I saw that happen all the time. Maybe I would have gotten a different reaction if I had been irate about it, but that's just not my style.
I will likely order from Uno's again, if not just to try the pizza, but I will be somewhat more wary in the future. One of my adventures is finding the right balance between not saying anything and annoying the waitstaff by saying it so many times. Clearly, just ordering off the gluten-free menu is not enough at Uno's, and I'll remember that in the future.
We had decided to go to Uno's because I discovered last night that they had a gluten-free menu, including gluten-free pizza (which I will have to try at some point, to compare to The Boynton, which is a post for another day). Our waitress was somewhat on the incompetent side, and our first clue was how long it took me to get a gluten-free menu. I asked for one when we ordered our drinks, and she brought our drinks (and no gluten-free menu), left, then came back and asked if we were ready to order. I asked again, and five minutes later actually got the menu.
I waffled on whether I should order the pizza or the steak, since I was really in the mood for steak, but also love pizza. I've noticed that on some gluten-free menus, the restaurants will write tips like "Order without the bun," or "Order without sauce." I've found that these restaurants tend to be the ones that are better about providing food that is safe for me to eat. Uno's did not indicate anything like this.
Out of curiosity, I opened the regular menu and compared the gluten-free steak to the regular menu steak. They were exactly the same, but the regular menu indicated that the steak came with a breadstick. I voiced my concern to my dinner companions, and M. said if it's on the gluten-free menu, it shouldn't come with a breadstick, and if that's the only thing keeping me from ordering the steak, that's silly. I agreed on both counts, and decided to order the steak. I didn't mention the breadstick, hoping for the best, and figuring that I wasn't starving, so if I had to send it back, so be it.
When our food came out, I realized that trust was a poor choice. Surprise, surprise, my steak had a breadstick on it. I told my waitress that I couldn't eat it, since I ordered gluten-free and there was a breadstick on the plate. She took the plate and told me she'd be right back. A few minutes later, she came back and said it would be about five minutes (which was fine by me, since that meant they were giving me a fresh steak rather than throwing the contaminated one back on the grill). A while later, someone who I would guess was a manager came out with my plate, said, "Here's your breadstick-free steak," and left.
I must say that the food was delicious. I had mashed potatoes and broccoli, which were both yummy, and the steak was juicy and wonderful. It would have been nice, however, to eat with M. and D., rather than after. We finished up our meal, got the bill, paid, and left. At that point I realized that I never got a single apology. Not one person said they were sorry or asked if they could do anything else for me or my companions. They also didn't offer to comp anything on our bill to make up for the fact that I had to sit and watch M. and D. eat for 10 minutes. I'm not looking for free food, but I think that offering to take a drink off our bill or give us a coupon is a good way to encourage someone who has had a less-than-ideal experience to come back. I used to work at a chain restaurant, and I saw that happen all the time. Maybe I would have gotten a different reaction if I had been irate about it, but that's just not my style.
I will likely order from Uno's again, if not just to try the pizza, but I will be somewhat more wary in the future. One of my adventures is finding the right balance between not saying anything and annoying the waitstaff by saying it so many times. Clearly, just ordering off the gluten-free menu is not enough at Uno's, and I'll remember that in the future.
Hello and welcome!
Hi! Welcome to my newest attempt at blogging! I guess this is where I should tell you a little bit about myself.
I'm Theresa, a 26-year-old student living in Worcester, MA. A little over a year ago, I started having terrible migraines with a variety of unpleasant symptoms, including partial temporary blindness and numbness and tingling in my hands, arms, face, and legs. About six months ago, a gluten-free friend suggested I try eliminating gluten from my diet, after reading an article about the link between gluten and migraines. I figured I'd give it a shot, and lo and behold, I felt better! After a couple of gluten-free weeks, I decided to test it, and ate all the foods I'd been missing. What do you know, I got sick.
So since then, I've been doing my best to avoid gluten. This has been quite the challenge, and quite the adventure. My fiance is not gluten-free, but will eat things that are gluten-free (though he will grab a slice of wheat bread to eat with dinner sometimes). We love to go out to eat, which is definitely more of a challenge now. I regularly have to send meals back because they have a piece of bread on the plate, and I was once served salmon coated in panko breadcrumbs after requesting a gluten-free meal (but that's a story for another day).
This blog will likely cover both restaurants and home-cooking, since both are a big part of my life. I hope to keep it regularly updated, and provide a resource for others who are looking for gluten-free options at home and out in the world. Enjoy, and eat safely!
I'm Theresa, a 26-year-old student living in Worcester, MA. A little over a year ago, I started having terrible migraines with a variety of unpleasant symptoms, including partial temporary blindness and numbness and tingling in my hands, arms, face, and legs. About six months ago, a gluten-free friend suggested I try eliminating gluten from my diet, after reading an article about the link between gluten and migraines. I figured I'd give it a shot, and lo and behold, I felt better! After a couple of gluten-free weeks, I decided to test it, and ate all the foods I'd been missing. What do you know, I got sick.
So since then, I've been doing my best to avoid gluten. This has been quite the challenge, and quite the adventure. My fiance is not gluten-free, but will eat things that are gluten-free (though he will grab a slice of wheat bread to eat with dinner sometimes). We love to go out to eat, which is definitely more of a challenge now. I regularly have to send meals back because they have a piece of bread on the plate, and I was once served salmon coated in panko breadcrumbs after requesting a gluten-free meal (but that's a story for another day).
This blog will likely cover both restaurants and home-cooking, since both are a big part of my life. I hope to keep it regularly updated, and provide a resource for others who are looking for gluten-free options at home and out in the world. Enjoy, and eat safely!
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