We took the kids back to Florida this year to spend a couple of Disney Days. I have to say the difference between this year and last was tremendous, as for gluten free options go. Not just in the parks but in the surrounding Orlando/Lake Buena Vista area.
The first day in Epcot we ate in Germany and we were very surprised to find the large amount of gluten free options on their buffet. The chef came out to greet us as they always do in Disney when someone has a food allergy or intolerance. he brought my daughter and grandson around to point out all the gluten free options available to them on the buffet. He even brought out some desserts for my grandson which was a pre packaged brand “enjoy life” of a chocolate chip cookie, brownie and a krispy rice candy bar (just like a Nestlé’s crunch bar only gluten free). My grandson had the German meatloaf and loved it. I am now looking for a German meatloaf recipe to make at home. When I find one we like I will include it in a future post.
In Norway (at Epcot) there was another restaurant with lots of gluten free options. Unfortunately we couldn’t get in because they were having a princess luncheon and they were all booked up that day. Right across the street was a Norwegian Bakery and they had gluten free pastries and desserts. One was a mini chocolate Bundt cake.
The next day in Animal Kingdom we went to the Pizzafari in Safari Village. Again, the chef came out and took our order. My grandson got the cheese pizza with red seedless grapes for dessert. He ate the whole pizza himself. I guess you could say it was pretty good.
The last day we were there we went to Downtown Disney where we made reservations at T-Rex. I recommend reservations if you want to eat anywhere in Disney with out a long wait. We did walk around for a bit before our reservation time. My grandkids and I had been to T-Rex before and their gluten free menu was limited to the roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. My daughter had never been and after we arrived and talked to the chef we were pleasantly surprised that they had expanded their GF menu to include pasta. My grandson was very happy with the pasta with marinara sauce and he also had the mashed red potatoes.
In the evenings we ventured around the Orlando area to find some good restaurants for dinner. My grandson is a big fan of Uno’s pizza and of course we had to go there one night. Luckily both my daughter and I get email coupons from Uno’s and we had one that we were able to take $11.00 off the bill. If you like Uno’s I would recommend signing up for the emails. To us it is worth it. They have other perks too. Check it out.
We also tried P.F. Chang’s at the Millenia Mall. If you let them know you have a food allergy/intolerance they will accommodate you. One thing my grandson misses at home is fried rice. My daughter has a great GF recipe which I will dig up and post but it is involved and time consuming, not something you want to make everyday but great for special occasions. P.F. Chang’s made my grandson a big plate of GF Chicken Fried Rice which he quickly devoured. I don’t think one tiny piece of rice was left on the plate.
On the last evening we went to BJ’s Brewhouse. It is a chain restaurant but they do have a very good GF menu consisting of salads, soups, steak, chicken, fish, pizza, bake potato, and desserts. They even have GF alcoholic beverages. We did call ahead to get on the wait list and after we got there had to wait an additional 20 minutes but it was worth it. The food was great and my grandson, having pizza of course, ate it all up.
I think we had a very successful GF trip this time. I was glad to see restaurants becoming more aware of allergies and intolerances and rising to the occasion to accommodate them.
Thanks Orlando and Disney! I’m sure we’ll be back soon.
#glutenfree
Dining Out
On occasion we all like to eat out. When you have a mix of allergies, intolerances and preferences how do you find a restaurant that will fit all these needs? I like to use an app on my iPhone called “find me gluten free”. It’s a free app and it’s available on iPhone and Android and they also have a website you can use if you haven’t upgraded to a smart phone yet. We have used this app whenever we travel all over the United States. On their website I noticed that there is a foreign country option too. It’s so easy to use. It gives you menus, phone numbers, directions and reviews. We recently used this when we visited Disney World in Orlando, Fl.. My grandson loves ribs and of course most places that provide gluten free options give you a potato, steamed vegetables and grilled chicken. Well there’s only so much of that a 7 year old can take so my daughter consulted the app and in seconds we found Flame Tree Barbecue in Animal Kingdom. He had BBQ ribs, coleslaw and grapes and he enjoyed every last bit of it. This app also gives vegan and vegetarian options so if you travel this app is invaluable.
Enjoying BBQ
Recently I was talking with one of the Technicians I work with and he told me that his sister-in-law has celiac and they are always concerned when she comes over because they are unsure of what to feed her and they especially find it hard if they want to meet them out for dinner because they just don’t know where to go that she can eat and have a good time. I mentioned the app to him and I also mentioned a restaurant in the city that is actually GiG trained (Gluten Free training certified). This is also posted in the app. So whether you have a preference to vegan foods or have an allergy or intolerance to foods containing gluten this app can really help in finding the right place for you, your family and friends. One thing my vegan daughter dislikes is when we are going out to eat and someone says,” oh, you can have a salad”. Just as my gluten free grandson gets tired of grilled chicken she gets tired of just a salad. Using this helpful tool can give everyone an enjoyable dining experience. Love, Grammie Deb
Anything But Gluten 