Gluten-Free Buns at Red Robin!

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Jan 102012
 
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We went to our favorite Red Robin tonight expecting to have to eat our burgers without buns. The manager informed us that they now have a gluten-free bun option!  It is apparently a brand-new option and participation may vary. (It is not yet listed on their regular menus, so be sure to ask for them.) They do have a full gluten-free menu sheet as well if you ask for it, listing what is safe to eat.

Also our waitress let us know that the seasoning on the fries should not be used when avoiding gluten. This is the same seasoning they have at the tables and I didn’t see anything in the ingredient list that might contain gluten. (It does have soy though, so I try to avoid it.) Since they recommend we not use it, we took their advice. We felt like they were aware of gluten-free requirements and were able and happy to help us.

The gluten-free buns are a dollar extra, but if you are like us and are tired (already) of eating a burger with a lettuce wrap, or worse, with cutlery, then just for the illusion of normalcy, they are worth it. And, frankly, quite tasty.

 Posted by ElderDaniel at 8:53 pm  Tagged with: gluten-free, Red Robin, restaurant

Romano’s Macaroni Grill

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Jan 012012
 

NB: It is not my goal for this blog to be a rant site, but I will post reviews. I also don’t expect to post three times in one day. This review just needs to be shared.

My wife and I went to Romano’s Macaroni Grill in Scottsdale tonight for dinner. I left disappointed.

We came to the restaurant specifically because of a recommendation. As I am now on a gluten-free diet and have other allergies, suffice it to say, I don’t get to eat Italian often. However I was told that they have gluten-free pasta and other choices. I was initially impressed by the sheet that breaks down their meals by allergen so that one knows what is safe. Kudos on that. This is more than most places provide.

However, they have Basil Pesto Sauce listed as NOT being gluten-free nor soy free. Finding that odd, I asked the waiter to confirm with the chef, and I was told there was no wheat product at all in the pesto, which seems correct. (I did not ask about the soy, but I would wager that sneaks in somehow thanks to the cheese.)

So I ordered the Create Your Own Pasta of gluten-free penne with pesto sauce, shrimp, peppers, spinach, and mushrooms.

When my bowl of pasta arrived, it had all of the above. However, it also had onions, zucchini, and eggplant, yet I had to dig to find a shrimp. I originally assumed I had somebody else’s order.

The waiter, who was wonderful and attentive, took the bowl away and offered to replace it as I ordered. I would have eaten the original bowl, and told him so, but I was more concerned, as I said, that it was someone else’s.

As a side note, if these flourishes of extra vegetables are an example of a cook’s flair, I would say that if a customer orders a straight menu item, that might be acceptable. But when I fill out a cute little checkbox form with what I want on my Create Your Own Pasta bowl, I *only* want the items I checked off.

A fresh bowl arrived later exactly as ordered. Except the pasta was undercooked. I don’t mean really firm al-dente. I mean some were still way under done. Now, I know that gluten-free pasta takes longer to cook, and they probably rushed the bowl to get it to me. But that bowl was almost inedible.

The waiter did offer to get me a third bowl. I declined and soldiered through it. We were having dinner out for my wife’s birthday and I did not want to belabor the meal. The waiter then offered us dessert to make up for the problems. Though I did agree to this, and I’m not demanding or even asking for a full dinner cost to be covered, it seems inadequate for management to offer me a three dollar dessert to make up for a twice-failed $14 dinner.  I do not intend to go back.

 Posted by ElderDaniel at 11:32 pm  Tagged with: FAIL, gluten-free, italian, restaurant
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