Philadelphia
Well, I'm back. It was tough, I got glutened, and I found it much harder in Philly to find safe places to eat. I'll give you a run down of where I went and what I found.
Off the airplane we stopped at Whole Foods on South Street. They had a small selection compared to our Whole Foods in San Diego, but it is a smaller store. I was able to stock up on some cereal, bars and other staples.
Presidents day morning we went for breakfast. First place - no hot food due to a fire in the kitchen. Second place closed. Third place - back to the hotel. We ate at Lacroix. They were helpful. Breakfast is an easier thing but I had eggs and fruit.
Dinner we met friends for sushi at Hikaru. I didn't have my GF soy sauce so it was sans sauce. I talked to the guy at the sushi counter and he had no tempura or fried pieces up, so no cross contamination.
Our go to place, a bit pricey but safe, was Smith and Wollensky Steakhouse in the Rittenhouse Hotel. Damian, the manager was great. I found that shrimp cocktail, asparagus, baked potato and a steak were all safe. I probably ate more steak this week than I do in a three month period.
Stay away from Vietnam. This is a place I used to love for Pho, Bun and other tasty food. I thought we were okay. The waiter knew which sauces had soy and let me know that I could not have it. He seemed knowledgeable and the manager too. Within minutes of walking out the door I was sick and it lasted the rest of the trip. All I can think is that the rice paper wraps may have been made at the same place as wonton wraps and was cross contaminated or the broth was contaminated in the Pho. Either way it set me back.
I was referred to Sweet Freedom Bakery on South Street. The only GF bakery in town. We had some cookies that were good - still soft. The muffins were special order; we ordered a dozen of blueberry and apple. They were okay, a bit flat and dense. The cupcakes were not a hit with the most sophisticated palates - my kids. But in the city its the only option.
Parc on Rittenhouse was fine. They didn't have a GF menu but without missing a beat the waiter was able to tell me what items were GF. I had a warm shrimp salad and a chicken dish. I questioned the sauce and the waiter returned from the kitchen with a full list of ingredients - all GF.
Rouge is another restaurant on Rittenhouse. We had lunch. No GF menu and the waitress had to check with the kitchen but they had some options for me. I had chicken with sauteed spinach.
Melograno is an Italian BYOB we had dinner at at. No GF menu and my options were pretty limited. I had a pan seared skate.
All in all I was surprised that there were not GF menus at the restaurants. I was happy to get home and I look forward to heading back to 2 Good 2 Be GF. I was happy to have some Udi's toast. I can't believe how many Southern California Restaurants offer Udi's bread compared to Philadelphia - I had zero in the way of bread. I had access to a kitchen for the last few days but since I wasn't feeling well I didn't eat much anyway. Well, that was my trip - I survived, barely. I happy to be home in my own kitchen, eating my own food and sleeping in my own bed.
The Un-Gluten Guy
Off the airplane we stopped at Whole Foods on South Street. They had a small selection compared to our Whole Foods in San Diego, but it is a smaller store. I was able to stock up on some cereal, bars and other staples.
Presidents day morning we went for breakfast. First place - no hot food due to a fire in the kitchen. Second place closed. Third place - back to the hotel. We ate at Lacroix. They were helpful. Breakfast is an easier thing but I had eggs and fruit.
Dinner we met friends for sushi at Hikaru. I didn't have my GF soy sauce so it was sans sauce. I talked to the guy at the sushi counter and he had no tempura or fried pieces up, so no cross contamination.
Our go to place, a bit pricey but safe, was Smith and Wollensky Steakhouse in the Rittenhouse Hotel. Damian, the manager was great. I found that shrimp cocktail, asparagus, baked potato and a steak were all safe. I probably ate more steak this week than I do in a three month period.
Stay away from Vietnam. This is a place I used to love for Pho, Bun and other tasty food. I thought we were okay. The waiter knew which sauces had soy and let me know that I could not have it. He seemed knowledgeable and the manager too. Within minutes of walking out the door I was sick and it lasted the rest of the trip. All I can think is that the rice paper wraps may have been made at the same place as wonton wraps and was cross contaminated or the broth was contaminated in the Pho. Either way it set me back.
I was referred to Sweet Freedom Bakery on South Street. The only GF bakery in town. We had some cookies that were good - still soft. The muffins were special order; we ordered a dozen of blueberry and apple. They were okay, a bit flat and dense. The cupcakes were not a hit with the most sophisticated palates - my kids. But in the city its the only option.
Parc on Rittenhouse was fine. They didn't have a GF menu but without missing a beat the waiter was able to tell me what items were GF. I had a warm shrimp salad and a chicken dish. I questioned the sauce and the waiter returned from the kitchen with a full list of ingredients - all GF.
Rouge is another restaurant on Rittenhouse. We had lunch. No GF menu and the waitress had to check with the kitchen but they had some options for me. I had chicken with sauteed spinach.
Melograno is an Italian BYOB we had dinner at at. No GF menu and my options were pretty limited. I had a pan seared skate.
All in all I was surprised that there were not GF menus at the restaurants. I was happy to get home and I look forward to heading back to 2 Good 2 Be GF. I was happy to have some Udi's toast. I can't believe how many Southern California Restaurants offer Udi's bread compared to Philadelphia - I had zero in the way of bread. I had access to a kitchen for the last few days but since I wasn't feeling well I didn't eat much anyway. Well, that was my trip - I survived, barely. I happy to be home in my own kitchen, eating my own food and sleeping in my own bed.
The Un-Gluten Guy
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