Mcalisters deli

They now have a gluten free menu.  I saw a little print out at the front that was OK.  However a friend has since told me that they have a whole gluten free binder that you need to ask for in the back.  Hmmmm.  Awesome.  Also the sweet tea is really, really good.

French's style: gluten free fried onions

This was my first try and since Thanksgiving was coming up, I figured I might as well try it.  Sorry my pictures don't look great but I only think to take pictures last minute and I use my phone.  I am not a chef and I don't really measure.  I'm too lazy for that.  So if you still wanna try this after my warnings, give it a go!

What you need:
1 can O' Gluten free corn flake crumbs
2 eggs
1 sweet onion
canola oil
garlic powder
salt & peppa (not the music group)
Corn starch (optional)

Step one:
Cut the onions very thin and add them to a bowl with two raw eggs and stir them all around till the onions are covered in gunk.

Step two:  add a little garlic powder and as much of the flake crumbs as you like.   If you want, add a little corn starch to make it prettier and some salt and pepper.  Then heat a pan of oil on the stove and get it hot.

Step three: add the onions and let them sizzle.  Turn them over after about 2 minutes.  Make sure to break up anything that is stuck together. 

Step four:  Remove onions and let them dry out on a paper towel.  Add salt generously. 

Step five:  Try not to eat them all before you get to use them for cooking.  I am going to try and use these for green bean casserole on Thursday.  Hopefully all goes well!

Chili's

I was excited to go there with my friends since they have a gluten free menu.  However the one on Rock and Central actually had a different menu.  For some reason the ribs were not on it.  I was dissapointed and ended up having potato soup.  Boo...
I feel like Chili's is only taking more and more OFF their menu rather than adding.  For Shame.  Oh well.

Gluten Free Pizza at Godfather's

I have been calling Godfather's pizza for about a year, pleading with them to introduce gluten free pizza in Wichita.I have sent annoying emails and now they finally offer it and my first response is...meh.

First I will start with the Pros:
They have a nice sticker that says precautions for those who are needing gluten free.  They also have signs which speak to the danger of cross contamination.
The pizza is around the same price as the regular.

Cons:
Not great.  Very thin and not filling.  I ate the whole pizza and was still hungry, which is not great for 9.95.  I am also not a big fan of the over-spicing they do.  Whatever happened to subtlety?

I really want to encourage companies to make gluten free so I hope you will go and try it for yourself.  If you like it, please post that on here.  We really need to show companies that we are loyal, even if it is mediocre we should give them a try.  I also will say that they told me it would take 30 minutes to make it and I showed up around 25 and it seemed to have been ready for a while.  Maybe it is better hotter. 

For now, I will stick to my frozen crusts.  Also Godfather's is far from our house so hopefully another company like domino's or papa johns will give gluten free a try. 

What was your favorite pizza place in Wichita before your diagnosis?  Lets figure it out and call them till they make it gluten free!

Ted's Montana grill: Fun on no Bun

I have to admit, after reading some poor reviews of Ted's online, I was a bit skeptical about eating there.  Would they mock my celiac?  Would the hostess stuff gluten down my throat?  Would the bathroom have toilet paper?    But that was just a nightmare right?  Ashley, my wife, bought some half off gift certificates on resturaunt.com and we were committed.  It turns out they have a pretty great menu and a knowledgable staff that was eager to help me.
The food turned out to be pretty awesome too.  Since we were able to spend more, we had a rare moment of frivolity and I bought a sweet steak which was mouth wateringly good.  They also have a dedicated fryer for the fries so I was able to have fries!!! They were awesome.  I would liken them to something like the fries at Islands or Five guys.  If you have never had those fries you are missing out. 

I also had some asparigus with the meal and they were nice and buttery with a good crisp to finish them off.  This place is definitly worth trying.  If you are in Wichita you need to put it high on your list. 

Overall, I would give Ted's a 8/10.  The only thing they are missing are some bread or baked goods to show the celiac nation that we are important but the menu is a great step. 

I am including one more picture and that is my plate.  I figure this picture can tell you how I really felt about Ted's.
By the way, I ate a ton of Ashley's fries too!

Godfather's in Wichita has gluten free pizza.

I just checked the website and it says it's available. I am suuuuuper excited about this development. Has anyone tried it yet? Is it any good? Do you know the price?
I plan on going soon, now.

Pablono mexican grill

Someone once told my wife that this place catered to celiacs. I have gone several times without a reaction but I don't really have any information as to whether it is okay or not.
It is very similar to Chipotle but less spicey and it stacks up well. Also they have my favorite rice drink, horchata.

It is certainly worth the trip. I always like supporting a locally owned place first, so give them a try if you have the time.

Gluten free frozen pancakes

I have always grieved the fact that once we moved to Kansas, we could no longer go to Trader Joe's and pick up the amazing microwavable gluten free pancakes. I am stoked to say that I finally found some frozen pancakes out here and they are pretty darn good. The thing I loved about the TJ's pancakes is they were fast and kinda chewy, but amazing. These new gluten free pancakes by Van's are more like real pancakes! You can microwave them and they just taste awesome especially slathered in nutella. mmmmm...nutella. I bought them at Food for thought and they are not too bad of price. Hooray. I still prefer Trader Joe's but these are awesome. Have you ever found gluten free pancakes that are frozen??? How did you like them?

Five Guys Burgers coming to Wichita!!!

I am soooo excited for this chain to come to Wichita. Ashley and I ate there once while visiting my sister and family in North Carolina. This is the closest burger to In N Out that I know. The burgers are great and the fries are awesome. Obviously you cannot have the bun but I have heard they make lettuce wraps. Also the FRIES ARE GLUTEN FREE! They only make a couple of things and they use a dedicated fryer for the fries so there is no cross contamination! If you have ever eaten at a place called "Islands" the fries are much like those. I am sooooooo excited. They are supposed to open a few in Wichita. Hopefully, we will get one by my work while we are waiting for the Chick Fil-A. Have I mentioned that I am excited????

Carlos O' Kelly's

Someone once told us that Mexican food helps get a prego woman into labor. So, three months ago Ashley and I last went to Carlo's O' Kelly's. That night we met our daughter, Faith. So I guess they were right. This time we were very excited to go and not just to pop out a child but to see the new gluten free menu. It used to be that each store just sorta guessed and you hoped you wouldn't be sick that night. Now the menu is super nice. (A PF Changs feel)

I ordered the Gluten free enchilladas and they were quite good. Instead of a red sauce they use a gooey cheesy sauce. It felt a lot like regular, real people, food. We enjoyed our meal with bottomless strawberry lemonaide and I have to admit it was one of my better food experiences in Wichita.

Ashley got the taco salad and it didn't translate as well as mine. Without that awesome flour tortilla bowl something is lost. But when it comes down to it, kudos to Carlos for the effort they made to reach the celiac. I am telling many silly yaks to go now! I know I am going back hungry very soon!
FYI, they may offer you a beer when they seat you with your GF menu. Obviously they are learning this stuff.

Chex marks the spot!

I was pumped to find that the Walmart on Greenwich and Kellogg now has the Chocolate Chex and the Cinnamon flavor. Yummmy!

The chocolate is awesome. Chocolaty but not overkill. The cinnamon is great. It reminds me of life cereal and a lot of Cinnamon toast crunch! AMAZING. I am certainly pumped and will be supporting general mills from now on. By the way my wife also found the Cinnamon flavor at Target on Greenwich.

Jimmy John's "Unwich"

Yummy!

Watch out those chips have MSG!

Yia Yia's Italian Bistro, Mama mia, it's made to order

I don't think I am very classy. I am the guy that picks out anything but iceberg lettuce from my salad. I wear flip flops to a fancy restaurant. So goes my disclaimer for when I go to a fancy restaurant. (It was our five year anniversary and first time out of the house together without baby) I had a gluten free Pizza at Yia Yia's and didn't dig it too much. It had all these fancy spices and no red sauce. Very fancy. Not my style. I still would prefer a regular cheese pizza. It was also a bit dry and crumbly anyway.

However, they had some other things on the menu. We brought our own pasta just in case, which was awesome since they ran out of gluten free pasta. Ashley had some buttery sauce with Chicken that I liked a lot. I am sure next time I go I will enjoy my pasta but I am not getting the pizza. yechh. I'm still not classy.

Ashley with her yummy pasta!

Chipotle makes my tastebuds dance to la cucaracha! Ole!

Chipotle has many gluten free options. The burrito bowl is yummy as fast food gets, however, you must tell them to change gloves before making yours and if your experience is like mine, then they will certainly scowl at you as if you have asked for a whopper with the condiments on the side. Jeez, people, I could seriously get sick. Give me a break! Otherwise, they put glutinous hands all over the bowl. Since Celiac has made my stomach sensitive to spicy I always get the pork which is not hot at all. Swimming in Sour cream, I feel like I am back in Chula Vista...ok...not really but it's good.

If you have two people and you want to eat on the cheap. Get a burrito bowl and an extra bowl of rice for only 80 cents more. Ashley and I like to split it. Yes, we are cheapo but that is how you gotta do it. Overall, Chipotle is one of the faster, cheaper places I can eat so I enjoy it often. It's the closest I will get to the border in Wichita. iUF!

If you are Mr money bags, then go ahead and get the soda and chips. That's what I did last time. Thanks for the gift certificate, Seth and Naomi! I feel like Richy Rich!

Gluten Free Apple Crumb: Not too Crummy

Since it was my birthday last week, we bought an Apple Crumb (pie). We bought it at "Food For Thought" market. It is made by Gillian's Foods. Now since I've gone gluten free in August of 2008 I have yet to have a pie. There are lots of cakes and brownies for celiacs but not so much pie. This one was pretty good. The apples were tasty and it was sweet enough. The crust was a little tasteless and hard. The crumb part was scrumptious with a mild sandy aftertaste. I give this pie a 5/10 for regular pies, a 8/10 for gluten free and a 4/10 for pricing. ($15)

Have you had any gluten free pie? Who made it? How much was it? Where did you buy it?

PF Changs no longer taking special orders

I went to PF Changs for my birthday on Saturday and the manager informed me that they are no longer taking special orders since they had heard side stories of people getting sick. Ironically I ordered off the GF menu that day and got sick. It was probably something else. Oh well.

Haven't eaten out much lately! Hooray for baby.

This is Faith Gianna Huntington. She was born on Sunday May 24th. She is making sure I can't eat out or even eat sometimes. (although someone brought me PF Changs yesterday!) Her mother has a gluten sensitivity and I have a gluten intolerance. Here is to hoping she has no allergies.

Praise God for our new baby girl.

Starbucks now has a gluten free cake!!!!

It is orange and moist and easy to eat in 5 seconds. I am a pig. I would compare it to a ho-ho or ding dong in size. It is a little dense but certainly not dry. I am not sure if every starbucks has one but I did find it at the one on Rock and Central. Here is a nice out of focus picture. Hooray!

Have you tried the new gluten free, Valencia Orange cake at Starbucks? What do you think?

Gluten free soy sauce

San J soy sauce is pretty awesome. It comes in low sodium and is available at a bunch of places. However, it usually starts at around $7....a little expensive for my blood.

So I have been looking into other brands of soy sauce. I have been told that "La Choy" offers gluten free soy sauce but is not great. (I think I saw it described online as pig sweat or something like that.) Recently on a trip to Dillions, Ashley and I found that Dillions brand soy sauce was also gluten free and crazy cheap....ridiculous cheap. Like $2 for a bottle. Sadly, you get what you pay for and I really don't like it. Ashley says it's fine but I think it is brown salt water with a bad smell and aftertaste. Yuck.

San J is still the winner. (I have found it at "Food for thought," "Whole Foods" and "Green Acres." in Wichita)

Pei Wei (A cheaper, noisier PF Changs)

Pei Wei has few options for those who go gluten free but the one option that works quite well is the "Pei Wei Spicy." Basically we get it gluten free without the spicey-ness. You may get a funny stare while ordering but it is worth it. That is not the official term. I think we may call it "Mild." It tastes closer to Orange Chicken and is very good.
Even though it is on the other side of town, I love it and go often. If you like to save money like we do, it's pretty nice to split it and order an extra order of rice!

I know what you are thinking..."cheapos." And you are right.

After eating a lot of it I finally remembered to take a picture. You are so welcome! (don't forget to bring your own soy sauce.)

Outback Steakhouse "No rules" unless you have celiac

Outback has a great menu and treats us silly-yaks quite well. They have a proven track record for food allergies and intolerences and I always know I will have a great experience there.

My wife and I had a special dinner last night and decided to go. Ashley got the smaller steak and it was very good and rather inexpensive. I, however, got a rack of baby back ribs. The meat is much better than the ribs at Chili's and I would definitely recommend them. I do prefer the Barb-B-Que sauce from Chili's but that is minor. I also had Garlic mashed potatoes and they are creamy and garlicky.

My hands still smell like Barb-b-Que sauce and I find myself smelling them hourly as if I were Homer Simpson. mmmmmmm....Ribs.

New gluten free Cereal!

We found Corn Chex available at the Walmart on Kellogg and Greenwich.
They are good and not as sweet as the honey nut, which my wife likes. (I still prefer sweet)

We are still waiting on the chocolate ones and strawberry to become gluten free.

Getting bored eating at all the same places in Wichita

I had PF Changs tonight, mmmm Philip's better lemon Chicken. It was good. However, I am also interested in finding some more local places too. I called a bunch of places tonight and got some promising leads...



I have been told "Ah So" is really good so I called them. After I talked to a couple of mystified people who struggled understanding I finally got someone who said I could speak with the chef and bring in my own soy sauce. OOOOOH! That would be cool.



I also spoke with the people at "Abuelo's" in Wichita and they said the manager there has celiac so he has made his own menu! We would like to try it but it's a bit expensive. Maybe one day.



Also I called Godfathers Pizza and they said they should have gluten free pizza soon. They said to call back in JUNE! I am calling June 1...

The best gluten free bread

I have tried many different types of gluten free bread...

The very best is

"Pamela's gluten free bread mix" We make it in the bread maker and you don't have to toast it for it to be good. It does not fall apart and is not too heavy.

runner up

a tie between "Whole foods gluten free bread." and "Jack's Redmill"
Jack's does not have to be toasted but falls apart more. Whole food's has to be toasted but has a great taste.

New gluten free cereal!

General Mills has just come out with honey nut flavored Chex. It is very good and not as expensive as most gluten free cereal. I have a sweet tooth, so I love it. It may be too sweet for most adults but Rice Chex has been gluten free for a while. Enjoy!

Update on Jimmy Johns

The last few times my stomach has been upset when I have gone there but I'ved learned a few more tricks since then and I am happy to report that I felt fine this week when I went.

Have them make the sandwich on a plate and not the shared board. Also I just found out that the mayo has cross contamination. They use the same vat and knife for all mayo, so just ask them to use the packets of mayo in it. That should help you not get sick.

kinnikinnick frozen pizza crust

Since we are snowed in, we are not eating out for dinner tonight. However, Before the storm got bad, I managed to rush over to Dillions and grab some frozen pizza crusts. These are the real deal. We love them and think you should try them!

Jimmy John's sandwiches

Everyone has told me how much they love Jimmy John's but I never ventured in knowing that sandwich places and celiac usually don't mix. However, I recently saw a friend eating a lettuce wrap from JJ's and so I decided to dive in and try it myself.

I ordered the Pepe, which is a basic sandwich with mayo, tomato, lettuce, Turkey or ham. I ordered it as an "Unwich" and they made it in a long wrap style. The way they wrap it in paper makes it easy to eat and it is sooo good. I felt like I was eating a great sub, I almost forgot the bread. This is definitly worth trying and I would pay a little extra to get bacon on it. SOOOO Good!

Carlos O' Kelly's

Well,
Should anyone really eat at an Irish mexican place? Since I lived most of my life within ten miles of the Mexican border I would tell you no. However, there are few options that are assuredly safe for Celiac's in Wichita, especially Mexican so we gave it a try.
To start the Chips and Salsa are really good and if you are like me and have stomach problems, you really don't want anything spicy. Secondly, the food is pretty ok. The server at the location by town east actually had a print out of what was ok. Ashley and I had the ground beef tacos, shredded beef tacos and Chicken tacos. The gluten free chicken is bland. The ground beef has an odd tex mex taste to it, which some may find great. Um...yeah not me. However the shredded beef was good. Nice spices and totally juicy. We also added sour cream and it was nice. Hopefully I will get to try the queso dip sometimes. I was excited to see it was gluten free.

I know Chipotle is gluten free but do we know of any other mexican places in Wichita that are gluten free? I would love it if we had Rubio's. That place rocks.

Hu Hot mongolian Grill

Hey guys,
The other day Ashley and I went to Hu Hot and had a great time there. They make sure to clean the grill several times before they put the food on it. The gluten free sauces are okay but the choices are few. The pad thai noodles are great and the meat is awesome. If you get seriously ill from Gluten, there is a strong possibility of cross contamination if you are not super careful. The Wichita location may not have all that is available but they have good options. Also if you don't like those options bring a little brown sugar and gluten free soy sauce and there you have Teriyaki!

Here is the gluten free info from the website.

SAUCES: The following sauces are wheat and gluten free, so those customers sensitive to wheat or gluten CAN EAT:
• Black Thai Peanut
• Yellow Belly Curry• Kung Pao... Yow!
• Not So Sweet and Sour

Old Chicago Pizza

Nope we can't be sure that we can eat there safely. However, they do have some other options. Here is a nice letter they sent me.

Hello Dale,
Unlike most of our competitors, we serve pizza and cookies...both of which we make from scratch... This means that we carry 2 kindsof flour and our mixer is constantly mixing 3 kinds of pizza dough andcookies. Those prep areas are not separated from other production areasand as a result, there is flour in the air and potentialcross-contamination is almost assured. Also, we do not have training programs in place that teach thenuances of gluten free requirements and affects. All that being said... there are menu selections that could beconsidered free of gluten ingredients... all of our dressings are glutenfree, as are many of our meats... Steaks, Ham, Turkey, Canadian Bacon,chicken wings, pepperoni, sausage & salami. Vegetables and salad mixesare also appropriate selections. As an individual who is sensitive tothe details of gluten-free living... Guests can certainly come in andtailor meals, based on ingredients known to be gluten-free... bun-lessburgers, corn chip nachos, steak, salad, veggies, and dressings. We arevery good at providing special orders upon request, but at this time itwould be inappropriate, given our homemade pizza position, to encourageGluten Intolerant folks to make us a gluten free destination throughspecial menuing.

I hope this helps explain our place in the industry, please contact meback if you have additional questions or requests... We would love toprovide a special menu but, as long as our kitchens are focused onhomemade pizza dough... flour/gluten cross contamination is certainlymore possible than in establishments without pizza. Mike ThomDirector of Culinary Research & DevelopmentOld Chicago Restaurants Inc.Division of Rock Bottom Restaurants Inc.17 Year Team Membermthom@rockbottom.com

Bonefish Grill

Tonight for our date night, Ashley and I thought we would try a new place. Fish sounded good so we sauntered on over to bonefish grill of 13th and Webb road.

We ended up not having fish but eating "Lily’s Chicken," which is
Chicken breast, goat cheese, sautéed spinach, artichoke hearts in a lemon basil sauce. It was very good. The chicken was flavorful, dark on the outside and crispy with the melted goat cheese on top amidst the artichoke hearts. The Garlic mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy. The Jasmine herb rice was mild but also worth getting again.

We had a Flourless brownie with raspberry
sauce and vanilla ice cream for dessert and it did not dissapoint. It was a little more crumbly than PF Chang's but good, nonetheless. I would take the Chang's brownie over Bonefish grill, however.

Bonefish grill had a large GF menu and had a friendly knowledgeable staff. I definitely plan on going back, but maybe trying the tilapia next time.

Freddy's frozen custard

This place is not for Celiac's but if you must go, here is my advice.

Ask them to use a new spatula and clean off part of the grill. Then ask if they would be willing to wrap your burger in lettuce. With cheese and grilled onions the steak burger is quite good. However, do not go when they are busy. They have a tough time already and cannot promise safety when it is crowded.

Also you CANNOT eat the fries. They do not have a dedicated fryer so chicken fingers and other things I would love to eat but can't are also fried there. Too bad, those fries sound, look and smell amazing.

I went last night (friday) and it was so packed that they couldn't promise me there would not be cross contamination and so we decided to go to Wendy's.

Don't forget to try the Frozen Custard and be smart. Don't get it with oreos! duh!

PF Changs

This company is amazing. They have just recently updated their menu and it truly is awesome. The manager treats you like royalty and the head chef cooks your meal.

I recommend several things…

You should definitely start out with the gluten free lettuce wraps. I dream about them at night. I personally like the Lemon Chicken, although it is kinda zingy and might offend the less adventurous. (my palate of burgers and fries is probably more sophisticated then yours.) The ginger chicken is a little more middle of the road but it is really good.

If you are brave you might want to ask them to make you something gluten free that is off the GF menu. I have had the Beef with Broccoli and it was excellent. They have made me the honey crispy chicken too and it has been good and bad. However, when it was bad, they made it again for me. I think the Wichita location has it down now.

Finally, when you are ready to splurge, you must try the Flourless, chocolate dome. The best gluten free dessert I have ever had! No offense, ma!

Hello and welcome to the site

Basically here is the deal.
I moved to Wichita from Southern California in November of 2008 and my goal is to find and promote places that will serve gluten free food in Wichita. Holy Crap, you say. I should not have moved to the state that produces the most wheat, you say. Well I am here so lets get cracking.

I will start with the obvious places and move on from there.