Thursday, February 5, 2009

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

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

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.