Last night we visited Prime Only Steakhouse & Sushi Bar in Downtown Raleigh's Powerhouse Square. Prime Only goes for that Ruth's Chris or Morton's Steakhouse level and it did not disappoint.
We actually visited The Rat Pack Lounge which is a separate area from the main restaurant but they both share the same kitchen. We were lucky enough to take in the sounds of Joe Amato who is a dead ringer (voice wise) of Mr. Frank Sinatra. The dinner & a show (called Fly me to the Moon - a musical tribute to Frank Sinatra) was put on in conjunction with the North Carolina Theatre and was a great time. See this link for more information about the show if you are interested (it runs through October 11th).
I was concerned at first because the menu was a set 3 course meal - as described on the NC Theatre website - "a salad, your choice of a filet, salmon or chicken with a side of potato and vegetable, and dessert." Doesn't provide a ton of description does it? Of course my strategy was to call ahead (before I bought the non-refundable tickets) and speak with a manager and/or chef. They stated over the phone that all of their menu items are made fresh in house and can be customized to meet Gluten Free needs. We talked through the menu and ended up with the following...
*Salad - made fresh without croutons and with oil and vinegar dressing (Raspberry vinaigrette not safe). Croutons were added to other folks salads just before serving.
*Filet - salt & pepper seasoned only and broiled (not grilled).
*Baked potato with butter (replaced the mashed potatoes)
*Steamed veggies (peppers and green beans) with butter, salt & pepper
*Bowl of vanilla ice cream topped with fresh strawberries.
The original dessert was either chocolate or vanilla cheesecake - but they were more than happy to substitute for me. As is normal, my waiter wasn't the most helpful (I knew when he said "I think the dressing is ok") but I politely asked for the manager and or chef so that I could be 100% about ingredients. There is no "I think" statements allowed. We were pleasantly surprised when the owner actually came to our table and talked through the menu with us - a nice touch!
Overall, a great experience for the entire evening. It's nice to not be afraid to actually go and do things like other normal people. It just takes a little more effort to get what you need but you should always be able to have a good meal.
UPDATE - 10/1/2008 @ 10:33AM
Word on the street is that Prime Only has closed. Oh well.
Information
Prime Only Steakhouse & Sushi Bar
Downtown Raleigh - Powerhouse Square
505 West Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
Phone: 835-2649
Website: http://www.primeonly.com/
View Larger Map
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Mr. Silly Approves
The American College of Gastroenterology represents more than 10,000 digestive health specialists and is committed to providing accurate, unbiased and up-to-date health information to patients and the public. Use this Web site to find a physician or to learn about gastroenterology, colonoscopy, and a broad range of digestive diseases and conditions - both common and not-so-common.In addition to have resources about Celiac Disease and a way to find local Gastroenterologists (if you are looking for a new one), they also offer a weekly newsletter called "The Digestive Health SmartBrief". You can sign up for the newsletter here.
From: <brad@bigbossbrewing.com>I guess I will be keeping my eye on this one. I highly recommend that you email Brad to encourage Big Boss to seriously consider this option.
Date: Wed, Sep 24, 2008 at 9:19 AM
Subject: Gluten Free Beer?
To: glutenfreeraleigh@gmail.com
My name is Brad and I'm the head brewer at Big Boss. I know other people in your situation. We have thought about it and will consider alternative grists, but as we are growing as fast as we can it is a situation we will have to visit later. As of right now we use only natural ingredients and brewing processes. Thank you for your interest.
*Birthdays* School Parties *Events *Holidays
Finally an allergy free cake that looks, tastes and feels just like a regular cake! Everyone will enjoy it whether they have diet restrictions or not...in fact no one will be able to tell the difference!
Rosie's Plate offers delicious gluten-free yellow cake and gluten, egg and dairy free chocolate cake and cupcakes for every occasion! Check out our website for details www.RosiesPlate.com.
We look forward to helping you with your next celebration!
Is it expensive? No. Compare the cost of grocery shopping combined with all the days you either eat out or grab fast food and food that ends up in the trash. Also take into account all the time wasted driving to and from the store or restaurant. By hiring Twins Kitchen as your personal chefs, you can relax and enjoy affordable home-cooked meals in the privacy of your own home.
Do you offer any discounts? Yes, we offer 20% discount off your first service with Twins Kitchen Personal Chef Service.
GF - Say "Guilt Free" and we'll modify the receipe to reduce sodium and fat. For other special dietary needs, please inform your server.
From: Jay Pierce jpierce@qwrh.com
Date: Sun, Sep 14, 2008 at 10:13 PM
Subject: RE: Gluten Free Question
To: GlutenFree Raleigh glutenfreeraleigh@gmail.com
Thank you so much for your email. We do train our staff to offer gluten-free options on menus, because we do have recipes on hand for everything that is made in house, and most things are. We will not call anything gluten free that contains wheat, soy sauce or mustard, which I learned from a celiac-centric web site causes problems for some folks but not all.
As for our GF designation, I will definitely run your suggestion up the ladder. I do know that the symbol you are referring to is a registered trademark that we have been using for quite a few years to designate items lower in sodium and fat.
Once again, thanks for your observations, and feel free to asks questions about menu items of our good folks there in Cary when dining in, or email me when planning a trip there; I’d love to help out.
Jay Pierce
Executive Chef
Lucky 32
1421 Westover Terrace
Greensboro, NC 27408
p: 336-370-0707
f: 336-574-0037
jpierce@qwrh.com
www.lucky32.com
"Most of our ice creams are gluten-free. However, the chocolate crunchies that are found in our ice cream cakes and the sprinkles put on top are not gluten-free. If you contact a Carvel retail store nearest you, they will be more then happy to substitute the crunchies for something else, such as fudge. They will also be more then happy to not put any sprinkles on the cake."
As you can see from the above, Carvel seems to be the most flexible in making special order ice cream cakes without crunchies and sprinkles. To bad they don't have any retail stores in the area in which to order from. So the word on these cakes if you see them in the grocery store is to stay away, they are NOT Gluten Free.
ENJOY!
I had an interesting thought today. I am a huge Carolina Hurricanes fan and my family and I attend many games. I got to wondering, since I was diagnosed during the off season, if the Hurricanes and the RBC Center were Celiac/Gluten Free Friendly?
So I fired off an email tonight to Karen Prince, a ticket sales representative for the Canes.
Here is what I sent.
Karen,
I have been coming to see the Canes since 2000 and my wife and I have been STH since 2006. I have a question about a food/beverage issue (you may have to pass this along to someone else).
I was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease and cannot eat/drink anything containing Gluten (think pizza, pasta, beer, bread, hamburger/hot dog buns,
chicken fingers, or anything with wheat). It is estimated that around 1 in
133 people in the USA (about 1% of the population) have this disease and I know
of quite a few other folks in Raleigh with this disease. So on a sell out game night, there could be around 200 patrons at the RBC Center with the same issue.I was wondering if you could help me identify if there are any concessions available with Gluten Free food items. If not, I hope we can work together to get some choices at the RBC Center. In addition, at times I have been known to have a beer or two at the game and was wondering the possibility of concessions carrying a Gluten Free beer. Anheuser-Busch makes a beer called RedBridge and it has national distribution (there are several places in Raleigh that carry it already).
If you have more information about this or can refer me to someone else that would be excellent. I can also be reached via cell phone at xxx-xxxx and/or would be more than happy to meet with someone in person to discuss further.
I will let you know what I find out, more to come...
