Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Whole Foods North Raleigh?

I, like many of you, shop at Whole Foods for many Gluten Free items. I plan on doing a grocery store review in the near future which will include much more information about where to find GF items at Raleigh's grocery stores. The Raleigh Whole Foods located on Wade Avenue is not really all that convenient for me and pretty much every time I shop there I have to wait in line to go down the GF isle. Once I get down the isle, most of the items are picked over.

This summer, it was rumored that Whole Foods was looking to open a new store in North Raleigh. It seems that a neighborhood group has organized to try to make sure these plans are a reality. If you would like to join this group and support Whole Foods opening a second Raleigh store please see the following website for more information - http://www.bringwholefoods.com/index.html

On a side note, anyone else refer to Whole Foods as Whole Paycheck?

Useful Resources - Celiac Dining Card Updated

Thanks to a reader named John who pointed out my Celiac Dining Card in Spanish said something about Illinois (you cannot trust Microsoft Word's translator). I re-ran the wording through Google Translator and updated the dining card's Spanish text. I also re-did the Chinese and Japanese text as well. French, German and Korean was also added. If you need any others, please let me know and I will get them added.

Poll Results tallied - New Polls added

Here are the results of the original Poll questions that have been on GlutenFreeRaleigh since it's inception on 8-22. Looks like 70% of the visitors to this blog are Celiac and from Raleigh.

1) Do you have Celiac's disease?
Yes - 90 (70%)
No - 17 (13%)
Maybe - 21 (16%)

Votes: 128

2) Do you live in the Raleigh area?
Yes - 83 (69%)
No - 31 (26%)
Relocating soon - 5 (4%)

Votes: 119

I have also added some new Poll Questions to the right side bar. I will continue to put up new Polls often to try to get a better understanding of what readers of this blog would like me to focus on.

Please vote!

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Restaurant Review - Prime Only Steakhouse & Sushi Bar - Downtown Raleigh

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

----------------------------
Mr. Silly Approves

Friday, September 26, 2008

Cel-Kids - Celiac Support Group for Children

Have a child with Celiac Disease? Interested in a support group with other Celiac children? Raleigh is lucky enough to have an Adult support group and a Children's support group!

Check out Raleigh Cel-Kids next meeting on November 8th, 2008 at Impact Athletics & Fitness Center in Cary (280 Towerview Ct). The meeting is from 4pm - 6pm. Plans include some events and activities for the children, in addition to time for the parents to sit and discuss what they are doing to help their children succeed.

Questions can be directed to the Cel-Kids Group at the following email address: raleigh.celkids@gmail.com

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Survey Result - Solas - Downtown Raleigh

I received another response from my Gluten Free Friendliness Restaurant Survey. This time it was from a place called Solas in Downtown Raleigh (Glenwood South).

Solas opened just a few short months ago and is a unique place in Raleigh. The building containing Solas is brand new construction in the heart of the Glenwood South Entertainment District (419 Glenwood Ave) which offers 3 levels of "dining, lounge and rooftop entertainment". Check out their Web site for more information.

Here are the results of the survey.
1. Please provide the following: -Your name -The name of the Business you are representing -The type of Business (restaurant, bar, etc...)
Travis Grant, Solas Restaurant

2. What is your position at your business?
Manager

3. Have you heard of "Gluten Free" or Celiac Disease before? Do you understand all the ingredients in your menu items that are not Gluten Free? Do you understand the Cross-Contamination issues when cooking/preparing Gluten Free food?
Yes

4. Do you currently offer a specific separate Gluten Free Menu?
Yes

5. Have you ever had any patrons in your business who requested Gluten Free items/menu?
Yes

6. If you do currently provide a Gluten Free Menu, please describe the easiest way for patrons to find it (website, need to call ahead, need to ask when arriving).
We offer Gluten Free items upon request

7. If you do not currently provide a separate Gluten Free Menu, would you consider creating one in the future (with or without the assistance of the Gluten Free Raleigh Blog)?
Yes

8. If you do not currently offer a Gluten Free Menu, is your business capable of preparing Gluten Free items for your patrons? If yes, what is the best way for your patrons to request these items?
Ask upon arrival or call ahead and talk with the Chef

9. Anything further you would like to provide about your business?
We understand the difficulty for someone who suffers from this disease to find a restaurant to support their culinary needs.

Based on their answer to question 7, I will be following up with Solas to work on getting an actual Gluten Free Menu created. I will let you know where that goes.

Useful Resources - American College of Gastroenterology

A reader sent me a quick note about the American College of Gastroenterology.

From their Web site...
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.

The current issue features a write-up about this very blog! Sign up and check it out.

Big Boss Brewing Company - Gluten Free Beer?

I recently reached out to Raleigh's Big Boss Beer Company to see if they had any interest in creating a local Gluten Free Beer. Here is the response I received from Brad, the head brewer at Big Boss.
From: <brad@bigbossbrewing.com>
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.

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.

Click here for the Big Boss Web site.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Calendar Added

I have added a new Google Calendar on the right hand section of this blog just below the Subscribe area. So far there are 2 events added; The North Raleigh Celiac Support Group (re-occurring meeting) and the second meeting of the Raleigh Cel-Kids Support Group. I have recently received some information about Cel-Kids group which I will be providing shortly.

If you have something you would like added to the calendar, please feel free to email me at glutenfreeraleigh@gmail.com

Rosie's Plate Update - Allergy Free Cakes

I recently received the following email from the folks over at Rosie's Plate.
It looks like Rosie's Plate is now offering 18 in. by 12 in. Sheet Cakes ($65), 8 in. yellow Layer Cakes and Chocolate Cakes ($40) in addition to their yellow and chocolate cupcakes (which are yummy). You have your choice of 4 frosting varieties to choose from as well (white, chocolate, light green or corn-free sugar glaze). This should help with those difficult birthday cake issues we all deal with.

*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!

Check out their cake page here for more information.

Survey Result - Mo's Diner - Downtown Raleigh

I previously mentioned the survey I am conducting with restaurants in the local area to gauge their Gluten Free Friendliness.
I heard from Mo's Diner this morning and thought I would share with you.

Mo's Diner is located in Downtown Raleigh @ 306 E. Hargett Street near Moore's Square. Mo's has been in business for nearly 10 years offering up white table cloth dinner service in a 1886 restored home. Mo's is the perfect place for a romantic date or special occasion. Don't let the name fool you on this one - this is one of the nicest restaurants in downtown Raleigh.

Here are the results of the survey.
1. Please provide the following: -Your name -The name of the Business you are representing -The type of Business (restaurant, bar, etc...)
Holly Mohajer @ Mo's Diner Restaurant

2. What is your position at your business?
Owner/Operator

3. Have you heard of "Gluten Free" or Celiac Disease before? Do you understand all the ingredients in your menu items that are not Gluten Free? Do you understand the Cross-Contamination issues when cooking/preparing Gluten Free food?
Yes to all questions.

4. Do you currently offer a specific separate Gluten Free Menu?
Yes

5. Have you ever had any patrons in your business who requested Gluten Free items/menu?
Yes
Comment: Many times and we have numerous options for them.

6. If you do currently provide a Gluten Free Menu, please describe the easiest way for patrons to find it (website, need to call ahead, need to ask when arriving).
www.mosdiner.net reservations suggested for all parties I will gladly make a note on reservation for a gluten free diet

7. If you do not currently provide a separate Gluten Free Menu, would you consider creating one in the future (with or without the assistance of the Gluten Free Raleigh Blog)?
N/A

8. If you do not currently offer a Gluten Free Menu, is your business capable of preparing Gluten Free items for your patrons? If yes, what is the best way for your patrons to request these items?
The best way is to let us know about your Menu requests when making a reservation. I am the hostess as well as the owner, so please remind me when I am seating your party that one of your guests needs a Gluten Free Diet.

9. Anything further you would like to provide about your business?
We have many Gluten Free guests weekly. All of our menu items are cooked to order. All menu items except for just a few can or are Gluten Free. It is our pleasure to accommodate our guests will any of their dietary needs or restrictions. Thank you for considering Mo's Diner for your survey.

Sounds like Mo's Diner is a pretty Gluten Free Friendly place - check it out and let me know.
You can email Holly at mosdiner@aol.com for more information.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Fast Food Restaurant Listing - Allergen Statements and/or GF Menus

Here is a list of what I have so far on fast food franchises around the Raleigh area.

Please feel free to add more to this and/or provide feedback.

I have also added this to the Useful Resources section on the right and will maintain in the future.

Gluten Free Sit-down Restaurant Listing

Greetings - I was on a Gluten Free trip out of town the last few days - it's always an adventure when you leave your Gluten Free home base. I realized that there are a lot of chain restaurants out there with either a complete Gluten Free menu or good information on their Web sites about allergens. With this knowledge, I ventured to Outback Steakhouse on Sunday and had a great experience. I won't be writing a review about this Outback because it was not in Raleigh and I want to save these for local franchises. I do plan on going to a local Outback soon.

I have been discovering these places over the last few months and have also received a ton of feedback from readers who have been doing this for a long time so I decided I would post about what I had found so far. So here is what I have to date - these are mostly national or regional chains that all have locations in the Raleigh area and not by any means an all inclusive list. These are not focusing on local Raleigh restaurants either (like Vivace and Bella Monica).
Whenever I find new ones, I will pass along.
I have also added this listing to the Useful Resources section on the right hand side of this blog and will keep adding to it as time goes by.

Enjoy and feel free to leave a comment if I missed any!

Friday, September 19, 2008

Some Updates

Just wanted to fill everybody in on a few updates.
  • I attended last night's Celiac Support Group meeting and met a ton of great people with a lot more Gluten Free experience than me. I hope to continue to learn from these folks, many of which have been doing this for a long, long time. I intend to post some meeting minutes so that the people who could not attend last night can still know what went on. More to come on that.
  • I have been making some progress on finding Gluten Free items at Carolina Hurricanes home games at the RBC Center. The hockey season is quickly approaching. I have been in contact over the last few weeks with the Director of Food and Beverage as well as their Executive Chef. I will let you know more about what is decided for those of us who require/request Gluten Free food and beverage as soon as possible. At this point, things are looking pretty good for us!
  • I have also been working on the folks at the NC State Fair which is coming up in a few weeks. In the past, this has been one of my favorite events to attend and I love the food. I estimate that I usually end up consuming somewhere around 7,000 calories in about a 2 hour period (yikes). At this point, I am trying to see if any vendors at the fair can claim to be Gluten Free. This will be a difficult maze to navigate, but many vendors have meat, vegetable, fruit or dessert items that have potential. The main concern here will be cross-contamination. I will let you know what I find out there. I am bummed to have to stay away from the elephant ears and fried snickers bars though - oh well. Maybe I can still get my London Broil sandwich, sans bun. UPDATE 9-20-08 @ 8AM - I heard from the folks at the NC State Fair this morning and they are currently in the process of querying their vendors about Gluten Free Items!
  • Lastly, I am a formulating a strategy on how best to contact the many restaurants in the Raleigh area about their Gluten Free friendliness. I plan to start in the Downtown area where there are over 100 restaurants and then work my way out. I have come up with a Online Survey that can best gather this input to at least get the ball rolling. I intend to contact each place and share the feedback that I gather in the Survey. This may get information out a little quicker than everyone waiting for me to eat at each place. More to come on this definitely! UPDATE 9-20-08 @ 8AM - The first 40 surveys were emailed out to restaurants last night. I am starting to get some responses and will provide this feedback to you ASAP. For the other 60 restaurants Downtown, looks like I'll be pounding the pavement on those. Wish me luck!
Thanks and have a great weekend!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

NBC 17 Interview

I was recently contacted by NBC17's Health Reporter, Julie Henry. In an effort to continue to get the word out about this blog and the difficulties of being Gluten Free, I sat down with Julie on Monday afternoon. As I have stated before, it is my goal to make the Gluten Free Maze easier to navigate in the Raleigh area. Thanks for helping to spread the word Julie!

You can take a look at the article and video from the story here.

Story can also be found on NBC 17's Web site here.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Twin's Kitchen Update

I have received via email the latest Twin's Kitchen menu and thought I should share. This is a great way to try out their food without doing the full Personal Chef route if that is not your thing or if you are not sure it is your thing. You just order like you would a restaurant, yet everything is made to order and made just for you. Usually, about 2 days notice will be required.

Click here to see the menu. Is that pizza I see on the menu?

In addition, they mentioned that Twin's Kitchen has menus that are more fresh based (to be consumed that week) and/or menus that are for freezing (so enjoy them at your convenience).

Useful Resources - Gluten Free Communion?

I have had several folks contact me about issues with Communion so I did a little research. As always, if you have ideas for topics on this blog, feel free to drop me an email and I will do my best to find you an answer.

Communion is a practice that is meant to be observed over and over throughout the life of a Christian. Communion is practiced in the following denominations; Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopalian, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Roman Catholic and Baptist. From About.com, it is a holy time of worship when we corporately come together as one body to remember and celebrate what Christ did for us. If you are Christian and have taken part in this practice, you know that it involves Bread (meant to represent the body of Christ) and Wine (meant to represent the blood of Christ). For those of us who are Gluten Free, the Bread is an obvious no-no. So what's a good Christian to do?

Without getting into anything too religious here, I thought I would contact at least one of these denominations to inquire about Gluten Free Communion. I contacted the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh for more information. I received the following official response verbally "The altar bread is always made only from wheat and water. For those who suffer from Celiac Disease and cannot tolerate wheat gluten, specially prepared hosts with a minimum of wheat gluten may be obtained, or these individuals may choose to receive only the Precious Blood. It is not possible to use breads rice flour or other grains." I was directed to the following Diocese of Raleigh website for more information. The specific quote was found in the pdf file entitled "Review of the Norms Part IV".

It can be assumed that most Priests in the Catholic Church will tend to follow the above guidelines which were set forth by the Bishop of Raleigh in August of this year. I have heard rumors of certain priests who may be a little more flexible, albeit not "officially". If you are Catholic, I would suggest the following and you may have a little luck. If you speak with your Priest you can probably work out an arrangement where you can purchase GF Communion wafers and bring them to mass with you in a small pyx. If you give it to the Priest before Mass, they will bless it during Mass along with all the other regular Host. You must make sure you get in that Priest's line for Communion and he will recognize you when you come up and give you the GF Host you provided.

Word of caution - the wine may be contaminated as others who have received the regular Host have then drank from the chalice before you. Your Priest may also provide a separate chalice just for you to resolve this issue. As I say, it never hurts to ask, right?

Here is an additional article from Living Without Magazine on this topic.

Feel free to leave a comment or email me if you have had experiences around this topic at your church of preference.

UPDATE - 9/19/08 @ 1:50 PM
I have found the following link and link from the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) which is the official statement from the Roman Catholic Church.

Here is the Web Site for the Benedictine Sisters for more information on low gluten altar breads.

Here is the Web Site for the Catholic Celiac Society for even more information.

Here is more information from Celiac-Disease.com.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Twin's Kitchen - Full Service Gluten Free Company

I have briefly mentioned Twin's Kitchen in some previous posts but would like to go a little further this time. I first discovered the Twins when I stumbled onto their Twin Cake's Bakery items at the Moore's Square Farmer's Market in Downtown Raleigh this summer. The Twins (twin sister/business partner/best friend duo), also known as Lori and Michelle Corso, have been living Gluten Free for the last 2 years after experiencing medical issues for most of their lives. They are not medically diagnosed as Celiac but are 100% committed to living the Gluten Free Lifestyle. I tried a few of their delicious dessert items (chocolate cake, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, etc...) and was blown away. I have tried just about all the GF dessert options from grocery stores in the area (I have a huge sweet tooth) and was NOT impressed. On most occasions, I can immediately tell when something is Gluten Free just by its taste and texture, especially dessert items. This is NOT true for Twin Cakes Bakery items. Click here for a sample menu of what they offer. It seems like they can make just about anything to satisfy your sweet tooth.

I have had the chance to meet the Twins on several occasions and have had interaction with them via email and phone conversations. They told me in a recent conversation that "Twin Cakes came about when we noticed that there really was no place here in Raleigh or the surrounding areas that baked fresh, natural, allergy friendly desserts. Although we cannot accommodate every allergy, our bakery's focus is always to provide gluten, egg, dairy and peanut free desserts, as well as using only natural sugars (nothing processed) and providing some soy free items. We wanted a place where anybody, food allergies or not, can come and find something that they can enjoy. Even non-allergy suffers have enjoyed our delicious treats. We bake our goods in small batches while using high quality ingredients that have been approved by the twins. Our state inspected kitchen is a dedicated gluten, egg, dairy and peanut free facility!".

They went on to state "Our mission is to show others through our food and desserts that having a gluten, egg, dairy, and peanut free lifestyle can be full of flavor, variety, deliciousness and satisfaction. We want to show people, whether you chose or medically have to be gluten free or vegan, the meal options are endless. Not only will you be supporting a local company, but by incorporating more whole grains, fruits and vegetables (from local farmers), and eating less food out of a box, you will be saving the environment by creating less waste. Here at Twin Cakes, we use biodegradable containers and use local and organic ingredients whenever possible". Lori and Michelle have dreams of opening a retail outlet for their Twin Cakes Bakery at some point in the future.

As I did more research on their website, http://www.twinskitchen.com/, I discovered that the Twins also offered many other Gluten Free food services. They are for-hire Personal Chefs who will help you plan meals for you and your family, do the grocery shopping and actually prepare the meals in your home for you. In addition, I noticed that they also offer catering services for events like Birthday parties, Baby showers, Romantic dinners, Anniversaries, Holiday get-togethers, Fundraisers, Cocktail and dinner parties, Girls' night (Grey's Anatomy Night), Movie marathon, etc... They will take care of all the menu planning, shopping, cooking, set up and clean up.

They recently told me the following about their Twins Kitchen concept "We want to create an ultimate dining experience at home by creating dishes that use high quality ingredients. We offer different meal packages where a person or family can get a week, two weeks or even a month of prepared meals. Let us do the menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking, and provide all the dishes that are used for meal preparation, so you gain more time to do what you love or enjoy. Having a personal chef is a cost-efficient alternative to dining out. Have you ever calculated how much time and money you may spend eating out, picking food up, making trips to the store, and preparing food or throwing food away? Let Twins Kitchen create healthy meals that are individually packaged to provide a quick healthy alternative to your average food choices. We believe in high customer service where we do our best to customize our food offerings to each person's needs. We strive to make unique menus that can be enjoyed by all, not just gluten free, vegan eaters. We use gluten free whole grains, natural sugars, local and organic produce, and a variety of seasonings to create good healthy food that is uncompromisingly delicious".

Sounds good to me!

Here is a sample menu from their website for their personal chef option.
  • Raw Thai coleslaw salad
  • Sautéed spinach and mushrooms with garlic and crisp shallots on top
  • Goat cheese arugula salad with roasted walnuts
  • Roasted squash medley served with quinoa
  • Butternut squash and chickpea stew served over amaranth
  • Tarragon zucchini pizza with goat brie
  • Lemongrass Risotto
  • Mini spinach burgers
While I have yet to give the Twins Personal Chef or Catering service a try, I encourage you to try Twins Kitchen if you get the chance. This Blog is about providing exposure to local companies who cater to our specific dietary needs and this company seems to provide the most comprehensive services for Gluten Free diets in this area. If you have already tried them out or plan to do so in the future, please leave a comment about your experience. I will provide a follow-up in the future once I know more.

If you are wondering about their pricing (Personal Chefs sounds expensive doesn't it), see the following from their FAQ page.
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.


As I have mentioned before, you can give their Twin Cakes Bakery options a try at the North Hills Farmer's Market held each Saturday from 8am to noon.

Please contact the Twins for more information via email at customerservice@twinskitchen.com or call 919-306-5304. Feel free to also check out their blog at http://twinskitchen-news.blogspot.com/.

ENJOY!

Monday, September 15, 2008

WORD OF CAUTION - Lucky 32 in Cary

I have received some emails about Lucky 32 in Cary offering a Gluten Free menu option. I had been to the location in Raleigh a few years ago before it closed and always liked the food so I decided to do a little digging.

The following is a warning about what I found out about Lucky 32's menu as well as information given to me by their Executive Chef, Jay Pierce.

If you have been to this restaurant in the past, you may have noticed something interesting about their menu. See the following webpage for yourself. Beside some of the menu choices are little GF logos. Somebody like myself automatically assumed that meant Gluten Free, right? WRONG. If you look down at the fine print you will see the following.
GF - Say "Guilt Free" and we'll modify the receipe to reduce sodium and fat. For other special dietary needs, please inform your server.

YIKES - as you can see from this, GF is not Gluten Free at Lucky 32. Once I saw this I contacted Jay to inquire further. I would hate for any people trying to order Gluten Free to be misled. Jay's prompt response is below...
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

So there you have it. As I always recommend, proceed with caution at ANY restaurant, even the ones that have GF all over their menu.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Reminder: Greater North Raleigh Celiac Support Group

Just a friendly reminder about this month's Greater North Raleigh Celiac Support Group meeting. The meeting is this coming Thursday, September 18th at 7pm at Rex Hospital. The Chapter's medical advisor is scheduled to speak and answer questions about Celiac Disease and being Gluten Free. Additionally, Enjoy Life Natural Brands has provided the group with samples of a variety of their products. I plan on being in attendance and look forward to introducing myself to other group members as well as gaining feedback about how to make this blog better.

If you would like more information, please see my earlier post about this group here. Please email Pat Berger to request more information about the group or if you are interested in attending this month's meeting.

Update 9/16/08 @ 7:00 AM
The group's medical advisor has rescheduled for the October meeting due to a scheduling conflict. More group discussion time will be allotted instead.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Useful Resources - Gluten Free Desserts

One of the difficult areas of being gluten free is dessert time. Regular cakes, cookies, brownies, pies, ice cream cones and more are now off limits. This area can be a real drag. Luckily a few dessert goodies were not taken from us. For example, there are ice creams and Italian ices out there which are completely gluten free. Here is my listing a few places I have tried recently when hungering for that dessert snack.

Dairy Queen
DQ has a page on their website specifically for GF goodies. You can have their Chocolate, Vanilla or swirl soft serve as long as you get it in a plastic cup. No cones or waffle cones allowed. If you so please, you can also get the following toppings on your soft serve ice cream; Chocolate, Hot Fudge, Marshmallow, Butterscotch, Strawberry or Caramel. DQ also usually has a freezer with take home frozen goodies. The following frozen treats are also GF; Fudge Bar, Vanilla Orange Bar and Dilly Bars. DQ also goes on to list that many of their Blizzard choices are GF but I usually stay away from these because there is only one machine used to make Blizzards and a non-GF Blizzard (like cookie dough) could have been mixed just before yours. There are six DQ's in the Raleigh area (2 in Cary, 3 in Raleigh and 1 in Clayton).
NOTE: None of DQ's ice cream cakes are Gluten Free.

Baskin Robbins
Baskin Robbins is a favorite of mine (especially when attached to a Dunkin Donuts). I have loved their Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream my whole life. Luckily for me, it and many others are gluten free. See Baskin Robbin's Allergen page here for more information. A good thing to remember here is to have the person getting the ice cream get a new scoop or thoroughly clean the scoop they are about to use to avoid cross contamination. There are 11 locations around Raleigh (6 in Raleigh, 1 each in Knightdale, Cary, Morrisville, Clayton and Fuquay).
NOTE: None of Baskin Robbin's ice cream cakes are Gluten Free.

Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone is relatively new to the Raleigh area compared to the first two places in the list. I got the chance to experience their regular products before I was diagnosed Celiac. Everything I had tried previously was excellent. This is the place that will take an entire candy bar and mix it into your ice cream of choice. Cold Stone's Allergen fact sheet can be found here in pdf format. It looks like they may update this regularly so in case that pdf changes, their Nutrition Information page is located here. They again have a lot of yummy choices available. It's also a good idea at Cold Stone to ask them to clean or get new scoops and ice cream utensils before preparing your treats. There are 5 locations around Raleigh (2 in Raleigh, 1 each in Cary, Apex and Garner).
NOTE: None of Cold Stone's ice cream cakes are Gluten Free.

Goodberry's
Goodberry's is a local creamery that serves up frozen custard in a variety of flavors. From this page about their ingredients, you can clearly see they are all about only the best ingredients along with not adding anything unnecessary to their product. Their simple ingredients list is milk, cream, eggs, pure cane sugar and honey. Naturally you can see all of these things are Gluten Free. Where to watch out at Goodberry's is their products and toppings that contain items like cookies or brownies. Same goes with their scoops here as well. There are 7 area Goodberry's locations (3 in Raleigh, 2 in Cary, 1 in Garner and Wake Forest). They also have their product available at the RBC Center during Carolina Hurricanes games.
NOTE: Goodberry's frozen custard cakes are made to order and can be GF. Call to inquire.

Rita's Italian Ice
Rita's is a little bit different but just as yummy. They feature Italian Ice, Cream Ice, Custard or a mix of Ice and Custard called Gelati. All are extremely tasty. I first discovered Rita's while visiting family in the North Eastern U.S. during summer time. But recently, several Rita's have opened here in the Raleigh area. Rita's Ice Nutrition page can be found here. There is a link on that page to Allergen Information in pdf format that can be found here. All their Italian Ice and Custard flavors are Gluten Free. Just watch out for some of the Cream Ice flavors like Birthday Cake and Cookie's n Cream. Rita's has the following area locations; Raleigh (coming soon at The Shoppes at Oberlin Court), Knightdale, Apex and Cary.

Carvel
Carvel also offers a ton of tasty ice cream goodies. Since they do not have any retail stores in this area (except at RDU Airport), I will focus on their ice cream cakes. Their ice cream cakes can be found in just about any grocery store in Raleigh. They have the following FAQ page about Gluten where you can clearly see which of their items are Gluten Free. From this page Carvel states...

"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!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Useful Resources - Gluten Free Beer Review

In my previous life (before CD), I was known to enjoy a few adult beverages, specifically beer. During situations that required mass consumption, I was strictly a Miller Lite and/or Rolling Rock (before the Anheuser-Busch acquisition) drinker. During more social situations where I focused more on quality instead of quantity, I preferred products from a local brewery called Carolina Brewing Company.

My favorites of CBC were Carolina Pale Ale, and ... well, I could list them all but that would make me too sad. Basically anything they offered was my favorite. CBC is located in Holly Springs and has distribution to a ton of grocery stores and restaurants/bars in the Triangle. They also offer a brewery tour each Saturday at 1pm. I had been many times and wish I could go again some day. As soon as I was diagnosed and discovered I could no longer drink normal beer, I contacted CBC to see if they would ever consider brewing a GF beer. They politely declined at the time but I intend to keep on them about this. I encourage all of you to do the same as well! You can email them using the following address - CarolinaBrewing@aol.com.

Naturally from there, I decided I would try all the GF brands of beer out there, assuming they would all be horrible. I discovered that there were just a handful with distribution in the Triangle. My first adventure was to Whole Foods, the GF grocery mecca. They offer, and I have tried, the following 3 GF beers.
  • Anheuser Busch's RedBridge
  • Bard's Tale Beer's Dragon's Gold
  • Lake Front Brewery's New Grist Ale
I was immediately skeptical of RedBridge because in my previous life I never had good experiences with any AB products. I couldn't usually drink Bud or Bud Light because it would make me feel pretty crappy the next day no matter how little I had to drink. This now leads me to believe that AB products (besides RedBridge) must be higher in Gluten content than other brands I previously had consumed. Somebody should study this and find out if my hunch is correct. Regardless of the above, I tried RedBridge and was in fact pleasantly surprised.

RedBridge has now become my new favorite beer! It seems to have the best distribution of the GF beers I have tried (not only locally but nationally). So far, I have found it at Whole Foods, Kroger and Lowe's Foods priced somewhere around $8 per six pack (yikes). It is also showing up in other places like Taz's downtown market (see my earlier post about this) and The Flying Saucer Bar and Restaurant in Downtown Raleigh (more to come on this). I have offered RedBridge to my family members and friends for their honest opinion and they all have said it is pretty good beer. When you are GF and can only drink/eat one thing, your brain can trick you into thinking it's good. That is why I always offer new GF products to others who will give me an honest opinion just to make sure my brain isn't tricking me. RedBridge passes this test each time.

My next favorite would be Dragon's Gold. A darker beer with great taste. I think I would have it more often if I could find it in more places. I have only seen it and New Grist Ale at Whole Foods. In last place is New Grist Ale (not horrible but somebody has to finish last). While drinkable if the only GF choice around, I prefer the other 2 choices much more.

Here are the websites for each beer where you can read more about them, contact the brewers to say thanks (highly recommended) and check their local distribution.

http://www.redbridgebeer.com/
http://www.bardsbeer.com
http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com/

One side effect of drinking GF beer is that you are pretty much limited to six packs of bottles. No cans, no cases or 12 packs, no 22oz bottles, and no kegs. I checked with an inside source about why RedBridge isn't available in kegs and it seemed that demand was not high enough and/or the dedicated facility at AB was only for bottling (bummer).

FYI - I have had good luck with requesting RedBridge at grocery stores that do not currently stock it. If you can find a beer manager and ask them to carry it, they usually get it in for you in a few weeks. It never hurts to ask, right?

Also, I am still waiting to be contacted by someone in the Food and Beverage department at the RBC Center. See my previous post about the Carolina Hurricanes being GF friendly here. I will let you know what I find out but one of my goals is for them to carry RedBridge.

Cheers!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Useful Resources - After Diagnosis Follow-up - Nutritional Deficiencies

After I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease this summer, my Doctor informed me that several follow-up tests should be performed to verify if I had any Nutritional Deficiencies. My doctor ordered a few blood tests called "CBC" or Complete Blood Count and a test for Vitamin D levels.

From the results of these tests, my Doctor determined that my Vitamin D levels were too low. Low levels of Vitamin D can lead to many issues in the human body. In Celiac's, it could lead to Osteoporosis/Osteopenia. This ended up being the case for me.

My Doctor did several things as a result of this Vitamin D deficiency.
  1. Wrote a prescription for Vitamin D for 6 weeks. The dosage was 50,000 IU. The normal suggested dosage for adults is 400 IU per day. This was to boost as much Vitamin D into my system as quick as possible to try to make up for the deficiency.
  2. Ordered me to undergo a Bone Density Scan Test also know as a "Bone Densitometry Test" and/or dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA or DEXA) . See more about this test here.
I had the Bone Density test here in Raleigh at Wake Radiology in their West Raleigh office near Rex Hospital (West Raleigh Office - 4301 Lake Boone Trail - First Floor -Raleigh, NC 27607 - Ph 781-6707 - Mon-Fri 8am-5pm). The procedure took about 30 minutes from start to finish and was completely painless (other than hearing my diagnosis from the technician). Normally, 60 year old women are getting this test so they were a bit taken back to see me and my results. Regardless, I had the following areas scanned: wrists, forearms and ankles in addition to the normally scanned areas of the spine and hips. Patients with Celiac Disease will often see loss of bone density due to malabsorption in the small bones of the body first so it is important to make sure these areas are included in the scan.

The test results will be listed as follows:
  • T score — This number shows the amount of bone you have compared with a young adult of the same gender with peak bone mass. A score above -1 is considered normal. A score between -1 and -2.5 is classified as osteopenia, the first stage of bone loss. A score below -2.5 is defined as osteoporosis. The T score is used to estimate your risk of developing a fracture.
  • Z score — This number reflects the amount of bone you have compared with other people in your age group and of the same size and gender. If this score is unusually high or low, it may indicate a need for further medical tests.
My results were a T score of -2.4 which is technically classified as osteopenia, but very close to osteoporosis. One Standard Deviation difference in a T-score equals a 10-15 percent decrease in bone density. For example, a person with a T-score of -2.5 has a 10-15 percent lower bone density than a person with a T-score of -1.5. When my doctor reviewed the test results, he called me to recommend I take at least 800 IU daily of Vitamin D and schedule a follow-up appointment with him in 6 months. As a result, I am taking a Gluten Free Daily Multivitamin (found at Whole Foods) in the morning which contains 400 IU Vitamin D and then another 400 IU Vitamin D pill (found at Lowe's foods) in the evening. FYI - Vitamin D only pills are pretty difficult to find in my experience.

The Good news - my Doctor informed me that as time passes and I remain on the Gluten Free Diet, my Nutritional Deficiencies should disappear and my bone density issues should be reversible.

If you are a newly diagnosed Celiac and your doctor has not ordered any follow-up tests, then you should either demand they do or switch doctors. The results of Nutritional Deficiencies is not something to mess around with as you can see in my case.

For more information on Osteoporosis, please visit the National Osteoporosis Foundation website.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Restaurant Review - Chic-fil-a - Downtown Raleigh

For today's lunch, I ventured into Chic-fil-a in Downtown Raleigh.

I have had experiences with them in the past (which were all good) but I had yet to post a review about them. Chic-fil-a does a nice job of communicating about Gluten on their website. Click here for their Gluten page. They have listed entrees, sides, beverages, desserts, dipping sauces, condiments, and breakfast items that are all Gluten Free. Unfortunately, their "entrees" are all salads, unless you count tortilla strips as an entree (I don't). I also don't count getting a chargrilled chicken sandwich without the bun as a GF choice either. It's a pet peeve of mine when people suggest that and you'll just get weird looks if you are sitting there eating a chicken breast with no bun. Plus, you would need to verify that the chicken actually never touched a bun (too risky).

Let's move onto the important things, like FRIES! Most places will put their fries in the same frying oil as other non-GF things like chicken fingers or nuggets so that means it's a no-go due to cross-contamination issues. Not Chic-fil-a, they have a dedicated fryer just for fries (FYI - I always ask about the dedicated fryer because I don't trust anyone).

Here is what I ordered this afternoon (and usually order). Total cost was around $8.
  • Chargrilled Chicken Garden Salad with Italian dressing (make sure you read the dressing labels also)
  • Waffle Potato Fries (yummy) with Barbecue dipping sauce
  • Dr. Pepper
Bottom line, if you're in a pinch and need some fast food, Chic-fil-a is your place. It's especially nice when traveling or running errands to know you can just stop in and get something fast and easy. The only downside to Chic-fil-a is that they are NOT open on Sundays.

Information
Chic-fil-a
Downtown Raleigh
400 Fayetteville Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: 834-3875
Website: http://www.chick-fil-a.com

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Mr. Silly Approves

Monday, September 8, 2008

Mr. Silly vs. Mr. Yak

Introducing Mr. Silly and Mr. Yak...


A few days ago I decided to come up with a few characters to help readers easily identify restaurant reviews that were recommended versus not recommended. This is where Mr. Silly (Recommended) and Mr. Yak (Not Recommended) come in (get it?). Each review will have one or the other. This is my attempt to bring humor into an otherwise not-at-all-funny disease and dietary lifestyle. I have updated all previous review posts with one or the other.

VS

FYI - A graphic artist friend of mine is currently working on the permanent Mr. Silly and Mr. Yak drawings, so these will have to do in the meantime.

The word is getting out...

The word is spreading about the Gluten Free Raleigh Blog.

Last Tuesday, I added a hit counter to the bottom of this web page to count unique visits to the site. In less than a week, the counter is over 500 600!

The blog was also featured this past Sunday (9/7) in the News & Observer newspaper. See Sue Stock's article here (page 2). I have also been told by another reporter from the N&O (Andrea Weigl) that it will again be featured this coming Sunday (9/14) in her latest "Hot Stuff" column.

In addition, I will be placing business cards with information about this blog in the lobby of Rosie's Plate. Stop in and check 'em out.

If you know of someone attempting the GF lifestyle in Raleigh, please forward them the link!

Thanks for reading.

Local Product Spotlight - Bone Suckin' Sauce


When I started this blog, I intended to discuss all GF things in Raleigh in order to help others like me living the Gluten Free lifestyle. That includes restaurant reviews (since eating out is such a pain), where to find GF products in Grocery stores (more to come on this) as well as spotlighting local products.

Here is the first of my Local Product Spotlight series - Raleigh, North Carolina's own Bone Suckin' Sauce. According to its website, Bone Suckin' Sauce was created in 1987 by Raleigh resident Phil Ford while trying to copy his mother's recipe for a western NC-style barbecue sauce (for those of you who are new to North Carolina, Western-style translates to tomato based). For the next 5 years, Phil's family and friends encouraged him to market the sauce and in 1992 it finally happened. Then in 1994, Bone Suckin' won the "NC Battle of the Sauces". Later that year, the sauce was presented to 50,000 buyers at the International Fancy Food Show in New York City. This has lead to the sauce being exported to 40 countries.

If you have not tried Bone Suckin' Sauce, I highly suggest that you do. I have used this barbecue sauce for dipping, grilling and marinating (used it this past weekend to marinate chicken breasts for the NC State football game tailgate). The simple ingredients are as follows: Tomato Paste, Apple Cider Vinegar, Honey, Molasses, Mustard, Horseradish, Lemon Juice, Onions, Garlic, Peppers, Natural Hickory Smoke Flavor, Natural Spices, Salt & Xanthan Gum (A Natural Thickener).

Bone Suckin' Sauce can be found in the following grocery stores: Whole Foods, Earth Fare, The Fresh Market, Capital City Grocery, Harris Teeter, Kroger, Lowe's Foods and more (What's wrong with you Food Lion?). Basically, if you cannot find it you aren't looking hard enough. In addition, if you're too lazy to leave your house, you can buy Bone Suckin' on the company's website and have it delivered to your house.

In addition to Bone Suckin' Sauce, the company also makes the following products which are all Gluten Free.
  • Bone Suckin' Sauce: Regular, Hot, Thicker Style, Hot Thicker Style
  • Bone Suckin' Mustard
  • Bone Suckin' Sauce Hiccuppin' Hot
  • Bone Suckin' Seasoning & Rub
  • Bone Suckin' Salsa: Regular and Hot
  • Bone Suckin' Yaki (Contains Wheat but has less Gluten than 5 ppm)
I have recently tried the Bone Suckin' Mustard which is excellent as well.

Click here and here to see the company's website for allergy information.

ENJOY!

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Mr. Silly approves


Thursday, September 4, 2008

Are the Carolina Hurricanes Celiac/Gluten Free Friendly?

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...

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Useful Resources - Celiac Disease Blood Tests

From what I can tell, there is a lot of confusion out there about which blood tests should be taken in order to properly screen/diagnose Celiac Disease.

After I was diagnosed, I suggested to my immediate family members (Mother/Father/Brothers/Sisters) that they get a blood test as well. I called my doctors office and they stated that my family members should ask their doctor for a "Complete Celiac Disease Panel" blood test. I assumed there was 1 simple test that all doctors/labs knew about. Should be easy, right? Think again. For proof, go to Labcorp's Directory of Services website (click here) and look at the all the different tests for Celiac (there are 12).

Long story short, my parents were given the incorrect tests while my sister was given the correct tests. When my parents results came back, I showed them to my doctor because both were negative. He said that the tests they were given were "basically worthless". In response to this situation, I decided I would post the exact tests I received in order to be diagnosed. These are the tests that my doctor (Dr. Colm J O’Loughlin) stated as being the correct tests.

They are as follows...
  1. Endomysial IgA Antibodies - the result is either Negative or Positive
  2. Tissue transglutaminase (tTG) IgA Antibodies - the result is a number with anything > 10 being positive.
My results of course were positive for Test 1 and 123 (> 10 is positive) for test 2.

Hope this helps!

UPDATED 9-3-2008 @ 5PM
To be 100% accurate, my diagnosis was also confirmed by a small bowel biopsy as well. I also updated test 2 above to add the IgA part which I originally left off. Thanks Shauna.

UPDATED 9-19-2008 @ 4PM

The following Web Site from the American Celiac Disease Alliance provides an in depth overview of the types of blood tests out there for Celiac. It's a good read.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Restaurant Review - Rosie's Plate - Downtown Raleigh

As promised here is my review of Rosie's Plate. I have now eaten there on 3 different occasions. If you ever get tired of the involved process of preparing Gluten Free meals at home, this is the place for you! My family has been eating here about once per month and it is a great break from the challenge of GF meal preparation.

Rosie's Plate opened this summer in Downtown Raleigh (ironically next to Krispy Kreme donuts - argh) as a completely Gluten Free kitchen which specializes in prepared meals. As I mentioned before, this is technically not a restaurant. You can order prepared meals online (Click Here) or by phone or fax from a menu which rotates every 2 weeks. At this point, you must order the day before you would like your food but they will have it warm for you to pick up the next day (Orders placed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be ready on Monday). On all 3 occasions, I have picked up my food warm and taken it home to eat with my family. The food stayed warm during my 20 minute drive home and didn't need reheated. They also have the option of picking the food up cold and cooking it yourself.

The menu (completely gluten, shellfish, and peanut-free) consists of a variety of entrees, salads, side dishes, snacks and desserts. Rosie's is now on their 5th menu - click here. There are usually 5-6 entrees and sides (purchased separately), soups, salads, breads, snacks and 8-10 dessert choices.

Rosie's also offers a lunch-to-go menu. While I have not tried this option yet, I anticipate giving it a shot in the near future. My work usually requires a lot of large meetings in which food is usually provided. Most organizers do not take into consideration that employees might have food allergies and as a result there is usually nothing for me to eat. I could see Rosie's filling the void here.

At this time, the only pitfalls of Rosie's Plate are that they do not deliver and they do not have pizza on the menu EVERY week! I have spoken with them about this and they mentioned they hear this feedback all the time and are making plans to rectify these items. If you would like to give input to the folks at Rosie's, please go to their website and click the "New Visitors, please fill out our survey" link at the bottom left part of the home page to let them know what you are thinking. I would also encourage you to call Rosie's and speak with Emily Ellis the Customer Service Manager.

Here is a listing of the items I ordered the 3 times I have eaten at Rosie's.

June 2008
-Tangy Bar-B-Q Chicken Breast $8.50
-Tuscan Grilled Pork Kabob with Vidalia Onions $7.50
-Organic Roasted New Potatoes with Thyme $3.25
-Green beans sauteed in olive oil with garlic $3.00
-6 pack of Chocolate Chip Cookies $4.50
Total Cost $28.82

July 2008
-Grilled Chicken "Scaloppine" with Peach Chutney $8.50
-Brown Rice Penne Pasta with Cream of Red Bell Pepper Sauce $5.50
-Organic Potato and Corn Chowder $4.00
-Yellow squash and zucchini $3.00
-Organic Roasted New Potatoes with Thyme $3.25
-4 Frosted Chocolate Cupcakes(Chocolate Sprinkles & Chocolate Frosting) $9.50
Total Cost $36.37

August 2008
-Terrific Chicken Bites w/Honey Mustard sauce $6.00
-Macaroni & Cheese $4.50
-Cuban Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Roasted Vegetable Salsa $8.50
-Spring rolls - Veggie filled with Spicy "Peanut" sauce $5.00
-6 pack of Sugar Cookies $6.00
Total Cost $32.34

My family and I have thoroughly enjoyed each time we order from Rosie's Plate. I would highly recommend and encourage all Celiac's or Gluten Free folks in the area to give Rosie's a try and let them know you support them. I have spoken with several folks at Rosie's and each time they are pleasant and grateful of my patronage. Their customer service is great and the food is always ready on time and kept warm in their lobby (in case you are running late).

Rosie's has been mentioned in several publications since they opened. For more information, I encourage you to read the following...
-click here
-click here

Information
Rosie's Plate
701 N Person Street
Downtown Raleigh
Phone 833-0505
Web http://www.rosiesplate.com/
Hours: Monday – Friday
* 10a – 7p for Customer Service
* 3p - 6:30p for Order Pickup

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Mr. Silly approves