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!

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

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

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.

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.