Our family had too much to celebrate. A birthday for one child and a karate belt for another. We had promised the kids we wouldn't stop our lives to go gluten free for their little sister and we decided we needed a family dinner out. This would be our first family dinner since my husband and I went gluten free to support our daughter with Celiac.
After a lot of research, we felt comfortable going to a chain restaurant where the cooks are trained in handling allergies and are gluten aware. We love local dining, but don't know if THEY know what gluten is and how to not cross contaminate our food. (looking for suggestions!!)
Macaroni Grill was picked for its extensive on-line GF menu, which was easy to read and was very kid friendly!. http://www.macaronigrill.com/docs/nutritional/allergen-menu.pdf
Our server was very friendly and was completely kind about our special dietary needs. No rolled eyes here! He was not the most knowledgeable, but did go above and beyond to make sure we knew what we wanted and that it matched the GF portion of the menu. Our older two children ordered from the regular menu.
Unfortunately, we saw the kitchen put our salads up with croutons on them. Our server corrected the item, apologized for the wait and brought out new salads. My daughter shared with me, and near the end of the salad my fork hit something hard. It was a crouton. Croutons are not GF. Since the salad had been tossed, the crouton had touched everything in the bowl. We sent it back, the waiter was so apologetic and the manager came over too. Her explanation was there was none. She had no idea how that could have happened. If Celiac was like anaphyactic-allergies it could have been a catastrophe. I am grateful she doesn't have that!
The rest of dinner was a success! Z had GF mac and cheese pasta and was in heaven. My husband and I had our GF pasta dinners and they were really delicious. I had Carmela's Chicken with caramelized onions, mushrooms and marasala cream sauce. The corn pasta tasted just like wheat pasta and was cooked perfectly. My husband enjoyed his baked Penne Rustica with sausage, peppers and marinara sauce. The portions were generous and the food was served with attention to noting it was made with GF pasta.
For dessert, Macaroni Grill offers Gelato, which is naturally GF and is delicious. The girls preferred the chocolate flavor and my son enjoyed his vanilla.
Our first GF dining out experience was almost a home run. In the wee hours of the next morning, Z came into our room with intense stomach pains that she hasn't had since going GF. I don't know if it was from the crouton or not, but when eating out you lose all control over the preparation of your food and now we know we have to be even more vigilant about the food we are served.
Here are my marks for Romano's Macaroni Grill in Aliso Viejo. (1-10 with 10 being highest)
- GF Menu Selection: 7
- Service: 8
- Food taste: 8
- GF safety: 5