We are less than three months away from embarking on our Middle States adventure, so my thoughts are turning to the details - and one in particular: finding places to eat that will be safe for me with celiac disease. One of my favorite things in the past to do when traveling was to try new restaurants and eateries. I like to choose places we don't have at home, too. For several years, our go-to place when traveling was Red Robin with their bottomless fries and their smokey campfire sauce! DH had eaten at one in Arizona on a work trip, while our sons and I had our first experience in Vancouver just before going on an Alaskan cruise. Since then, we ate at one just outside Salt Lake City, Utah, when we hit 7 states in 10 days including Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska. We also ate at the one in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the year we went to Niagara Falls (both sides) and Hershey.
Once they opened a Red Robin in our city, our go-to place when traveling became Culver's with their butter burgers and cheese curds and custard, oh my, the custard! Our first Culver's experience was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when DH had a work conference and I tagged along for the week. There was one in the shopping mall two blocks from the hotel where we stayed. My niece had heard about it from some friends and suggested we try it. We were hooked! Several months later, one was opened in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where DH's family is from, so it became a regular place for us when visiting the area. And then we got a Culver's in our town - albeit all the way across town so we rarely get to go there, so we will still go there when traveling!
So now that we're getting ready for this trip, I'm scouting out food places that we might want to try but that will also be safe for me to eat. One thing I have found useful is joining Gluten Free and Celiac Travel groups on Facebook, both general ones and ones that are focused on specific geographical areas. I've found that others are only happy to share their experiences with restaurants that have both a delicious menu and kitchen practices that avoid cross-contamination for gluten-free food preparation. I've been diagnosed with celiac disease for nearly a decade and it can be a challenge to find places where we can both enjoy a meal.
The Find Me Gluten-Free app is also a useful tool to help narrow down possibilities. The app will specify places that are strictly gluten-free, too. One place I'm looking forward to checking out is Britt's Bakehouse in Kirkwood, Missouri. They are a dedicated gluten-free bakery so I'm excited about seeing what they have!
In addition to scouting out possible restaurants along our route, I'm starting to stock up on gluten-free items that are good for light meals and snacks to take with us. Thanks to good Super Bowl week sales and fresh-until dates that are after we get back, I should have some things on hand for when we can't find something safe for me. (At which time you'll likely hear me muttering, "stupid gluten" under my breath. Sometimes I really hate this limitation.)
I expect that I'll post some reviews of places we try, especially those that we find do a decent job at accommodating a gluten-free diet. I hope in some way that I can "pay it forward" to someone else who may be looking for the same information I am.
~ Cindy D.
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