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A Reliable Gluten Free Dining Experience That Can Be Enjoyed By All: Thank You P.F. Chang’s!

Okay so I guess I’ve been bitten by the Chinese food bug lately.  I blame Disney; ever since our trip a few months back and I enjoyed that fabulous Pan-Asian noodle dish at Kona Cafe, I’ve been craving Asian inspired cuisine like crazy. As I eluded to yesterday, when I’m not enjoying my homemade Chicken And Green Veggie Stir Fry at home, I’m getting my Chinese food fix at our local P.F. Chang’s. For those of you who haven’t been to a P.F. Chang’s, you absolutely must try it, their gluten free menu is fairly large and offers some very tasty Asian cuisine.

Now, anytime I venture out of the house to attempt a gluten free meal I feel incredibly nervous, with a bit of anxiety. It’s actually kind of sad to feel that way about having a night off from cooking and enjoying a meal out with your family, but unfortunately everywhere in the world is just not quite as prepared to offer entirely gluten free food causing myself to be glutened. Sadly I have been glutened before and it is an excruciating experience for me, so I never take eating out lightly at all. I usually only go to places that have had a great reputation as far as allergy free cooking is concerned, also they have phenomenal reviews from other gluten free diners, and finally that offer an impressive gluten free menu that truly demonstrates their desire to accommodate gluten free diners by not only offering a large variety but also items that include all of their parts and not just a plain piece of meat. That being said, it’s obvious that I’m extremely selective on our locations when we dine out, but hey I have to be.

Over the past few years, we’ve dined at P.F. Chang’s and will keep dining there as each and every experience that we’ve had has been nothing but impressive and enjoyable. Their staff is always extremely knowledgeable and they can accommodate not just gluten free folk, but allergies of all shapes and sizes, as even my dear nephew who has seemingly every food allergy under the sun has even successfully dined there without any reactions. You feel the love after just sitting down and taking a look at the menu and seeing their pretty large gluten free section, right there in the main menu, that’s right no separate menu for us! (Just a tip, if you have any other kind of food allergy, just request another menu that specifically addresses that allergy.)

While P.F. Chang’s menu is intended for items to be shared, for us we usually don’t do this since my dishes are gluten free and my husband usually prefers to order a seafood, non-gluten free item. So, ordering for me is pretty simple, I typically go with the gluten free Chicken Lettuce Wraps and a Beef and Broccoli entree. I’m a creature of habit I guess and usually order the same thing, but I know what I like and I’ve never really gone wrong with either one of these. While ordering, I usually remind the waiter of the severe gluten intolerance that I have again, even though I already did that when ordering my drinks, but it makes me feel better if I state it a few times, impressing upon the staff the dire consequences of a slip up.

Soon enough, my gluten free Chicken Lettuce Wraps arrive on a beautiful allergy plate with a logo and line circling around it; that’s right, P.F. Chang’s identifies allergy free dishes with a different plate from other diners, a great identifier for yourself when your dish is placed down in front of you. When my husband hasn’t ordered an appetizer for himself then we usually do share this one since it’s usually way too much for just myself to finish. However, his new favorite small plate, non-gluten free appetizer are the steamed pork dumplings, so when that’s the case then it’s leftover Chicken Lettuce Wraps for tomorrow’s lunch, which is fine by me!  

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Gluten Free Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Now, down to the taste of these wonderful wraps! They are DELICIOUS! Every single time I order them I love them more and more. Chicken, green onions, and water chestnuts smothered in a gluten free soy sauce and all scooped into a lettuce cup, it’s such a great bite of food and a perfect appetizer. While these are a total winner for us adults, not everyone at our table agreed though on this dish.

On our most recent visit to P.F. Chang’s, which has really only been my daughter’s second time there her entire year and a half of life, we decided to leave behind a dinner from home and give her some of our meals. First up, were the chicken lettuce wraps which after my little girl’s first bite produced some type of sour face and shiver. Let’s face it, I knew it was a gamble giving her Asian cuisine, especially a dish with all new flavors and textures, like ground chicken and water chestnuts. Thankfully though our waiter came to the rescue and brought out some fresh veggies for her to munch on, which she LOVES, and she actually happened to really enjoy my husband’s steamed pork dumplings too. So, while little one enjoyed her Daddy’s dish, Mommy actually was able to gobble down a few lettuce wraps uninterrupted!

A few minutes later and our entrees had arrived. My gluten free Beef and Broccoli looked just as tasty as always. A huge allergy free, logo lined plate was placed down in front of me and was filled with thin, bite size pieces of flank steak and broccoli florets all cooked with fresh ginger, green onions, garlic, and a beautiful sauce. I love everything in this dish, but the star for me is the sauce that flavors it all. The seared beef and broccoli are perfectly flavored thanks to it and I always leave wishing that I knew how to recreate such a spectacular dish. Although I love this dish, I rarely am able to finish it in the restaurant. So even better, I always have leftovers for the next day’s lunch or dinner and let me tell you the Beef and Broccoli reheats perfectly, tasting just like it did the day before.

Beef With Broccoli
Gluten Free Beef With Broccoli

Every single meal at P.F. Chang’s we’ve enjoyed, while all for the great food and even better company, others thanks to extra special memories like watching our little girl enjoy a different cuisine for the first time. It means so much to my family to be able to create memories like these and enjoy a meal together where all of us are eating dishes that are equally tasty and safe. So many thank yous go out to P.F. Chang’s for offering a restaurant that not just myself, but many other allergy diners too can sit down with their families and share in the enjoyment of dining out. If you have a local P.F. Chang’s near you, make sure you pay them a visit and check out their gluten free menu ahead of time to pick out your favorite dishes! 

TIP: One of the perks that I love about P.F. Chang’s is that they offer lunch sized portions of their gluten free menu so you can enjoy their dishes at either meal. In fact, since we usually don’t share dishes, we’ve sometimes ordered lunch takeout on Saturday before 4 pm and have paid considerably less for plenty of food for dinner (not many leftovers, but certainly enough for dinner). Another feature that I love with P.F. Chang’s, is that they offer pretty good happy hour deals too. These typically run until 6 pm, I believe, and you can save a few dollars on their Chicken Lettuce Wraps, which happen to come in a gluten free version! Yay for saving a little bit of money while being gluten free!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

Great Recipes This Week On Musings Of A Housewife And Sassy Moms In The City Recipe Roundup

real food recipe roundup

This week’s a big week for the Gluten Free Mom To Be as two of my favorite gluten free recipes, Baked Pesto Chicken Parmesan and Blackberry Swirled Cheesecake, were added to the Musings of a Houswife’s weekly meal plan. Also, check out some great new recipes and a few of my newer gluten free ones, including my Garlicky Focaccia Appetizers and Fruity Oatmeal Bake, on Musings of a Housewife and Sassy Moms in the City Real Food Recipe Roundup!

Dining Gluten Free At Outback Steakhouse

After the magic of dining out in Disney World wore off, we were back to our normal routine without chefs catering to my every gluten free wish and characters wandering around during our meals. Ah, really makes me miss Disney just thinking about it. Well anyway, back in our neck of the woods it was business as usual on the eating out front. One of our go to dining out locations is Outback Steakhouse, a reasonably priced chain that offers a huge gluten free menu. 

This restaurant got us through many a dinner in my very pregnant months. In fact, I craved their chicken and swiss sandwich, minus the sandwich part, at least once a week, making my husband a recognized regular at the curbside take out. Now, with baby out and about, we still enjoy a meal now and then at Outback with my new standby being the Alice Springs Chicken (only because the sandwich was taken off of the menu). This consists of a chicken breast, layered with bacon and cheese, along with a side of your choice, I typically get either a baked potato or a baked sweet potato. 

Outback's Alice Springs Chicken
Outback’s Alice Springs Chicken

Now, when I order the gluten free Alice Springs Chicken, I pretty much recreate the sandwich by ordering the extras on the side so I can put it together with my favorite gluten free bread at home. So for me, I usually order a revamped Alice Springs Chicken which consists of a chicken breast with extra crispy bacon and cheddar, american, or provolone cheese on top, along with pickles, honey mustard sauce, tomatoes, and lettuce on the side. I just love the combination of the chicken with their honey mustard sauce and pickles (these were one of my all time favorites while I was pregnant and have kind of stuck around since)! 

Chicken breast with baked sweet potato.
Chicken breast with baked sweet potato.

This chicken can definitely be enjoyed without the sandwich fixins, but for me I can’t resist assembling my grilled chicken sandwich with all of these flavors; while I have brought a roll along with me to the restaurant, their carry out process, which was our best friend in my last month of pregnancy, definitely makes my gluten free sandwich assembling a bit easier. Either way, after a little prep, my sandwich is ready to be enjoyed and indeed it is. They season the chicken so well and with the addition of bacon and cheese, who can really go wrong with that. On the side, I like to enjoy a baked sweet potato topped with their gluten free butter and brown sugar, This is a sweet side to complement the savory sandwich and perfect with the melted butter and brown sugar mixed in.

All together, we always enjoy a meal at Outback Steakhouse. They offer so many gluten free options including chicken dishes, steaks, seafood, salads, and sandwiches/burgers without the bread part. Along with each dish tasting great, their prices are just as fantastic, allowing a party of two to get away with a bill of about $25. Outback offers an affordable and tasty dining experience for the whole family, but as a gluten free diner, I always leave with a full belly and a smile on my face. My only hope is that one day in the near future Outback joins its fellow chains, like Uno’s or Red Robin, and offers their gluten free diners a bread option, making a whole side of the menu a bit more appealing. Fingers crossed!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

Great Gluten Free News: Freschetta Has Released Gluten Free Plain and Pepperoni Pizzas!

Gluten Free Thin & Crispy Four Cheese  Gluten Free Thin & Crispy Signature Pepperoni

I think we’ve officially started a new chapter in the book of gluten free. No longer will we be limited to the pioneers of the gluten free world (thanks to all of you!) that first offered reliable products that were pricey but safe for us to enjoy. Now with the emergence of allergen awareness, huge food brands are putting out tastier gluten free versions of everyday diet staples at more affordable prices. From General Mills with Chex, Ronzoni and Barilla with pasta, Perdue with breaded chicken tenders, and finally now Freschetta with their new gluten free frozen pizzas!

While I love to make my own pizzas with gluten free mixes or even start with the premade crusts by Udi’s or Schar, you can’t get more convenient than a frozen pizza produced by one of the top brands out there! Pre-gluten free days I occasionally picked up one of these for a quick and easy dinner when I lived on my own in grad school and as far as frozen pizzas go, Freschetta were always my favorite; so I’m super excited to track one of these down and give it a try! Learn more about Freschetta’s new gluten free pizzas along with where you can pick them up here. Let me know if you’ve had success in tracking them down in a store near you and if they taste as good as they look and I’ll do the same!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

From A Gluten Free Turkey Sandwich To A Strip Steak, Day 5 Had Tons Of Tasty Gluten Free Bites

After enjoying a good breakfast with Pooh and his friends, we headed straight over to Fantasyland to start our day. We visited Anna and Elsa at Princess Fairytale Hall, hopped on Cinderella’s Carousel, and road Winnie the Pooh’s ride; we then made our way over to Adventureland where we hopped on the Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean. After such a jam packed morning, little one fell asleep leaving Dan and I to wander around and figure out our lunch plans as the time was drawing near. We had yet to dine in the West Wing of Be Our Guest, so we decided to head over in that direction and catch an early lunch while little one rested her eyes. 

We stood in line outside only for a short while and then followed along inside to order our meals at the kiosks. A chef was called for me to place my order which was pretty simple this time. I went with one of my favorite sandwiches there, the Carved Turkey Sandwich which had a dijon mayo and pommes frites along with it, each and every bite of which could be made gluten free. For dessert, the gluten free Lemon Raspberry Cream Puff as always.

After ordering, we headed to the West Wing to see if we could grab one of the few and coveted tables in there. Low and behold we had success, thanks to the earlier lunch time I’m guessing. Note to anyone with a sleeping baby though, when you plan on dining here for lunch be aware that there is thunder in the West Wing which can get quite loud at times, so much so it caused my little girl to stir each time. No worries though, she slept the entire time through lunch allowing some Mommy and Daddy time. While little girl slept, our meals were rolled out in their enchanted fashion and I was greeted by the familiar allergy flags placed in two beautifully put together sandwiches. 

Gluten free Carved Turkey Sandwich at Be Our Guest.
Gluten free Carved Turkey Sandwich, Dijon Mayo, and Pommes Frites at Be Our Guest.

I was so excited to dine here again for lunch, as for me, as far as Magic Kingdom lunches go, this location definitely falls in my top 3. This lunch was no different, a beautiful plate of gluten free food magically found me and we enjoyed a wonderfully tasty meal in an enchanting environment. Now, the turkey sandwich itself was put together on Udi’s bread I believe, and again, similar to the ham sandwich that I tried a few days prior, two gluten free sandwiches were given in place of the larger regular sandwich that others get. Sandwiched between gluten free slices of bread are large pieces of carved turkey with arugula on top. The turkey itself was moist and deliciously flavored, but my favorite is the gluten free dijon mayo that comes on the side!

Turkey sandwich with dijon mayo.
Gluten free turkey sandwich with dijon mayo.

The dijon mayo is perfection and I just love adding it to both sandwiches and then dipping my pommes frites in whatever’s left. It complements the turkey perfectly and adds a tremendous amount of flavor to the sandwich as a whole. TIP: Ask for extra dijon mayo, you’ll definitely be happy that you did! As far as the pommes frites that come along with the sandwich, well those were delicious as always. 

All in all, we just love having lunch at Be Our Guest. The environment is perfect, and the food is just that as well. From a gluten free perspective, you have so many unique options here, different really from anywhere else in Magic Kingdom. You absolutely must try Be Our Guest for both the experience and the delicious food that they offer. Take a peak at Be Our Guest’s lunch menu now to see what catches your eye, and I’m sure you’ll find many an item that you’re interested in trying. Let me know what gluten free dishes you enjoy when you visit Magic Kingdom’s Be Our Guest!

After enjoying a cool and dark lunch in the West Wing of Be Our Guest, our little girl awakened with an empty belly so we stopped at Pinnochio Village Haus to grab her a delicious bowl of mac and cheese, grapes, and apple sauce. She devoured her sized portion of the mac and cheese and apple sauce and we were off again to enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at Magic Kingdom, including the Haunted Mansion, It’s A Small World, some of my husband’s favorites Space Mountain and Splash Mountain, and the new Festival of Fantasy Parade, which was amazing! 

Shortly after the parade, we headed on out to Epcot to explore the butterfly exhibit courtesy of the Flower and Garden Festival before our dinner in England. In route to Epcot though our little girl drifted off into a short little nap, those monorails and boats work magic on her! So Dan and I admired the butterflies for her and then scooted over to England for our dinner reservation. 

We were seated outside right next to the lake and had a perfect view of the World Showcase. The chef joined our table almost immediately after being seated and drink orders were taken. I ordered the Grilled New York Strip Steak (Contrary to my ordering on vacation, I do not usually order steak daily, however their chicken options were usually dressed in sauces that were not up my alley, so steak it was.). Seeing as the sauce that was supposed to accompany my steak had gluten in it, the chef agreed to put together some type of gluten free scampi like sauce to go with mine.

As we waited for our meals to arrive our little one began to move around and did not wake up in the best of moods; needless to say, in the midst of taming a toddler I blanked on pictures at the Rose and Crown Pub, sorry. Anyway, our meals arrived and we traded off gobbling down our dishes while occupying our little girl. My steak was perfectly well done and was topped with a delicious scampi like sauce! The chef truly did a fantastic job putting this one together for me so I didn’t have to have a dry steak. In fact, he even checked on me several times to make sure that the sauce was to my liking, such great customer service! For dessert, I was able to only get the fruit parfait off of the kids menu. By that point though, our little one had had it, so we took a few nibbles of our desserts and decided to head back to our home resort and enjoy some much needed pool time!

It was a fantastic day of gluten free food from a turkey sandwich and dijon mayo to a strip steak and flavorful scampi sauce. Each bite was just as delicious as the one before and the one after! I have to commend Disney’s Chefs, as most of them that I’ve ever spoken to have been incredibly flexible and willing to accommodate in any capacity that they are able. Thank you Disney Chefs for being incredibly creative and aiming to please all of your diners!

My Disney adventures are almost at an end so stay tuned for the last gluten free bites that I enjoyed at Animal Kingdom, Cinderella’s Castle, and all of the snacks inbetween! 

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay

Epcot’s La Hacienda de San Angel: Home To The Best Gluten Free Corn Tortillas

A typical vacation in Orlando wouldn’t be complete with a rain storm or two. Day 4 of our trip was the lucky day for a couple showers, but altogether wasn’t too wet considering the predicted high percentage of rain. After making it through a beautiful sunny morning and delicious lunch at Be Our Guest, we hopped on the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean before little one couldn’t help but close her eyes. Nap time for us when we’re in the parks means that it’s time for Mommy and Daddy to sit down in the shade and relax or meander through air conditioned stores and soak up the nice cool air. While we started nap time shopping, we watched the dark clouds roll in and decided to find a nice place under some covering to rest our feet and keep all of us dry during the impending, classic Disney World downpour. 

Sure enough, only moments after parking under the awning by The Hall of Presidents, the dribbles began. We covered our little girl with the rain cover for the stroller which kept her nice dry while the wind picked up and started whirling around the now pouring rain. Thankfully we had ducked under the covering early so we stayed pretty dry but not as dry as my little girl who slept safely and soundly in her reclined seat. A short while later and the clouds had begun to move along, leaving a still murky looking sky. We decided to hang around to see if an afternoon parade would occur despite the rainy skies but disappointingly they had to cancel for the day. So we headed up to Main Street and shopped a bit along the row of stores, picking a few toys out for our little one that we knew would make perfect birthday or Christmas gifts. All of the sudden we heard a chirping from in the stroller and were greeted by an ecstatic little girl who couldn’t have been more excited to spot all of the Minnie merchandise in front of her as she woke up. 

As the rain picked up again, we armed ourselves with our ponchos and covered the stroller to head over to the monorail for Epcot. On tonight’s menu was La Hacienda de San Angel in Mexico, we hadn’t been before but we were interested to check the waterfront restaurant. I personally do not like spicy food by any stretch, but my husband, on the other hand, pretty much loves all food, especially spicy food. Last time we had dined in Epcot’s Mexico we ate at the San Angel Inn and Dan tried the Jalapeno Margarita which he raved about so he definitely wanted to give the other restaurant in Mexico a try too. I try not to let my very picky palate and not to mention my gluten free restrictions get in the way too much of Dan’s adventurous foody side, so I always keep in mind that I’ll definitely be able to get something at the restaurant we’re going to, whether it be a salad or grilled chicken. 

We were seated right at the windows and had a great view of the lake and the World Showcase around it. After perusing the menu a bit, I started to get a little nervous that this restaurant might be the exception to my rule of thumb. I had read ahead of time that their corn tortillas were delicious and gluten free so I was hoping to try the Queso Fundido sans peppers and sausage, maybe substituting chicken, really trying to avoid any spice whatsoever. The chef came out and went over my gluten free options with me and I asked if my idea was a possibility. He was so great and assured me that it could be done and that the homemade corn tortillas would be sent out instead of the flour tortillas. Not too long after ordering, our dishes arrived!

Gluten free Queso Fundido with chicken and corn tortillas at La Hacienda de San Angel in Epcot.
Gluten free Queso Fundido with chicken and corn tortillas at La Hacienda de San Angel in Epcot.

After cutting up my little girl’s chicken tacos, which she had for the first time that night and apparently loved, I finally caught a glimpse of my dish. I have to say the homemade corn tortillas looked delicious!

Homemade gluten free corn tortillas.
Homemade gluten free corn tortillas.

Let me just say that I’ve never been a fan of store bought corn tortillas. Texturally, they’re kind of rubbery to me and the taste is equally off putting. However, these were amazing! They were soft and not rubbery by any means, just like the flour tortillas that I used to enjoy in years past. Their flavor was mild and perfect to pair with the melted cheese that accompanied them. Not to mention that they’re gluten free!

Melted cheese with chicken.
Melted cheese with chicken.

As far as the gluten free melted cheese and chicken combo, it was perfection. Okay, so everyone’s level of spicy is different, but for me, I even find pepper can be too spicy; so as far the spice level on the chicken, I have to admit that it was a bit too spiced for me, but it was still incredibly delicious and went perfectly with the melted cheese! Layering the chicken and cheese on the corn tortillas reminded me of homemade quesadillas that I once enjoyed. The soft and tender gluten free corn tortillas were mildly flavored and embraced the flavorful cheese and chicken amazingly! Despite the smidgen of too much spice on the chicken, I would absolutely order this one again on future visits.

By the time we had finished with dinner, it had finally begun to dry up a bit outside, just in time for us to enjoy a nighttime stroll around Epcot. We wandered through the countries and even made a stop for a little sweet treat thanks to the Flower and Garden Festival. Stay tuned to find out which gluten free treat caught my eye!

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay

 

A Delicious, Gluten Free Carved Ham And Gruyere Cheese Sandwich For Lunch At Be Our Guest Restaurant

Overcoming the previous day’s events, we were very excited as Day 4 rolled around with extra magic hours at Magic Kingdom. We were up and ready to go nice and early, little one seemed in much better sorts the next day after a full night of sleep and another dose of medicine in her. We were so excited to explore Magic Kingdom, which by far is one of our favorite parks and our little one’s as well. 

Our morning was spent flying through the sky on Dumbo, boating through the world on Small World, meeting Cinderella and Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall, spinning round and round on Alice’s Tea Cups, and soaring through Neverland on a pirate ship on Peter Pan. My precious little girl enjoyed each and every ride and experience, looking around and taking it all in, all with a smile on her face. Soon enough it was almost time for lunch and we decided to give Be Our Guest a whirl; while Dan waited in line for a bit before it opened, I took our little girl shopping through some of the fantastic Fantasyland stores. Finally, it was time to enter the castle and enjoy a delicious lunch in an even better location!

Ordering lunch at this location is super easy and convenient, using touch screen computers you can quickly enter what you’d like, scan your magic band, and you’re on your way to pick out a table of your choice throughout the restaurant. For ordering with food allergies, their system can show you options that are available without specific allergens, however I always prefer to speak one-on-one with a chef. As per my request, a chef came over as we were entering our order and reviewed my options with me. I wanted to give the Croque Monsieur sandwich a try which is carved ham, gruyere cheese, and bechamel sauce with pommes frites. The chef said I could certainly enjoy a gluten free version of this one, so I was super excited to give it a try! We quickly finished entering our order and picked a table in the Rose Room. This room is exquisitely decorated with tapestries and paintings of Belle and the Beast during their time at the castle. While we were taking in the beautiful scenery around us, our meals magically found us and were delivered via food carts.

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Be Our Guest’s Gluten Free Croque Monsieur

What I happen to love about this restaurant is that instead of simply substituting the regular sandwich with one on much smaller gluten free bread, they actually give you two sandwiches to equal the size of the regular one. Also to indicate that you have an allergy order they stick these little allergy flags in your sandwich, which for me definitely gives me much needed reassurance that there was no mix up along the way. 

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Gluten free bread with carved ham and gruyere cheese at Be Our Guest

As far as the actual sandwich is considered it was pretty good. I loved the combination of the carved ham and gruyere cheese on the gluten free bread (which tastes and looks like Udi’s), but the downside is that it was pretty dry. The bechamel that was supposed to accompany the sandwich was missing so I assumed that it was a no go for the gluten free order (which wouldn’t be totally surprising, as many a sauce have gluten in it). Sadly, the chef didn’t indicate this ahead of time though when I was ordering, otherwise I probably would’ve requested some kind of sauce for the sandwich. Nonetheless, this sandwich was still delicious and a great departure from your typical options of burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, etc.. I have to also mention too that the pommes frites or french fries were delicious, just as Disney’s fries usually are. They were perfectly seasoned and so yummy!

Be Our Guest Gluten Free Lemon Raspberry Puff
Be Our Guest’s Gluten Free Lemon Raspberry Puff

As far as dessert, Be Our Guest offers a gluten free cream puff which I typically order when we dine here. The puff side of this dessert is delicious, perfectly light and doughy texture mimicking that of a regular cream puff. As far as the filling, the lemon cream was a bit too sweet and lemony for me, I’d probably prefer more of the traditional cream that you see in a cream puff. However, I do usually take a few bites mixed with the raspberry and whipped cream on top and it certainly is a wonderful, sweet finish to a meal. I have to say that I’m extremely grateful to Be Our Guest for creating and offering a gluten free pastry other than a packaged cookie or brownie. It definitely was a nice change from your typical gluten free dessert and a perfect finish to yet another great experience at Be Our Guest Restaurant!

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay

High Fevers In Disney Thankfully Ended In Full Bellies At The Polynesian’s Kona Cafe

Ah yes, Day 3 of our Disney trip stands out but not for the best reasons. We were up early, all fed and ready to head out to Hollywood Studios to catch a few stand out rides and shows that each of us would love. Some of our favorites that I knew my little girl would be ecstatic about is their Disney Junior Show starring her favorite Disney faces, the Little Mermaid show, and the Toy Story Ride. We scoped out everything ahead time and picked out our top fastpass+ rides and attractions so we could catch all of the best ones for little one and Dan and myself. Unfortunately, our day didn’t go quite as planned and little one never got to see the Disney Junior show. 

Little girl seemed a bit sleepy and cranky but seeing as she had what I thought was a cold or allergies for the past few days I wasn’t too taken aback, she had still eaten a majority of her breakfast which was a great sign that she was in good shape at least tummy wise. After a lengthy bus ride to get to Hollywood Studios, we arrived for the opening and headed straight back to hop on the Toy Story Ride. She loved looking at all of the massive, oversized toys throughout the line, but her favorite by far was the talking Mr. Potato Head. As we approached the front of the line we donned ourselves in 3D glasses, little one included, and geared up for a fantastic ride. Tossing her 3D glasses aside within about 10 seconds of the ride, I’m not sure if little girl was quite a fan of the concept of this ride yet but she did seem to enjoy the twists and turns of the carnival cars. Afterwards, Dan headed over to catch his two favorite rides, Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith Roller Coaster, while I took little one to meet Daisy and Sofia. While I held her and kissed her forehead I noticed that she definitely felt warm but in Disney World everyone feels warm so we stuck to the shade and guzzled quite a bit of water to cool down.

Exchanging kisses and hugs with Daisy and Sofia were definitely the highlights of the morning for my little girl. After meeting both of her friends, I felt her little forehead again and definitely was worried about a fever. We stopped in the First Aid Center at the front of the park and the nurse there took her temperature. To say I was shocked at the number that came out would be a serious understatement as the nurse revealed that she had a 103.7 degree fever. For my little girl, this was the highest temperature she’d ever had so naturally I was extremely worried. The nurse advised us to head over to their Urgent Care Center to get her looked at by a doctor. While all of this talk was going on, my little one, who was just waving and hugging her friends only a half hour ago, had just fallen asleep and limp in my arms, which is a rarity these days since she’s always wanting to be on the go, so I knew instantly at that point that something wasn’t right.

A quick phone call later and a walk around the outside of the park and we were soon enough in a van being rushed to Urgent Care outside of Disney. I was so overwhelmed with worry and fear mainly because I know my little girl in and out and for her she has never had that high of a fever or behaved like that before. It was especially scary having this happen while on vacation, without her pediatrician who we know and trust 5 minutes away or any of the other comforts of home nearby. While in route over to the Urgent Care Center, I phoned her doctor to get some advice and guidance on the situation and they calmed me down a bit by saying that it more than likely was an ear infection that was probably brewing before we left, hence the cold like symptoms, but had chosen to emerge while we were in Florida. By the time I had hung up, we were basically at Urgent Care and after waiting only 15 minutes or so we were in visiting the pediatrician. He checked her head to toe and told us she had a mild ear infection and not to worry. We were given the antibiotic right then and there and prescribed to enjoy the rest of our vacation, from rides in the parks to swimming in the pool, nothing was off limits!

Our van had arrived to take us back to our resort and we couldn’t have been more relieved. I must say I preferred the trip back to the hotel where my mine and my husband’s fears were eased and my little girl, with her first dose of antibiotic in her, was up and eating a go go squeeze. I have to say the entire system at Disney was truly a blessing. I’m so grateful that they have a system like that where you can easily take yourself or your child to a facility where they can be seen by a wonderful doctor like we had met. The Urgent Care Center staff were incredibly nice and helpful (and it was very clean too!). Also, the ability to receive her medicine right there was an amazing convenience too, seeing as we have used their pharmacy services before which are equally as convenient however aren’t quite as quick as receiving the medicine two seconds after diagnosis. One more thing I’d like to mention is about their transportation service to and from the center. They staff amazing drivers, one of which seeing my panic and fear quickly got us there and even phoned the return driver to see how our little girl was doing; their genuine concern and want to help was so touching and certainly made the experience a little less terrifying. All in all, I’d prefer for none of us to ever have to use this service again, however, I’m so glad to know that it exists and that it’s as convenient and painless as it is. Thanks to all that participate in this service that Disney offers, I’m so grateful for all of your help in helping my little girl!

After we had returned home to Wilderness Lode we took it easy, got some food in little one, and just relaxed in the air conditioned hotel. Dinner rolled around and we had made a last minute reservation at Kona Cafe in the Polynesian. Little one seemed to be feeling much better so we decided to head over to get something to eat, I for one was starving and in desperate need of a good meal after our ordeal that day. The easiest route to get there was boating over to the Contemporary or Magic Kingdom and then hopping on the monorail from there. Thankfully that’s the best medicine for my little girl to fall asleep which sure enough after her long day she certainly did. She slept well through the entire trip over and through a good portion of the meal too! While she slept, mommy and daddy were able to take a deep breath and just relax!

Kona Cafe was one of our favorite pre-gluten free days so it was nice to be back, not to mention we both love the scenery at the Polynesian so we always try to make it a point to pop in there for a meal or two each trip. After checking in and waiting only a few minutes we were quickly seated, pulling up our little girl in her stroller beside us. The chef quickly followed after our waitress’ greeting and went over the menu with me. One thing that caught my eye that I had heard could be done gluten free were the Pan-Asian Noodles. Sure enough the chef confirmed that these could absolutely be done gluten free with rice noodles and their gluten free teriyaki sauce! I couldn’t have been more happy to hear that, especially after our previous let down at 50s and the day that we had had. Needless to say, I, without hesitation, placed my order for the Pan-Asian Noodles with grilled chicken and some green veggies. 

While waiting, we enjoyed a cocktail along with the fantastic bread service that Kona Cafe offers! I just loved the warmed gluten free rolls that I received and the Macadamia Nut Butter that I could add to them! We didn’t have to wait long as our main courses quickly followed and so did the awakening of our little girl! Thankfully when she began to stir I ordered a children’s dish for her so it would be coming out shortly, but in the meantime, she certainly didn’t mind nibbling on their wonderful Hawaiian bread service. It was so great to see her up and enjoying her meal, laughing, coloring, and playing with her napkin, just being the happy little girl that we know and love! 

Large bowl full of Kona Cafe's gluten free Pan-Asian Noodles!
Large bowl full of Kona Cafe’s gluten free Pan-Asian Noodles!

While little one enjoyed her bread, I couldn’t help but marvel at how wonderful and huge my dish was. The Gluten Free Pan-Asian Noodle dish was exquisite! The Asian style rice noodles were coated gently with the gluten free teriyaki sauce, without overdoing it. The grilled chicken was perfectly seasoned and was complemented amazingly by the noodles and sauce. And the green veggies inside were perfect, fresh and still a bit crunchy, which I love, and just all together delicious!

Grilled chicken and green veggies with Asian rice noodles and gluten free teriyaki sauce!
Grilled chicken and green veggies with Asian rice noodles and gluten free teriyaki sauce!

I felt incredibly wasteful having eaten only probably half of the dish but between the warmed rolls with sweet butter and the noodle dish, my gluten free tummy couldn’t have been happier! While my daughter finished up nibbling on her meal, I couldn’t help but to look around our table and feel so fortunate that the day could end that way, seeing as how it started. My little one was back in action and I couldn’t wait to share more Disney magic with her. But first, we had to share a little dessert before the magic continued. While my husband enjoyed his dessert, my gluten free Kilauea Torte of warm chocolate cake filled with chocolate liquid sat in front of me and my daughter.

Kona Cafe's gluten free chocolate torte.
Kona Cafe’s gluten free chocolate torte.

Isn’t this beautiful! After slicing the cake in half, the warm chocolate inside oozed out just like a volcano. The addition of the whipped cream and raspberries was perfection, my only request would be for more of both! 

Kona Cafe Lava Cake Blog Pics (4)
Warm, chocolate liquid inside oozed out from the torte cake.

My little girl, who definitely has a sweet tooth, drew a huge smile and big eyes while watching me cut up the cake. After just one taste, I heard her familiar “mmm” in appreciation and I knew that the rest of the vacation would certainly be enjoyed! Kona Cafe was the perfect dinner to wrap up our rough day. It was effortless and incredibly delicious to eat gluten free here, just how I had remembered it to be years ago. Add this one to your list of potential gluten free must-do Disney restaurants, it’s definitely a keeper!

Thankfully, after such a rough day we could end it on such a sweet note! In fact, our little girl was in such good spirits we decided to stop into Magic Kingdom to take her on a few of her favorite rides, like Dumbo, Small World, and Pirates of the Caribbean! The events of the day were certainly rough but Disney worked its’ magic and took care of my little girl! 

Stay tuned for the magic that Day 4 brought!

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay

 

 

 

A Sad But True Gluten Free Update On Disney’s 50s Prime Time Cafe At Hollywood Studios

Our second day in Disney was fantastic, from an early start in Epcot riding some rides and meeting and greeting some of my daughter’s favorite Disney faces to tasting new and exotic treats around the World Showcase leading up to a gluten free lunch at Tutto Gusto. With little one wide awake after a lunch in Italy, we took our time and wandered through the remaining countries, visiting characters and taking in all of the beautiful topiaries. Soon enough, my little girl’s full belly made her incredibly sleepy allowing mommy and daddy some time to get a drink and enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds that Epcot has to offer. 

After some meandering through air conditioned stores throughout the rest of the world, it was time for us to head over to Hollywood Studios for dinner at 50s Prime Time Cafe. Having fallen in love with this restaurant the past few times that we visited Disney in the gluten free phase of my life, it was a no brainer to make an advanced dining reservation here. For the past few months I’ve been craving their delicious, gluten free crispy fried chicken, something I’ve only ever been able to enjoy thanks to Disney! To say I was extremely excited heading over to 50s would be an understatement! 

By the time we reached Hollywood Studios little one was still sleeping so we scooted into 50s Prime Time Cafe, checked in, and were quickly seated with a sleeping toddler by our side. A quick once over of the menu to just make sure the fried chicken still made an appearance and I was ready to place my order with the chef. Much to my dismay, as I was discussing my menu options with him and tried to place my fried chicken order I was told that they no longer could make the gluten free fried chicken. My mouth literally fell open as I turned to my husband sitting across from me. After some prodding, the chef went on to explain that they no longer keep any of the ingredients in the restaurant so you would need to order your meal with them far in advance. He went on to say that additionally they don’t make this dish anymore because of hazards with the fryer along with the lengthy amount of time that it takes to prepare the dish. Needless to say I was very confused after a number of different excuses were thrown at me, I mean could I order the fried chicken in the future if I call three months ahead and place my order or even after that when I am finally there to enjoy my ordered ahead meal will I be told it’s not safe to make this dish?

After the shock wore off, I asked the chef what else I could order off of the menu and learned of the meatloaf and pot pie without the crust, neither of which I’ve ever really enjoyed prior to my gluten issues so they weren’t really options for me. One item that did catch my eye was the pot roast which sounded quite tasty, however I was told that wasn’t a possibility either due to the flour dusting. Instead, I ordered a Chicken Caesar Salad with blue cheese dressing, not nearly a satisfying and substantial substitute for my beloved gluten free fried chicken. Nonetheless, we were there and enjoying the atmosphere so I was determined to eat something gluten free and end with their amazing brownie dessert. 

Chicken Caesar Salad
Chicken Caesar Salad

I’d like to say that their Chicken Caesar Salad was the best I’d ever eaten but it didn’t even come close. The portion was pretty small for the price and the main component of the dish, the lettuce, was odds and ends of romaine. As far as salads go it really wasn’t that bad, unfortunately though it didn’t hold a candle to what I had set my heart on. Thankfully though as dessert rolled around and little girl was still resting her eyes, my husband and I shared the gluten free Dad’s Brownie Sundae, which consisted of a gluten free brownie, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, sprinkles, m&ms, caramel pop corn, and probably a number of other toppings that I missed. This was delicious! So delicious in fact I forgot to take a picture before we dove in. Trust me though, it’s a work of art, definitely worth saving a little bit of room for at the end of your meal. Just a note though, it is pretty big so you might want to consider sharing it if you’re not too hungry still. 

All in all, 50s Prime Time Cafe was disappointing this time around. They’ve developed such an impressive reputation online among the food blogs for their ability to cater to gluten free diners in a unique way, providing options that you really can’t find anywhere else. Their fried chicken was so crispy and moist and really put other restaurants who were unable to make this gluten free at home to shame. Sadly it looks as if I can’t really say that anymore. The explanations that the chef provided were confusing and unclear so I suppose in our future Disney trips I’ll have to call and speak directly to a chef months ahead and see if I can possibly enjoy this dish again. The sad truth that I’ve learned traveling, mainly cruising, while gluten free is that many restaurants require advanced notice for a gluten free dish so they can acquire the ingredients. Although these restaurants advertise and develop notoriety because of their gluten free menus, they still do not carry gluten free items for their menu on a day to day basis. This, in my opinion, remains as one of the major pitfalls in dining out gluten free where you have to do so much homework before being able to enjoy a meal with your loved ones at a restaurant.

This situation reminds me a bit of my gluten free travels over the past few years. My husband and I enjoy cruising and have done so several times while eating gluten free. Although they for the most part, with some exceptions, have been phenomenal in catering to a gluten free diet, they required advance ordering at every restaurant prior to our reservation. For me, this just kind of takes away from your meal a bit when you have to hunt down a chef days ahead to place an order for your dinner a couple days away; not to mention, who knows if I’d still be in the mood for a dish that I ordered a couple days ago. Sadly it looks like 50s Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios may be adopting a bit of this approach, at least when it comes to this unique gluten free dish. The funny thing though, I really didn’t mind and wouldn’t mind ordering in advance if I knew I could get an amazing dish that I would enjoy, which in the case of our cruises happened more often than not. Here’s to hoping that 50s Prime TIme Cafe can still put together a fantastic plate of Gluten Free Fried Chicken just like I remember with a little bit of advanced notice. We’ll be visiting Disney again in the next few months so I’ll report then if I have any success!

Keep watching for our next Disney food adventures from Dole Whips and Pop Corn to dinners at Kona Cafe in the Polynesian, Epcot’s Mexico and England, and one of our favorites Cinderella’s Castle!

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay 

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