Gluten Free in Philly

Uno’s Chicago Grill

Ridge Pike
Conshohocken, PA

http://www.unos.com/kiosk/nutritionUnos.html

This is another chain that can now boast a gluten free menu (which is wonderful news!). I must send out a huge warning though to not let your guard down.

I went to Uno’s one Saturday night and was upset to find two people in a row had no idea what the Gluten Free menu was and had to search it down. Once they were able to find it, I had a bit of a hard time understanding the menu itself. I found myself interested in the BBQ Grilled Shrimp and I noticed on the GF menu it read “BBQ Grilled Shrimp and two sides”.  However on the regular menu it is described as BBQ grilled shrimp served over rice with a side of steamed vegetables. One thing to note is that the rice is not on the GF side options. So I’m fairly certain the rice is not GF, but there was no explicit note on the GF menu to avoid the rice when ordering the BBQ Grilled Shrimp (like the Outback menu does).

The food was rather greasy, but I’ve come to expect that from Uno’s. The taste was definitely good. They will identify gluten free items for you, but you do need to explain to the wait staff (you can’t count on them knowing beforehand). If you’re very cautious about how you order, you should do well here!

Champps Americana
King of Prussia Mall
www.champps.com/
 

To be honest, after the ordering process in Champps, I was ready to cry. For one, it took asking my waiter twice and then asking another waiter to get the manager to the table. Then, trying to find something I could have that I’d want felt like beating my head against the wall.
Yes, the nacho chips are corn, but they are fried in with breaded stuff. The potato skins and fries too. Everything is done ahead of time and they are unable to fry anything in clean oil.
Apparently there was a waitress there who also had Celiac and they assured me she had the buffalo wings without having a reaction. To which I was a little indignant (as any semi-careful Celiac would be) and responded that people have different tolerances and I’d need more assurance than that. The waitress who was Celiac finally came over to let me know I could definitely have the buffalo wings just double baked instead of baked then fried. She also informed me that I could have any of the more expensive meals (well duh, they’re all steaks and the like!)
Also important to note – their mashed potatoes have flour in them. Stay away!

Needless to say, this is one of the restaurants I will be avoiding from now on. The mudslide I had (as we were there for happy hour/light food) wasn’t even that good. But I have had better mudslides from Champps, so they could have just been sub-par that day.

Maggiano’s Little Italy
205 Mall Blvd, King of Prussia, PA
maggianos.com

After a quick phone call to Maggiano’s to confirm the internet rumor that they do indeed have rice pasta, my boyfriend and I ventured out for an Italian dinner (which we don’t usually get to enjoy out). We showed up and felt worried at first about what we were wearing – sporting the collared shirts and jeans, but it turned out to not be super dressy inside. I wouldn’t wear cutoff pants, but its not exactly fancy clothing.

While there was no seperate Gluten Free menu, there was a special note that Gluten Free pasta was available upon request immediately underneath the pasta section. I settled on the Chicken Cachatoire that had a side of pasta with it. I spoke to the waitress when she came to our table and asked her if it could be made Gluten Free for me. I also inquired about the soups. She went back and talked to the chef and came back with the verdict: the chicken cachatoire  ‘could’ be made gluten free (it wasn’t naturally so) and the soup was not GF. Fair enough, since I usually can’t have soup anywhere.

The meal itself was delicious. It was a large portion of chicken in a red sauce with mushrooms and peppers and onions (although not heavy on the onions, which made me happy). There were spiral rice noodles on the side with a slight butter sauce. The noodles didn’t really do anything for me, I felt they easily could have been replaced with rice for the same taste. They also weren’t my favorite GF noodles in the world. However as a whole the meal made me very happy.

When the waitress asked about dessert, we asked her to see what she could find that was gluten free. Imagine our surprise when the Sous Chef came out with a plate of GF cookies! They aren’t on the menu yet, but he is looking to get them on there sometime soon. He mentioned he has been able to adapt most menu items with the GF noodles, even making a lasagna for one woman! I know what I’m getting the next time I go! Of course, it is lasagna made with the spiral noodles done in layers, but beggers can’t be choosers. He was VERY friendly and we talked a bit about baking with GF flour. It was a good thing he gave us an even number of cookies, or else my boyfriend and I would have fought over the last one – they were that tasty!

The meal wasn’t too expensive (the meals range from $12-18 per person, not including salads or soups or drinks. My chicken was $15). If you really go for the full soup, salad, alchoholic drinks, and meal it could add up – but you can keep it reasonable if you want.

I know I’m hoping to go back soon – I had a great time and felt confident in the kitchen being able to handle everything.