Seattle Magazine recently ran an article, "Gastric Bypass", on eating out with food allergies. (Susan Roxborough, January 2008, Pg. 42). It highlights Chef Daniel Ahren, who's married to fellow blogger and author Gluten-Free Girl and the restaurant where he is chef, Impromptu Wine Bar Cafe. It also features Cafe Sweet Posie, Crush Restaurant, Da Vinci Bakery, Ener-G Foods and Tom Douglas restaurants, If you live in Seattle, it's worth a read.
It also mentions the Food Allergy Initiative and its restaurant training program.
Check out the Can I Eat There? Seattle post for more info on eating out in the Emerald City.
Showing posts with label seattle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seattle. Show all posts
1.21.2008
Starbucks - Help for People with Food Allergies
I probably shouldn't publicly admit it, but I like Starbucks. And whenever on the road for work, I know I can count on menu consistency. The sausage, egg and cheddar sandwich has saved me from many a hunger pang.
So when I was diagnosed with a soy allergy last fall one of the first places I checked for ingredient information was my local Starbucks. The woman behind the counter said she'd look into it and send me an email. I gave her my email address and told my husband, "Yeah right, she's gonna email me!"
So when I was diagnosed with a soy allergy last fall one of the first places I checked for ingredient information was my local Starbucks. The woman behind the counter said she'd look into it and send me an email. I gave her my email address and told my husband, "Yeah right, she's gonna email me!"
Much to my surprise I did get an email. [Yay for Seattle's Phinney Ridge Starbucks]. She didn't have answers but she directed me customer service and told me they could help me. With low expectations, I called.
So here's the reason for this post. They did actually help me!! They asked me what I was allergic to and what items I typically eat, promised to research it, and then called me back with the results of their investigation. Unfortunately, the news wasn't good. My beloved breakfast sandwich is chock full o' soy - it's in the egg, it's in the english muffin.... Just about everything else in that lovely display case is the same story.
Here's the catch though, there is no standard for food in all those Starbucks stores. Different regions, even cities, have different vendors. So when you call customer service you need to specify the area you'd like more information about.
Despite the bad news... it was worth it. Now I know what's off limits and I don't have worry about a Starbucks-induced reaction on the road just because I was craving that muffin sandwich. If it turns out it's my only option for a morning meal, I know I can always check the packaged food with ingredients listed on the label. The yogurt parfait is go!
If you've got a food allergy and you love Starbucks - whether you keep your love in the closet or display it for all to see - give them a call. They will help you. And if the person who answers isn't helpful, ask for a manager.
Here's the number: 1-800-23LATTE
P.S. If you are allergic to peanuts but are ok with other nuts, beware of the packaged almonds, they are roasted in peanut oil.
Update (1/31/2008): Heard on the news today that Starbucks is going to stop selling breakfast sandwiches. RIP my beloved sausage sandwich and all your breakfast buddies (even though you're made with soy).
Update (1/31/2008): Heard on the news today that Starbucks is going to stop selling breakfast sandwiches. RIP my beloved sausage sandwich and all your breakfast buddies (even though you're made with soy).
1.18.2008
Seattle
Restaurants are listed in alphabetical order. If you have info on a Seattle restaurant please email us at canieatthere@gmail.com.
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Coastal Kitchen (Capitol Hill)
Web Site
Allergy Friendly
Coastal Kitchen has a detailed allergy book with information on all of their dishes. Just tell your server what dishes your interested in and they'll check the book. The restaurant uses olive and canola oil.
Author's Note: We just ate here last night and the server was very accommodating and friendly. And the food was great!!
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Flying Apron Bakery (Fremont)
Web Site
Allergy Friendly
From Flying Apron Web Site (January 2008):
"Flying Apron products are created with your good health in mind. They are made using the finest organic ingredients; whole grain wheat free flours and organic non hydrogenated oils. The Flying Apron is a wheat free, gluten free and vegan bakery. Many of our products are alternatively sweetened as well. For a list of ingredients for each of our products see our menu."
Flying Apron serves a small selection of lunch items and you can special order cakes (even wedding cakes) and pies for special occasions.
Author's Note: If you can eat oats, the raspberry Flying Aprons are the best! Lunch selection is limited but its a good place for a quick snack. The staff is very friendly!
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Gordito's Healthy Mexican Food (Greenwood)
Web Site
Allergy Neutral: Staff Accomodates Allergies; Check with staff
Gordito's staff will check on ingredients for you and are very helpful. Shellfish and other meats are cooked on separate grills. Ingredients are fresh. They do use soybean oil when making an item "fajita style" and chips are deep fried in soybean oil. It seems food is peanut free (but please double check).
From their web site:
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Norm's Eatery & Ale House (Fremont)
Allergy Alert: Allergens in Food, Check With Your Server
Norm's menu specifically notes to "Please Inform Your Served [sic] of Any Food Allergies You May Have."
Author's Note: My recent trip to Norm's reminded me of one of those rules we all know but don't regularly follow: don't assume anything. I LOVE Norm's (the food's yummy and I can bring my dog along!) so when my friend suggested we meet there for dinner I was game. But, I hadn't eaten there since learning of my soy allergy. I checked the menu before heading out. Seeing the note at the bottom of the menu about allergies made me smile and think "Cool, they are allergy friendly." But, it was a different story when I got there. My first let down came when I informed the server of my allergy asking her to check on soy ingredients and she seemed annoyed at my request (um, aren't I supposed to tell you?). And let down number two came when she came back with the answer: just about everything on the menu is made with some sort of soy product. But I was there and I was hungry... so I ordered what I could (a salad) and tentatively took a few bites (was it really soy-free?? I didn't feel totally confident.) Needless to say, this is a bummer. If Norm's is cool enough to accommodate dogs, can't they take care of us with food allergies too? I'm thinking about writing Norm's a letter asking them use a little less soy....
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Sitka & Spruce (Eastlake)
Web Site
Allergy Neutral: Staff Accommodates Allergies, Check with Your Server
Food is made from local and fresh ingredients. The menu changes daily. Many of the dishes do include nuts and dairy. They do appear to be soy-free. Just let your server know about your allergy. Wait staff is friendly and accommodating.
Author's note: The food is excellent. The wait can be long and you'll leave smelling like the kitchen, but it's worth it.
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Yanni's Greek Restaurant (Greenwood)
Web Site
Allergy Alert: Check, Then Double Check with Your Server
Author's Note: I called ahead to ask about whether they used any soy products and was told "no". When we sat down to dinner I asked again and server said, "let me check with my Dad, the chef." Sure enough almost everything on the menu is made with soybean oil. So we ended up with a dressing-less lettuce salad, a plate of cucumbers and some really dry lamb kebabs. We probably won't go back. Lesson learned: it's always to good to double check before you order, even if you've called ahead.
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Coastal Kitchen (Capitol Hill)
Web Site
Allergy Friendly
Coastal Kitchen has a detailed allergy book with information on all of their dishes. Just tell your server what dishes your interested in and they'll check the book. The restaurant uses olive and canola oil.
Author's Note: We just ate here last night and the server was very accommodating and friendly. And the food was great!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flying Apron Bakery (Fremont)
Web Site
Allergy Friendly
From Flying Apron Web Site (January 2008):
"Flying Apron products are created with your good health in mind. They are made using the finest organic ingredients; whole grain wheat free flours and organic non hydrogenated oils. The Flying Apron is a wheat free, gluten free and vegan bakery. Many of our products are alternatively sweetened as well. For a list of ingredients for each of our products see our menu."
Flying Apron serves a small selection of lunch items and you can special order cakes (even wedding cakes) and pies for special occasions.
Author's Note: If you can eat oats, the raspberry Flying Aprons are the best! Lunch selection is limited but its a good place for a quick snack. The staff is very friendly!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gordito's Healthy Mexican Food (Greenwood)
Web Site
Allergy Neutral: Staff Accomodates Allergies; Check with staff
Gordito's staff will check on ingredients for you and are very helpful. Shellfish and other meats are cooked on separate grills. Ingredients are fresh. They do use soybean oil when making an item "fajita style" and chips are deep fried in soybean oil. It seems food is peanut free (but please double check).
From their web site:
"What makes our food healthful you ask?…We are completely transfat free, our beans are made without lard or oil, our rice without chicken stock, all of our meats are grilled, and our salsas are all made from fresh tomatoes and chiles.
We have many vegetarian and vegan options, even our chips are completely animal free."
Author's Note: We love Gordito's and since learning of our food allergies we haven't been there and lately we've been craving it like crazy, so we thought it was time to give it a shot. I called ahead on a weekday and spoke with a manager, he was very helpful. I can't do shellfish or soy and my hubby needs to avoid peanuts. We got the thumbs up on everything except the chips and the "fajita style" veggies (they are both made with soybean oil). So we headed there for our fix. I double checked our order's ingredients with the woman at the cash register. I do have to say I felt a little nervous standing there watching them making the food (chances for cross contamination seem high!). But I enjoyed every bite of my wet salsa verde pork burrito and I felt just fine afterwards. Same goes for my hubby! Yay Gordito's! Please note that this was the Greenwood lunch, I haven't checked on the others.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Norm's Eatery & Ale House (Fremont)
Allergy Alert: Allergens in Food, Check With Your Server
Norm's menu specifically notes to "Please Inform Your Served [sic] of Any Food Allergies You May Have."
Author's Note: My recent trip to Norm's reminded me of one of those rules we all know but don't regularly follow: don't assume anything. I LOVE Norm's (the food's yummy and I can bring my dog along!) so when my friend suggested we meet there for dinner I was game. But, I hadn't eaten there since learning of my soy allergy. I checked the menu before heading out. Seeing the note at the bottom of the menu about allergies made me smile and think "Cool, they are allergy friendly." But, it was a different story when I got there. My first let down came when I informed the server of my allergy asking her to check on soy ingredients and she seemed annoyed at my request (um, aren't I supposed to tell you?). And let down number two came when she came back with the answer: just about everything on the menu is made with some sort of soy product. But I was there and I was hungry... so I ordered what I could (a salad) and tentatively took a few bites (was it really soy-free?? I didn't feel totally confident.) Needless to say, this is a bummer. If Norm's is cool enough to accommodate dogs, can't they take care of us with food allergies too? I'm thinking about writing Norm's a letter asking them use a little less soy....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sitka & Spruce (Eastlake)
Web Site
Allergy Neutral: Staff Accommodates Allergies, Check with Your Server
Food is made from local and fresh ingredients. The menu changes daily. Many of the dishes do include nuts and dairy. They do appear to be soy-free. Just let your server know about your allergy. Wait staff is friendly and accommodating.
Author's note: The food is excellent. The wait can be long and you'll leave smelling like the kitchen, but it's worth it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yanni's Greek Restaurant (Greenwood)
Web Site
Allergy Alert: Check, Then Double Check with Your Server
Author's Note: I called ahead to ask about whether they used any soy products and was told "no". When we sat down to dinner I asked again and server said, "let me check with my Dad, the chef." Sure enough almost everything on the menu is made with soybean oil. So we ended up with a dressing-less lettuce salad, a plate of cucumbers and some really dry lamb kebabs. We probably won't go back. Lesson learned: it's always to good to double check before you order, even if you've called ahead.
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