Eating Out: Bonefish Grill… FANTASTIC EXPERI...

Last night my husband took me out on a date!  We used to make this a very regular occurrence (once a week, most weeks), but since we started eating Paleo-style, we’ve been eating at home alot more.  We have gone out a few times, but we usually just make ourselves a special “date night” at home.  There are a few reasons for this:

1. I am certain of the ingredients when I cook them myself… and nothing ruins date-night like “the trots,” cramping/bloating, or feeling disgusting in general.

2. I feel that my food is actually MORE delicious than the food we might find in a restaurant, and my husband agrees.

3. We can’t always find good meal options when we eat out (I get annoyed trying to ask for substitutions… “leave that off,” “can you substitute ___?” “is there any gluten in ____?”).  There is nothing wrong with being picky about your order, it just gets on my nerves sometimes.  I guess it’s a personal problem!  Also, very often the best/safest options on the menu are salads.  And sometimes I am just not okay with paying more than $12 for a bowl of lettuce.

Well, Dustin’s precious Aunt Donna and Uncle Wayne gave us a fantastic gift card to Bonefish Grill for Christmas!  We had been there once before (a LONG time ago), and we loved it, so we were very excited about our gift card!

In the meantime, I saw Diane Sanfilippo (of Balanced Bites) post on Facebook that she was meeting some friends at Bonefish Grill, and that they had a gluten-free menu.  I looked it up right away, and I was so excited to see an actual MENU of gluten-free options!  Obviously, not all of them were 100% Paleo-friendly, but we were just thrilled to have more than two choices on a real restaurant menu.  Check it out here.

I ordered Lily’s Chicken.  I’m sure it had some added sugar, a little butter, and a few preservatives, but we knew that we would splurge a little (it was a REAL date night, after all!).  It was absolutely delicious.  The chicken was moist and tender, the goat cheese was a dream, the seasonal vegetables I ordered as a side were very lightly-seasoned (just as I like them), and they even served SPAGHETTI SQUASH as the seasonal vegetable (I had already eaten my squash when I remembered to take a picture, so I snagged what was left of Dustin’s to add to my plate… unfortunately, he wanted it back).  I have never seen spaghetti squash at a restaurant before!

Dustin ordered the same dish (we both love goat cheese), but he asked for french fries as his side (I did not condone this decision, by the way, but I’m not his mother, and he can order what he wants).

Not only was the food delicious, but the staff seemed super-concerned about our preferences.  Since we had asked for gluten-free menus, the server double-checked to be sure that we would like to skip out on the pre-dinner bread.  We appreciated that!  Also, the server was very concerned when Dustin ordered french fries, since they are fried in the same oil as some other gluten-containing items.  Dustin assured him that it would be okay, and that it was more of a preference than an allergy.  A few minutes later, the server came back and said that the chef just wanted to confirm that he knew there may be some gluten-contamination, and that he was okay with that.  He told us that they use different bowls, spoons, cutting boards, etc., for their gluten-free customers to avoid contamination.  WOW!  Most of them time the folks at restaurants just “don’t get it.”  But these guys are serious about providing gluten-free food for the customers who want it.  We thanked them profusely, and then enjoyed our food.

So yeah… if you’ve got a Bonefish Grill in your area (click here for locations), you should totally check it out!  The one in Winston-Salem, NC is particularly great!

Three cheers for a fantastic dining out experience!

If you know of other restaurants with gluten-free menus, please comment on this post!

Eating Out… Paleo-Style

On Saturday night, my husband and I went to a local sports bar/restaurant to watch our favorite team play some basketball.  We had a great time, and had some pretty good eats!  While we were there, I had a few thoughts about eating out while trying to eat Paleo-style, and I thought I would share them with you.

First of all… what did we eat?

Dustin got 15 chicken wings in a homemade sauce (it probably contained some sugar, unfortunately).

I ordered a bacon-burger (with no bun) with a side of sauteed vegetables.  Don’t worry- I did remove the cheese before I ate it!  It just didn’t look as “pretty” after that.

Overall, the food was okay.  One thing both Dustin and I noticed was that everything tasted VERY salty.  It is amazing to see how your palate changes when you go strict Paleo for an extended amount of time.  Before we started eating this way, we were eating loads of salt/preservative-filled processed foods, and we craved it!  Once we cut all that out for 30 days, and allowed our palates to come off the salt/sugar-”high,” we started enjoying the natural flavors of meats and vegetables  SO much more.

Here are a few thoughts and guidelines that you can use for eating out.

1. Look at an online menu first.  When you are planning where to go, take a few minutes to google the restaurant.  Most places have websites with their menu posted.  This will save you some frustration… We have been to so many restaurants where the only Paleo options are side salads.  This is never a fun experience!

2. Tell the waiter/waitress to hold the pre-meal bread.  If you are starving, and a loaf of steaming bread with butter is sitting in front of you, it is far more difficult to resist.

3. Gluten hides in so many places!  It is easy to sit back and think “as long as I don’t order bread or pasta, I’m good to go!”  Well, unfortunately that’s not true at all.  If you order chicken tenders, they will likely be breaded with a flour mixture.  If you get a salad, there will likely be croutons on it.  If you order soup, there will likely be breadcrumbs, crackers, or croutons already added to it.  If you choose meatloaf, it is likely held together by breadcrumbs.  And the list goes on…  Do not just assume that it is not there just because you cannot see it.

4.  Don’t be afraid to ask!  Very often, I ask the waiter/waitress if there is any gluten in a particular menu item.  Sometimes they do not know, so they will go and ask the chef.  My opinion is this:  I am paying good money (sometimes too much money!) for the food I am ordering, so I want it the way I want it!  Keep in mind, we should not be unreasonable about this…  I would never ask a chef to make a whole meatloaf without breading simply so I can have a slice, but I will absolutely get a burger without the bun, a salad without the croutons, etc.  If you have to, let the waiter/waitress know that you do not eat gluten for health purposes.

5. Watch out for dressings and sauces!  Most salad dressings are dairy-based.  And almost all of them contain ridiculous amounts of sugar.  When I order a salad, I ask for olive oil and vinegar, or fresh lemon juice, on the side.  You can also ask for sauces on the side so you can control the amount that goes on your food.

6. Choose lean meats when you can.  Since most restaurants do not serve grass-fed beef, you will get more anti-nutrients from grains in the fatty cuts.

7. Don’t be afraid to request extra servings of vegetables to make up for your lack of bread!  

8. Beware of omelets!  One of the things I learned from the folks at Whole9 is that many restaurants infuse their omelets with pancake batter to make them fluffier.  Disgusting!

9. When all else fails, order a huge salad.  If I am having trouble finding a decent Paleo option on the menu, I am almost always safe ordering a huge salad.  I usually choose one with grilled chicken and a ton of vegetables.  As I said above, just ask for oil and vinegar on the side.

10. Enjoy!  Do not stress out over eating out.  It should be a relaxing break from your own kitchen, so sit back and enjoy it!  If you start freaking out because there may be one speck of sugar on your plate, you are taking the diet a little too seriously.  While gluten is VERY important to avoid, items that contain dairy, corn, sugar, or similar non-paleo ingredients will not cause serious damage if rarely consumed, and in very small quantities.  Take a chill pill, people (unless you are on a Whole30… if that is the case, freak out all you want. It is important, and it will be worth it!)!

The GREAT News!

Every time I eat out, I think about how much better my own food tastes now that I’m using fresh, whole ingredients.  While we were eating our wings and burgers on Saturday night, I kept thinking “I could make these items taste so much better than this!”  And I like that thought…

Feel free to add to these tips in the COMMENTS section below!

Food Diary: Airport Grub

 

Dustin and I are currently in Colorado visiting our great friends, Scott and Sarah Pruett.  We’re having an awesome time, and I’m not spending alot of time on the computer, so my posts might be scarce this week.

Just thought I would share a little of what we’ve eaten so far.  It’s been delicious!

We flew from Raleigh to Washington D.C. to Denver, so there was alot of travel time.  We found lunch in the Washington airport at a mexican grill.  It wasn’t cheap, but it was pretty Paleo-friendly!  Just goes to show that mexican food is almost always a great option.

I got a Burrito Bowl with chicken, hot sauce, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, zucchini, squash, etc.  It was filling and delicious!  Best of all, I didn’t feel bloated and disgusting on the next flight.

SCORE!

Food Diary: Eating Out Paleo

Last night my sweet husband insisted on getting me out of the kitchen.  We went to Don Juan’s, a great local Mexican restaurant.  Mexican food is a fabulous option for Paleo-eaters, as the majority of the food is based on meat and vegetables.

We also get our SUPER-CHEAP when we eat Mexican food.  We always split the Chicken Fajitas (for one).  It is plenty of food… trust me, we both eat alot.  Last night we did have some of the corn chips since we’re not doing a Whole30 right now.  We skipped the flour tortillas, and just loaded our plates with grilled chicken, peppers and onions, salsa, extra guacamole, lettuce, and tomatoes.  It was delicious!

And the total, including the tip, was $12.  Can’t beat that.