Good restaurant news...

maestraz · Post by **maestraz** » Tue May 05, 2015 6:18 pm

At least for those of us who have Burton's Grill nearby (there are 11 of them on the East Coast). According to Gluten Free &More magazine, Burton's is replacing gluten with gluten free ingredients whenever possible. I can vouch for the restaurant being very careful with gluten-free foods. It says their CEO has celiac. They also operate a smaller chain, called Red Heat Tavern, which offers a GF menu.

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Tue May 05, 2015 7:35 pm

Hope they come to Florida.

Sheila W

Betsbrooks · Post by **Betsbrooks** » Wed May 06, 2015 5:09 am

Another news item I just heard - Panera Bread is phasing out artificial ingredients in its food items, saying that Americans are becoming much more concerned about knowing what's in their food.

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Wed May 06, 2015 6:48 am

A few years ago I met a group of friends for lunch at Panera Bread. There wasn't anything on the menu that I could eat. I had a cup of coffee and went home for lunch.

Sheila W

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Wed May 06, 2015 7:49 am

Sheila, I had the same experience at Panera. Maybe we'll be able to eat there one of these days. Betsbrooks, did you see where Kraft is taking colorings/preservatives out of its macaroni and cheese?

I am excited that fast food restaurants are becoming more interested in healthy foods. Actually, they have to! The millennial generation (20-somethings) are very much into healthy foods, with Chipotle and Panera being two of their top fast food choices. Chipotle buys only humanely-raised animal protein, mostly organically-grown veggies and beans, and recently instituted a no-GMO policy (yep, even for corn and soy). YAY!!!!! I can eat almost every offering they have - check out their online chart of the minimal ingredients they use. The younger people are avoiding McDonald's ......McD's lost 6 % of its income last year alone and is on the decline. They have recently tried to jump on the band wagon by introducing/promoting a chicken raised without antibiotics.

Polly

Deb · Post by **Deb** » Wed May 06, 2015 12:29 pm

Panera's does have a "secret" menu that may offer more options. Why they keep it a secret is beyond me. Deb
https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/artic ... -menu.html

Martha · Post by **Martha** » Wed May 06, 2015 2:55 pm

I need to try Chipotle. If you can eat there, Polly, I surely can too, because you have a lot more intolerances than I do.

There are one or two things I can eat at Panera, avoiding gluten, dairy, and legumes. I have to tell them to leave the cheese out, and no dressing. I think it's hilarious that a place whose name is based on "bread" has something I can eat.

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Wed May 06, 2015 6:37 pm

Thanks, Deb. If I ever find myself in Panera Bread I'll ask for the secret menu. How stupid to keep it secret. When I was there and questioned the availability of GF food, I wasn't given any options. Dumb way to run a business.

Martha · Post by **Martha** » Wed May 06, 2015 7:20 pm

Sheila, Panera has a big book that lists all the ingredients of each dish, and also pages that tell what allergens are in each dish.

I always ask to see their ingredient book, and I study it before ordering. One time, when I was visiting my parents in Redlands, CA, Panera even photocopied the allergy pages so I could keep them.

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Wed May 06, 2015 11:06 pm

Interesting about Panera's secret menu. Is there a specific list of allergens online for it?

Here is Chipotle's list: https://chipotle.com/allergens
Note how many options are wheat/soy/dairy free! I usually get the "bowl" with either chicken or steak, cilantro-lime brown rice, a dollop of black beans, lettuce, salsa, grilled peppers/onions, and guacamole.

Polly

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Thu May 07, 2015 7:22 am

In this morning's newspaper there was an article on the editorial page about Chipotle and its decision not to use GMO food. The article was written by an economist and an agriculture professor who "once" worked for Monsanto.

Apparently those of us who criticize GMO foods are ignorant alarmists. What I find alarming is the influence huge corporations have over our politicians, regulatory agencies and policy decisions.

I'll be eating at Chipotle and will give Panera another shot. Thanks!!!

Sheila W

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Thu May 07, 2015 9:34 am

This conversation is very timely for me, as I have just discovered Chipotle. The other day, my S.O. came home with a take-out meal from Chipotle, exclaiming how impressed he was with them since they have gone 100% GMO free, and most of their food is gluten free. As I watched him eat, while I was eating my boring, home made meal, I got more and more excited by the idea that I could try something there. I couldn't sample S.O.'s food, as he had cheese and sour cream on it.

So I decided I would give it a try the next day and I was practically salivating while thinking about the pork (which is my favorite meat), fresh salsa, guacamole, cilantro rice, etc. Well, the next day finally arrived and I decided I couldn't wait until lunch time to have it, so I went over there at 10 AM, only to discover that they did not open until 10:30. I patiently waited, and was first in line when they finally opened.

I ordered all of the above plus beans, and hurried back home to indulge in the feast. My server had given me generous portions of each ingredient, so I had enough food for 2 meals; BUT it was tooo delicious for my poor, starved taste buds to give anything up for later, so (against my better judgement) "I can't believe I ate the whole thing":):). Needless to say, I soon felt bloated and uncomfortable, and wasn't sure if I was reacting to something, or simply ate too much too fast.

I still felt bad the next day, and the thought of the meal was no longer appetizing. However, after reading all of this, I will definitely give it a try again, but next time in moderation:).

Kari

Post by **tex** » Thu May 07, 2015 10:25 am

Kari,

I hear you. Whenever I discover that I can eat a "new" food, "Der Kopf geht aus dem Fenster", as my German ancestors used to say.

I tend to forget that moderation is always a virtue. And when I overeat, I almost always feel exactly as you describe — it takes me a couple of days to get to where I feel normal again (especially if very much of the food is something that I am not accustomed to digesting).

I'll bet your experience will be much better next time.

Love,
Tex

nerdhume · Post by **nerdhume** » Fri May 08, 2015 4:50 am

yes, overindulging is always a problem, especially after long periods of denial. Glad to hear some of you have been able to find a restaurant that's allergy friendly. I live in a small town and the nearest Chiptole is about 60 miles away.

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Fri May 08, 2015 5:26 am

nerdhume wrote:yes, overindulging is always a problem, especially after long periods of denial. Glad to hear some of you have been able to find a restaurant that's allergy friendly. I live in a small town and the nearest Chiptole is about 60 miles away.

I live in a small town too and the nearest Chipotle to me is 40 miles away.

Jean