Restaurant Review: Qdoba

Qdoba Mexican Grill is a fast food restaurant located at 2222 Walnut Street in Cary and in Beaver Creek Commons in Apex. In addition to a very complete listing of common allergen information (including Wheat and Other Glutens) http://www.qdoba.com/Allergens.aspx, they provide a comprehensive list of ingredients (even indicating that maltodextrin is from corn) http://www.qdoba.com/Documents/allergen.pdf .

From their website:

At Qdoba, we care about giving you the information you need to make informed decisions about eating. Food intolerances make these decisions even more important. Ingredients like wheat, soy, milk, eggs, nuts and fish are found in certain food items served at Qdoba.

We have found that the employees (and especially the manager) at the Apex Qdoba truly live up to their statement on their website. When we order, we inform them that our daughter cannot have gluten. The employees will change gloves and accommodate our special needs. We typically get a cheese quesadilla made with a Soft White Corn Tortilla and Black Beans. They have a wide selection of salads, meats, and salsas.

GFRB Health Network Welcomes Personalized Nutrition

Allow me to welcome Personalized Nutrition to the Gluten Free Raleigh Blog (GFRB) Health Network.

Personalized Nutrition, Inc. is located in Apex, NC and offers individual, couple and family counseling for weight management, food allergies, intolerances, wellness, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, cholesterol, eating disorders and sports nutrition. Their clients range from premature infants to toddlers to retired adults. Your treatment plan is personalized and created together with your registered licensed dietitian. Their staff has and is currently counseling numerous Celiac Disease patients and/or folks living the Gluten Free lifestyle.

Click here for their packages and rates.

Click here for their staff. Shelly Wegman will most likely be your contact when dealing with Celiac Disease.

For more information, please contact Personalized Nutrition using the following information.
Personalized Nutrition
307 South Salem Street, Suite #302, Apex, NC 27502
Web site
Email Owner Cathie Ostrowski
Email Shelly Wegman
Phone: 919.367.0677

Useful Resources: Bread machine and bread mix

We have found that our Cuisinart Convection Bread Maker creates delicious sandwich breads. We have been through three other bread makers and none of them really worked well with gluten free recipes. The Cuisinart Convection Bread Maker has a gluten free setting with specialized kneading, rising, and baking time to accommodate the gluten free batter.

After many experiments with recipes, our own attempts at recipes, and boxed bread machine mixes, we think that Whole Foods’ 365 Everyday Value Gluten Free Sandwich Bread Mix makes the best bread. It holds together well and has a pleasing texture and taste. It smells great—and so does our house when it is cooking!

Typically, my husband will make a loaf of bread, slice it, and freeze it. The bread makes great sandwiches, toast, and French toast.

We got our Cuisinart Convection Bread Maker at Bed, Bath, and Beyond at Crossroads. You can also go to the Cuisinart website.

From the recipe booklet included with the Cuisinart Convection Bread Maker:

“Gluten-free – One in approximately 100 people has an allergy or sensitivity to gluten. Since gluten is found in most flours used in traditional bread baking, the ingredients to create gluten-free breads are unique. While they are “yeast breads,” the doughs are generally wetter and more like a batter. It is also important not to over-mix or over-knead gluten-free doughs. There is only one rise, and due to the high moisture content, baking time is increased. Our exclusive gluten-free setting makes it easy to get the right results. Mix-ins must be added at the very beginning of the cycle with other basic ingredients.”

Grocery Store Review: The Fresh Market, Cary

The Fresh Market in Cary (3655 SW Cary Parkway) is a "fine neighborhood specialty grocery store" and, to be honest, I just love the atmosphere. However, on my shopping trip yesterday, I asked three employees about a gluten free list (like Trader Joe’s list). One out of the three had no idea what I was talking about until I showed him the Gluten Free label on the vegetable broth that I was buying. The other two employees said they did not have a gluten free list and the gluten free items were not organized into a specific section.

Although Fresh Market does have a beautiful selection of produce, meats, cheeses, chocolates, and wines (all gluten free, of course), it is not ideal for a regular shopping trip for gluten free products because their selection is extremely limited. In addition, the gluten free items they do have are mixed in with the rest without any tags on the shelves to indicate GF foods.

However, if you are looking for something “different” or “unusual” and you don’t mind spending time reading labels (I guess we are all used to that!) you can find some interesting gluten free items like red pepper eggplant spread, or hot pepper peach preserves, or risotto garlic primavera.

The following warning from the Bakery appears on The Fresh Market website: "Gluten is a protein found in wheat rye, oats and barley. Obviously, many of our whole grain offerings and bakery items do contain gluten. Because we prepare a large amount of scratch bakery products with flour, we are unable to guarantee that our products are 100% gluten-free. We encourage you to visit our grocery department for a selection of gluten-free products."

Also on the Fresh Market website, you can find some gluten free items by doing a (very complicated) search:

-Enter gluten free in the search box at the top right.
-Select Advanced Search
-Enter gluten free
-Select Exact Words
-Select By Category: ONLINE MARKET

Click here for The Fresh Market Cary website.

Also, two Raleigh locations: 400 Woodburn Road and 6325 Falls of Neuse Road

Cary/Apex first post

"That must be AWFUL! I can't imagine not eating ANY wheat!" 

This is the response I get from friends, family, and strangers when I explain why my daughter cannot eat something.  Occasionally I clarify that it is not just wheat, but actually gluten… at other times I just nod my head.  

However, the truth is that helping my daughter live gluten free is not awful. 
Frustrating? Yes: Did we run out of the "safe" snacks that we keep in the car?
Stressful? Sometimes: Did the waiter really understand that she can NOT eat anything with gluten? 
Complicated? Frequently: I thought they would have some fruit or "safe" ice cream for dessert here.

Even though my daughter's dietary needs can be an obstacle, we never want to limit her life because she has to limit what she can eat.  We love to eat out, enjoy different foods, experiment with recipes, and benefit from all that the Cary and Apex area has to offer families—we just have to do a little research beforehand. 

In this part of the blog, you'll find GF information specific to Cary and Apex.  My goal is to help expand on Zach's incredible collection of GF resourses. 

New Guest Cary Blogger - Sarah Egan Warren

Allow me to introduce Sarah Egan Warren who will become a guest blogger for Gluten Free Cary.

See my post over at Gluten Free Raleigh about Sarah.

More to come from Sarah and her Cary/Apex experiences very soon!

Stay tuned.

Lucky 32 - Gluten Free Menu Update

I heard from the General Manager of Lucky 32 in Cary recently. I had previously written about their GF notations on their regular menu and gave the warning that this in fact means "Guilt Free" and NOT Gluten Free.

Lucky 32 does indeed have a Gluten Free menu available upon request and I have placed portions of it below. The menu may have items on it that are actually no longer available but they indicated they do attempt to keep it up to date.

CHILDREN’S MENU:
-Lucky’s Lunch
Turkey, havarti cheese, carrot sticks, and fresh fruit.

-Grilled Chicken
5 oz. of chicken served with creamy mashed potatoes, fresh fruit

-Grilled Salmon
4 oz. of salmon served with creamy mashed potatoes, fresh fruit

SALADS:
-Fresh Roasted Turkey Salad
Slices of both dark and light moist roast turkey meat from all natural free-range birds raised locally for us, sit atop a bed of crisp mixed greens. Bacon, red onions, toasted pecans and Granny Smith apples add brightness and diversity of flavors. The salad is finished with four slices of avocado, blue cheese crumbles and blue cheese dressing.
(NO CRACKERS, BLUE CHEESE CRUMBLES OR BLUE CHEESE DRESSING)

-Citrus Chicken Salad
Bright and complimentary flavors are the hallmark of this delicious salad. Chicken breasts (7 ounce) have been marinated overnight in a mixture of lemon peel, garlic, Dijon mustard, sherry vinegar and herbs. The chicken is grilled, sliced and placed over a bed of mixed greens. Four wedges of fresh pear, green onions and toasted walnut breadcrumbs garnish the plate. Please ask your guest for choice of dressing.
(NO BREAD CRUMBS OR CRACKERS)

-Grilled Salmon Salad
A 4 ounce portion of salmon is placed on top of salad base and served with carrot sticks, a roasted roma half, red onions, capers, a hard boiled egg. Expo garnish is a ramekin of lemon-mustard vinaigrette and a lemon wedge.
(NO CRACKERS)

-Weaver Tuna Salad
Albacore tuna is tossed with diced cucumbers and combined with lemon- mustard vinaigrette. This mixture is served over a bed of salad base and placed in a chilled pasta bowl and served with toasted flat bread, two slices of tomato, carrot match sticks, and a serving of lemon-mustard vinaigrette.
(NO CRACKERS) base is vinegar if a Celiac

-Mixed Green Salad
Our salad base is made with a combination of romaine lettuce and spinach. The salad base is with a tomato wedge, topped with carrot matchsticks, sunflower seeds, and is served with a Parmesan cracker and a choice of dressing.
(NO CRACKERS)

SALAD DRESSINGS:
All of our salad dressings are made at Lucky 32.

-Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette-mayonnaise and sour cream based, flavored with Balsamic vinegar, roasted garlic, Parmesan cheese and herbs

-Buttermilk Herb- similar to a ranch dressing made with sour cream and savory herbs.

-Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette-a tart and flavorful blend of stone ground and spicy brown mustards, red wine vinegar, and fresh lemon juice

-Honey Mustard-a sweet blend of honey, mayonnaise, spicy brown mustard and yellow mustard

-Balsamic Vinegar and Virgin Olive Oil

-Warm Bacon Vinaigrette-This vinaigrette is made with sautéed shallots, Old Smokehouse Bacon, mustard, balsamic vinegar olive oil, a touch of honey, brown sugar and salt and pepper.

CHICKEN & BEEF:
-Roast Half Chicken
An entire half chicken is slow roasted then finished in the bake oven to crisp up the crust. It is served on a large round plate with creamy mashed potatoes and fresh vegetable.

-Russian River Chicken
A breast of springer mountain free farmed chicken is marinated in oil, parsley, thyme, oregano, basil and sage. Topped with goat lady Chevre crumbles and olive oil. With fried spinach on Top. Served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetable.
(NO FRIED SPINACH)

-Grilled Ribeye
A 10-oz. Niman RanchÒ Beef Ribeye (14 oz at dinner) is seasoned and grilled to temperature. The Ribeye is served with fries at lunch and creamy mashed potatoes at dinner. It is served on a large round plate with a steak knife on right side of plate. A mixed green salad is served at dinner.
NO FRIES DUE TO OIL BEING FRIED WITH GLUTEN

SEAFOOD:
Grilled Salmon
-A salmon fillet (6 oz at lunch/8 oz at dinner) is seasoned with salt and pepper and then grilled to order. We offer a choice of toppings that include; lemon caper butter, corn relish, herbed cucumber sauce, Creole mayonnaise, bourbon butter and any special toppings from the special menu. The salmon is served with fresh vegetable and creamy grits and garnished with a lemon wedge at expo. A mixed green salad is served at dinner.

-Salmon and Chef’s Selection Toppings and Optional Cooking Methods:
Bourbon Butter-butter, bourbon and green onions
Corn Relish- Our Corn Relish is a mixture of sweet corn, jalapeno peppers, roasted tomatoes, red onion, fresh garlic, lime juice, fresh cilantro, ground cumin and olive oil marinated overnight before served.
Lemon Caper Butter-butter, capers and lemon juice
Herbed Cucumber Sauce-yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, mint and kosher salt
Cajun Grilled-seasoned with Cajun spices and cooked on our wood fired grill
Blackened- brushed with oil, seasoned with Cajun spices and cooked on a cast iron grill top

SIDE ORDERS:
-Fresh Vegetables
4-oz. of steamed vegetables (seasonal), tossed with butter, salt and pepper.

-Roasted Vegetables
4-oz. of vegetables (yellow squash, zucchini, red onions, & cremini mushrooms) tossed with salt, pepper, oregano leaves, garlic, and dry rosemary, then roasted.

-Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Skin-on Idaho potatoes are baked and mashed until creamy with butter, whole milk and salt.

BRUNCH:
-Cure 81 Ham and Cheddar Omelet
Sauté a three-egg omelet with 3-oz. of diced Cure 81 ham and 1-1/2 oz. of cheddar cheese. The omelet is served with hash browns. Expo places seasonal fruit garnish.

-Vegetarian Omelet
Sauté a three-egg omelet with diced green bell pepper, red onions, tomatoes, avocado, and cheddar cheese. . The omelet is served with hash browns. Topped with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.

-Old Smokehouse Bacon and Cheddar Omelet
Sauté A three-egg omelet with 3-oz. of diced cooked bacon and 1-1/2 oz of cheddar cheese. The omelet is served with hash browns.

-Crustless Quiche
Bake 6-oz. of egg mixture in a casserole dish with Swiss, cheddar cheese, spinach leaves, onions and baked until golden. It’s served with hash browns and brunch garnish.

-Steak and Eggs
Grill An 8 oz sirloin is grilled to order. It is served with two scrambled eggs, hash browns and brunch garnish.

BRUNCH SIDES:
-Old Smokehouse Bacon
Four slices of crispy bacon. BRUNCH ONLY

-Hash browns
¾ cup mixture of potatoes, butter, salt and black pepper. BRUNCH ONLY

I will be following up with Lucky 32 as some of their items (which I have excluded here) had Blue Cheese.

ENJOY!

WORD OF CAUTION - Lucky 32 in Cary

I have received some emails about Lucky 32 in Cary offering a Gluten Free menu option. I had been to the location in Raleigh a few years ago before it closed and always liked the food so I decided to do a little digging.

The following is a warning about what I found out about Lucky 32's menu as well as information given to me by their Executive Chef, Jay Pierce.

If you have been to this restaurant in the past, you may have noticed something interesting about their menu. See the following webpage for yourself. Beside some of the menu choices are little GF logos. Somebody like myself automatically assumed that meant Gluten Free, right? WRONG. If you look down at the fine print you will see the following.

GF - Say "Guilt Free" and we'll modify the receipe to reduce sodium and fat. For other special dietary needs, please inform your server.

YIKES - as you can see from this, GF is not Gluten Free at Lucky 32. Once I saw this I contacted Jay to inquire further. I would hate for any people trying to order Gluten Free to be misled. Jay's prompt response is below...

From: Jay Pierce jpierce@qwrh.com
Date: Sun, Sep 14, 2008 at 10:13 PM
Subject: RE: Gluten Free Question
To: GlutenFree Raleigh glutenfreeraleigh@gmail.com

Thank you so much for your email. We do train our staff to offer gluten-free options on menus, because we do have recipes on hand for everything that is made in house, and most things are. We will not call anything gluten free that contains wheat, soy sauce or mustard, which I learned from a celiac-centric web site causes problems for some folks but not all.

As for our GF designation, I will definitely run your suggestion up the ladder. I do know that the symbol you are referring to is a registered trademark that we have been using for quite a few years to designate items lower in sodium and fat.

Once again, thanks for your observations, and feel free to asks questions about menu items of our good folks there in Cary when dining in, or email me when planning a trip there; I’d love to help out.

Jay Pierce
Executive Chef
Lucky 32
1421 Westover Terrace
Greensboro, NC 27408
p: 336-370-0707
f: 336-574-0037
jpierce@qwrh.com
www.lucky32.com

So there you have it. As I always recommend, proceed with caution at ANY restaurant, even the ones that have GF all over their menu.