Gluten-free (celiac) dining review (plus dairy, egg, soy, legumes, and vegan diets)

[ls15]

Hi everyone!

I am chronicling my gluten-free dining plan review over here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2669971 if you'd like to read along.

I have celiac disease and a dairy allergy. I'm also a vegan.

My mom can't have gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, legumes (including peanuts).

I never eat out, get very nervous, and am highly reactive with my celiac, so diligence was the key - but it worked out!

Check it out if you'd like

 

[clanmcculloch]

Thanks for sharing! I'll definitely be reading along.

 

[4mama2]

Thanks for the link.

 

[ls15]

You're welcome! I am going to be updating my website today or tomorrow with info about my upcoming trip next month.

 

[kuhltiffany]

Thanks for the updates! I'll be travelling with 2 GF and one PF guest, so we're all about the allergies here

 

[ls15]

I've finished my 2012 report!
http://lauriesadowski.wordpress.com...-vegan-2012-disney-world-trip-report-part-ii/

 

[SDSorority]

I've finished my 2012 report!
http://lauriesadowski.wordpress.com...-vegan-2012-disney-world-trip-report-part-ii/

Y.E.S.

Thank you for taking such time with this!!!!!!!!!

 

[ls15]

Y.E.S.

Thank you for taking such time with this!!!!!!!!!

Takes awhile but I know how helpful it can be, from when I read reports from others!

Let me know if anything is confusing or if you have more questions. I hope I covered everything!

 

[PrincessTDQ]

Thank you so much! My step son is on a GFCF diet, and this will help A LOT in my planning.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I finally got around to reading it. I'm SO glad I took the time. What a great review!!! You know, I'm starting to think I need to tell chefs that I'll gladly eat vegan offerings if they have them. I think that chefs got more creative with your food than they do with mine. LOL!

Oh I hope it's becoming standard for them to bring in Babycakes goods. That would be SO great for DD14 who can't eat any of the baked goods around the parks. I'll be eating at HDDR in August and I'd LOVE it if they had corn bread we could all eat. That would be so sweet!!! You're definitely giving me hope! I'll definitely be pushing for chefs to contact me since we're trying several new restaurants and the ones we have tried before tend to do better with notice. On our last trip, the only reason chefs new we were coming was because I emailed our dietary form directly to a chef who we know and she made sure to speak directly with a bunch of chefs for us since none of them got a copy. I do still have a past email from Special Diets with their phone number so maybe I'll have to get them directly in order to make sure they're not just blowing us off like they've been doing lately (I'll give them a chance through email but I'll only put up with a couple generic responses).

FYI: I wouldn't hesitate to try the sushi at Kona. The chefs there are amazing!!! We love their sushi. It's the only place I know of that can make me a California Roll since they only use fresh crab, nothing artificial (obviously this wouldn't work for you, but it would work for your mom). They take great care with allergies and have created some delicious and amazing works of art for us. I would feel confident that they could come up with some amazing vegan offerings.

Thanks again for your detailed review!! I love reading this kind of stuff. I'm getting excited again about our upcoming trip. I figure I'll contact Special Diets in around a month, hoping (though not holding my breath on getting) an up to date allergy guide.

 

[ls15]

Thanks! I agree that the chefs become more creative, especially if you get the right chef. I take a lot of time picking out the restaurants and I try to hunt out the best chefs. I did cancel Mama Melrose for this reason, and know which ones are always better (IE everyone that works at Kouzzina).

I don't think that the Babycakes thing is standard at all - it was suggested by the bakery who supplies those specific restaurants, and then I asked at the other. I would just ask when you make your HDDR reservation and choose your dishes (since you have to anyway for food allergies).

On my last trip, too, the only reason the chefs knew we were coming was because of what you did - our first chef emailed all the other chefs. But finally, this year it worked. Don't email; call! That is the best way.

Good news about Kona. I will try them again next time!

Let me know how it goes in August! And please keep me posted! I'll be going again in February... and then if you go again next August, our 6 month span updates are perfectly balanced....

 

[clanmcculloch]

I actually do have an ADR at Mama Melrose this trip. It'll be our first time eating there. They got a new chef recently so I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes. We got the Fantasmic! Dining Package so we'll be trying more food that we normally would (we're typically entree and maybe the kids get ice cream type of people so 3 courses is unusual for us). Wish us luck!

I'll be checking in with Special Diets in mid-late June and requesting calls from chefs. Hopefully they'll actually put chefs in contact with us and I won't have to chase them down. I'll be asking some very specific questions, especially about AoA since we'll be eating most likely a good 10 meals there (7 night stay). I'm also hoping that despite people here having horrible experiences at Trail's End that maybe I can talk to a chef ahead of time to discuss some options so I won't have to cook as many meals as I'm currently planning during our cabin stay. We'll see how it goes. I just don't have very good experience with promises from chefs other than chefs at resort food courts or club level lounges who have been amazing.

 

[ls15]

It wasn't as though Mama Melrose couldn't accommodate me, but the option was (brown rice) pasta with vegetables on it. That was all he could suggest. It was the night of my race and I had really wanted pizza, specifically, and was hoping they still had something stowed away other than Udi's. So he was definitely willing - I just am not a huge pasta fan so that was a deal breaker!

If you have any other questions on anything, let me know! Hopefully AoA will be a great one.

 

[mom2girls1974]

Do you have to pay extra for all these changes? expecially the babycakes for dessert options? My two girls and I will be comming to WDW and my youngest has Celiac, with a dairy allergy, my oldest and I are GF/CF.... we are going to get a dinning plan - sorry can not remember the name but it is for all the sit down meals - then do two meals a day- like recommended, a two ticket each day, and a one ticket - my girls will both have birthdays there as well
Sorry SO not trying to steal your thread - it was just so well done - loved your article, took allot of notes, for places to book us into - thanks so much....

 

[snorris49]

Awesome reviews!!! I'm gluten and dairy free, so it's nice to see some of the options that you got. I'm really tempted to go to 1900 PF for dinner now. I've yet to see any photos or many reviews since Chef TJ moved over there, so that was a real treat. And some of the presentations were classic TJ, so I was psyched to see what he brought you. Fantastic!

I also have to give some kudos to Chef Brad and Chef George at Kouzzina! I love that place and eat there a lot for breakfast (you know you go there a lot when the chefs say "oh, it's you!" or "weren't you just here the other day?" lol ) I've never gone for dinner. And now, I really think I should.

I can also reiterate on Kona or any Poly restaurant really--they're really great with food allergies there!

Thanks again for the wonderful reviews!

 

[clanmcculloch]

I would loved to have shared photos from our meeting with Chef TJ but unfortunately I lost my camera with all of our trip photos. We even got him to pose with us after he presented his famous desserts to us. Sigh.... I guess I'll have to plan another dinner there some time so I can capture it on film.

It does seem as though dinner at 1900PF has a good chance of seeing him these days. Just an FYI for all of you who like me were trying to stalk him but failed miserable (I'd be a horrible criminal ).

 

[snorris49]

I would loved to have shared photos from our meeting with Chef TJ but unfortunately I lost my camera with all of our trip photos. We even got him to pose with us after he presented his famous desserts to us. Sigh.... I guess I'll have to plan another dinner there some time so I can capture it on film.

It does seem as though dinner at 1900PF has a good chance of seeing him these days. Just an FYI for all of you who like me were trying to stalk him but failed miserable (I'd be a horrible criminal ).

hehe, I remember meeting him for the first time. You would have sworn I'd have met the Queen of England...but I will say as far as Disney chefs go...he is a rock star!

Now I'm really tempted to go to 1900 PF. I'm just glad to hear that he's out and about now. Maybe he was hiding from all of his fans (I recall that Special Diets got a lot of emails asking where he was)?!

 

[clanmcculloch]

DH embarrassed me by telling Chef TJ how long I've been trying to meet him and how big of a fan I am. I felt like such a dork (yes that's the appropriate word LOL). He really was so sweet. It amuzed me when he told me that he felt bad not making something fancier for DD14's entree because he was worried about how she'd handle stacked and sauced foods (mine was art). She loved her food and he did make her one of his famous desserts. He isn't just extremely talented; he's also unbelievably NICE.

Must...not...book...another...ADR...

 

[stackyallred]

After all of the rave reviews for Chef TJ, I really want to eat one of his fantastic meals... am I right in assuming he is only there for dinner? It works best for us to do the latest breakfast ADR at 1900 PF, but if he won't be there then I really don't care to go as much... With my long list of allergies, I really want to get in on the Chef TJ fan club!

 

[clanmcculloch]

I tried last breakfast seatings at 1900PF twice since he moved to the Grand Floridian. He wasn't there either time. I think I've only read one dining report where he was there for breakfast. Neither breakfast was our favourite as the chefs weren't creative and seemed to expect us to tell him what we wanted when I had no idea what they had available in the kitchen to work with. In addition, one of the chefs didn't even know that Divvies cookies were made with wheat until I told him that my 14yo couldn't have it after he offered. Nobody got sick (I think the chef was fine regarding foods he made but wasn't up on the details of the packaged stuff) and the food was ok but I definitely preferred the breakfasts at 'Ohana, Tusker House, Cape May and Captain's Grille over 1900PF (haven't tried Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey, CRT or Akershus). We do 1900PF breakfast for the characters (they're so great).