Gluten Free Dining

[minniejack]

We're new at the whole gluten free. So....does anyone out there know if any Universal restaurants offer GF food or do you just tell your server at the restaurant or just try to order what you think is GF and hope there isn't a reaction? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[quasar4legs]

I am sure that someone will be along shortly with specific places to eat in Universal but in the meantime thought I'd share some general strategies that have worked for us.
If you are making reservations for restaurants we always advise at the time of booking that one of our party needs gluten free food. This gives the chef time to think about what may be suitable for you and most places are grateful for the 'heads up'.
I carry a little card from the celiac association stating what I can and cannot eat including any foods made from wheat, rye, barley or oats. If we travel overseas we get copies of these cards in the appropriate language.
It is never safe to order something that you would think is gluten free from looking at the menu because gluten is added to so many products these days including dressings, sauces etc.
I travel with safe snacks for the times when it is tough to get something that is going to be safe to eat. I'm also vegetarian so that does complicate things a little more but I always keep some GF crackers, nuts or fruit in my bag just in case.

Good luck with planning your trip.

Trish

 

[minniejack]

Thanks so much for dining tips. One of the great things that I love about Universal is how I never really had to plan my restaurants. Now, I guess I have to plan...

But on the positive side Gluten Free has been a miracle in my son's and my life--unbelievable--whole new family

 

[minniejack]

Just finished talking with the executive chef at the PBH, Herve--very nice.

He would need about a 2 week heads up so as to make sure he has all of the ingredients. They even have gf pancakes and muffin mixes for breakfast. Also has gf bread. Also gf pasta

If I want a pizza from Sal's just let Herve know my favorite gf pizza dough and he will get it for me so that they would have it available

I saw on another forum a reply from Chef Bob about the offerings at the parks--when I get that info for myself--I will post it here.

From other postings on other forums: Margaritaville, Lombards, Finnegans, Mythos, and Confisco (sp?) really does a great gluten free meal.

 

[bethbudke]

I'll be eager to know what you find out! We're planning a trip for June, and I've been wondering how Universal would handle the gluten thing.

 

[minniejack]

Universal Guest Services called to tell me that at any of the sit-downs just tell the server and the chef will come out and go over the menu with you and offer gf choices.

All fries, turkey legs, roast chicken, hamburgers (w/o bun, of course), mashed potatoes throughout both parks are gf. I still haven't received the list that she said she was emailing.

Here is what another person received last year...the Enchanted is closed now...

Hi, in Universal Studios at Monsters café we have roasted chicken and roasted potatoes with onions, fresh herbs, salt and pepper and roasted corn and salads in there. We have fruit stands in the parks with apples, oranges, grapes, watermelon on them. Also have lemon slush carts which will be ok, also have turkey legs on carts that are just smoke plain. I have a full service unit it is Lombard's landing I have a chef in that unit have the server bring the chef to the table and he can go over all the things he can do for you, I do have gluten free pasta in there. In Islands of Adventure we have the Enchanted Oak in there I have roasted chicken, smoked ribs, roasted corn on cob, baked potatoes, fries all natural cooked in canola oil and that is they only item cooked in those fryers, and smoked turkey legs. Just make sure you tell them no corn muffin if you order a platter. Also have a hamburger in there too, just no bun with that. I also have 2 full service units one called Confisco's and one is Mytho's, I have Chefs in both of those units, have server bring Chef to table and he can go over the things he can do for you, there is gluten free pasta in both places. I have another walk up unit it is Thunder Falls, I have smoke chicken, smoke ribs, and roasted corn on cob and roasted potatoes with fresh herbs and salt and pepper, also have French fries all natural cooked in canola oil that is the only thing cooked in those fryers too. If you need any more information or help feel free to give me a call at , Chef Bob. Thank You Chef Bob

 

[minniejack]

Thank you for contacting Universal Orlando®.



It was a pleasure speaking to you via telephone. As we discussed, we offer a variety of fresh, delicious food for our guests to enjoy. For the convenience of our guests with special dietary needs, we have chefs in residence at each of our full-service restaurants (Lombard’s Seafood Grille and Finnegan’s Bar & Grill in Universal Studios Florida®, and Mythos Restaurant® and Confisco Grille® in Universal’s Islands of Adventure®) who can create meals customized to suit individual tastes and needs. In addition, the managers at any of our quick-service restaurants can assist with specific menu questions to help you select appropriate items during your visit.



For the convenience of our guests with gluten allergies, Monsters Café in Universal Studios Florida®, and the Thunder Falls Terrace in Islands of Adventure®, offer the following gluten-free options: roasted chicken; smoked chicken; smoked ribs; smoked turkey legs; roasted potatoes with onions, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper; roasted corn; baked potatoes; french fries cooked in canola oil; and salads.



In addition, our full-service restaurants serve gluten-free pasta, and food carts throughout the parks serve apples, oranges, grapes, watermelon slices. The lemon slush drinks and turkey legs available throughout the parks are also gluten-free.



I hope this information is helpful. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to call us at (407) 224-4233, option nine (9).



Again, thank you for contacting us. We look forward to your visit.



Best regards,



Laura Harmon

Guest Services Communications

Universal Orlando®

 

[bethbudke]

Thank you so much for posting that - very helpful!

 

[Phil from PA]

I have a close friend who has to go GF and I can appreciate the struggle you have to go through. I might have to send her to Florida as it appears they are better equipped at dealing with her allergies than our local restaurants.

 

[minniejack]

Thank you so much for posting that - very helpful!

Your welcome.

And by the way, I googled gf dining in the Orlando area and the usual came up, PF Changs, Outback...but some really good other choices came up. I think the site was Urban Spoon.com or just google gf dining Orlando.

And if you are going after Feb '09 Pizza Fusion is opening a new chain and their GF pizza is fabulous--my DS13 thought it was the best pizza he ever had in his life.

 

[minniejack]

If you do club at any of the Loew's resorts, let them know in advance what exactly that you would like to see GF. Even though I had talked with the chef, that isn't who I needed to discuss the club with. You need to specifically tell the concierge a few weeks in advance.

They have a set menu for the evening and cheese and wine was pretty much the extent of what we could eat. If we had got a hold of the right person to discuss this earlier, they could've gotten us something for evening club, too.

However, Carla, at the PBH was able to get us some GF cookies and muffins for morning from Whole Foods and they were delicious.


Unfortunately, New Year's Eve, the cut up cheese in the little cups was glutened and mixing gluten with wine for me left me blitzed and knocked out in my room... Woke up at 11 and found my DS13 who had eaten the same thing sound asleep beside me...We ran to the parks in time to give my DH and DD15 big kisses at midnight!

Mythos was great with gluten free. The flourless cake was to die for. Yummy.

We ate twice at Margaritaville, the 1st chef who came to our table told us that his daughter needed to be GF, too, so that made me very happy.

Lombardi's--not so good--the chef kept telling me that I was the expert (you all know that we need to be). And the seafood marinara with rice pasta was only so-so.Mahi-mahi was just okay. Unfortunately, something must've been cross contaminated because my son was glutened and immediately began the trips to the restroom and he spent all of New Year's Eve day sleeping. Then to club only to get glutened again. Basically he has spent the last 36 hours sleeping with fever. January 21--I just remembered that he ate calamari in a butter sauce--chef was supposed to come out to table to show me the brand to make sure it was gf, but he must've forgotten. That was the only food that he had different from the rest of us.

Fruit stands? Ha--only saw a few with fruit--apples and oranges--the vendors said that's all they had that day...

French fries--I didn't want to try it anywhere--the lines were always huge and I would ask the hostess and the manager and was told they also fried onion rings...we weren't willing to risk it.

At PBH, we had the most wonderful breakfasts. HUGE Pamela's pancakes, eggs, bacon and real maple syrup for only $10.50 We would eat later in the morning so we would only have to worry about one meal.

Trattoria at PBH had a fantastic NYE's spread that was almost entirely GF. Delish for my husband, but I just sat there snapping pictures of myself because of the ealier gluten and wine thing

Mama Dellas had delicious salad and pasta. Keep in mind,order only one dish for every two people. Even as hungry as we were, we couldn't eat it all...huge meatballs and enough pasta to feed a small army. $20 for each meal. We had a coupon from orlandocoupons.com that made our bill only $30.
Pretty reasonable.

We never made it to Tchop Chop (Sp?) but they had sent us their menu and told me that they could pretty much make just about anything gf, you just need to contact them in advance just to make sure that what you want from their menu could be made that way.

 

[minniejack]

Just found out something that might be of interest to those that can afford it. There are 2 bedroom suites that have a small kitchenette area available in the villa section of the PBH. I checked the price compaired to our deluxe room with club for next year for the same time holiday time period as we just went. Price was a little more than double.

RPR has suites too, but the price is higher there.

I'm trying to talk to the big fella and give him all the reasons why it would be great--so far he's not seeing the light.

My reasons for this suite as suggested to him:
1. It would give him the privacy that he had already requested for some alone time. (He IS the one who wanted to know the week before if I had booked a junior suite for said reasons) AND price is only about $1000 more for this suite than a regular kids suite.

2. I wouldn't have to worry at all about being glutened because I could prepare all of our food and Whole Foods is only 5 minutes away from hotel.

3. We actually would save money by not having to buy the overpriced meals at sit-down establishments.

He thinks I'm delusional.

 

[macraven]

book it.
tell him later when you are going.....

 

[minniejack]

book it.
tell him later when you are going.....

 

[minniejack]

Does anyone out there know the online grocery delivery service that also delivers gluten free food to the hotel?

 

[mackay_j]

Thank you for this info, I have just been diagnosed and I am still trying to get to grips with eating the correct stuff. I want to be sure that we can still enjoy eating out. I can't believe this is happeing to us again, just before (4 weeks) we went to florida on a previous holiday my daughter (7) was diagnosed with diabetes and that holiday was realy hard work as we had not come to terms/fully understood it. Do I need to contact the resturants, margaretaville, hard rock and Latin Quarter in advance, if so can someone give me the email contacts for them. My girls also enjoy eating at olive garden, bahama breezes and the red lobster do these places cater for celiac and if do I have to conted them in advance.

Can you buy gluten free food in the normal shops in the US (walmart/walgreens) or do I need to buy from Chemist or healthfood shops. We are renting a villa so breakfast in should be fine.

The worst thing in all of this is gluten does not make me ill, but I have been told I must not eat it as my bloods were up in the 100's and I have just been diagnosed with Lupus (and do have some symtoms for that), also my lymph nodes have been affected by the celiac and my consultant is worried about lymphoma (this is very rare- but as mine are up all the time is is concerned that if I ignore it it could happen). So I am having to do as I am told, my daughter has pionted out that she has had to stick to her diabetic diet (10 yrs) without complaint so so should I.

Thanks for any help

 

[macraven]

There was another thread some months back about the gluten free diet.

That poster was staying on site at the hotels at universal.
She called some of the restaurants and talked to the chef and was advised of the help in advance.

She also received information on which places in the park would have gluten free items for her.

I have to leave soon but when I return, I'll try to pull up that thread so it can help you.

 

[macraven]

btw, did you read all the posts on this thread by minnie jack?

she had excellent advice on who she talked with about the gluten free diet.

 

[celerystalker]

My friend with Celiacs shops at Whole foods Market. There's one in Orlando. The address is 8003 Turkey Lake Road Phillips Crossing Orlando, FL 32819.

He said any grocery should have something available, you just have to learn to read the labels.
Some things he's learned - modified food starch can mean gluten, so stay away.
He also recently got sick over turkey with "natural flavorings."

He and I are headed to Disney and Universal this week. I'm still nervous about the lack of choices at Universal, but excited about the Disney choices.

 

[mackay_j]

Yes I read those and linked to other forums she also writes in and got lots of info from them - thanks agian to all who have posted on these I am now starting to relax a bit. (I am putting all into a doc that I will post back on here for others when I have completed it. I now know that I can get the food I need in the supermarkets and have the address of other specialist shops. I also now know about the universal owned resturants.


But the one peice of info I don't have is do I have to contact the non universal owned resturants ahead of vistiting- I now know which ones are good but don't know if I have to contact them in advance. I also have not got info some other non-park ones includding olive garden, redlobster, bahama breezes and the crab shack

Any help would be great