Gluten, you won't stop me from eating at Disney!!

[glennbo123]

Hey there 3prettyprincesses. Signing on to your dining review!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Hey there 3prettyprincesses. Signing on to your dining review!

Hey Glenn! Thanks. I'm still planning a regular TR but wanted to get this dining one out of the way first. I'm sure I won't need 2 threads to complete this one though...

 

[jenseib]

I am getting ready to go out to dinner and looking at those pictures are making me soooo hungry!!!
Sounds like they really worked with you well.

 

[snorris49]

Can't wait to hear more reviews! I agree with other posters...even though I was just there, I'm ready to go back for the food! YUM!

I'm so glad to see more GF reviews out there...it's so great to share and get the information out there for everyone. And of course, those pictures are to die for! Keep em coming!

 

[Scuttle]

Thanks for taking the time to do these reviews!! We were at Disney at the same time that you were there, with my DD(7) that was eating GF/CF. I had her come and check out your pictures!! She was funny because the day we got home, she was crying because she "No longer had her personal chefs" and didn't want what I was making her at home!! LOL

I was VERY pleasantly surprised at the wonderful service that the different dining experiences offer to those with special diets!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

This is a favorite breakfast of mine, I love the inside of this restaurant!

Our waitress came over with fresh orange juice and said she'd send the chef over. He was very pleasant and offered to walk me around the buffet. I was excited because he said the strawberry soup was GF! There was plenty of food and I ended up with what was becoming my standard...

GF Mickey waffles! In the top right of this pic you can see I also had eggs, sausage and bacon. It was all delicious, definitely another must-do for us. Apart from the great food and characters, the chef was very accomodating and knew his stuff.

 

[davebon23]

Thanks so much for posting your review. Loving the pictures! This will also be my first time going GF this summer. From everything I have read on these boards, I definitely feel safe eating in Disney. Reading these boards is one way I convinced my teenage son to go back to Disney. LOL. Told him Mom can eat really well, so he agreed. (Doesn't have anything to do with him actually still liking Disney, though. Only so his Mom can eat safely)

Looking forward to hearing the rest of your review. Also where did you stay and what did you eat there, if you don't mind? Thanks again.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

This is one really, really cool place to eat! We've eaten here in the past and it did not disappoint!

We had a fabulous waitress, she treated us so well! After seeing my allergy noted, she ran to get the chef. Let me tell you, this chef knew gluten well. I was impressed. We talked about what I could have and unfortunately the spinach and artichoke dip contained gluten. Oh well. Then he said I could have salad but might want to stay away from the vinegar dressing since some celiacs have trouble with it. Didn't I tell you he knew his stuff? He also said there was blue cheese in the salad which seems to cause alot of debate in the GF world. I decided against the blue cheese. This salad was very good! I don't have a pic though, I thought I did!

For my entree, I went with the cheese burger which came with fries but I opted for fruit. It was excellent! Very moist and it came out on a tapioca bun too!

Now, I figured that since I didn't get an appetizer (remember that pesky spinach dip had gluten), I treated myself to a classic hot fugde sundae! The chef promised it would be gluten free, making sure it was scooped from a new ice cream box as well. This was scrumptious!

Funny story about this sundae...the waitress came with the check so I pushed my sundae aside to sign all the 10,000 receipts from the dining plan. While I did this, DH thought I was done with my sundae (did I mention how good it was?) and proceeded to polish it off! I looked at him like he was insane and he said he thought I was done. Well, I was now since he'd been eating gluten all day long! We had a good laugh over it!

This is an amazing restaurant, one that I plan to eat at every trip! The chef was very confident in his gluten knowledge and very personable! Another must-do!

And one more pic, it's not of the food but I just think it's so cute!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

I am getting ready to go out to dinner and looking at those pictures are making me soooo hungry!!!
Sounds like they really worked with you well.

Hi Jen! I know, the pics make me hungry as well! I'm ready to book another trip, Disney is excellent with food allergies. DD11 has allergies too (tree nut, coconut and shellfish) and we both had an amazing dining experience.

Can't wait to hear more reviews! I agree with other posters...even though I was just there, I'm ready to go back for the food! YUM!

I'm so glad to see more GF reviews out there...it's so great to share and get the information out there for everyone. And of course, those pictures are to die for! Keep em coming!

I know, right? I was just there too but if DH said, heck, let's go back tomorrow, I'd be packing right now!

It's awesome to see so many GF reviews, including yours! It really did help me when I planned our recent trip because I was pretty nervous.

Thanks for taking the time to do these reviews!! We were at Disney at the same time that you were there, with my DD(7) that was eating GF/CF. I had her come and check out your pictures!! She was funny because the day we got home, she was crying because she "No longer had her personal chefs" and didn't want what I was making her at home!! LOL

I was VERY pleasantly surprised at the wonderful service that the different dining experiences offer to those with special diets!

You're so very welcome. I agree with DD too, regular dining back home sucks now since I've had the red carpet chef treatment at Disney! I completely agree with you about the wonderful service. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this with food allergies especially since I'm not the type of person to ever send food back, ask to see the chef or expect a special meal. But boy Disney did a fabulous job!

Thanks so much for posting your review. Loving the pictures! This will also be my first time going GF this summer. From everything I have read on these boards, I definitely feel safe eating in Disney. Reading these boards is one way I convinced my teenage son to go back to Disney. LOL. Told him Mom can eat really well, so he agreed. (Doesn't have anything to do with him actually still liking Disney, though. Only so his Mom can eat safely)

Looking forward to hearing the rest of your review. Also where did you stay and what did you eat there, if you don't mind? Thanks again.

You're so welcome ! This past trip was my 1st time eating at Disney GF and I was really nervous. But let me tell you, it was an amazing experience. I ate 3 meals a day for 8 days and only had 1 bad experience with Yak & Yeti. IMO it was a HUGE success, so much so that I'm already pestering DH about another trip!

Awww, your son agreed to a trip because he knows you can eat there safely? So sweet! And it's true, I'm sure you'll have a great time.

We stayed at the Grand Floridian. As far as restaurants there, we ate at the Grand Floridian Cafe for dinner, 1900 Park Fare for breakfast, Narcoossee's for dinner and their counter service restaurant, Gasparilla Grill. Every one of them were fabulous, even the counter service one!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

I loooooved this restaurant before going GF! The glamorous art deco theming is gorgeous and I love how the dining room looks.

I am apologizing in advance here, apparently I didn't take a single picture of my food! I don't know why, I could've sworn I did. Sorry!

We had a wonderful server here, I forget his name, but it was a unique one. Darn I can't remember! Anyhow, he took our drink order and then sent the chef to our table. The chef here was extremely friendly and pointed out everything on the menu I could have that he'd modify. For my appetizer, I went with the famous Cobb salad, minus the avocado since I'm allergic. And I asked to omit the blue cheese as well. This salad was slamming! Very delicious but the portion was ridiculously huge. It could have fed all 5 of us easily!

For my entree, I had the sterling pork chop. It came with smoked gouda and a little dollop of apricot preserves on top. Underneath was a cabbage mix that was to die for! I nearly licked my plate, the sauce was soooo good on this!

I passed on dessert since I'd eaten that BIG salad that probably had about 5 heads of lettuce in it and then inhaled that delish pork chop! But the chef said that he had a flourless chocolate cake that tasted like fudge that wasn't on the menu but he'd do for me as it was GF. Looking back, I wish I'd have taken him up on it because it sounded heavenly! Oh well, there's always next trip!

I was so pleased that the Brown Derby met my GF expectations as this is one of my favorite restaurants! I know I keep saying it, but this is another must-do for us!

 

[jenseib]

That Sundae looked amazing. I think I would've had to kill my DH if he at my dessert. But I think he knows better, because sometimes I will only eat a salad at restaurant just so I can have dessert. He knows that I rather eat that than a meal anymore. Too bad eating dessert only won't help in losing weight.

 

[glennbo123]

I can totally see myself polishing off my wife's sundae if she pushed it to the side.

I don't know much about gluten-free diets...can you have rice? Just wondering if sushi was an option for you at California Grill?

 

[Jade+3]

Well, I am no longer afraid of having to go GF at WDW. I will be keeping DH (and the kids) away from my sundae.

 

[davebon23]

I can totally see myself polishing off my wife's sundae if she pushed it to the side.

I don't know much about gluten-free diets...can you have rice? Just wondering if sushi was an option for you at California Grill?

Being Gluten free we can have rice and in some if not most cases sushi also. I personally don't care for seafood, but OP may.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

That Sundae looked amazing. I think I would've had to kill my DH if he at my dessert. But I think he knows better, because sometimes I will only eat a salad at restaurant just so I can have dessert. He knows that I rather eat that than a meal anymore. Too bad eating dessert only won't help in losing weight.

I'm sure Skip knows better! I was a tad annoyed with DH since that sundae really was delicious! Ya, too bad eating dessert doesn't cause weight loss! Can you imagine how popular a diet like that would be?

I can totally see myself polishing off my wife's sundae if she pushed it to the side.

I don't know much about gluten-free diets...can you have rice? Just wondering if sushi was an option for you at California Grill?

Well shame on you Glenn! Poor Judy. I can still see my DH's sheepish look when he realized I was NOT done with my sundae! Lucky for him, he's very cute or else I'd have been mad!

Yes, rice is fine for a gluten free diet so long as it's not a boxed, flavored one that has added gluten. Gluten is the protein you find in wheat, rye, barley, kamut and spelt that is difficult for some people to digest. For others (like myself) you develop an autoimmune response to that protein which damages your intestines and prohibits you from absorbing nutrients from your food. How's that for the short version?

I actually don't care for sushi so I didn't even consider it at California Grill. Looking back on all my pics from this trip, I apparently ate a lot of steak! No fish though.

Well, I am no longer afraid of having to go GF at WDW. I will be keeping DH (and the kids) away from my sundae.

Oh good! I'm sure you'll be fine at Disney, they really go out of their way to make you feel comfortable and are willing to answer any questions. I was corresponding with special diets before I left, asking them specific questions about certain foods..

Yes, keep your DH away from that sundae! It's good, too good to share especially if it's gluten free!

 

[DCDisney]

Great reviews! Thanks

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Being Gluten free we can have rice and in some if not most cases sushi also. I personally don't care for seafood, but OP may.

Nope, I don't care for seafood either. Never have! Rice has been a good friend to me since going GF, it helps settle my stomach when gluten rears it's ugly head.

Great reviews! Thanks

You're very welcome! More to come.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Oh how we love this restaurant! I know it gets mixed reviews but for us, it's always a winner. Actually, my DD's prefer to eat here with Mickey and his gang rather than in the castle with the princesses! Shocking isn't it?

Per the usual, our waitress had the chef come over. Once again, this was a very pleasant experience. We walked the buffet line and he pointed out safe items. Then he promised to be back with a special plate of food for me that he'd prepare in the back. Can you guess what that might be?

GF Mickey waffles! These were cooked perfectly too, very crispy and I'm ashamed to say I ate every one of them!

I also had a plate of eggs with sausage and fruit but don't have a pic. It was all good and as usual, the character interaction was fabulous! We plan to eat here again! A great GF experience.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Let me say that the last time we ate here (before going GF) I wasn't too blown away with the food. It was kind of meh. However, this time it was excellent!

Our waiter was kind of flighty, as in he disappeared for great lengths of time. However, he had the chef come over and the chef was so accomodating! I wasn't sure what I wanted here so he offered some suggestions. The Declaration salad with garlic buttermilk dressing sounded fabulous.

Oh my, this was so ridiculously good! The salad had a slight chill to it still and everything tasted fresh. I tried to finish it but it was enormous! I don't know if you can tell by the pic, but it was a mound of salad on that plate. Delish!

For my entree, I went with the Pilgrim's Feast which consisted of carved turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans. The chef said he'd make me a safe GF gravy which was incredible. Excellent meal:

You can see the GF gravy in the silver gravy boat to the right of the pic. It was sooo tasty!

I wasn't sure if I wanted dessert or not but the chef highly recommended the chocolate terrine. I had no idea what terrine meant so he explained that it's like a cross between fudge and the inside of a truffle. Sold! And it was delicious, seriously one of my top GF desserts while at Disney. I cleaned my plate!

I have to say I was highly impressed with our meal here. Another must-do of course because everything was delicious. The GF gravy and chocolate terrine are enough to make me want to eat there again by themselves!

 

[buzz for boys]

Hi,
My dd is coeliac and we love disey as it means we can have safe meals as a family and she never feels left out or second best.

Yak and Yeti made her very poorly too so maybe there is an issue with knowledge at that restaurant!!

Loving reading this as it gives me a insight into what restaurants are a good for her.

Louise x