Applebee's

Last night my hubby planned us a date to Applebee's. We hadn't been there for over a year. Boy, did their prices go up or what?!

Tim called the manager of our local store yesterday. He was helpful, albeit a bit put out. He gave Tim the number for their Guest Relations hotline. Tim called the hotline today, and she was a bit vague, but Tim did get out of her a few gluten free entrees.

I choose the Bourbon Street Steak. I'm not sure why I choose that, since I don't care for cajun seasoning that much, but I still enjoyed it. I order a side salad ("No croutons, please.") and a baked potato to go with my steak.

I had a very nice evening out with my favorite guy!

Pizza Hut

My Sunday School class is meeting at Pizza Hut for dinner tonight. I called ahead and spoke with Tiffany. She was very pleasant to talk with. I asked if I could just bring in my own pizza to eat with everyone else, and she said that would be just fine.

She also said that they have had customers who brought in their own crust and Pizza Hut would top it and bake it for them. I'll have to try that sometime when I'm not with a large group.

I'd better go put my pizza in the oven since we're meeting at 6:00!

Evening Out

Tonight I had dinner with my two visiting friends and Tim at Buffalo Wild Wings. I called yesterday to be sure that they had gluten free options. I spoke with Kirk and he was very helpful. He informed me that they did have many wheat free selections. I don't know if I impressed upon him the importance of the gluten free diet, but I felt comfortable enough to go tonight to see what I could find.

I started dinner with some super scrumptious buffalo wings with their "medium" buffalo sauce. It was still pretty spicy, but oh so vinegary just like I like it! Kirk had read the sauce label for me yesterday, so I knew it was safe. For my entree I had the Grilled Chicken Breast "sandwich" with no bun and no seasoning. Again, I had the medium buffalo sauce. Along with my side salad (substituted for fries for an extra $1), it was a good meal. I really enjoyed my night out.

Now I know that I want this blog to focus on eating gf on a budget. Going out to eat twice in a week is not a regular occurance for us. We did have a gift card that covered Famous Dave's, so that was "frugal." Tonight we wanted to go out since we have company over. I'll try to post more fragal-ly next week!

Famous Dave's

Well, tonight we went to Famous Dave's for dinner. It was very tasty, let me tell ya! I called ahead to be sure that they could accommodate a gluten free diet. They were a bit brusque on the phone, but they assured me that the manager would be able to help me when I came in.

I asked our waitress, DeNicca, about the gluten free options. She was very nice and told me that she'd have the manager look them up for me. A few minutes later the manager came out and gave me a print out of some of the menu items with their ingredient lists and common allergens. He said that when I put in my order, he would go back to the kitchen to ensure that it was gluten free for me. I thought that was a very nice gesture on his part.

I ordered the baked chicken with corn on the cob and fries. Of course, to be truly gluten free, I probably should not have ordered fries. I just couldn't resist myself, though. I love those thick cut fries! Luckily they don't seem to bother me.

All in all, my hubby and I had a great experience at Famous Dave's. The food was great and the staff were helpful and polite.