P.F. Chang's has a GF menu

The good news is that P.F. Chang's has a gluten-free menu. It is a special menu that you have to ask for but it is a full menu that is nicely printed and laminated. There is plenty to choose from as far as entrees and there is one dessert that you can have. Unfortunately, I was not very impressed by my meal. I got the ginger chicken and it just seemed pretty bland to me. The egg drop soup tasted too thick and processed to be fresh. I did not try the gluten free dessert which was some kind of chocolate dessert which sounded good. Overall, the combination of the long wait for a table (on a Tuesday night) plus the high prices make me think I will not be back anytime soon; however, it is nice to see a restaurant cater to us GF folks.

www.pfchangs.com

UPDATE 1/7/09: I went back to PF Changs for lunch recently. There was no wait for two people to get a table. I ordered the Street Noodles with shrimp and my friend ordered the GF fried rice with shrimp. We both really liked our meals and for dessert we split the GF flour-less chocolate cake. Overall, it was a great meal and we had plenty of leftovers for the next day.

Jocalat is chocolate but better?

According to the Larabar website, jocalat "Harmonizing with fruits and nuts, each flavor contains no more than seven simple ingredients. Deliciously rich. All Organic. No added sugars. Free of dairy, soy and gluten. A wholesome indulgence you can feel good about eating." I could not eat this myself since I am allergic to nuts, so I gave it to my mom who is also gluten-free. She really enjoyed it although did not provide me with a good description to post here. As far as I can tell, it's like chocolate plus fiber and vitamins. I know a lot of people enjoy other Larabar products.

Tasty Gluten Free Chips

I received a free sample of R.W. Garcia's Thai Sweet & Spicy Tortilla
Chips with Flaxeed and they were delicious! Most tortilla chips
do not contain gluten, unless the flavoring (i.e. Doritos etc.) contains
gluten. Likewise these chips are gluten free, but also are very
flavorful. They actually are sweet and spicy and the flaxseed is good too, and probablygood for you! According to their website, they are
available at Whole Foods and also online at amazon.com.
If I see them in the store, I will definitely pick up a bag!

England has more GF food than the US!

People complain about English food and I can't say that I blame them for the most part, however, when it comes to their grocery stores, they win the prize!! I was so surprised when I went into Tesco and they had a HUGE gluten-free section with much more of a variety than they have here. They sell FRESH (not frozen) gf bread, buns, muffins, cakes, cookies etc. They sell lots of things that we only get mixes for. Since I am lazy when it comes to food, I would much rather buy a ready-made gf cake, then a gf cake mix. Also, their bread was much lighter than most of the gf bread found here. And to top things off, gluten-free seemed to be more of a familiar concept to people over there than here. So if you are heading to the UK, stop by the grocery store when you arrive and you will have plenty to eat throughout your trip!

American Airlines serves GF food on international flights

Recently, I had the opportunity to experience American Airlines' international flight service on my way from San Diego to Manchester, England. I was in coach and those seats seem to have gotten smaller and smaller. And the plane was so old that it still had ashtrays (covered over) and only one television for the whole seating section. However, the bright spot in this experience was the gluten-free food. I had to order it ahead of time, but it was worth it. I was always served first and the meals were good. There were plenty of vegetables and salad and typically I got fruit instead of the usual dessert, which was fine with me. They even gave me a gluten-free bread roll with cheese! That's more than you get in a lot of restaurants that serve gluten-free food. In other words, fly American for the food, not the ambience.