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Here are the suggestions I received for Baltimore. Thank you to all who
contributed!
Baltimore and surrounding areas have the usual restaurants that have
gluten free menus such as Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grille, Macaroni
Grill, etc. Also, there are 3 local Whole Foods Grocery stores. One is
actually downtown, close to the Inner Harbor where tourists usually go.
If you are not familiar with Whole Foods, they have an excellent line of
gluten free baked goods, including assorted breads, brownies, muffins,
pies, cakes. Their products are the best gluten free products that I
have found. Since they are new to CD, I strongly and highly recommend a
trip to Whole Foods for the baked goods. The muffins make a great
breakfast substitute for toast or even alone. The brownies taste just
like normal ones only slightly better, I think.
*******
Outback Steakhouse, Hunt Valley has a gluten free menu. Try the brownie
dessert Thunder from Down Under. BlueStone in Timonium is excellent.
Take your restaurant card, select some things from the menu, and give
your card to the waitress and ask her to ask the chef if he can prepare
this or that according to your card's requirements. They are very
particular and will adhere to your requests regarding contamination
issues (pots, utensils) as well. Carrabba's in Hunt Valley will
accommodate your restaurant card or call ahead and sk the chef to
suggest some items. I always eat the shrimp scampi (which is an
appetizer) as my entree, eliminating the garlic bread of course.
DaMimmo's in Little Italy - call ahead and speak with the chef. Then
order when you get there according to his directions. Don't bother
taking your own spaghetti. It's too much of a hassle. Just ! get
something without pasta. Try their Stracciatella a la Romano - it is a
divine soup made with chicken stock,eggs, grated cheese, parsley and
nutmeg, And comes steaming hot. Be sure to check if it has been
thickened - chefs change - and if so with what.
***********
If there are no other allergy issues, they could go to Old Country Buffet (see their website for locations). Our dau. can eat their carved roast beef (trims off the brown edge because of corn allergy to dextrose in the coating), salad bar and fresh fruit. She tolerated it quite well. The mgr. was nice and showed me the ingredients for differen things. The carved ham would probably be ok, the turkey roast had something that was a problem for us. I have to avoid soy and corn for our dau. as well as gluten. The mgr. we talked to was at Manassas, Va.
*********
Unfortunately, some of the friendliest restaurants for celiacs have closed due to retirement of their chefs, etc. But Savannah's chefs are celiac friendly, as are most chefs in the more expensive places (more eager to please their customers and they use better cooking methods, like cooking down sauces to thicken them rather than adding flour). The restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art is celiac-friendly; on their opening day their chef personally made certain that my meal was gluten free! We recently ate at the Joy America Cafe at the American Visionary
Art Museum near the Inner Harbor, at a wedding rehearsal dinner in May, and I checked ahead, the usual routine, and they bent over backwards to accommodate me. I had a lovely meal there. When in doubt, ask for steamed, broiled, roasted, boiled, or fresh/raw anything from veggies to fruit to meat/fish: no breading or seasoning unless the cook knows the gf status. Nothing grilled, as it is too difficult to clean gluten ingredients from grills (think grilled cheese sandwiches, toasted bread,
other no-nos!). Grilled items are safe only if wrapped in foil
before grillling.
Seafood restaurants are usually a good bet too. The many raw bars are celiac safe if you care for that and steamed or broiled seafood is great if there is no breading, etc. For steamed crabs, mostly safe, unless steamed with beer! Indian restaurants like the Akbar and the Mughal Gardens on Charles Street are good if you talk to the staff; most of their sauces are thickened with lentil or chickpea flour, which is gluten free, and the pappadums are a delicious treat (large gf wafers made with chickpea and/or lentil flour). The Thai Restaurant on Greenmount Avenue has gf items on their menu, too, but you need to explain. In fact, I have good luck at most Asian restaurants, as they are used to special requests and very accommodating.
Many mainstream groceries now stock gf items on their shelves and some have gf sections; just ask. The Whole Foods Market in Mt. Washington (a Northwest Baltimore neighborhood off Falls Road) has the best selection, including gf baked goods in their frozen foods section; Trader Joes in the Towson area off York and Joppa Roads also has a gf selection. Both stores provide gf lists of their items, but as always, check the ingredient listing on each item.
***********
When we are in Baltimore we have stayed in the Inner Harbor area. I brought along breakfast cereal for our daughter. We had lunches and dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. They were very accomodating each time we were there. My daughter has had grilled chicken breast without seasoning, hamburger cooked on a clean grill, steamed vegetables and a salad prepared in a clean bowl. I don't know about the salad dressing as my daughter has become accustomed to eating salad dry.
***********
The Helmand is AWESOME. It is Afghani food and all the servers are familiar with CD. There is also a Legal Seafood there and I think a PF Chang's. The Helmand is near John's Hopkins. I think the area is called Vernon.
***********
2 suggestions: McCormick
and Schmick - steaks and seafood OR for a less expensive version owned by the same people, the M&S Grill at the Inner Harbor -they modified a baked scallop entrée for me that was outstanding!
***********
We recently ate at McCormick and Schmick, which is a seafood restaurant located in the Inner Harbor area that is also list in the Zagat survey of best restaurants. Our server was familiar with celiac disease, as someone he knew had it. He suggested the flourless chocolate brownie or cake (I can't remember which) as a dessert. The restaurant has an extensive seafood list
from which you can surely find something gf.
The Austin Grill, which has a gf menu, is located in the Canton area of
Baltimore. There is also a Whole Foods market right downtown, from which you can
purchase gf foods, including the baked goods made by Lee Tobin.
***********
There are two high price steakhouses in Baltimore. One is Ruths Chris and the other is Flemings. You can go online and look at their gluten-free menu links before you go there. Austin's Grill on Boston St. in Fell's Point also has a gluten-free menu. I haven't eaten there, so I can't say if their food is good. I don't know if you've ever eaten at the Melting Pot (also extremely pricey). I've pasted their very helpful response to me from their Annapolis restaurant, which I assume would work at their Baltimore locations as well. Hope this helps!
***********
Baltimore is full of mom and pop type restaurants and the city has recently been geared up for national visitors. They are eager to have people to return to the city. Most restaurants will accommodate special requests for food preparation from their menus. If this family is staying in the heart of Baltimore, there's Sasha's near the Walters Art Gallery (nice medium priced restaurant with great food). I've gone to little tiny restaurants who have great homemade soups near the Inner Harbor. But even if they go to Baltimore County, which surrounds Baltimore City, there are a lot of ethnic type restaurants like Au Poicin Stil in Timonium. MD, which serves traditional Irish meals, like corned beef and cabbage for under $15.00. There's a Whole Foods grocery store just east of the Inner Harbor and also in the County. The Natural is a health food store across from the Timonium Fairgrounds where you can buy gluten free anything. Wherever t
his
family decides to stay, the hotel staff could do some research for them as to the closest places to eat out in. They just need to state their budget, food interests and where they will be staying to begin a comprehensive search.
************
Thanks again,
Joyce in Oregon
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