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Hi All,

I have returned from Ottawa, ON and was completely gluten free while there.  Here is a summary of my experience.

I was somewhat spoiled in that all of my breakfasts and three lunches were covered by the conference I was attending.  That said, breakfast was at the University of Ottawa dining hall, and they were very gfree knowledgeable.  As soon as I mentioned to a staff member I was gfree on the first day, he directed me to a dedicated toaster/counter area, complete with my choice of gfree breads, cereals, and muffins.  I was then told which of the hot items (eggs, potatoes) were considered safe and not safe (sausage).  After day one, the bread was waiting for me in the morning next to the gfree toaster.  Similarly, at the Ottawa Convention Centre, I was provided with a well-labeled, special-ordered, gfree boxed lunch (turkey on gfree bread, apple, potato chips).  So between those two, I had 8 meals solved and no issues.

Each night I tried a different restaurant.  We were running late the first night and so I somewhat randomly asked a hostess at Woody's Pub on Elgin street if they could accommodate gfree.  She said she was fairly sure they could, but went to check with the chef just in case.  She came back and told me what could be made gfree, and I also spoke to my waitress about it.  I had their butter chicken (Indian style chicken), and no issues.

Night 2 we went to Coaster's Bar and Grill on York St.  This was listed in my conference program as gfree friendly.  This was probably the most sketchy of the places I ate at, but the waitress was very accommodating and checked with me at each step about preparation (e.g., they had to clean the grill before cooking my meal).  Food in general there was somewhat mediocre.

Night 3 was the best.  We went to the Keg Steakhouse, also on York St.  They were SUPER accommodating and had an allergy menu.  The waiter and manager checked everything with me before putting the orders in.  I had BBQ chicken and ribs there, and it was delicious.  If I was traveling alone, I probably would have returned there everyday (but I feel bad making a large group of friends eat at the same place every night...).

Night 4 and lunch on day 5 we went out for Indian food, which I find to be generally safe.  There's a little place in Byward Market Square called India Cafe that was delicious (I went there twice - had chicken curry and rice both times).  Two doors down from India Cafe was a bakery with gfree baked goods (an entire case full!!).  I sampled the cookies, chocolates, and brownies - all delicious and safe (I didn't get the name of this place...).

And, finally, the last night, we went to The Grand Pizzeria and Bar on George St.  This was also listed in my conference program as gfree friendly  They had gfree pasta, but not much else.  I was able to add chicken to gfree penne primavera, and it was ok, but sausage and meatballs were not gfree.

In general, I found Canadian waiters and chefs to be much more accommodating than Americans, but, as usual, you have to be vigilant and check with waiters and chefs if you're unsure about anything.  At the Grand, I originally ordered sausage, but thankfully, all my questions about what is and isn't gfree prompted my waiter to double check for me, find out it wasn't safe, and ask me if subbing in safe chicken was ok.

Happy travels!

-Caitlin

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