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Greetings, listmates!  I'm sorry it's taken so long to get back with a summary about the Olive Garden & Palm Springs and what other options are out there.
 
Here's what everyone had to say: 

8 people said salad with no croutons (but the dressing isn’t GF & you have to request it being made separately - from 1 person)
4 people said they are clueless/cross-contamination
2 people said the food was prepared elsewhere & shipped frozen to the restaurants
2 people said they steam the veggies in the contaminated pasta water - and don’t tell you unless you ask
1 person said the salad, but not very good & too much risk of cross-contamination
1 person had cross-contamination on their plate - very obvious & the server was clueless
3 people said not enough options & the options are not very Italian
1 person said the chef came out to talk with them & the food was delicious
 
A few people said that even though their food was supposed to be GF, they got sick later on.  And then a few said they've never been sick.  Many people said there are better options out there, such as the Outback, PF Changs, etc.

As far as the Palm Springs area:

2 people recommended a Mexican restaurant called Las Casuelos
Parker Hotel
PF Changs
Canyon Flour Bakery - which is apparently not open until 2010
Trader Joe’s

As it turned out, we never ended up in Palm Springs, but instead in San Diego.  For supper one night, we ate at Hunter's Steakhouse, it's on the Hotel Circle next to the Comfort Inn.  I called the restaurant ahead of time to ask about a GF menu.  They don't have a specific menu, but they said they can accomodate me.  We had a fabulous dinner there and the server was very knowledgeable about what GF (and dairy free to boot) is.  Of course they didn't have any fancy, but I had chicken breast and carrots sauteed in olive oil (they don't put their veggies in pasta water).
 
We also went to the Phoenix area where we ate lunch at Picazzo's Pizza in Goodyear.  I highly recommend eating here if you're in the Phoenix area.  My mom & I shared a GF/DF pizza and it was fantastic.
 
Other than that, we didn't run into any problems.  Kudos to the Outback in St. George, UT, for being so knowledgeable about GF.  I highly recommend it if you are traveling in that area of UT.
 
Thanks to everyone who responded to my questions.  I'm sorry it took so long to summarize.
 
Happy Holidays!
 
Kelli
Casper, WY
"...There's always going to be another mountain...I'm always going to want to make it move...Always going to be an uphill battle...Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose...Ain't about how fast I get there...Ain't about what's waiting on the other side...it's the climb..."  Miley Cyrus "The Climb"


      

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