Safe food in Kansas/Recommendations NC to Denver?

[upsilamba]

Hi all!

I'm planning a road trip with my best friend from Durham, NC to Denver, CO this June. I'm plotting out our itinerary now, so of course I'm searching up places to eat along the way! 

We're going to need to drive across Kansas (probably sticking to I70), and since it's at minimum 9 hours driving from Kansas City to Denver, we'll most likely need to stop for a night in central or western Kansas somewhere. But I just searched the whole state of Kansas on Find Me Gluten Free, and came up with nothing, yikes!

Even googling for local celiac associations only turned up groups in Kansas City - where the cross-Kansas leg begins - and Wichita, which is a good several hours out of our way. If it comes down to it, of course, I can live off some kind of snacks for that stretch, but since it's likely to be a day or day and a half between big cities with gluten-free friendly restaurants, I'm really hoping to find at least one spot to get a safe meal somewhere in there!

Does anyone happen to know any good places in central/western Kansas, or any people in Kansas who might be able to recommend some? I have celiac and am pretty sensitive, so I'm fairly cautious about where I eat, and uncomfortable rolling the dice with places that don't already have a reputation for knowing how to prepare safe food : ) Other than safety, though, I'm extremely not picky about what I eat, haha.

We'll also be meandering through North Carolina, Tennessee, a bit of Western Kentucky, and Missouri on our way out to Denver. I'm a lot less worried about finding places to eat through those stretches, since cities/populations are much more closely spaced, but if anyone has any recommendations for favorite spots (gluten-free dining or just fun things to do/see!) I'd love the advice! I'm super excited for the trip, just hoping to avoid living off granola bars or stale sandwiches through the whole state of Kansas, lol...

Thanks : )

Shaina

[SLLRunner]

Welcome, upsilama! 

Just so you know, it looks like you have posted the same topic twice in here. My guess is you didn't realize everyone's first post is moderated and you re-posted. I am going to try and remove the second one.

[upsilamba]

5 minutes ago, SLLRunner said:

Welcome, upsilama! 

Just so you know, it looks like you have posted the same topic twice in here. My guess is you didn't realize everyone's first post is moderated and you re-posted. I am going to try and remove the second one.

Thanks! the first time i clicked it seemed like nothing happened, and then I couldn't figure out how to delete the second one : )

[SLLRunner]

42 minutes ago, upsilamba said:

Thanks! the first time i clicked it seemed like nothing happened, and then I couldn't figure out how to delete the second one : )

Exactly as I thought. 

[kareng]

I live in Kansas City and go to Colorado several times a year.  There isn't really anything between KC and Denver.  Even less between the Kansas/Co line and Denver airport. I would stop in KC/Overland park area for the night and drive thru to Denver the next day.

I usually just pack a sandwich. 

 

If you want to want to eat in the KC area, check "find me gluten-free".  Then, if you want to let me know what you think looks good, I can tell you what I know about them.

 

 

There should be some places in the St Louis area, too.

[upsilamba]

Thanks karen g! I actually did some more searching and found a few places that look like they might be hopeful (and someone really nice in the Topeka celiac association chapter wrote me back with some advice!). 

There are a few places that show up in Manhattan, Kansas, including one called Tall Grass Tap House. And then a chain that the woman from Topeka recommended called Carlos O'Kelly's has a location in Manhattan and another in Salina, which looks like it might be a good midway location. I also found a place called Essential Foods right over the border in Burlington, so I'm feeling more optimistic : )

Do you know any of those places? Any you'd recommend, or warn me away from? 

I'll definitely be packing snacks, but I'll be crossing Kansas after several days of driving already, and hopefully a lot of rambling around and hiking/sightseeing. Bringing a cooler is likely to be tricky (and finding a heat source even more so)! I can definitely live off granola bars and cold cuts, or whatever else I can find at grocery stores along the way, but that gets a bit depressing when it's all I eat for whole days (especially since I'll be traveling with my non-celiac friend, who will probably want to make more traditional food stops!). I try to avoid chomping on cold snack food while watching friends eat delicious burgers when I can, haha : ) 

[Jays911]

The Hog Wild BBQ chain has good gluten-free choices.  They are based in Wichita but have locations throughout the midwest.  I have also had good luck by trying the Mexican places.  As long as you stick to corn tortillas and skip the spanish rice, you generally are OK.

[kareng]

5 hours ago, upsilamba said:

 

 

Thanks karen g! I actually did some more searching and found a few places that look like they might be hopeful (and someone really nice in the Topeka celiac association chapter wrote me back with some advice!). 

There are a few places that show up in Manhattan, Kansas, including one called Tall Grass Tap House. And then a chain that the woman from Topeka recommended called Carlos O'Kelly's has a location in Manhattan and another in Salina, which looks like it might be a good midway location. I also found a place called Essential Foods right over the border in Burlington, so I'm feeling more optimistic : )

Do you know any of those places? Any you'd recommend, or warn me away from? 

I'll definitely be packing snacks, but I'll be crossing Kansas after several days of driving already, and hopefully a lot of rambling around and hiking/sightseeing. Bringing a cooler is likely to be tricky (and finding a heat source even more so)! I can definitely live off granola bars and cold cuts, or whatever else I can find at grocery stores along the way, but that gets a bit depressing when it's all I eat for whole days (especially since I'll be traveling with my non-celiac friend, who will probably want to make more traditional food stops!). I try to avoid chomping on cold snack food while watching friends eat delicious burgers when I can, haha : ) 

I think your best bet would be to eat in Kansas City area as you go through.  Wichita is pretty far off the path.  Manhattan is a college town, but probably not to full of kids in June.  I don't know anything about those places.  I would send a message and see if they seem to understand what you are asking. 

 

 

In Overland Park, we have a place that has gluten-free fish and chips, a gluten-free bakery and a really fun Salvadorean restaurant that are all good places.

[Jays911]

Another thought.  We bought an electric cooler that works great without the mess of ice.  It has dual plugs, one for the car charge, and another to run off regular indoor outlets.