Ted's Montana Grill, Carrabbas, Etc.

[glutenfreeheather]

I will be going to Raleigh, NC this weekend as a youth sponsor on a church trip and have found online that Carrabbas Italian Grill, Ted's Montana Grill, and PF Changs have gluten free menus. I would appreciate so much any insight you can provide:

1) Has anyone had experiences with any/all of these restaurants (anywhere)?

2) Positive -OR- negative ?

3) What did you order?

4) Any other restaurants you know of in this area?

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!

[jenvan]

Love Changs and have had good experience with Ted's (after doing a bit of training with the manager). Ted's buffalo burgers are amazing! I'd print off their gluten-free list and take it with you--as I had trouble getting a copy of it in the resturant previously. Hope your trip is good!

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

Ditto with Jen on Chang's -- though it is best to go there when they are not busy as I worry about the items getting confused, them using the wrong soy sauce, bringing the wrong plate, etc...(I order the Chang's chicken, steamed cucumbers and white rice)

Carrabbas is great -- I love the pollo rosa maria (stuffed chicken entree), the sauteed spinach, mashed potatoes (not the best, but acceptable) and the carrabbas salad (no croutons, dressing on the side)...

Never been to Ted's..

[glutenfreeheather]

Okay, I am back from my gluten-free weekend in Raleigh and just wanted to write how it went so if anyone else has a question about these restaurants they can read about my experience. NOTE: This is based off of my experiences with the restaurants listed below in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Ted's Montana Grill- Hostess had NO clue what gluten-free meant, which obviously means they did not have their gluten-free menu options available in the restaurant. Luckily I was wise enough to have brought my printed version from home so was able to use that as my guide. The manager seemed informed about the gluten-free options and was helpful. I ordered a bison burger with cheddar, lettuce, tomato, and had mustard & ketchup packets given to me (b/c I ordered "to go" in person so I could eat with the youth group elsewhere). I got steamed broccoli as my side item. Before the manager handed me my order, he double-checked with the person who was preparing my order to make sure they did not include a bun with my order. Although I wish the manager would've supervised the preparation of my meal, I was pleased that he checked. The bison burger was DELICIOUS...to die for! The broccoli on the other hand was a little spicy for my taste and wasn't steamed to the extent that I prefer. The tomato had a mysterious residue on the side of it that appeared that it had been cut with a knife that possibly could've been previously used to cut bread, but I wasn't sure. Luckily the tomato was on top of the lettuce and was not touching the burger, so I just removed them both. I had NO reaction to this meal and would eat there again (but get a different side and request no tomato). Tip...order in person, but bring your gluten-free menu options printed from home.

PF Changs- They were EXTREMELY busy when I placed my "to go" order in person, which worried me a bit, but they are so familiar with their gluten-free menu that the person who took my order typed GLUTEN FREE into the computer and it actually appeared on my receipt and meal ticket. I ordered Phillips Better Lemon Chicken with white rice. When I picked up the order (only 10 minutes after placing my to go order during a VERY BUSY time!) our youth group went to the food court so that the teens could eat somewhere a little cheaper. Upon opening my lemon chicken, I was afraid that I'd been mistakenly given the wrong order b/c the chicken appeared breaded. My darling hubby called on his cell phone to ensure with the manager that I recieved a gluten-free meal. They told us that it appears breaded, but it is covered with corn starch and that it was okay. I DEVOURED the meal after that. It wasn't as good as I'd hoped, but it was definately awesome to be eating chinese food again! I wish we lived closer to Raleigh b/c I would definately frequent PF Changs! They gave me 2 fortune cookies and the reqular sauce packets (which are NOT gluten-free). Next time I think I'll try a different menu item. Tip: Order in person, check your meal before leaving the restaurant, know what you will be ordering before you go.

Carrabbas- I placed a "to go" order by phone and in detail described how I needed my meal prepared. The person taking my order seemed to know what I was talking about (since they have gluten-free menus available there at the restaurant). When I got there I went inside to pick it up and there was no one there at the bar like I was told on the phone....had to go to the hostess to get assistance. Once I was given my meal by the bartender, I started to walk out, but checked my entree' first. There was no silverware and the person who helped me was NO WHERE in sight so AGAIN I had to go to the hostess. Fortunately, my complaints were only about the service, b/c my meal was DELICIOUS. I ordered Chicken Bryan with garlic mashed potatoes and a salad w/ no croutons, no dressing, and mixed in a clean bowl. About mid-way through eating my meal, I realized that I had NOT requested my Chicken Bryan to not have the grill baste. Upon realizing that, I was afraid to finish my chicken, which made me so sad b/c it was AMAZING. The mashed potatoes were a bit dry, but were delicious and extremely filling b/c they gave me SO much of them! The salad was wasted b/c I didn't realize they put jalapenos and black olives in it and it was extremely dry anyway d/t not having and gluten-free dressing of my own to use. They don't seem to know much about it (and if you read the top of the gluten-free menu, it TELLS you that they are not trained to provide gluten-free meals and take NO responsibility for the menu options not being prepared gluten-free). Tip: Order in person, have manager take your order, dine-in if possible, be certain to request no grill baste on chicken/steak entrees.

Hope that this information is helpful to at least someone and has been useful.

[jenvan]

Heather--I agree on the bison burgers--yum!

[jerseyangel]

Heather--Thank you for sharing your experience and the helpful tips!