Chili's Restaraunt

[yllehs91]

Do you know if the Chili Con Queso w/ chips is gluten-free or not? I ate it the other day not thinking (bcuz i'm new on this diet). my symptoms haven't gone away, but i've never felt sick bcuz of food b4 and i didn't have any weird feelings w/ eating this. but since i never got sick b4, i don't know if it's gluten-free or not. plz let me know. thanks

[darlindeb25]

sorry shelly, not enough info in your post--homemade chili? chili from a restaurant--what kind of chips--you must read the ingredients--many soups are thicken with flour--i never have used flour in chili----was there cheese and if its a sauce, was it thickened with flour-----i'm guessing you probably did get gluten then, but cant be sure--deb

[lovegrov]

Nope, looks like you blew it on the salsa. Below is the Chili's gluten-free list as of this past June. As you can see, it clearly says don't eat the salsa.

Bacon Burger with no bun, no dill pickles, no mayo =20

Baked Potato Soup

Chili's Filet Steak - no garlic toast =20

Chips - No Salsa

Chocolate Shake

Citrus Fire Chicken and Shrimp

Flamed-grilled Ribeye - no garlic toast

Salmon and Rice with Steamed Veggies with no ginger citrus sauce

Kid Burger and Fries - no bun =20

Margarita-grilled Chicken with no black beans or kettle beans

Mashed Potatoes=20

Mushroom Swiss Burger with no mayo, no dill pickles, no bun. =20

Old Timer Burger with or without Cheese with no mustard, no bun, no dill =

pickles. =20

Side of Saut=E9ed mushrooms

Rice - Does not include wheat gluten

Tuna Steak Sandwich with no aioli dressing, no bun

richard

[FreyaUSA]

I've been to Chili's quite a few times since going gluten-free. Their salsa is okay, if you go along with the idea that distillation removes the gluten. I believe Chili's has erred on the side of caution in their gluten-free list. I react with migraines about 1/2 hour after eating anything with gluten and have yet to have a reaction to anything I've eaten there. Chips, salsa (their presidente margharita... ), lowcarb bacon/jack chicken fajitas or their quesadilla salad with chicken (without the quesadilla!) Those are what I usually order. Since I can't eat beef, I always order their chicken which I found out (after I'd had it 3-4xs without any reaction) has the "broth" question, but my experience here is that it's not a problem.

About their chili con queso, it's not on their gluten-free list, but at the Chilis I go to, the kitchen manager checked the ingredients for me and said it was fine. My son has ordered it several times and I am unaware that he's had any problem with it (I tried it but had only my typical reaction to accidentally consuming beef , no migraine, if that's any help.)

Naturally, I'm not saying it's okay for anyone else to eat what I do because of my say so but the kitchen manager and I did talk about distilled vinegar being okay and I do believe this is the main reason for so many of their items not being listed that could be.

[lovegrov]

I agree that if the distilled vinegar is the only "problem," I would eat it. Of course, the original poster's problem could just be cross contamination. This is a chance we take any time we eat out.

richard

[westy]

I am rather new to this all. Is there some web page where you got the information about Chili's? is there a way to find out before you go to a restraunt what you might be able to eat if it is a larger chain?

I have been afraid to go out to eat, I am not real comfortable yet with the list of what I know I can and can't eat, so even asking someone is quite difficult

[lovegrov]

In Chili's case, you have to contact them to get the list.

With any chain, check their web site first. Some have a gluten-free list and some don't. And some don't have a gluten-free list but they very clearly list every single ingredient (nothing hidden in natural flavors or modified food starch) or they list the top eight allergens, which includes wheat. This info is usually found on the menu page, the nutrition page, or in the FAQ. Restaurants that do one of the above include Outback, Carraba's, Bonefish Grill, Denny's, PF Chang's, McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Hardee's, and others.

If they don't have something online, then contact them. Most of the chians at least either have a list, or as in the case of Applebee's, Olive Garden and others, will tell you not to eat there (basically because they don't want to be bothered).

Finally, if you've been sick and you're real new and uncertain, I'd advise not eating out for a while or only eating something that's really, really safe (eggs, salad with your own dressing, baked potato). Even when you DO know what you're doing, eating out is always chancy.

richard

[westy]

Thanks for the advice.

I will try and hold of eating out until after I get everything under control, I am just not sure what is going to happen over the holiday with my family coming in.

Thanks again

[Melanie]

What is wrong with Salsa? Why can't we eat so many restaurant salsas? It has something to do with vinigar right? Can someone explain it to me? Is salsa wheat free or just not gluten free (I'm still wondering if I'm celiac or wheat allergic)?

[tarnalberry]

People used to think that vinegar was a problem, because it could be distilled from wheat. The distillation process, however, doesn't allow a molecule as large as a protein (which is what gluten is) to pass through, and most people - and scientific studies - do now consider vinegar to be safe. Since vinegar is an ingredient in many packaged salsas (though I've never used it in make salsa ;-) ), some people still are concerned about it.

[jess11135]

I just ate it!! I myself have been gluten free for 7 months so I know it was the skillet queso that got me so darn sick. Its the only thing I've had today. I'm terribly sick.. Stomach feels painful and swollen. Feel like I need to burp or throw up all at the same time. Its awful. I WOULD NOT eat it again. If you havn't gotten sick from it then maybe you got lucky as your body may be used to consuming wheat if you have not been on your celiac diet long enough. Now that I never eat wheat products EVER, if I do happen to eat a tiny tiny bit I may get lucky and not feel it but if I eat something with a definate good amount of wheat throughout it by accident then I feel awful within even 20 minutes. I personally think it may be thickened with flour. Have you noticed its kind of gravy like? Anyways, just wanted to share and maybe avoid someone else getting sick.

[cap6]

I just ate it!! I myself have been gluten free for 7 months so I know it was the skillet queso that got me so darn sick. Its the only thing I've had today. I'm terribly sick.. Stomach feels painful and swollen. Feel like I need to burp or throw up all at the same time. Its awful. I WOULD NOT eat it again. If you havn't gotten sick from it then maybe you got lucky as your body may be used to consuming wheat if you have not been on your celiac diet long enough. Now that I never eat wheat products EVER, if I do happen to eat a tiny tiny bit I may get lucky and not feel it but if I eat something with a definate good amount of wheat throughout it by accident then I feel awful within even 20 minutes. I personally think it may be thickened with flour. Have you noticed its kind of gravy like? Anyways, just wanted to share and maybe avoid someone else getting sick.

You responded to a very old post. Things change

[Jestgar]

I just ate it!! I myself have been gluten free for 7 months so I know it was the skillet queso that got me so darn sick. Its the only thing I've had today. I'm terribly sick.. Stomach feels painful and swollen. Feel like I need to burp or throw up all at the same time. Its awful. I WOULD NOT eat it again. If you havn't gotten sick from it then maybe you got lucky as your body may be used to consuming wheat if you have not been on your celiac diet long enough. Now that I never eat wheat products EVER, if I do happen to eat a tiny tiny bit I may get lucky and not feel it but if I eat something with a definate good amount of wheat throughout it by accident then I feel awful within even 20 minutes. I personally think it may be thickened with flour. Have you noticed its kind of gravy like? Anyways, just wanted to share and maybe avoid someone else getting sick.

I found a recent allergen menu from Chili's, and the queso isn't under the gluten-free section (that I could see).

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