Travelling To Denver

[Mrs-Mama]

My hubby has just been diagnosed with Celiac disease so we're just learning what we can and cannot have. We're going to Denver for a long weekend next month and just hoping someone can point us towards some restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We're going to be staying downtown @ the Hyatt Regency Convention Centre, so places near there would be best.

Thanks!

Mrs_Mama

[steveindenver]

First, let me say congrats on the diagnosis. It's odd to say congrats, but at least your hubby is on his way to better health.

Second, if you need more info on Denver, feel free to email directly through here. Also, definitely get the Triumph Dining cards - a true lifesaver.

Places to eat -

Chipotle - for lunch/dinner. There are many locations around downtown, and everything BUT the flour burrito is safe. Even the amazing chips and guac are gluten free (they have GREAT guac and chips!). I get the burrito bowl. You can ask them to change their gloves too before they start to make yours to risk cross contimanation.

Tokyo Joe's - again, quick and cheap for lunch/dinner. Make sure to ask for the gluten free teriyaki. I get the steak bowl/rice/veggies and terriyaki. There are two downtown locations, and one near the State Capital building at 13th & Grant.

Dinner - for a nice, bit pricey dinner - try Vesta Dipping Grill. They have a great gluten free menu, and this is a great restaurant. For a bit less $, but you might wait a bit more to get a seat, try their sister restaurant which is located uptown. The name is Steuben's and they have a gluten free menu as well.

Many folks rave about Deby's Gluten Free Restaurant which is maybe 20 min from the city. I've not eaten there, but it's 100% safe and 100% gluten free. It's in an odd location, in kind of an industrial park, but you can search for them online and call for directions/hours.

Breakfast - I rarely eat breakfast out, as i don't trust eggs (many places make omelettes and add pancake batter to make them fluffy - no lie!). I'd stick with getting some fresh fruit, yogurt, peanut butter, even cheese and crackers. That's my travel breakfast!

There is a Vitamin Cottage on the edge of downtown which has a lot of gluten-free products, and frozen products too (15th & Platte are cross streets). THere's a Whole Foods (a small one) in Capital Hill area, about 5 minute from downtown. THey may have some frozen meals you could microwave at your hotel. There is a much larger Whole Foods in Cherry Creek that has a bigger frozen section. That's about 5-10 minutes from downtown as well. Not far at all.

Other restaurants - OH - the Blue Bonnet. It's a Mexican restaurant that has a gluten free menu. The staff is trained and all the gluten-free food is served on colored plates as opposed to the plain white ones so there is no confusion. The Blue Bonnet is about 10 minutes south of downtown. Cross streets are pretty much Broadway & Alameda (any taxi driver or hotel staff should be able to get you there!)

There's a PF Chang's downtown, as well as a Maggiano's. Both offer gluten free menus and options!

Travel safe and don't worry - it is manageable!