once and again

Hyde Park has a fairly new restaurant called The Sitdown, which has gluten free items as well as sushi. They have pizza, sandwiches and some pasta dishes which can be gluten-free or not. They also have gluten-free soy sauce for the sushi. The owner is gluten-free and from what I can see, always there. Not very expensive and the food is good. The veggie chips with sandwiches are great. For me the best thing is the homemade gumbo and chicken soup. Sometimes I just don't feel like making my own soup.

Visited Phoenix area in March 2008. Used the Triumph Dining Guide. Found most of the restaurants mentioned by contributors, including Havanna Cafe which was great. Have found the quite useful. Think it also mentioned grocery stores. Know I found some cookies, bagels,

Mary

The Triumph Dining Guides are quite helpful. Visited the Phoenix area in March 2008 and only ate at places in the guide. Had some greaaaaat food - pizza and an interesting Cuban restaurant. Would not have known about the places without the guide.

Your cramps may not be directly gluten related. There is evidence that women with celiac also have endometriosis or fibroid tumors. I had both and didn't realize they were related to celiac and gluten intolerance. Your ob-gyn should be able to tell if either of these is a problem.

Father & Sons Pizza on North Avenue has a gluten free pizza with a pretty good crust. Carabba's and Outback both have gluten free menus. The Celiac Society of Chicago has a fundraiser with a buffet of foods from various restaurants. The restaurants usually have a gluten-free menu afterwards. Wildfire and Ben Pao have been featured at the fundraisers and have gluten-free menus. Can't remember which restaurants were featured this year.

Do try Adobo - it is great and lots of fun too. have been there with groups of people and they are always quite happy to eat there. Ina's is supposed to have gluten-free fried chicken one week day in the summer. Also try Flattop Grill - they will accommodate many allergies and have several locations. Stir Crazy will also accommodate gluten-free. Also really, really like Bonefish Grill though they are only in the 'burbs.

I was diagnosed in the late 40's - by symptoms. Had the bloated belly and putrid stools...... My parents were told I would outgrow it. No avoidance of gluten - at least from what my mom remembers, instead it was fat to avoid.

It seemed that I had outgrown it. No definitive symptoms, though as I grew older I found that I really did not care for beer, pizza, pasta or bread. In 2001-2002 had very stressful life. My dad had Alzheimer's and trying to help my mother take car of him, working full time and being a single parent.

After dad died started having stomach problems. Mostly gas and constipation. Had a blood test that came back 10x higher than normal and then endoscopy that showed me I was in stage 4. I have read that stressful situations can trigger celiac.

Your son may not have symptoms though sometimes what we think of as normal is not. Most people don't go around talking about their bowel habits. And sometimes, stress can act as a trigger. So maybe he should at least get a blood test.

BTW after being re-diagnosed, my 90 year old aunt complained of problems. She was tested and came back positive. Had stomach problems all her life as did my grandmother.

I have had all of the chicken dishes and have trouble deciding which one to order. They are all good. We can also have the steak - I think it's Steak Florentine? without the grill baste.

Did you know that Outback, Carraba's and Bonfish Grill all are connected and allhave =gluten-free menus? I highly recommend Bonefish Grill.

There is a fabulous bread recipe that has been posted on this site. It is for gluten free flax bread and the recipe can be found at www.recipezaar.com

It is so much better than the breads you can buy. I have not tried any of the mixes, however. This bread can also be modified and the recipe is very forgiving. The first time I made it, I didn't have the flax meal and subsituted almond meal. The bread actually rised, so it has more of the "bread" consistency. I also formed into into rolls - trying to make hamburger buns - they were too small for hamburgers but were great for sandwiches.

Thanks again for the suggestions. We ate at Franco Bravo on Penn Avenue. The waiter was very responsive. I had a blue fin tune coated in sasame seeds with a honey habenero glaze on top of stir fried veggies. It was one of the best meals I have ever eaten - gluten-free or filled with gluten. I couldn't find out anything about gluten-free pasta though. My colleagues liked it so much we actually went back another ight during our stay. That time I had scallops and shrimp and a spumoni/fresh berries dessert. James is the waiter who took care of us. He was fantastic.

There is also a Chipotle on Michigan Avenue. They don't deliver, but you can fax in your order and not wait in the long lines. I order frequently and have never been sick, but I may not be the most sensitive person. I get the burrito bowl with chicken.

Your non-celiac friends will definitely like Adobo. My gluten-free son had a 30th birthday party there and his friends raved about the food. The CSA had their annual lunch at Ben Pao this year, so they should have a gluten-free menu now. They select a different restaurant each year and work with the staff. Then after the luncheon, the restaurant usually keeps the gluten-free menu. That is what happened at Wildfire and Weber Grill. Have a good time.

When I order this pizza it is not cut at all. I have had it about 10 times and have never been sick.

Will be at a conference in Pittsburgh in June - Looking for recommendations for eating out. Have found the Outback and Ruth's chris locations. We will be at the Hilton on Commonwealth Place.

The same people who run Vinci also have 2 Mexican-type restaurants - Adobo Grill. One on in Old Town - North & Wells - very close to Second City. The other is at Division and Damen. They make the guacamole right at the table and celieacs can subsitute jicama chips for the tortilla chips. Killer margaritas and a dessert - chocolate tamale!!!! My son is having his 30th birthday party at the one on Damen in a private room. His friends like to food and drinks and he knows he will eat well and safely.

I see you are allergic to asparagus. I am too. The skin tests were iffy, but I break out in severe hives within hours or so of eating it? What is your reaction? Have you always been allergis to asparagus? My reaction just started 4 years ago. I had eaten asparagus for more than 50 years without a reaction.

I have a Master's in Child Devleopment and have worked in the field for over 35 years. Neither my symptoms nor my son's seemed to have manifested themselves when he was 2 or 3. We just had the usual parent-child issues. A lot of it has to do with becoming more independent and the child's having their own ideas instead of just doing what the parent says.

However, all the suggestions written were very good. Particularly the ones that focused on having your child in a structured program. Three year olds are really ready for socialization on their own, with age peers. Child care is a deductible expense. The National Association for the Education of Young Children has lists of high quality accredited (not just licensed) programs at www.naeyc.org

How do you comment electronically? This was 23 pages and I didn't read all the fine print to find an address.

My son had season tickets to the White Sox in 2005. He talked to someone in Customer Relations or the Concierge (at a sports arena???) and they gave him a pass to the Skybox restaurant where he could get other things beside brats and burgers.

You never know if you don't try.

Finally made this bread last week after reading about it here. I didn't have flax seed meal, but did have almond meal flour. So I tried that and it was great. Made two loaves at once. - if you're going to bring everything out you might as well double everything. Plus, then I had a loaf for my son who is also gluten-free. I have never really liked bread - maybe that thing where you don't like what's not good for you. I ate the heel!!! Gave a loaf to my son on Tuesday p.m. On Wednesday he called to say that he like it so much he would make it himself!!! I had thought he would ask me to make it for him. He made two loaves on Saturday. Brought a sandwich to work this week and co-workers thought I was eating wheat bread.

I had no problems with the bread rising. I pre-heated the over to 350 when I started to mix the bread. When the oven indicated that it was ready, I turned it off. Put the dough in and set the timer for 1 hour. Checked at 55 minutes and it had risen above the rim. Re-heated the oven to 350 - with the pans in the over and the bread was perfect after 40 minutes baking. Really great flavor and texture.

Will probably try with raisins, cinnamon or nuts for variety.

Also measured the oil first and then the honey - it really does work best that way.

There was a gluten free specialty store that had dried meal mixes where you just added water and nuked it. Unfortunately they went out of business and I don't remmeber the name. However, I'll bet if you tried some of the gluten-ree manufacturers, you would be able to find them. It's amazing what you can find on the 'net.

Bakery on Main has a great granola that I took on a cruise as an alternative to eggs every day. It held up very well and if you tolerate milk so much the better. Italy is supposed to have a lot of celiacs, so you might even find some products in Germany like crackers to go with the salami and cheese.

I haven't seen the Triumph Dining Cards in German, but they have them in Italian, French and Spanish. Google Triumph Dining and ask - they may have developed one. They are nicely laminated and fit easily in a wallet.

Did a western caribbean week on RC in March. Bread was available at breakfst too. Just had to tell them my dinner table number - I didn't have it toasted - worried about the cross contamination. Did not have flourless chocolate cake but did have some other gluten free desserts, including creme brule. We did go to the buffets for lunch. The salad bar was kept well separated and I was careful not to take any ingredients where other ingredients were deposited. Also had some hot veggies that were grilled and sometimes would take some deli meats/cheeses to go with the sandwich. Also had slices of the daily "roast" - always without the gravies, sauces. All in all felt well through the whole trip and enjoyed the food while not pigging out. Was relieved at the end of the cruise only to have gained 2 lbs. Ate msotly seafood as dinner entrees. All very well prepared and seasoned.

I was diagnosed with Celiac disease in the late '40's - as a toddler. Severe diarrhea and bloated belly after introduction of cereals to diet - I was breast fed up to that point. Back then the gluten connection was not known and my parents were told I would "grow out of it." It seemed that I did. I never really liked bread that much and my mother didn't use a lot of prepared foods, so my diet was probably pretty much gluten free. I also cook mostly without prepared foods and did not like to eat hamburgers or other fast foods because I really didn't like sandwich type meals. Would usually try to go somewhere that I could order a salad. I remember having problems with diarrhea off and on and usually thought it was food poisoning. So, not a regular occurence. However, in 2002 - 2003 I began having lots of gas and feeling uncomfortable. Also had an unexplained rash - that turned out to be a newly developed allergy to asparagus - but it lead to my being tested for gliadin, but only after a year of being treated for other things, despite the fact that I had explained about the celiac diagnosis as a child. My gliadin levels were ten times higher than normal and I was at stage three in terms of damage to my villi!

Both the stomach problems and rash occured after my father died after 7 years of sufering from Alzheimer's. The last 15 months of his life was consumed with helping my mother care for him. So, the stress of that seems to have triggered both the celiac and the asparagus allergy.

When I read postings on this site I see lots of familiar things - bruising - I've always brusied easily. I've also been underweight and petite. Until age 55 I was a petite size 6. Also had problems with infertility - endometriosis twice and fibroid tumors.

About a year after I was diagnosed, my 88 year old paternal aunt was also having lots of problems with Diarrhea. Suggested that she be tested. She also has celiac! She had always had "stomach" problems as did her mother - my paternal grandmother. Even though they all knew about my diagnosis as a child nothing ever gave them the idea that it could be genetic. Shows how much progress we have made in terms of that type of knowledge.

I use the cards the same way another poster does. I identify several items I think will work and ask the wait staff to check with the cook/manager/chef. I have found the restaurant guide useful. For example, I had avoided Panera's and Smoky Bones since dx because I didn't think I would find anything there. Have eaten in both places without problems. Have not tried them yet, but am excited that there are soups at Panera's that are supposed to be okay. I miss eating soup that I have not made from scratch.

Aldaco's is great. The local Celiac group has meetings there - Mexican cuisine. I also recommend the Triumph Dining Cards and Triumph Dining book. It has listings for all over the country with menus of safe items from chains like PF changs and Outback. triumphcdning.com - i think