East Side Mario's - Gluten Free Menu

I am in the process to convincing (wink wink) my lovely family members and friends that should they have something that I can share on my blog ... a review of a restaurant, a recipe, an experience they have had regarding Celiac Disease and living Gluten Free to please let me know so I can especially do that ... SHARE on my blog.  Awareness comes in all forms ~ even from those who are not Celiac like Kevin's mom ... Kevin and his mom, Sylvia, recently had a dining experience at East Side Mario's ... And Kevin wrote up a guest blog for me on how the experience came about and a review of how East Side Mario's did in the "serving gluten free" department ...

So thank you Kevin for sharing and he writes:

" We are always working at finding new places that can serve us gluten free, and we are especially looking for restaurants around our family members where we can all go out and enjoy a meal together. 

I stopped in to have a visit with my mom the other day in St. Albert.  She told me that while she was at work, one of her customers mentioned that they worked at East Side Mario’s.  My mom mentioned in her conversation with the customer that there were members of her family that had celiac disease, and had to eat gluten free, however the customer quickly responded that they were able to serve gluten free food.  I know that my mom would never lead us down the wrong path, but I will honestly say that I was a little skeptical that a franchised casual dining restaurant would have the knowledge on how to prepare gluten free food.

My first step was turn to my phone and check online for a menu.  They had an extensive menu listed online, but there was nothing specifically on the menu which stated that any of the items could be made gluten free.  My back-up plan was to give them a phone call, where I stated that I had celiac disease and needed to eat gluten free, and asked if they could accommodate.  She stated that they could serve gluten free. 

Upon arrival, I told them that I called in earlier, and that I was told that they could serve gluten free.  They provided me with a gluten free menu, which had a number of appetizers and mains and a dessert to choose from.  I ordered the Sausage and Pepper Pasta, choosing to go on the wild side with something a little bit of spice to it.

The food arrived at the table, and was clearly introduced to me as “gluten free Sausage and Pepper Pasta”, which was such a reassuring step for them to take.  The pasta was cooked to perfection, and the sausage and sauce had just a little bit of a kick to it.  The taste was amazing, and I was even more impressed at the fact that the portion size was perfectly adequate to fill a guy like me up, without being too much. 

I walked away from the meal with a very positive experience knowing that the restaurant took my request very seriously, yet treated my dietary restrictions as if it wasn’t a problem for them to handle.  Having another restaurant option is always a bonus, and mom and I are looking forward to bringing Sherri along the next time!"  

 

East Side Mario's 

615 St. Albert Trail
St. Albert, Alberta
T8N 3L3

Ph: (780) 470-5880

CELIAC Disease Awareness Month (Gluten Intolerant)

May 1st, 2013 the day that kicks off this year's CELIAC AWARENESS MONTH ~ a month where we kick up our efforts to educate and reach out to people with Celiac Disease, and friends and loved ones of those with Celiac Disease, as well as the general public about the disease.  Being involved with the Canadian Celiac Association - Edmonton Chapter as one of the Board members and being a blogger of Gluten Free Living I have to say I am proud of the efforts of many who work all year round to bring education and awareness in focus about this Disease. 

This month - May is Celiac Awareness Month - and right here in Edmonton and area there are many events going on ~ Education Events, Dinner and Food Sampling Events ~ all focused on raising the awareness and reaching out to those who may be searching for an answer to health problems.  Yes - for those with Celiac Disease it is an autoimmune disease that the bodies reaction actually attacks and damages the digestive system which leads to many serious health problems if not addressed, but even those with gluten intolerance/sensitivity are affected with an array of symptoms that can make everyday life an uncomfortable chore and cause serious health problems, so raising awareness is important to many for optimum health.

Celiac Disease ~ quoted from the Canadian Celiac Association - Edmonton Chapter's Site:

"Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system no longer recognizes gluten. When gluten is eaten, it sets off an autoimmune response and the absorptive surface of the small intestine (known as villi) is attacked and damaged. Continued deterioration of the villi can have many serious effects, including malabsorption of important nutrients like protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, which are necessary for good health.

It is estimated that 1 out of every 100 people in Canada is affected by celiac disease. Many of them are still waiting to be diagnosed. People of any age, from infancy through old age, can be diagnosed with celiac disease, and you don’t outgrow it."

To learn more about Celiac Disease, symptoms and the steps to being diagnosed - please check out the rest of the information on the site.  As well as check back often for the Events/Sessions that are posted up all year round.

The Edmonton Chapter is hosting many awareness events this month - In which they will have on hand resources and volunteers with knowledge and information:

"Join us at one of the following locations to learn more about Celiac Disease, Dermatitis Herpetiformis and other gluten intolerances. We will have on hand resources for distribution and knowledgeable people available to answer questions. Check out our information on screening, testing, gluten-free diet guidelines, cross-contamination and more. At the hospital displays, health-medical professionals can drop by to pick up our free Celiac Toolkit.
Find us at:

• Sturgeon Hospital – St. Albert May 2-3 (Thursday – Friday) 9:00am-2:30pm
• Royal Alexandra Hospital – Edmonton May 7-8 (Tuesday-Wednesday) 9:00am-4:00pm
• University of Alberta Hospital – Edmonton May 15-16, (Wednesday-Thursday) 9:00am-4:00pm
• Grey Nuns Hospital – Edmonton May 23-24 (Thursday-Friday) 9:00am-3:00pm
• Misericordia Hospital – May 21 (Tuesday) 9:00am-3:00pm
• Leduc Hospital – May 28 (Tuesday) 9:00-3:00pm

Other dates:
Downtown City Market – City Hall – April 27 (Saturday) 10:00am-3:00pm
Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market – Saturday June 8 (8:00am-3:00pm)"

Canadian Celiac Association  - Is the National voice for people who are adversely affected by gluten, and is dedicated to improving diagnosis and quality of life.

There are also awesome events happening in and around the city for all to partake in:

• Edmonton Health & Wellness Show - May 4 & 5 -  This will be quite the show - filled with information, products, contact with Industry experts - covering so many aspects of healthy living such as Diabetes, Healthy homes, Career fair, Health testing, Get Fit Zone, and this year is the first for an Exhibit dedicated to "Gluten Free Living" ~ Saturday's "Meet the Experts" Forum - Debbie Pietsch , B.Sc., RD - will be there to answer questions regarding Celiac Disease and Gluten Free Living. :) 
• Gluten Free "Cravings" Food Fair - Sherwood Park - May 18th - Entry is Free to the Food Fair - and sampling costs $10 a punch card.  
• Gluten Free Louisiana Purchase Dinner - May 26th - Register before May 22nd - Hosted by the Canadian Celiac Association Edmonton Chapter.  

I need to also post a couple amazing blogs that I follow ~ the information up-to-date, relevant and informative, they also will have information all month geared towards Celiac Awareness Month and have great information all year round!  :) 

Gluten Free Edmonton - This blog is amazing - Since I have been diagnosed I was so fortunate to come across this blog ~ Amanda and Abisaac have put together and amazing blog which (he quotes: "is for the gluten free, wheat free person looking for gluten free recipes, gluten free products, gluten free tips and stories".  They inspired me to become more involved with my local chapter, at this time we all sit on the Board of the Edmonton Chapter - it's been a great experience being more involved in what is happening where I live.  :)  Their post to kick off Celiac Awareness Month 2013.

Gluten Dude - His post to kick off Celiac Awareness month - encouraging us to be advocates of celiac disease awareness all year long. :)  Gluten Dude has built a true Celiac Community with his site - and while his site is full of amazing information, tips, stories, and more (he is a true advocate to take the media, celebrities, doctors ect. to task or to praise their "version" of what Celiac Disease is) he also encourages us to talk among ourselves for support and insight, and makes sure we don't ignore the facts ... that there are dark,scary, sometimes just plain hilarious places to see, feel, experience with Celiac Disease and we all need to do that and then ... keep moving on and up to better health.  Truly appreciate his insight.

Wow going to be an exciting month and so many avenues to explore ... sure hope you can take advantage of some of the activities that are going on in your area this month, and look into opportunities all year long to support Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance - Gluten Free Living Awareness. 

Cheers :)
Sherri

An evening on Whyte Avenue ... Accent European Lounge and Block 1912

I am seriously behind in posting ... honestly just getting back into the swing of things after being sick for a couple months ... so I am going to start off with posting about a recent evening we had.  Kevin and I are part of a group of awesome folk who attend plays, movies, theatre events, and other drama / art related activities all around our city.  Recently we joined an evening that took us to the Old Strathcona district of the city and Whyte Avenue.  We were going to a movie called "Upside Down" in the historic Princess Theatre.
  
Accent European Lounge 
8223-104 Street
ph: 780-431-0179
We also had the opportunity to join some of the group members and go for supper beforehand ... the restaurant that was chosen was the Accent European Lounge - just off Whyte Avenue.   We have had the pleasure of dining a few times with our theatre going group ... in big and smaller numbers (blog posts yet to come) and I find it can be a great experience as long as we do a little work ourselves as Celiac and Gluten Intolerant before we go out.  This was our first time dining at Accent European Lounge so as I always do when dining out at a new restaurant I called the restaurant beforehand to see if they accommodate eating as someone with Celiac disease and having to have a gluten free meal.  The young lady on the phone knew at once what Celiac Disease meant and let us know that the Accent European Lounge definitely had options for us.  We decided we would then go with the flow and decide once we were at the restaurant and what was presented to us what we would eat.  The waitress once I identified that we were celiac with a gluten free requirement for eating, was able to go over the menu with us ... give us a few options and let us know that the chefs were knowledgeable and able to make adjustments to most entrees on the menu.  We decided to go with the special of the evening - it was a "New York Tenderloin with a Peppercorn sauce and a side of vegetables" - once the waitress checked with the chef she came back out and let us know that the sauce would have to be omitted because of a gluten thickener but that the rest of the dish would be ok.  So we stayed with that order.

  We were not disappointed ~ the steak was done medium rare with a tasty seasoning.  We were pleasantly surprised with the awesome vegetable side to accompany our steaks ~ roasted potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, carrot, pepper, cauliflower and a lovely little fresh tomato cucumber garnish.  The vegetables were cooked very well, and seasoned nicely.  It was a great steak and awesome dish.  Beautifully presented.

We then went to the movie "Upside Down" at the Princess Theatre (built in 1914) - sat in the upper balcony it was a neat experience.  While it may not be a theatre for big action films, or ones that you would want a big screen production, there was a welcoming warm quaint feeling about sitting there in this almost a century old theatre and watching the film.





Afterwards we decided to head to a local Cafe to discuss the movie and for some coffee/tea and sweets - so we walked a short distance down the block to the Block 1912 - A European Cafe - This is a very cute and trendy coffee house on Whyte Avenue, totally set up so that groups of all sizes can enjoy chatting and sampling the delicious fare.  As it was later in the evening our group of theatregoers decided to stop for coffee/tea and sweets ~ At first Kevin and I were only going to get a couple cups of Soy Chai Latte ...

Soy Chai Latte ... spicy and but not sweet - we had to add sugar. :)

... but as some of the group came back to the table with yummy desserts we were wondering if we should go and take a look to see if Block 1912 had any sweets to accommodate Celiacs ;)  Well when our friend Steve came back to the table with a delicious looking chocolate cake and then announced to us "know what this is also Vegan and Gluten Free they told me" well then of course (for the blog post of course) we had to try a piece for ourselves.  So Kevin went up to see what they had that evening, and brought back to the table a piece of heavenly (and rich) chocolate cake, and a hot mixed berry crumble.
The chocolate cake was not really sweet - which was nice, and very smooth and rich, I could not finish my piece and it would have been good getting half the slice ha ha ~ delicious.  Kevin's hot mixed berry crumble ... was amazing (and he is lucky I had my own piece of cake to finish) it had a crumble on top that was mostly nuts.  Definitely will go back to the Block 1912 and see what other tasty fare would be on the menu for Celiacs and Gluten Sensitive folk ... and report back - it's the least we can do.  ;)

Block 1912- A European Cafe
10361-82 Avenue
ph: 780-433-6575