babycakes NYC at Downtown Disney in Orlando

I was so excited to recently find out that babycakes NYC now has a location in Orlando. This past weekend we went to Orlando to celebrate my daughter's 2nd birthday with Mickey Mouse! Of course once I found out about the babycakes NYC location, I had to add this to our weekend plans. We stopped at Downtown Disney on our way out of town before heading back to South Florida so I could stock up on some goodies to bring back home with me. I was so overwhelmed when I walked in and saw the cases filled with gluten-free cookies, cupcakes, donuts, and more. I immediately thought I should have brought a bigger cooler for the drive home.

I ultimately decided on a few chocolate chip cookies, a cookie crumb donut, a brownie cupcake, and a blondie cupcake. Everything was AMAZING! If I had to pick a favorite it would probably be a very close tie between the cookies and the blondie cupcake. I am already thinking about my next trip to Orlando and that bigger cooler! It is pretty well-known that Disney World is very accommodating when it comes to special diets. When I asked about a gluten-free meal at one of the restaurants at the Magic Kingdom I was told I was probably the 75th person to ask for this on that day alone. I hope all of those on a gluten-free diet living or visiting Orlando are as familiar with babycakes NYC as well!

Our Baltic Vacation

We just got home a few days ago from a 2-week Baltic cruise.  This was our third cruise with Oceania Cruises and we had a fantastic time.  We visited beautiful sights and enjoyed amazing food. Our cruise started from London (actually Dover), and from there we visited Belgium, Amsterdam, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Finland, Russia (St. Petersburg), Estonia, and Sweden (Stockholm).

We had planned to get to London a full day early so we could enjoy some time before having to go to the ship.  Unfortunately, with flight issues that came up (more details about this later) we only had a few hours in London and we were exhausted.  I had done some research for gluten-friendly restaurants in London before the trip, but by the time we got there we just wanted to eat at the closest restaurant we could find.  We came across Nar Restaurant, a Mediterranean restaurant in South London.  The food was delicious and the staff was knowledgeable about special diets. The menu actually identifies vegetarian dishes, as well as dishes containing nuts, and specifies to notify a Manager with any food allergies.  I had grilled chicken with basmati rice.  The portions were very generous and the chicken was packed full of flavor.

The food on the ship was amazing.  I mentioned in a prior post (Traveling Gluten-Free) that Oceania Cruises does a wonderful job making accommodations for special diets.  Just like my previous trips with them, I gave them advance notice of my gluten-free diet and they didn't skip a beat.  I had gluten-free bread at all my meals, and was able to review the dinner menu each morning to provide my selections for that evening in advance in case my meal needed to be prepared differently.  The chef was available to review the buffet items with me when necessary (we usually had lunch at the buffet).  They also have tea time every afternoon where you can enjoy small sandwiches, desserts, and a cup of tea.  I rarely went to this on our prior trips thinking there wouldn't be anything I could eat. However, I decided to go this trip for some tea, and was so surprised when I was greeted with a special tray of gluten-free sandwiches.  We ended up going to this almost every afternoon and I was able to enjoy a variety of sandwiches including egg salad, shrimp salad, chicken salad, cream cheese, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Some of my favorite dinners on board consisted of Lobster Risotto, Filet Mignon, Veal Chop with Mushroom Porcini Sauce, Vegetarian Bean Chili, Seabass with Crushed Potatoes, and Herb Crusted Rotisserie Free-Range Chicken.  My favorite treat on board was the Triple Homemade Marshmallow Dessert.  It was out of this world!

I mentioned above that we had some flight issues on this trip.  I had made plans well in advance for special gluten-free meals on the international flights both going and coming from the cruise on Continental. Unfortunately, we had weather delays on the first leg of our trip and missed our connection flight from Newark to London (by minutes).  We ended up on a flight to London leaving almost 6 hours later than our original flight, and of course my gluten-free meal (along with our luggage) didn't follow me on that later flight.  I was able to eat a small meal at the airport, and luckily had some snacks to hold me over on the flight.   Preparing to return from Stockholm at the end of our trip, I was hopeful there wouldn't be any problems with the gluten-free meal I had arranged for this flight.  Unfortunately, when we arrived at the airport we were shocked to find out that with the changes Continental made to our initial flight to London, they accidently cancelled our reservations for our return flight. They were able to make some changes and get us home on the original flight, however the pre-arranged gluten-free meal was long gone. The few gluten-free snacks I had left at the end of the trip just barely held me over on this flight.  

I usually always carry gluten-free snacks when I travel and they definitely came in handy on this trip.  Along with the flights, I like to have them on hand for the days on long excursions.  I also mentioned in the previous travel post that I am not the most adventurous.  I'm sure there are many people on gluten-free diets who travel to other countries and try all of the local food.  I am not one of those people, and cruising allows me to see the world and eat great food that I know will agree with me.  Aside from the flight issues, it was a wonderful vacation.  Thank you Oceania Cruises!     

Washington, DC

Washington, DC is an incredible place to visit. We were there recently for a long weekend to celebrate a special birthday and had an amazing time. We stayed in Georgetown, but ventured out to explore as much as DC as we could on foot and on the Metro (they have a fantastic public transportation system).  I hadn't been there in many years, so we visited the memorials, monuments, museums, and Arlington National Cemetery.  It was my first time at Arlington, and I would definitely recommend going there when you visit DC.

Before the trip, I did my usual research for gluten-friendly establishments. I did some research online, but also found some great recommendations in The Essential Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide from Triumph Dining.  We ended up having some wonderful meals while we were there. We had dinner at The Capital Grille to celebrate the BIG birthday!  We also had dinner at Clyde's of Georgetown and Legal Sea Foods (one of my favorites in many cities).  We also had a great lunch at Mitsitam Cafe located inside the National Museum of the American Indian.  It is set up cafeteria style with different food stations.  Gluten-free options are actually labeled at each station and the staff is very helpful.  You don't want to miss this one!

I had a few other recommended restaurants that I wanted to go to, but we were only there for a few days.  I'll have to add them to the list for my next visit!     

Traveling Gluten-Free

Traveling gluten-free can create some anxiety, but it isn't going to stop me.  I have traveled more in recent years (for business and pleasure) since going gluten-free, and it does seem to get a little easier each time.  Depending on where I'm going and how long I will be gone dictates how much planning I need to do (and how many gluten-free snacks I'm going to bring with me)!  I usually like to travel with some gluten-free pretzels and breakfast bars.      

I have been able to see some amazing places in the last few years that I didn't think I would ever see!  We went on a 14-Day Caribbean cruise and 10-Day Mediterranean cruise, both on Oceania Cruises.  I have heard that many cruise lines will accommodate for special diets (with advance notice), but my cruising experience has only been with this one cruise line so far. They were incredible and are known for their fine dining.  With a few weeks notice of my dietary restrictions, they were able to make accommodations for me.  For nights that I planned to eat in the Grand Dining Room, the menu would be dropped off at my room in the morning.  I would check off what I wanted and return the menu to the front desk so they would be ready for me when I arrived later.  The chef was always available to point out what I could and couldn't eat at the buffet (and there was plenty I could eat), and gluten-free bread and rolls were available for me at every meal.  I ate so well that I never wanted to leave!

The shore excursions were a little challenging at times.  I had done some research about gluten-friendly establishments before our trips,

but when we chose a shore excursion

through the cruise line, we didn't have as much freedom to go off on our own.  I would definitely recommend going on some of the formal excursions, but you may want to bring some snacks on those days just in case!  

The Caribbean cruise was easier because it sailed out of Miami (close to home). For the Mediterranean cruise we had to fly from Miami to Barcelona on Iberia airlines, and then fly back home from Athens on Delta. Both airlines were able to provide gluten-free meals with advance notice (I don't know that Delta will do this on domestic flights), but I am still always a little cautious when it comes to eating and flying (especially on very long flights).  Again, your personal gluten-free snacks can come in very handy for these situations. 

I'm sure there are many other gluten-free travelers out there that are probably more adventurous than I am, but this works for me.  I am seeing the world and LIVING gluten-free. 

 

San Diego

I mentioned in Wednesday's blog (Going Out to Eat) that there are many restaurants that will make accommodations for special diets, however some cities do a much better job of this than others.  I was in San Diego last year for a conference, and was also able to explore the city and take in the sights.  The weather was beautiful as we walked down the streets lined with shops and restaurants.  Although I had done my research of gluten-friendly establishments prior to the trip, we ended up eating in random restaurants that we came across on our walks.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the staff in EVERY restaurant we ate at were all familiar with gluten-free requests.

We had lunch downtown at Henry's Pub and at the Harbor House at Seaport Village.  Dinners were at McCormick & Schmick's, Yard House (they have an actual gluten-free menu), and Croce's (my personal favorite). The grilled free-range chicken, risotto, and asparagus dinner at Croce's is out of this world!

The San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park are both probably places you don't want to miss when visiting this great city, but when you do make it to San Diego, make sure to add these restaurants to your list and enjoy the food!