Not talking Tacos

 

It's Cinco de Mayo...America's excuse to "celebrate Mexico" (not really) and drink lots of margaritas and eats lots of chips with salsa, queso and/or guac.  I am never one to turn down a good margarita. (I am so desperate for Jose Cuervo Golden Rosé Margarita that I went on line and purchased two bottles for a rather hefty prices because I couldn't find any in my area...or even out of my area.)  And I am planning on making tacos, nachos and all sorts of good stuff later today.  Because any excuse right?

But I'm not going to write about tacos today.  Instead I'm going to write about a steak and cheese sandwich I had yesterday.  Why?  Because it was very good and because it was a wonderful dining out experience.

Those of you who know me, or have read a lot of my blog posts know about my awful food allergies (eggs, poultry, shellfish, hard beans, peas, lentils and kiwi...and something else will pop up in the next decade because that's how it seems to go with me).  It makes dining out really challenging.  And frightening.  So I don't dine at restaurants very often.  Vacations can be fraught with danger.  Even places that are aware of my allergies have had slip ups resulting in really issues for me. Thankfully, due to epipens and massive amounts of Benadryl, I've avoid hospital stays for the most part.  Still, even a "mild" (and I use that term loosely) issue means big trouble for me.  (I'll spare you all the gross details...although I will say that I get to know any nearby toilet well while blowing up internally and externally like balloon in the Thanksgiving Day parade.)

However, doing some research for this weekend's getaway, I found a new (to me; they've been around since 2014) restaurant:  110 Grill . What caught my eye was on their website under a tab titled "Allergy Commitment."  It said:  "Here at 110 Grill, our award-winning allergy commitment accommodates all guest's allergen needs. We do this by…

• Offering 100% of our main menu prepared gluten free!
• Never placing flour, or any gluten product, in our fryolators. We are 100% GF for fried food.
• Utilizing allergen picks for added awareness and safety.
• Delivering allergy-related dishes to the table by managers only.
• Providing extensive training to our management teams, who hold current certifications in Food Safety and Allergen Awareness
• Training every employee in allergy awareness at several steps of service to ensure guest safety.
• Handling every order with care, preparing dishes to order from fresh, whole ingredients in an open kitchen.

 

We are proud to be recognized by AllergyEats as a Top Ten Allergy-Friendly Restaurant Brand for 2020, 2019, and 2018."

 

Why hadn't I heard of this restaurant before?  Well, they are not in my area.  They have locations in CT, MA, NH, (upstate) NY and RI.  Not exactly my backyard.  The nearest location from my home is about 50 miles away.  However, there was one in the area we were going to be visiting.  So I emailed the location's manager before we headed out, but I never heard back.

However, when we were out and about on Friday afternoon, we passed the location and I thought IF we were there on Saturday at an off hour (not at the height of lunch or dinner), we could stop in and see what they might have to offer.

As you guessed, we did.  It was around 2 in the afternoon when we went in.  I explained to the hostess that I had some severe food allergies and she assured us we could be accommodated.  We were offered several seating options (it was a nice day outside, but we decided on a booth inside as we had been outside most of the day).  Our server was aware of the allergy situation and carefully wrote down all of my food allergies.  He recommended that I perhaps stick with their salad offerings and took our drink orders.

When he returned with our drinks (soft drinks), I asked if he could check and see if I could have the steak & cheese sandwich.  If there were any issues, I was willing to go with a salad.  He told me that the steak would be grilled in a different location that any chicken and he would check into the possibility that the roll might have egg in it.  He returned later with a print out of the roll's ingredients.  It was safe.

As promised on their website, a manager brought over my meal and the waiter brought out my husband's plate.  My plate was clearly marked with an allergen pick (kind of like a tooth pick) so I felt safe and relaxed enough to enjoy my lunch.

Enjoy I did.  If there were any complaints it would be that I wish that there were a little less cheese because I wanted to enjoy the meat, onions and peppers more.  But that was minor when it came to my enjoyment of the meal.  The roll was toasted and warm.  The fries that came along were crisp.  But most importantly, I wasn't worried.  (In all honesty, I might have had a moment or two where I stopped and thought "Am I okay?"  "Is this okay?"  The most magnificent thing was that it WAS okay.)  If you don't have food allergies or know someone who does, you might not realize what a big deal this is.  To have a restaurant and staff that is DEDICATED to taking care of a customer with food allergies and completely understands the situation.  THIS IS AMAZING!

My regret?  That we didn't eat there Friday night as well.  And that there are not any locations in NJ that I could visit.  (And I WOULD visit...OFTEN).

Kudos to 110 Grill.  And if someone with the organization happens upon this post; would you consider expanding into NJ?  (Preferably the Essex County area!)

 

(Note:  There are no photos of my fabulous meal because I was too busy consuming it.  Trust me…it looked good, but it tasted even better!)