Lulu's Gulf Shore

While visiting the Gulf Shore we visited Lucy Buffets Gulf Shore for dinner. Just like Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville, Lucy Buffets Lulu's had a decent gluten free menu, as far as the number of options offered. They also took the time to call out an allergy order when ordering.

When our server saw the gluten free menu at the table, he had the manager come over and specifically write up my order. I found some good items on the menu, but my disappointment was there was a LOT of seafood, and I'm not a seafood lover. That part was a bit disappointing, but The queso and chips for an appetizer was very tasty. If they could do some gluten free breaded and fried fish, we'd have been on a better tack together. But with that not an option I looked for the land options.
 

I got the pulled pork, my only issue is it was so spicy I couldn't eat it. It overwhelmed my tastebuds with spice. I had asked to have cheese on it, which I couldn't taste over the flavor from the BBQ sauce.

I did enjoy the veggies, some fries would have helped with cutting down the spicy flavor. Not only did the manager take my order, but she also brought out my food. I would say over all, it was nice to have an appetizer option, and luckily there is some "land" options on the menu, cause none of us in our party were seafood eaters. I would only give them a 4 dragonfly rating due to their lack of variety on items, though they did have appetizers, more variety would be awesome!

Gluten Free Stop in Madison

To be honest, this was two stops, but you could do it in one if you're spending the day in Madison. We drove thru Madison heading to La Crosse, and opted to stop and eat in Madison cause of a tip we got on a "must try" place. 

My goal on our way to La Crosse was to hit up Alt Brewery, a completely gluten free brewery. While visiting Burning Brother's Brewery in St. Paul, Minnesota earlier this year, I learned about Alt Brewery. So I added them to my gluten free bucket list. So heading up to this end of Wisconsin this was a must. 

It's a cute place with arcade games and a decent amount of seating. When we got there it was a bit dead, though it was Sunday and the Green Bay Packers were on TV. We decided to do a beer flight and try all 6 beers on tap, heck when in Rome, (or in Madison). We also got food. They have a simple food menu, but pizza with beer sounded great. Best part, the bartender pulled out the ingredients to make the pizza, Udi's Crusts and real "grocery" ingredients. It was a darn tasty pizza. 

The beers on tap were pretty tasty. Their Pumpkin Pail was my favorite followed by the Kickback and Copperhead.  It felt so normal to try beer and have some food at the bar. It was a lot of fun.

They have merchandise for purchase, hats, shirts, hoodies and such, as well as their beer. You can also purchase their beer in some local places including a few dining establishments. The bartender said to check their website for places that carry their product. He did mention Jac's Dining and Taphouse in Madison, always has options, plus they do gluten free options. So on our way back, to Chicago from La Crosse, that's where we stopped for dinner.

That was the best dinner stop idea yet! For whatever reason, when I was looking up Gluten Free in Madison, on Findmeglutenfree.com I wasn't seeing this place in the results. Not sure why not, so I'm glad the bartender mentioned it. They have a dedicated gluten free fryer. That's right a dedicated fryer!!!

 

YES These are Gluten Free Cheese Curds!

Normally I'd ask my fiance, what appetizer he wants to have, but I saw deep fried cheese curds, there was no question, that's what I was ordering. OMG It was like heaven on a plate. I honestly could have ordered 2 orders and been happy. They have Alt Breweries beer on tap, and Green's Beers in bottles. I don't feel comfortable drinking any beer on tap at an establishment unless they are dedicated GF, so I went with the Greens Tripel Ale, one of my favorites. I also got their prosciutto chicken. Which was tasty, but prosciutto is salty so this came out salty. They have gluten free bread, and pizza crusts, and on Wednesdays there is no up charge for gluten free items.


Both of these places get a 5 dragonfly rating from me. The fact that Alt had food, although the easiest meals ever, was super tasty and added to the experience. Jac's was the icing on the cake for an awesome meal. The server was super friendly and they have a dedicated fryer - which they make cheese curds in! :) 

 

Stonewood Ale House - Good, Bad and Corrected

We recently did dinner with a couple people at Stonewood Ale House in Schaumburg. Stonewood is one of the restaurants in the 'Ace Place' portfolio. I've eaten here in the past a couple years back, so I was up for checking it out again. The menu has gotten a bit bigger, the one perk that really stood out to me is a dedicated gluten free fryer! That was huge to me, cause I knew that meant french fries!!

They had two appetizers, one of them being potato skins, which made me super excited. The entrees were a bit restricted but there was a variety from steak, to chicken and even pork. Plus you could get French fries! Now the part that gets difficult here. I ordered the steak to the specs on the gluten free menu. I noted more than once it was gluten free, and reconfirmed the gluten free fryer for the French fries. When my food arrived my nice gluten free steak had 2 perfectly round onion rings on top....When I questioned the server he told me they were perfectly safe and fried in their own fryer... Then he quickly whisked the plate back to the kitchen. After he came out a couple times to say they were working on my meal, the manager came out to tell us he was sorry and that a new steak and fixings would be out shortly. 

I was appreciative they took the time to fix the issue and talk to us about it. The second time my plate came out it was correct and no issues. Though I had requested my steak to be medium well, it came out rather rare, more red than done. I opted to not send it back cause our party was half way done with the meals already. I ended up taking most of the steak home and reheating it later, to cook it a bit more. When it came for dessert, the options listed were not gluten free friendly. Though for the birthday girl in our party they brought out ice cream with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Wish that was on the regular menu, but I did snag some of her dessert to meet my sweet tooth. 

Over all I'm giving them 3 dragonflies, I'd give them more, but the mess up on my meal, and needing to tell the waiter why it was an issue ranked them lower. Though they were nice an apologetic about the situation, but it could have been avoided, since it was specified gluten free an ordered per the menu, it shouldn't have happened.