The Struggle is Real

Eating out can be a dangerous challenge, unless two factors come into play. Factor one - we plan accordingly. Factor two - the restaurant is accommodating. Or, John could close his eyes and decide to simply accept his fate. Just kidding... that would be the worst idea ever. We try to choose restaurants wisely and go to places that can accommodate his dietary needs.   

(photo credits: www.creativefabrica.com)

The last week of January through Valentines day are huge eat-out days for us. Our calendar is jam packed with family birthdays which are usually celebrated at a restaurant whose base ingredient for every recipe is butter. This can prove challenging since we don't have a say in where we go. Although, I have to admit, restaurants are definitely getting better about accommodating their patrons with dietary restrictions but, sometimes it can be a real struggle. During one of our many celebrations, we visited Carrabba's Italian Grill.

John did his usual call ahead to speak with the chef or a manager about his dietary restrictions. He ended up speaking with the manager, Marcos, who went above and beyond in helping John with menu options. Together they came up with a meal plan so when we arrived we felt fairly confident that it would be a safe and enjoyable eating experience.    

   

L: Manager - Marcos; R: Assistant Manager - Sean

    

Server - Trevor

 (Side Note: His mustache is half red and half blond!)    

Our server, Trevor, was briefed prior to our arrival. So, when John introduced himself, Trevor acknowledge my husband's dietary issues and made sure to ease any lingering concerns. Manager-Marcos and Assistant Manager-Sean made sure to periodically check-in with John to confirm that all was well. The staff was careful to balance the special attention my husband required without making him feel awkward and without ignoring the rest of the large dinner party. 

Olive Oil & Herbs

Chefs hard at work.

 

We both ordered the Italian side salad but no dressing for him. 

(He packs his own non-dairy, dye-free dressing.)

    

For his entree he ordered Linguine Positano with chicken. 

I had Pollo Rosa Maria.

We enjoyed some delicious dairy free birthday cake made by my sister-in-law. 

(John scraped off the cream cheese frosting.)

That's us: John & Terri

I wanted to highlight our wonderful food to show how John, with a few adjustments, still manages to eat deliciously, especially when planned correctly. I'm not gonna lie, we've had several bad experiences but, this wasn't one of them. We left Carrabba's with bellies full. No doubt, this was one of the most enjoyable and trouble free experiences we have ever had at a restaurant and, the food was amazing! 

I would like to thank the staff at Carrabba's for allowing me to take photos. They not only went out of their way to help my husband with the menu but were also extremely helpful  when I asked to take photos for this blog. 

www.carrabbas.com

HEB Organics Balsamic Vinaigrette and Brianna's Home Style Real French Vinaigrette are the dressings John normally packs. There are many dye-free, dairy-free dressings but these are his favorite. 

www.heb.com  

www.briannas.com