Gluten Free, R U?: September 2019

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The Henry in Cosmopolitan Las Vegas - lunch

My second chance for gluten free food at The Henry was for lunch.

I went with the Grilled Chicken Club with the dressing on the side.

This was also very delicious. The only problem ... it was too big and eventually it all fell apart but I didn’t really care because it was so tasty. Please note I would not blame the gluten free bread for this falling apart, it truly was that the sandwich itself was just too big.

We ordered the tots and fries baked but they did not seem to know how to bake the fries as they came out both burnt and undercooked, the tots were yummy though. I probably would just order baked tots next time.

Please note, that baking them takes more time and IF the place is too busy they may not be able to offer this option. And there is no dedicated fryer, so it is baked or not at all for fries and tots. They offer fruit. I was too hungry to just have fruit, so I was happy it wasn’t busy and they could bake my options.

I would easily order this club again and not even get the dressing on the side - it was too “spicy” or something for my tastes. The price was comparable and even a little less that some other places and I would pay $18 for this again without question.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The Henry in Cosmopolitan Las Vegas - dinner

The Henry in The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas has an extensive Gluten Free menu.

I was very excited to try everything but I only had two chances.

So my first chance I went with the pasta speciality with grilled chicken. The best praise I can give it... I was scared it wasn’t gluten free. Incredibly delicious and made to perfection. The pasta was the perfect chew (for lack of a better term) and the peas, pancetta and chicken were just the right amount as was the sauce. It truly was one of the best gluten free pasta meals I have had out.

I felt it was easily worth the $22 and I was sufficiently full but not over stuffed after eating the whole container. We did do take out for this meal and I was not disappointed by the amount of food in the container. I also ordered $5 gluten free bread which was just two pieces of sandwich bread, which while good was not worth it and did not add to my meal. But that was my choice and I would not make it again for this meal.

I highly recommend The Henry. I ate there again on this trip and when we return in December I plan to try all the other gluten free potions.

Monday, September 2, 2019

Smart Flour Cheese Pizza

So I had seen lots of people talking about Smart Flour Pizza. So I decided to try it.

I found this at Wegman’s and the price wasn’t too bad. I was hopeful it would be good.

It was good. It wasn’t great and I might buy it again if it were on sale. It definitely did not wow me and I was sad. I am always in search of yummy pizza. So far I think I might still choose Freschetta’s gluten free 4 cheese pizza but it is not a consistent liking.

There is certainly enough cheese and sauce and the crust is ok but nothing to special.

Again pizza is very personal choice, so try it and let me know your thoughts in the comments.

My gluten free history

When I turned 30 years old, I started to gain weight that I couldn't lose and I was getting back to back colds. The final straw was I got bronchitis and I had to take an antibiotic to help me get better. The side effect for 4% of people on this antibiotic was gastrointestinal issues. Yes, I was part of that 4%. The medicine basically stripped away whatever had been protecting me through my first 30 years of life. You see I have always had gastrointestinal issues since I can remember. My father also had the same issues and my paternal grandmother too. I was so sick from the medicine (or so I thought) that I had to go back to the doctor and do a series of tests. During this time I was following the BRAT diet (Banana, rice, a, toast). Saltines and toast were my go to comfort, little did I know they were NOT what I should be eating. My co-worker gave me an article about food allergies and there was a quiz. You only needed to answer 4 of the 8 questions with yes to fall under their designation and I had answered 6 of the 8 with yes. I was on my way. My husband and I cleaned out all our cabinets of the 7 allergens… all that was left was rice. After a few weeks, I was feeling somewhat better when I stayed at a home where they told me to eat whatever was in the fridge. I saw the rice and started eating. Within a hour I was violently ill. I couldn't understand. I took the rice with me to work the next day and when I told my other co-worker about my issue she asked to see the rice. It was orzo… pasta… gluten/wheat filled pasta! I had my first allergen to check off the list as being an issue. It turned out at the time dairy and eggs were also triggers but I have since been able to add them back. My husband and I went on a full gluten free diet and within a few months I had lost my weight, stopped living in my bathroom, looked healthy and was not terrified to eat things any more. Now it has been 15 years and while I have gained some weight back (darn those yummy gluten free cookies and pretzels) my issues are still in check and I couldn't be happier to figure out what was wrong with my body and be able to fix it.