From my previous post, some will recall that I will be sending my GF daughter off to college this year at UNC Chapel Hill. We have learned a few more tips for navigating a gluten free college experience this summer that may be helpful to others attending UNC or just visiting Chapel Hill. Although the dining hall staff was helpful in my email and phone communications it was evident during our CTOPS (freshman orientation) experience that a meal plan was not going to be a viable option, unless she wanted to live on the salad bar, and hope for no cross contamination issues. We were happy to see a gluten free/vegan peanut butter pudding dessert being offered one night on the dinner menu during CTOPS. I received some helpful comments from current gluten free UNC students who mentioned that if one chooses to join a sorority that the chefs cooking for smaller numbers are often very accommodating. One student also shared her favorite gluten free restaurants on Franklin Street including: McCalister's Deli and Chipotle Mexican.
So my daughter and I hit Franklin Street today and visited several restaurants, picking up menus and asking questions. The following is a brief review of some of the information we gathered:
Qdoba Mexican Grill: Order a naked burrito (note the corn strips, corn taco shells and chips may contain gluten due to them being fried in the same oil as flour containing products)
Jimmy John's: Order an unwhich (see my previous post about ingredient warning)
Panera Bread: some salads and some soups
Lime and Basil : Is a Vietnamese Restaurant, although we did not get to eat here today, this would be worth checking out, as Vietnamese cooking is often gluten free.
R & R grill: extensive menu with salads, burgers, steak, salmon options
Ye Old Waffle Shop: eggs
Biski's Tortilla Wrap Grill: Although their tortilla's are wheat, we were told if you brought your own GF wrap into the restaurant they would be happy to use it and you also could order the fillings without a wrap.
Artichoke and Basil: Chicken, burgers, salads
Pita Pit: no allergy information listed on their website or print media, but you can order their fillings "fork style" as a salad.
Sugarland: awesome gluten free gelato!
Locopops: several gluten free frozen treats
Options on campus at Lenior Main Street include:
Jamba Juice: all smoothies are listed as gluten free except for the Jamba Power Boost and the Cold Buster
Sushinara: all sushi listed as gluten free
Chic-fil-A: char-grilled chicken salad, waffles fries (if using designated frier as used in other Chic-fil-A locations), char-grilled chicken
I am sure we will learn of more options as time goes by, if you have a helpful tip please let me know. Also check out Lauren's updates over at Gluten Free Chapel Hill for other options in the Chapel Hill area.
4 comments:
I can share my experience at Lime and Basil -- love it. Their chicken Pho is something I crave in the colder months. It's really, really delicious and I've never had a reaction to it.
Thank you for posting this! I had tried most of those places, but I didn't know about all of them providing gf options.
In the Trader Joe's shopping center there's now a Twisted Noodle. Like the original Twisted Noodle location by South Square - they're aware of celic disease and happily make most of the menu wheat free.
Do try Artichoke Basil Pizza, this pizza is good. it's like nothing i've ever put in my mouth. it is so satiating and so rich. and i swear that the intoxicating richness of the buttery sauce is not from the wine in it... it's just utterly good. at first glance, the prospect of even conquering this slab of cheese and artichokes is daunting. it could even be seen as an invitation to get a heart attack...
but the moment you get your slice, and you sit down, letting the creaminess slowly drip onto your fingers and down toward your elbows, clumsily fidgeting with it to figure out which angle is the best angle, that is what adds to the greatness of this slice. the total enjoyment from start to finish of simply eating like a rabid beast.
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