Safe Travels in Ireland - Foreword

Jason and Kayleigh here, with another international travel post! This time, Jason and I spent a week driving all over Ireland to see as much as we could in such a short amount of time. With a huge online community for Irish with celiac's (coeliac's) disease, and supposedly the place with the most occurrences of gluten intolerance in the world, we decided to go without looking anything up in advanced. No emergency restaurant names, no emailing locals beforehand- we would try our luck with chatting strangers up and quizzing waitresses.

Even though most people assured us that he would be safe eating pretty much anywhere, it...was not quite the case. Most of the time, the chef at a restaurant was able to answer questions, but we ran into some occasional oddities when the menu itself did not have gluten free labels. Like being assured that an item was gluten free, then receiving a side of bread with it. Or being told that the Guinness beef stew had no gluten. On more than one occasion, Jason was handed non-gluten free biscuits at tea time after establishing that he was intolerant. We managed to make it through the whole trip without being glutened, but it was only by being alert ourselves.

Tips for traveling to Ireland? Ask your hotel/B&B about making a gluten free meal when you book, and ask them about safe restaurants in the area to get dinner. Look up a place or two near where you're staying, just in case. Quick snacks are a little easier- all grocery stores and most convenient stores had fairly large gluten free selections. On top of that, a 2015 mandate states that all allergens must clearly be stated on nutritional labels, so you can usually find wheat or barley- based ingredients at a glance. Most often the allergen ingredients are marked in bold lettering throughout the ingredients list, so be sure to read it carefully. Additionally, be aware if the item is shipped from overseas that it may not have the allergens clearly called out yet as international suppliers have not fully caught up to the regulations.

The good news, though, is that there are plenty of pubs and traditional eateries that understand dietary requirements and are willing to work with you to find a dish. If you're going into a place without a labeled menu, though, there is a chance of cross contamination, and you likely have only 2-3 dishes to choose from. The labeling can be a bit confusing with some menu’s marking a little C next to items, but with no key to tell you if that means it is celiac friendly, or contains gluten. It’s just a good idea to ask your waiter regardless, as we did encounter both items mislabeled but also plenty specials of the day which ended up being gluten free which expanded the menu.  So ask around if you're in the mood for something in particular.

The Pike Pub Review

Jason here. I really like bar food. Particular appetizers, burgers, wings, and fries. However, most pubs don’t cater to gluten free, and when they do the appetizers are usually still fried along with everything else limiting my options. I was hesitant to agree to try out The Pike Pub for those very reasons, but I’m happy to say I was mistaken and this place has excellent gluten free options.

The menu is pretty expansive, and all gluten free options are labeled. To start I ordered a Bison Bacon Burger, with a side of fries. The fries were listed as gluten free, but I have found in the past that means nothing when it comes to fried foods. I asked my waiter, and he was very knowledgeable and let me know that only fries go in that fryer to keep them safe for that reason. He even let me know they would take off the Pale Ale braised onions which would not be gluten free. Having the waiter catch that made me feel very safe ordering off the menu, and I did not have worry about cross contamination.

The plate came out with a massive burger, and covered in fries. It also had two delicious pickle spears which I was not expecting. They were listed on the menu, so I must have been particularly absent minded that day. I love the burger, with plenty of crispy bacon and some sort of cheese I did not quite recognize. The menu listed it as Samish Bay Ladysmith cheese, but I’m not sure what that is. If you have never had bison burger I recommend you give it a try. I find I prefer the taste just a little bit more, and it has more of a solid patty consistency, as opposed to the ground beef. Ground beef tends to leave a fatty coating in my mouth, which bison does not. I’ve heard it described as sweeter, but that’s not been my experience. I think just having less of that fatty coating in my mouth brings out the flavor more.

Now that we have found a couple different places not too far from the convention center, I’ll feel more prepared when Emerald City, or PAX roll around and we are hunting for places to eat.

Kayleigh here. Despite always being on the lookout for gluten free restaurants with homey pub atmospheres, I had passed this one by so many times because I assumed it was just another tourist trap on the waterfront. But then I noticed it had actually won a few awards for their beers, and I decided it was worth giving the food a shot. The gluten free menu is mostly limited to sandwiches and pizzas ( a couple of the salads are also safe), but there are quite a few options to choose from, and being able to order actually gluten free french fries is such a rarity! Plus, they have some decent kimchi as a side dish option- who would have guessed?

Prime Steakhouse Review

Jason here. We took another trip to Redmond for a night out, and decided to try Prime Steakhouse.

Prime is a restaurant focusing on steaks, but also has a good collection of burgers and sandwiches. The best part is the menu itself lists gluten free options, which tends to entice me to try out a place.

The restaurant itself isn’t too large, or at least they section off various rooms so it feels more intimate then most places. I was able to hear the table conversation without too much trouble, but we had to speak up. 

Of course I can’t go to a steakhouse and not order a steak for the first time. I honestly not sure if I have tried a dry-aged steak before. At the very least I have never tried them side by side. With this in mind, I decided to order the top sirloin baseball cut 12oz dry age steak, with a side of baked potato.

The baked potato was well crispy on the outside, although I just scooped out and ate the fluffy potato inside. Pretty standard affair.

The steak was fabulous. I ordered medium and that’s what I got, pink with a little red. It was plenty marbled with fat, which just melted in my mouth like cotton candy. The most delicious sensation one can have when eating a steak. This is the quality of a high end steak. If it’s a low quality cut, the fat will turn chewy and stringy, and be tough to actually eat. Everything here just melted in my mouth, from the first to the last bite. I did not add one ounce of salt or pepper, and ate it exactly how it came out. Not wanting to waste a good steak by having to reheat left overs, I finished the whole 12oz there which I was a bit worried about when it came out. I ordered the smallest of the dry aged steaks, so be prepared for leftovers if you order something like the 24oz porter just for yourself.

It is a high end steak restaurant so you get what you pay for. I got a really top end steak, the meal is a bit on the higher end. Although my sirloin, wasn’t too bad. I actually ordered this cut for the size, not the price, but it worked out for me.

Kayleigh here. While most steakhouses can put together a gluten free steak meal with relative ease, Prime has gotten nearly the entire menu to accommodate a gluten free diner. I failed to ask if the sandwiches would be served bunless or if they had an alternative, but I think there are more than enough options regardless. All of the salads, most of the starters, and many of the vegetable and potato sides are gluten free by default, as well as (of course) the steaks. And if you’re like me and are the odd duck that orders a non-beef entrée, you are pretty much guaranteed to find something that tickles your fancy. The menu is not particularly large, but so diverse and well thought-out that I think anyone would walk out happy.