Yard House goes the extra (gluten-free) mile

More restaurants are beginning to take note of their customer base that has to eat gluten-free.  I knew that when I traveled to Chicago, finding restaurants that would have food that I could eat would be easier than it is around my hometown.  Thank goodness for major metro areas that understand these food allergies.  Even bigger kudos going out to the restaurants that put out gluten-free menus to help with the decision making process.

My friend Heather loves Yard House!  So, when we arrived at her place around dinner time, this was one of the options out there.  Before even leaving her apartment, she had pulled up the restaurant online.  Originally, she had wanted to take me there for their Gardein menu…but since having to go gluten-free, Gardein was out of the question.  Sadly enough, since it’s rarer still to find a restaurant that offers a whole section of vegetarian/vegan entrees!  I give major props to Yard House for that as well.

The gluten-sensitive menu was simple, basic, and gave direction on how to order the dish (minus the blue cheese, minus the candied walnuts, minus the flat bread.  When my friend asked for the special menu for me, the server was quick to retrieve it and explained that Yard House is not a gluten-free restaurant, but this menu was created for those with a gluten sensitivity (hey…that’s me!), and while they can’t guarantee there is no cross-contamination, they can say that the options in the menu are catering to those with a gluten sensitivity and that if I had any questions to go ahead and ask.  With that, he left us to look over the menu and make our decisions.

Heather went with a delicious looking Pepper Jack Burger.  My friend Cathy went with her normal…fish and chips.  Upon which Heather mentioned how fabulous the fries were at Yard House.  Glancing around, I could see they were my favorite kind…shoestring fries.  WIN!!  So, after glancing over the gluten-sensitive menu, I had an idea of what I wanted.  I ordered the Summer Salad (minus the candied walnuts) and asked for a side of the fries.  The waiter said that the fries might be a problem for me, but he would check with the chef.  Sure enough, he returned saying the fries were not considered gluten-free (which basically means, the fries share a frier with the breaded meats…therefore, they aren’t vegetarian either!) and made suggestions for other sides that I might prefer.  After pondering, I finally decided to have vegetables with my vegetables, and got a side of their Steamed Vegetables.  Not what I wanted, but I totally understood the precautions Yard House wanted to take to ensure a safe dining experience.  And I appreciated that.  To polish off my evening, I ordered a (gluten-free) Magners Cider to enjoy with my meal.

We carried on tons of conversation as we waited for food to arrive, and when it did, I could already tell it was going to be good.  I chose the Summer Salad because it had strawberries in it (I believe my exact words were, “It has strawberries in it…therefore it wins!”).  And I was disappointed with the initial look of the salad.  It was a good entree-size salad consisting of romaine lettuce, strawberries, avocado, oranges, leeks, and topped with a delicious spiced balsamic vinaigrette.  It looked amazing.  The steamed vegetables were just what they sounded like…a bowl of vegetables that had been steamed, consisting of the standards: broccoli, carrots, red peppers, corn, and celery.

I’ll start with the steamed vegetables.  The safe-side for my food sensitivity…but definitely not what I wanted that night.  It was your basic small side of vegetables, steamed to an al dente crisp.  They weren’t seasoned, which I actually appreciated, as many restaurants over-salt or over season their sides of steamed vegetables.  So, they were the way I eat them at home.  I guess that’s what didn’t thrill me…I could eat them at home.  But, they were good and a nice side for my veggie-loaded meal that night.

Now…the salad.  As I said before…strawberries always win.  I don’t know what it is about the combination of greens and strawberries, but it just WORKS for me.  Every time.  Which is why if a restaurant carries a salad with strawberries in it…I am going to end up ordering it…because it is always tangy and delicious.  Yard House was no exception to this rule.  The romaine was bright and crisp.  The vegetables were sliced to perfection.  The avocado…my newest obsession…was a nice addition.  Oranges and strawberries gave the salad a citric flair.  And it wasn’t heavily laden with the vinaigrette, as most restaurants tend to do.  It was a perfect drizzle of the dressing, which had a hint of a spice to it, which just set off all the flavors.  A perfect mishmash of ingredients and it ended up being the perfect salad.  Just what I needed that night.

I applaud Yard House in the steps they are taking, not only to incorporate food for vegetarians/vegans, but also for those with a gluten-sensitivity.  If more restaurants took this step, I’d have a lot more options out there.  Granted, I was restricted to a salad because I am also a vegetarian, but, damn…it was one of the most amazing salads I have feasted on.  I wouldn’t hesitate to return and order it again.  I hope to do that again soon because it was delicious and fresh.

Yard House’s menu is quite varied and really does have a little of something for everyone.  Including this gluten-sensitive vegetarian.  Now that’s a win in my book.