Light of Day

Lemonade

We LOVE Uno Chicago Bar & Grill in Brookfield, Wisconsin.  We dine there at least twice a month.  During the Christmas holiday, they had an offer where you’d receive a $5 voucher for future service (after 1/1/10) for every $25 Uno’s gift card that you purchase, so we bought two!

Our server’s name was Pete and he came by shortly after we were seated and took our drink order.  Uno’s only serves Pepsi products, unfortunately, so that’s what Rick ordered.  We both prefer Coca Cola products.  I ordered a lemonade, although it tends to be very tart at Uno’s.  Once the ice melts a bit, it’s a perfect blend of sweet and tart. The raspberry lemonade, on the other hand, is very sweet – too much so, in my humble opinion.  Sometimes, it’s not any less sweet when the ice melts.

We love coming here.  Even during prime time on a Friday or Saturday, we never have to wait long – yet, they’re busy. Tonight, it’s not that busy. Tomorrow (New Year’s eve) might be a different story.

We had an Entertainment Book coupon for a free appetizer with the purchase of 2 entrees.

Cheese Sticks (not GF)

And here is my only complaint – Uno’s no longer offers gluten-free appetizers!  They used to have these pork drumsticks, but no more.  They do have soups, but for me, that’s more a meal. So, in order to make use of the coupon, Rick ordered cheese sticks. He said that they were very tasty.  I would have loved to sample one – they were my favorite appetizer back when I could eat such things.

Chicken Thumb Platter with Fries (not gluten-free)

For his entree, Rick ordered the Chicken Thumb Platter with French Fries.  This is something that he routinely orders – it’s one of his favorite meals at Uno’s.  It was just as enjoyable as ever, he reported.

I ordered the baked stuffed chicken with steamed broccoli. I also ordered a house salad, no croutons and ranch dressing on the side. Within the last couple of months, Uno’s has added more gluten-free salad dressings – yay!  They used to only offer balsamic vinaigrette, not my favorite. It’s always nice to have choices!

Gluten-Free House Salad with Ranch Dressing

The salad was very crisp and cold – mixed greens with a wedge of tomato and cucumber.  The dressing came in a small cold container and it  poured easily over the salad.  The chicken was delicious! It was stuffed with spinach, feta, and tomatoes. The broccoli came with a lemon wedge and was steamed well (no crunch).

Gluten-Free Baked stuffed Chicken with Broccoli

We had to wait a bit for our server to bring boxes and our check.  Unfortunately, he didn’t take the appetizer off the bill, but we didn’t realize it until he had run our gift card and charge card.  Rick had to bring it up to the front and a manager had to correct it.

Overall, though, it was an excellent meal.   The part at the end with the check was just a simple mistake, and I certainly wouldn’t grade them badly for it.   Uno’s provides an excellent variety of gluten-free foods, and it’s always an enjoyable night out for us.

We saved the best for last!  Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada of Epcot’s World Showcase is a very popular restaurant.  When I phoned in 3 months in advance for reservations, I was only able to get in at Le Cellier on our last night at Disney.  We were very lucky!  Not everyone is able to obtain a reservation there.

Gluten-Free Tapioca Rolls

We arrived relatively early for our 7:00 p.m. reservation.  It was raining, so we were lucky to stake a spot up by the door, under the overhang. While we waited, we saw MANY people approach the podium to ask if there were any available seats (without a reservation) – no, there were not.  There was an unfortunate incident involving a loud-speaking woman who tried to bluff her way in, saying she had a 7pm reservation when it was actually set for 8:10 p.m.  The gal that the podium handled it beautifully.  The loud-speaking woman (and her suspiciously silent husband) were told that they could check them in at 7pm, but that they would not be seated until 8:10 p.m.  She did not like that, and she stomped off, her silent husband trailing behind.

We were seated at 7:05 p.m. in the New Brunswick section, the original territory of Canada.  Our server’s name was Amanda.  Chef Joe recommended the Filet Mignon which is what we both ordered.  He said that he could alter any entree and mix and match the sides.  Le Cellier has a nice selection of entrees on their menu:

• New York Strip Steak topped with bercy Butter served with Gruyere Yukon Potato Gratin
• Salt-crusted Prime Rib with Roasted Yukon Potatoes finished with Au Jus and Horseradish Cream Sauce
• Coffee-rubbed Kansas City Strip Steak with Hazelnut Butter and Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
• Spice-crusted Pork Chop with Rosemary Polenta and Endive-Citrus Salad
• Sauteed Potato Gnocchi with Grilled Eggplant, Cherry Tomatoes, Pesto Broth, and Parmesan Cheese
• King Salmon Two Ways – Pan seared with Hoisin Barbeque and Citrus-poached with Coconut Soubise
• “Le Cellier” Mushroom Filet Mignon served with Wild Mushroom Risotto and finished with White Truffle-Herb Butter Sauce
  

  Filet Mignon & Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

• Veal T-Bone with Black Bread “Panzanella” Salad and Banyuls Vinaigrette
• Pan-seared Scallops with Artichokes, Golden Beets, Salsify, Capers, and Lemon-Brown Butter Sauce

Maple Creme Brulee

They brought Rick’s very obviously not gluten-free bread out to the table first, and it looked fabulous!  Three large bread sticks – sourdough, pretzel and multigrain.  It was kind of a let-down to be brought gluten-free tapioca rolls after that breadstick display, but I was still thrilled to be brought any sort of bread before a meal in a restaurant that I got over it.

My filet mignon was served with the cream cheese mashed potatoes.  I hate to think how many calories were in that meal.  It was superb!  As I say, we saved the best meal for last!

Chocolate "Moose" (NOT gluten-free)

I wanted to order the very popular Chocolate “Moose” for dessert, but Chef Joe said that the chocolate mousse is rolled in Oreo cookies and that he didn’t have the gluten-free version of the cookies.  He said that he could bring out the chocolate mousse plain, without the cookies and the Maple Leaf Antlers, but I decided to go with the Maple Creme Brulee.  I’d only had creme brulee once before and although I liked it, it tasted even better at Le Cellier.

Rick ordered the Chocolate “Moose” – I just had to see it!  He said that it tasted delicious!  And although all of the other photos in our gluten-free dining reviews are of gluten-free food, I’m including a photo of the mousse here…it truly is a work of art!

This was our last full day at Disney, so it seems fitting that we would save the best for last.  We stopped in to Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in the Magic Kingdom for lunch.  It’s a rather large restaurant, but very busy.  There is more than one order station, so we weren’t sure which line to get in to in order to speak to the manager.  We ended up standing in the “chicken” line because I knew I wanted to order the rotisserie chicken.  The manager allowed Rick’s burger order to be taken at the same counter.

At first, they were going to make Rick’s hamburger bun gluten-free, misunderstanding who needed the gluten-free meal.  It made me a bit nervous about whether or not my meal was actually GF, so I asked the manager (Mimin); he assured me that it was.

Rick’s meal came up well before mine, so he went off to find a place to sit.  He was more than half finished with his meal before mine came out.  But, it was well worth the wait!  Look at this delicious meal!  Had I known that I would be served this much food for lunch, I would have skipped breakfast (pancakes at Port Orleans Riverside).  So, I did what I had to do….stuffed myself!

GF Rotisserie Chicken, Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans

It was the best rotisserie chicken that I’d ever had!  The mashed potatoes and green beans (my favorite veggie) were very good, too!  I’m not sure, but I think that the potatoes were real potatoes and not from a mix.  This would explain the long wait for the meal, but again, well worth it!

Gluten-Free Brownie

As this was a counter service meal, I was allowed to have a dessert.  My only choice was a French Meadows Bakery gluten-free brownie.  Fortunately, it was pre-packaged, so I could take it with me.  I didn’t have any room for dessert, thanks to the terrific lunch!

Saratoga Springs Resort is laid out a bit differently than we expected, and the bus does not stop at the Turf Club Bar and Grill, although we passed it.  It took us 10 minutes to locate the restaurant.  I think that it must be more conveniently placed for the benefit of guests staying at Saratoga Springs rather than outside visitors.

Tapioca Rolls & Butter

They have a rather large menu at the Turf Club.  Chef Glenn said that all the appetizers could be modified to be gluten-free with the exception of the Tomato Bisque and the Onion Rings.  We were on the Disney Dining Plan that did not include appetizers, otherwise I would have given one a try…especially the Crab Cake.  Those are difficult to find gluten-free at the restaurants that I dine at back home.  Available gluten-free (or modified to be gluten-free) appetizers include:

• Crab Cake with Sweet mango Salsa and Chipotle Mayonnaise
• Fried Calamari with Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise and spicy Marinara Sauces
• Mixed Greens Sald with Citrus Viniagrette
• Caesar Salad
• Buffalo Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dressing and Celery Sticks (usually Blue Cheese Dressing is not gluten-free)

Penne Pasta with Grilled Chicken

Chef Glenn said that any of the Entrees could be modified to be gluten-free.  The steaks would be prepared without the glazes.  Available entrees from the menu include:

• Grilled Tuna with Yukon Gold Potatoes, Frisee and Roasted Garlic Nage
• Grilled New York Strip topped with Blue Cheese, Portobello Mushrooms, served with Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
• Angus Chuck Cheeseburger topped with cheddar and Applewood Smoked Bacon served with Vegetable Slaw or French Fries
• Penne Pasta with Shrimp with Artichokes, Spinach, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Olives and Garlic (you can also substitute the shrimp for grilled chicken (my choice) or as a vegetarian entree.
• Spiced Salmon Salad on tossed Arugula with Vine-ripened Tomatoes, Applewood Smoked Bacon, and Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise
• Prime Rib with Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
• Mint-crusted Lamb Chops with Honey-Dijon Glaze and Smoked Gouda Polenta
• Roasted Free-Range Chicken Breast served with Shiitake Mushroom Risotto and Sweet-and-Sour Cherry Glaze
• Pork Tenderloin with Red Onion Jam, Balsamic Glaze, with Yukon Gold Potatoes, Frisee, and Roasted Garlic Nage

Prior to the entree, I was served tapioca rolls and a salted butter.  Having bread served at a meal is a double-edged sword for me.  While it was fabulous to be served bread just like any other dining patron, I didn’t want to eat all of the bread so as to save room for the upcoming excellent entrees!

I had the Penne Pasta with Grilled Chicken and it was delicious!  At home, I never cook with rice pasta because I don’t feel that it cooks as evenly, and it’s a bit tougher in texture.  The rice pasta with this meal, though, was well prepared.  The artichokes and garlic, and the chicken, of course,  really added to this excellent meal.  Again I say, there is no way I could be a vegetarian.

Gluten-Free Brownies & Ice Cream

For dessert, the only option was the gluten-free brownie, which was fine, but I was looking for just a bit more, especially after the flourless chocolate cake that I had had at Mama Melrose’s.  So, I asked if I could have Edy’s vanilla ice cream with the brownie and when it came out, it was artistically displayed and very tasty!

The Turf Club is a fairly large restaurant and themed with dark woods.  We were seated near the windows overlooking a patio area that was overlooking a body of water.  There were many families seated around us, which is what you’d expect of a resort restaurant.  There weren’t any bathrooms in the restaurant, though.  To get to one, we had to go back out to Artist Pointe and near the resort lobby.  I don’t think they expect many outsiders to come to their restaurant.

Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano

Mama Melrose’s is a beautifully decorated Italian restaurant in Hollywood Studios.  I had heard that they accommodate the gluten-free diner, and that is certainly true!  Chef Josh told me that all of their menu items can be modified!  They would use rice pasta or substitute for the roux.  Their menu is quite extensive, so this was the first time since being diagnosed as a celiac that I could choose ANYTHING on the menu – and it was an Italian restaurant!!  It boggled the mind.

Gluten-Free Tapioca Rolls & Olive Oil

Entrees to choose from include:

1. Pork Tenderloin with Wild Mushroom Risotto, fresh Vegetables, and topped with marsala Sauce
2. Spaghetti Fra Diavolo with clams, Mussels, Calamari, and Shrimp tossed in a spicy Marinara Sauce
3. Charred Sirloin Steak topped with Gorgonzola Butter on Roasted Red Pepper Polenta and Grilled Vegetables with a Red Wine Reduction
4. Penne alla Vodka with pancetta and Sweet Onion finished with Tomato Basil Sauce, Cream, Vodka, and Pecorino Romano
5. Spicy Italian Sausage with Rigatoni Pasta, Peppers, Onions, and  Tomato-Basil Sauce topped with Caprino Cheese
6. Wood-grilled Tuna basted with a Sun-dried Tomato Pesto served on Grilled Vegetables
7. Chicken Pipette – Wood-grilled Chicken over Pipette Pasta tossed with Artichokes, Peas, Roasted Peppers, and Sweet Onions in a Basil Four-Cheese Cream Sauce
8. Oven-baked Chicken alla Parmigiana over Spaghetti
9. Eggplant napoleon
10. There are also 4 different flatbread menu items, but  I wonder how they could have been adapted to be gluten-free?
    

    Gluten-Free Chicken Parmesan

I chose to have the Oven-Baked Chicken alla Parmigiana over Spaghetti.  It had been many years since I’d had chicken parm, so I had forgotten that the chicken is breaded.  Chef Josh made that gluten-free, too, rather than just not breading it.  It was an excellent meal!  They brought out gluten-free tapioca rolls.  That’s something I’d never get tired of….being served gluten-free bread with a meal in a restaurant.

Gluten-Free Flourless Chocolate Cake

Saving the best for last….for dessert I was offered either ice cream or a flourless chocolate cake.  Naturally, I chose the flourless chocolate cake, and wow!  It was excellent and beautifully presented.

Without a doubt, we will definitely revisit Mama Melrose’s on our return trip to DisneyWorld.  No question about it!

Whispering Canyon Cafe

The Whispering Canyon Cafe is at the Wilderness Lodge resort.  I think that I’d like to stay at this resort the next time we visit Disney.  It’s very rustic and brings back pleasant memories of time spent in the forests of Upper Michigan…

I had been anticipating our visit to the Whispering Canyon Cafe because of what I had heard about their gluten-free corn bread and the popular Canyon Skillet meal.  It was everything (and more) that I had heard….an excellent meal!

We had taken the boat from Port Orleans to Downtown Disney, and then a bus to the Wilderness Lodge – total travel time approximately 1 hour.  Fortunately, we left plenty of time for travel and arrived before our reservation time of 7:00 p.m.  We were seated at 6:50 p.m.  The restaurant is very rustic with a log cabin feel to it.  We lucked out and were seated at a table for 2 right next to the fireplace.  It had been raining all day, so it was very nice to sit next to a roaring fire, even if it was early September in Florida.

Our Chef was Eddie and he gave me a list of the items from their menu that were gluten-free.  Other than the Canyon Skillet, they included the Whiskey Maple-glazed Trout, Grilled Rib-Eye Steak, Smoked Pork Loin, or Beef Short Ribs.  Only the two remaining items on the menu could not accommodate a celiac, and they were the Meatloaf and the Chicken Vegetable Penne Pasta.

Canyon Skillet

The Canyon Skillet (all-you-care-to-enjoy) consists of: Smoked Pork Ribs, Pulled Pork, Oven-Roasted Chicken, Beef Brisket, Mashed Potatoes, Cowboy Beans, and Corn-on-the-Cob.  It comes with a Mixed Greens Salad with Apple Viniagrette and Fresh-Baked Cornbread.  Coleslaw was also an offering, but that was not considered to be gluten-free.  I could have also ordered an appetizer of Herb Seafood Cakes, but I opted not to try them as there was so much other food to eat.  I kind of regret that now, as I’ve always wanted to try seafood cakes, and they just don’t offer that type of thing, gluten-free, at the restaurants that I frequent back home.

Gluten-Free Corn Bread

Eddie warned us, “don’t fill up on the salad and corn bread”, and I’m glad I listened to him.  I saved most of my cornbread (brought a baggie) and brought it back to the resort for breakfast the following morning.  I ate enough of the salad to know that it was indeed tasty with the Apple Viniagrette dressing.

Of the Canyon Skillet, the chicken was my absolute favorite.  It was expertly seasoned and prepared well.  My second favorite was the pulled pork.  Can you tell that I’m a meat lover?  The Canyon Skillet is perfect for a hearty eater.  The ribs were very good, as were the mashed potatoes and corn-on-the-cob.  About the only thing I didn’t care for were the Cowboy Beans, but that was just a personal preference, nothing to do with how they were prepared.

Edy's Ice Cream

For dessert, my choices were either sherbert or Edy’s Ice Cream; I chose Edy’s.

It was the best meal that I’d had in a very long time….I just wish we could return to the Whispering Canyon Cafe every month or so!  It’s probably for the best that I didn’t get to try the Herb Seafood Cakes…. to quote my father-in-law, “What if I like it?  What then?”  It’s not as if we can return regularly for an excellent meal.  This restaurant will definitely be on my list when we return to Disney World.

We spent a rainy morning at Epcot, going on Soarin’ twice!  Soarin’ is, by far, the most exciting ride that we’d ever been on.  Before taking the Monorail over to the Magic Kingdom, we stopped for lunch at the Electric Umbrella.  It’s a rather large restaurant with plenty of seating.

Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders & Baked Fries

We spoke to Eduardo, the manager, and he told me that he would prepare gluten-free Chicken Tenders and Baked French Fries for me.  He said that he’d oversee the preparation personally to make sure it was done correctly.  Because the fries were baked, it took a bit longer for them to come out with my meal.  My husband got his order quickly, and I asked him to go find a place to sit and to start his meal.  Unfortunately, my meal took so long, my husband was already finished eating, so I ended up eating alone.

Kozy Shack Jello

The meal, though, was pretty good!  Plenty of chicken tenders and a lot of fries.  I found out that their ketchup and mustard were gluten-free, so I got a small tub of each and used them to dip my french fries.  Dessert was a Kozy Shack Jello cup which was a welcome change from the standard gluten-free brownie.  I like the brownies, of course, but it seems to be the standard dessert offering at DisneyWorld.  I wanted to try something different.

Lunch at the Electric Umbrella compared equally to the lunch that I had the the day before at the Liberty Inn in the World Showcase.  I think that the chicken brands were different at each place, but they both tasted very good.  The serving at both restaurants were hearty and provided more than I could eat in one sitting.

I’d recommend both restaurants for a nice lunch while at Epcot!

After our lunch at Liberty Inn, we roamed around Epcot’s World Showcase, taking photographs and collecting more pressed pennies.  We were back in Morocco when it started to sprinkle, so we decided to duck into one of the shops to wait it out.  It rained fairly hard for a while, and when it tapered back to light rain, we went over to the (covered) boat landing in Morocco.  At first, we didn’t think the boats were running – they shut down during thunderstorms, but then we spotted one on the return trip from Canada.

On the way to the bus stop to get back to our resort and dinner reservations at Boatwrights Dining Hall, we tried to stop off at Soarin’, but everyone else had the same idea and the wait on stand-by was 35 minutes (Fast Passes were gone).  We just didn’t have the time to spare, so we headed over to the bus stop.  By the time we arrived at Port Orleans Riverside at 6:40 p.m., it was raining VERY hard.  We waited for 20 minutes at the bus stop for it to let up, but it never really did, so at 7:00 p.m., we made a dash for it, soaking ourselves pretty good in the process.

We were promptly seated when we arrived at Boatwrights.  It was cheery and warm inside the restaurant, just the thing that we needed after spending the majority of our day dodging in and out of the rain.  The temperatures had dropped from the mid-90s to the low 70s and in Florida in September, that is a drastic change!

Gluten-Free Roll & Butter

Chef Carlos gave me several gluten-free choices from their extensive menu.  He said that I could choose the Jambalaya, the Grilled Pork Chops without the Maque Choux, Grilled Tenderloin Medallions or the Blackened Fish Filet but without the Grilled Grit Cake.  He did not recommend the Pasta Shrimp, even though they could substitute the pasta with rice pasta.  They also could not accommodate me if I wanted the Buttermilk Fried Chicken, but since I had had fried chicken the night before (at the 50’s Prime Time Cafe), I didn’t mind.

Slow Roasted Prime Rib & Three Cheese Hash Browns

I chose to have the Slow Roasted Prime Rib with the excellent Three-Cheese Hash-Brown Potatoes.  Instead of being served with Cabernet Sauce, Chef Carlos served it with au jus (which was just fine!).  They started my meal off with a gluten-free roll and butter….something that would never get old for me….to be served bread before a meal in a restaurant!

The Prime Rib was delicious!  I don’t believe I’ve ever had it before, so it was quite a treat.  It’s probably not something that I’ll ever have again as I prefer my meat to be cooked just a bit more, but I’m glad that I tried it.  Now the Three-Cheese Hash-Brown Potatoes were another matter.  I’d never had them before, either, but I just knew that I was going to love them!  What’s not to love about three cheeses and hash browns?  Multiple taste sensations in every bite – yummy!

Gluten-Free Brownie & Ice Cream

I didn’t really have room for dessert, but I ordered some anyway.  Chef Carlos sent out a gluten-free brownie with vanilla ice cream and a garnish of blackberries & raspberries.  By this time, I’d eaten half a dozen of the pre-packaged gluten-free brownies, but it still tasted very good and when ice cream was added, it was even better!

We’d recommend dinner at Boatwrights if you’re looking for a quiet, intimate dinner atmosphere.  It was just perfect for us on that rainy night in September….very warm and welcoming and the food was delicious!