Noodles & Co. and Gluten Free...

Last week when my daughter came to visit I took her to her all time favorite place to eat, Noodles & Co. I had never known this company existed until we moved to Ohio for my husbands job. My favorite location is their small quaint restaurant nestled beside several other businesses along a stretch of Hamilton Road in Gahanna Ohio. Although they have several franchises in different states they were unfamiliar to this small town girl until my move to Ohio.

The first time my husband and I had visited them for lunch was before starting my wheat free living adventure and I could eat almost anything I wanted on the menu. We haven't gone there recently as I was so sure that all their foods were basically off limit except for the Pad Thai. One can not live on  Pad Thai alone ....

The day before my daughter was suppose to arrive I decided to browse their online menu  just out of curiosity as I wanted to surprise her with her favorite treat. I was pleasantly surprised at the several dishes I could actually have.

Now like any restaurant, Noodles & Co. can't promise that there might not be a chance of cross contamination, but they did everything in their power to prevent it. The waitress made sure to let the chef know I was gluten intolerant so as to use every precaution. He even washed the pan before beginning my meal.

I ordered the Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine with the substitution of rice noodles in my meal. It was absolutely delicious, and I have to say I am a little embarrassed as I ate almost the entire dish! Anyone who knows what generous portions Noodles & Co. serves might be tempted to call me "Piggy".

My daughter not only sampled my dish but had to admit it was really delicious, even though she does not eat gluten free herself. She thoroughly enjoyed her meal, and we had such a enjoyable time.

The girl who had taken our order at the counter came to our table several times to make sure we were satisfied. Now when in this type of situation I find myself quite unsure if I should leave a tip, as one actually places their order at the counter. I decided to leave a tip on the table anyway as they actually clean the tables after you leave, so I feel they deserve a small token of appreciation.

The cost for the portions they give is a drop in the bucket. Two meals with salads, and one beverage costs just a little over $15.00. I would have spent that much at a fast food drive through and not had such a healthy, enjoyable meal...

There are actually 12 items on the menu that are gluten free. I have listed them for your convenience. When visiting please let the person you place your order with know that you have gluten allergies and need to replace the noodles in these dishes with rice noodles. It also helps the chef to be more aware when preparing your meal.

Gluten free menu items by substituting rice noodles:

Penne Rosa
Pesto Cavatappi
Pasta Fresca
Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine
Spaghetti with Marinara
Buttered Noodles

Also no gluten in these:

Pad Thai
Chinese Chop Salad with fat free Asian dressing and no wanton strips
The Med Salad without Cavatappi noodles
Caesar Salad without croutons
Tossed green Side Salad with fat free Asian dressing
Cucumber Tomato Side Salad

Well I have errands to run this morning and then I am treating myself to lunch...you guessed it...at Noodles & Co.

Have a great wheat free day. I know I will!
Sharon

* I did not receive any compensation for this post what so ever. I just feel they deserve a "shout out", that is more than deserved!