Dining out at Chili's.

Yesterday the family and I chose Chili's as the place to go for lunch after a bike ride. We contemplated a hip local restaurant, but the wait was too long. We considered a South Philly diner, but I didn't relish the gluten conversation there. So, we decided to look for a chain restaurant that would have stuff the kids like and which would probably have a GF menu from the corporate headquarters. Chili's appeared like a beacon on the horizon (or a big sign at the strip mall.)

We were right. Chili's does have a GF menu with a pretty good list of offerings. It clearly states in many places that not only is gluten contamination possible, it's downright likely in their kitchens. Not knowing how sensitive I am to gluten, I decided to hope for the best. I had black beans, corn on the cob and steamed veggies (broccoli and carrots.) I enjoyed it all.

Until last night. I hadn't realized how much my symptoms had abaited until they returned. I won't go into details. It wasn't awful, but it's sure a lot nicer to live feeling generally good all the time.

So, would I pick Chili's again? Probably. There's no telling if the restaurant was the cause of my contamination, or if I did it myself while preparing PB&J on wheat bread for my 9-year-old or toaster waffles for my 6-year-old. I do have a better idea of my level of sensitivity.