Picture this… Sicily.. 1920… Sorry I could not resist. I am a huge Golden Girls fan. Anyway, the other night this Allergic Travele
r went to one of the finest restaurants in town. Marisol is a restaurant that prepares everything fresh and almost made to order. We were headed there as my husband had some clients in town. The restaurant was gracious enough to take a 9 pm reservation as normally they are closed by this time. There were 6 of us eating dinner. Imagine if you were the chef cooking for this crowd. There was a diabetic at the table, 3 kosher eaters, and myself with my list of food allergies. It was definitely a challenging evening for Chef Tim. He did not even seem to break a sweat. He catered to each one of us. The waitress was especially knowledgeable and made all kinds of recommendations based on each one of our restrictions. It was such a pleasure to not only eat food that was safe for me, but also that was divine. As you may know, I frequent restaurants a lot. I do it for two reason, one because I believe I am educating others about food awareness and two because I am on the road a lot. Admittedly not every restaurant is as accommodating. Often times I just end up ordering a salad, I do not eat or I am asked to leave. When I have the opportunity to go to such an exquisite restaurant and eat like a queen, it makes me wonder why all restaurants cannot be held up to such standards. My meal at Marisol consisted of goat cheese salad, with homemade dressing. A very moist steak with a side of kale and sweet potatoes, all seasoned beautifully. Nothing tasted the same, and nothing was bland. Being allergic to garlic, soy, and sesame, often times this is a challenge for any chef. Finally I had a chocolate espresso mousse. What you may not know about me is that I am both a chocolate and coffee fan! I have had mousse twice in my life. I rarely get the opportunity to eat deserts because of my allergies to eggs and nuts. The desert was the best part of this whole meal. If you have not been to Marisol, I highly recommend it.
If you are afraid to take your allergic child out to eat, don’t be! It’s a challenge but there are more and more restaurants out there that want your business and will do whatever it takes to make it safe for you and your child. Bonne appetit!