Alabama's Gulf Coast's Best Kept Secret--Sad Epilogue 6-28-13

Dinner 6/28/13

Epilogue to the initial post on October 16,2013:
My husband asked me where would I like to go for a little birthday get-away. The first thing that came to my mind was the Gulf Coast even though I knew that eating anywhere along Alabama's Gulf Coast for Rick is always sketchy at best. I was confident I could take a few things I had prepared, throw in a few certified gluten free granola bars and pick up fruit at Publix in Fairhope. We would be fine because I knew that we could eat our special dinner relaxed at the Grand Hotel in Fairhope because of the awesome skills of the chef and his staff to prepare fried seafood that is totally gluten free. 



Now, I knew my buddy Charles had gotten a well deserved promotion, but he had assured me the quality and service would not change. This meant we could continue eat delicious, gluten free fried Gulf Coast seafood with wild abandon in a gorgeous atmosphere. He suggested to call ahead to give the "chef" a head's up a few hours ahead.

On Friday afternoon, June 28, 2013--actually the day after my birthday--my husband called about five hours in advance to make a reservation for two. He explained to the reservationist  that he was Celiac and  we would be ordering the fried seafood platter that the chef had prepared for us using a potato flour blend the last three times we had visited. He also gave her his cell number and asked her to call if there was any problem. She assured that she would relay the message.

We arrived all dressed up and relaxed for my night on town, looking so forward to a wonderful meal that we did not have to prepare in such a beautiful area. We presented our server with our chef's card and told the her what we would be ordering so that she could alert the chef. She said they could not fill our request because they did prepare anything with potato flour. We demanded to speak to the dining room manager and the chef. A person who spoke limited English came out and was clueless about our reservations, food requirements and preferences. 

We demanded to speak to the chef. A young man wearing a chef's jacket came out. He said that he knew nothing about the kitchen protocol of the main chef. He had never heard of the main chef using a flour mixture or using a dedicated fryer. Again, communication was a problem, not because of broken English, but because he could not intelligently discuss Celiac disease, gluten intolerance or food preparation methods. I offered to teach and show him how;--I am a home economist and ServSafe Certified. 

From my perspective, there were several problems: 
1. The person who took the reservation simply lied. She did not relay the message as Rick had asked and she had promised, not did she call.
2. The dining room manager could not communicate well enough to convey to us he had any understanding of the seriousness of dietary restrictions and allergies. 
3. The person in the chef's coat was apparently not a chef or even a cook, just someone they jerked out of the back and slapped a chef's coat on. 
4. Management has no interest and/or does not want to handle dietary restrictions of their clientele, which is abysmally stupid for a four/five star restaurant in a resort area. One percent of the population has Celiac disease and another seven to eight  percent have some degree of gluten intolerance, which means they are conceding almost 10 percent of their diners to restaurants who are smart enough to offer delicious gluten free options.
5. If the restaurant had changed its protocol and could not handle special dietary restrictions, simply tell us. I would have understood and respected that, but they chose to lie and tap dance.

We ended up eating smoked tuna fish salad I had made, along with some fruit and gluten free Refrigerator Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (Click for recipe) and shared a bottle of cava in our hotel room.

The Grand Hotel ruined our special evening--at least on the surface. My husband and I always enjoy time spent together. But, I must admit that after that horrible experience, it took us two or three hours for our disappointment to lift, and that should never have happened.

Sadly, I can no longer endorse or recommend my all time favorite place to have a special meal. My original accounting that you will find below no longer applies. 

When a Good Restaurant Messes Up--They Fix It

Before reading this post , please visit my latest review at (click for link to post)

All who are medically mandated gluten free have had both good and bad food experiences while traveling. Hey let’s face it; sometimes we just plain and simply do not want to cook at home.

We personally do not eat out often for obvious reasons—the inherent risk of my beloved, Rick, ingesting food cross-contaminated with a gluten containing product or being prepared on or in cooking equipment not properly cleaned, thus non-gluten containing food becoming contaminated with gluten.

The ONLY restaurant—and, I mean the ONLY restaurant—where we can order our food confident that it will be prepared correctly and safely is Jimmy’s located in downtown Opelika, AL. This restaurant is so conveniently located, only three blocks from our home. Jim, a personal friend, takes pride in his restaurant and his work. In the three and a half years since Rick’s Celiac/severely gluten intolerance diagnosis, Rick has never enjoyed the same dish twice. All we do is say “Please tell Jim that Rick Horne is here.” and in just a little while beautiful, delicious and safe foods just pour forth from the kitchen.