A group of us went this weekend to eat
at Rosedale Mall’s Macaroni Grill. Often when a group of us go out to eat the
first thing that happens is everyone looks at me and asks where I can eat. Due
to my Celiac ways this is often the case and sadly I am often the deciding
factor of where to go. We had just gotten done at the movie theater and there
were a few options nearby. I recalled that the Macaroni Grill had a gluten free
menu the last time we were there and I really enjoyed the Gluten Free noodles
they had.
Immediately upon entering I remember
how much I liked the calm atmosphere. They have bottles on shelves lining the
wall and a bar setting with a few televisions going that seemed very separate
from the rest of the restaurant. Their alcohol menu seemed nice. A good mix of
wines and liquor, there was not too much of either.
When I asked for the gluten free menu,
the hostess stated they did not have a gluten free menu but to ask our waiter
to get the options. This caught me off guard, but it has been a while and
perhaps they did not have GF menu last time either. However our waiter informed
us that they stopped using the GF noodles because many people did not like
them, but that they had other options. The waiter had a good knowledge of the
levels of Gluten free living and people with Celiac.
As for the non-celiac people: the
waiter immediately brought out water, and hot bread. Then he crafted a small
plate of olive oil and fresh ground pepper right there before us. Yes any of us
could have done this, but it nice to have that done and made the whole
experience feel more special. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the
best impact. Perhaps I should have worn
a tie?
The waiter
again made a great move by timing his visits just right and did not show up too
much nor too little. Another bonus is he never asked us “how is everything?”
instead he phrased the question “Do you need anything,” or “Did you have any
other questions for me?” To be honest the waiter’s professionalism was likely
my favorite part of the evening, I was quite impressed. That is hard
considering how amazing the food was. I cannot speak for the others at the
table who ate until they couldn’t walk as well. Based on my perception though,
they really enjoyed their food as much as I enjoyed my Veal Valdostana. Which
consisted of pan seared veal with prosciutto, mozzarella, and a marsala wine
sauce with mushrooms. It had a side of perfectly roasted potatoes and some
cooked broccoli. The Veal pan seared was perfect for
me, cooked medium rare as pan seared veal should be. To be honest you never
want veal cooked more than medium. Sorry to those of you who like their meat
like beef jerky.
Yes they could have had Gluten free
noodles, or a separate menu, but the waiter knew his stuff so it was not
needed. The menu was a perfect size enough options but not so much you are
overwhelmed, and the water didn’t taste like sawdust. (Yes I can tell the
difference in taste of basic water)
Everything was done to perfection and I
couldn’t have been happier… oh, there is one thing that may have been cooler
than the rest. They do not use table cloth. They use big sheets of paper and
leave you crayons to draw with or color, or play tic tac toe or hangman or
anything. I drew Batman with some Joker Ha Ha Ha’s that were quite creepy.
