Please help! DC Restaurants that are able to deal with food allergies!

[Anonymous]

My sister and nephew (age 4) are headed to DC next month - he has very severe food allergies (dairy, egg, nuts, legumes, etc) and we have to be very careful about any foods he eats that we don't prepare.

Does anyone have any suggestions about good places to eat in downtown DC, Georgetown, near Smithsonian, etc?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

What kind of allergies are we talking about here? A reaction from ingesting or a reaction from the food you are eating having been prepared in a kitchen that uses dairy, eggs, nuts, etc? Honestly, I've found that the nicer the restaurant the better they are at telling you (and working with you) what goes into each dish. That said, I'd try to do some advance planning by calling the restaurant ahead of time. Letting them know the ingredients that are likely to cause an issue. Asking them what they have available on the menu that would work with your nephew's allergies and then tipping generously when you go.

[Anonymous]

PP here - does your nephew like stir frys? Maybe you want to find a "make your own" type place. Or a place with a nice salad bar where you can assemble his meal.

[Anonymous]

My kid has Celiac and I understand that eating out can be hard. I wouldn't do a salad bar like PP said - too much risk of cross-contamination, especially because of the nuts in stir-fries. Places that are supposed to be good for us (obviously different allergy) - Jaleo, Austin Grill, PF Chang's, Coastal Flats, Zaytinya. Eat at off times and ask for an experienced server. Honestly, we pack meals a lot when we travel. Makes it easier and safer. Hard to have fun when you end up in the hospital after dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here - does your nephew like stir frys? Maybe you want to find a "make your own" type place. Or a place with a nice salad bar where you can assemble his meal.

not the OP and don't have a kid with allergies, but I think these places can be really dangerous for people with life treatening allergies. Stuff drops in other bins all the time, people can accidently put the bean tongs in the celery container... my friends uncle had a shellfish and almost died at a japanese place years ago because they hadn't cleaned the grill well enough -- even after he told them about his allergy and watched them clean the grill (or whatever that thing is called in japanese restaurant).

i agree with the high end recommendation -- the source or central or maybe even oyamel?

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone - it is daunting to think about, and the suggestion of going "high end" is helpful. A chef friend also suggested that as the kitchen works under one top manager - and less issues are likely.
I agree totally that any place that has open food is likely to be big trouble - so no salad bars or stir fries for us! We'll try to pack as much as possible, but appreciate having some ideas of places that may be able to accomodate this!

[Anonymous]

www.allergyeats.com

[Anonymous]

My husband used to work at the Old Ebbitt Grill. They, along with any restaurant in the Clyde's group take food allergies extremely seriously. Talk with your server when you get there, or call in advance. They will usually have someone from the kitchen come out and talk to you.

[Anonymous]

Last night I went to a presentation with Norah O'Donnell and her husband Geoff Tracy at Friendship Heights. They've just written a cookbook called Baby Love.

One of the audience members asked about food preparation and allergies. Geoff said that an old friend of his came to D.C. with his children, one of whom has severe food allergies. The father told Geoff what the child was allergic to, and one of the Chef Geoff restaurants (he didn't tell which one) prepared dishes to order.

Geoff said that it was helpful to have the information in advance. He also said that it's good to tell the waiter if you are truly allergic to a food (like garlic or peanuts) or whether you just dislike something. It makes a huge difference in how the kitchen approaches the food preparation.

[Anonymous]

I heartily recommend eating at higher end restaurants and calling ahead. Also as a PP said, we've had good experiences at the Clyde's family of restaurants in accomodating my son's nut allergies. Another idea is to ask your sister what chain restaurants they can eat at at home, b/c hopefully the local branch will have same menu/preparation procedures. I know your post is asking for restaurant suggestions, but as a mother to a son with serious food allergies, I will say that it can be challenging to feel comfortable at out of town restaurants with which I'm not familiar, and I am so appreciative when friends/relatives make a point to take me to a supermarket and provide me with refrigerator space so I can have "safe" foods at the ready - certain friends/relatives sometimes even ask me for a specific shopping list in advance and they will stock up on the "safe" foods for our visit - I love those relatives So you may want to ask your sister - she may not want to be a buzzkill and suggest you don't eat out too often during their visit but would appreciate you asking if she wants to mainly eat at your home. No matter what, it is very nice of you to try to research the restaurants in advance for them!

[Btw, the 12:49 post re: Chef Geoff is interesting to me, b/c we have never had great experiences at Chef Geoff's on New Mexico Ave in dealing with my DS's peanut and tree nut allergies ... we've often received conflicting advice re: whether the bread has nuts in it, and there is actually at least one peanut butter item on the kids menu, which is fairly unusual nowadays at restaurants.]

[Anonymous]

The waitstaff at the Grillfish/Logan Tavern/The Heights group of restaurants almost always asks about food allergies when you order. Those might be places to try.

[Anonymous]

Restaurants that are vegan or vegan friendly are your best bet. They often have soy free options as well, if that's a concern. Vegan means there isn't any eggs or dairy. Java Cafe and Green Cafe are two bigger branches, there's A falaffal shop in Adams Morgan that's amazing...

[Anonymous]

And sticky fingers bakery, although you'd have to check about nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And sticky fingers bakery, although you'd have to check about nuts.

Sticky Fingers isn't suitable for people with nut allergies, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Restaurants that are vegan or vegan friendly are your best bet. They often have soy free options as well, if that's a concern. Vegan means there isn't any eggs or dairy. Java Cafe and Green Cafe are two bigger branches, there's A falaffal shop in Adams Morgan that's amazing...

But aren't vegans into nuts and legumes? Doesn't sound suitable to me. I'd probably stick with fish or meat and vegetables.