Allergy Foodie - thrive with top 8 food allergies! » Dining Out

Cocoa V, decadence & bonhomie!

Anu Rao — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:22:10 +0000

Happy Pumpkin Pie Day!

‘I want to be a part of it; New York, New York…

My little town blues; they are melting away…’

Aah, as Elvis prances around singing New York, New York, my heart races with anticipation! Psst – if you haven’s already guessed, I am a total city girl at heart And, New York City is undoubtedly my favorite city in the world - museums, skyscrapers, eclectic stores, jazz bars, theater and for a foodie like me – the incredible smorgasbord of restaurants! Dining out in New York City with one of my favorite people in the world, my dearest friend, Bindu…’a perfect evening’ !

Happy Birthday girl! To many more gastronomic adventures...

So, on her birthday – this post is an ode to her and the amazing time we had spending a divine spring evening at an allergy friendly dessert bar. Here is to my beautiful friend who has been with me through teen dilemmas, boys, body-image issues, college, work, marriage and now children as we try our best to be good moms – ‘Cocoa V, decadence & bonhomie’

Designer chocolates (Photo courtesy:www.cocoav.com)

One of the projects I have undertaken for my blog has been to visit allergy friendly restaurants, dessert places, bakeries et al around the world. First stop – Cocao V, NYC. What a delightful experience it was in this quaint little vegan chocolate boutique in fashionable Chelsea, NY!

Chcolate love (Photo courtesy:www.cocoav.com)

Truffles - we could not get enough of it! (Photo courtesy: www.cocoav.com)

Founded by Pamela Elizabeth, the incredible variety of bon bons, truffles, cakes and more is mind-boggling. What catches the eye the moment you walk in is the attention to detail and the contemporary aesthetic appeal – the eclectic decor, hardwood floors, tastefully arranged chocolates on elegant white plates, the small kitchen visible from the counter and chic packaging - sheer indulgence!

Salted Dark Chcocolate - my fav! (Photo courtesy:www.cocoav.com)

Trendy and upscale packaging! (Photo courtesy:www.cocoav.com)

But, what makes their chocolate so special?! As the Cocoa V website puts it, ‘ The cocoa beans we use are grown in the Dominican Republic, processed in Switzerland, and then the chocolate makes its way to us. The rich, smooth texture is one that is hard to find, and seems to be satisfying even our most persnickety customers.’ Also, there are not too many 100% vegan, organic, fair trade chocolate shop . Finally, their unique and traditional spread – from their signature Hot Chocolate, decadent cup cakes, Cookies and Cream Bar, salted dark chocolate, jasmine tea caramel, pretzel clusters makes this place a must visit for everyone with a sweet tooth

Cookies and Cream Dark chocolate bar - my son's first love... (Photo courtesy:www.cocoav.com)

They also offer an extensive variety of cakes and cupcakes. But, what truly warms a foodie’s soul is the artistic touch bursting forth in all their products.

: Pretty as a picture cupcake! (Photo courtesy:www.cocoav.com)

The grand finale of the evening - the unadulterated joy in my son’s face when he saw a box of beautiful individually wrapped truffles in dainty boxes, clusters and chocolates bars in pretty cellophane bags. He could not believe that something he could eat could look as good or better than the beautiful chocolate boxes he would wistfully watch others partake of. Yes – allergy friendly foods rarely look exclusive. So, for the visual treat alone – thank you Cocoa V, not to mention the delightful taste of the treats themselves!

So, the next time you are in the Big Apple, a visit to this delightful dessert bar is highly recommended:

Address: Cocoa V Chocolat - 174 Ninth Avenue, NYC

Phone number: 212-242-3339

In case, you cannot make it to the city – lo and behold they have an online store at www.cocoav.com where you can order chocolates, cakes, cupcakes, wedding cakes and more.

With a song in my heart and a bounce in my step – once again, I wish my dear friend a joyous and healthy life on her special day. Thank you for making the journey of a child with food allergies and his mom not only easier but a whole lot of fun

Emotional Challenges of Holiday Gatherings…

Anu Rao — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 03:56:08 +0000

Since I became mom, holiday-time socializing has become bitter-sweet. Seeing the wonder of festivals through the eyes of a 5 year old is priceless. But, ensuring that he does not get excluded from enjoying festive foods because of his multiple food allergies is emotionally draining. I spent most of my youth in India and most my adult-life in the US of A. What does that translate into? Our family celebrates all the Indian festivals that begin in late-August and go on till early-November and also celebrates all the festivals in the US – Halloween through New Year

When Arjun was younger, I would make allergy friendly versions of goodies at home and carry safe food for him to all gatherings. As he is growing up, he has outgrown a few allergies which has made eating out a little easier. However, the challenging part is – though he is aware that he needs to be very careful about what he eats, he is a little boy who wants to feel that he is as normal as the other kids. He understands that he cannot eat everything from the festive spread but he does hope that there are at least a couple of items he can eat. Fortunately for him, most people who have us over go out of their way to ensure that he has something more substantial than chips to eat. Thanks to all of you who are considerate to food allergy sufferers.

However, there are gatherings where he cannot eat a single item from the spread. This makes him so sad that it brings tears to my eyes seeing him endure the social trauma. Till last year, I would hesitate requesting our host if they could have something for Arjun to eat. Then I decided to be upfront with my request. Here are my reasons for this approach:

It is unfair of me to expect the host to remember in a big holiday gathering. Most people are considerate and if we give them advance notice they would be happy to oblige.
After all, we invite people and spend days cooking prior to that so that all our guests (even the littlest ones) can enjoy and appreciate.
We live in a society where we offer a ‘choice’ even about basic foods like the type of creamer and sweetening agent in our hot beverage – tea, coffee, cocoa or the amount of salt and pepper in dishes. A food allergy is a life-threatening condition. It is not unreasonable to expect a ‘choice’ in such a situation.
When entertaining, all of us do consider the cultural sentiments of our guests. If there is a vegetarian in our midst, we ensure that there is at least one dish he/she can eat. So, why should food allergies be any different?
We do take into consideration adult health conditions like diabetes, hypertension et al when cooking for our guests. Here we are talking not only about a life threatening condition but also about young children – the future of our civilization.
It is understandable that some of us are apprehensive about taking on the risk of serving something that might cause a severe reaction in someone with known food allergies. Hence, we might opt to take the easier route and not serve anything to such people. But, we as a society cannot be so afraid of doing the right thing and more importantly, the onus of responsibility is on the allergy sufferer/ caretaker. As a host one can only offer choices. Allergy sufferers understand that!

The direct approach has helped in most cases but there is always the outlier! How does one deal with it? Should I still attend such gatherings because of social pressures and end up miserable on an otherwise happy occasion? Or, should I politely refuse if the host is unable to oblige thus shielding my son from the trauma that might have a long-term impact?

This is a very emotional post for me because my heart struggles with my rational side when I see my son suffer. So, I would love to hear from other allergy sufferers/ caretakers on how they handle this emotionally draining experience. I would also love tohear from others just so, people on this side of the fence can see things from a different perspective. That may help us handle the situation better.

My parting thought…is it too much to expect that we should be a little considerate to other people’s needs especially if they are serious whenever reasonably possible? I think ‘not’ – I want to believe that we are humane enough to be able to think beyond ourselves and our own in small ways.

Burger King – here we come…

Anu Rao — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 02:31:54 +0000

As a rule, eating out is better avoided by food allergy sufferers though an increasing number of restaurants do have ingredient statements and allergen declarations. Despite that, cross contamination can make dining out hazardous. However, there are times when we want to give our children a small treat or need options when traveling. So, I have short-listed a couple of national chains where there are a few choices apart from juice and soda. Even before I enter a restaurant, I look up their website and minutely go through their ‘Nutritional Information’ pages. Burger King (www.bk.com) was the first place my son had the joyous experience of sitting down like other kids and enjoying a meal. Yayy for BK! Though the options are limited, even that is more than what they can get elsewhere:

1) French Fries: Burger King Fries don’t have wheat in them. Oh yes – fries are not just potatoes! Most often they have wheat and a million other chemicals added to them to enhance flavor and texture. So, check the ingredient listing very carefully. BK is also one of the few places where the fries are fried separately.

2) Tendergrill chicken: Even a piece of grilled chicken is never just chicken. Soy protein is a common lurker in many chicken dishes. Thankfully, soy flour is not used in BK’s grilled chicken which goes under the name ‘tendergrill’. It is really tender and delicious – just ask my son J

3) Apple Fries: Plain old slices of apple with a preservative. However the caramel dipping sauce that comes with it is an absolute no-no!

Couple of things to keep in mind before dining out are:

1) Keep in mind that restaurants change their recipes without notice so look up their website every time or you can even ask for it at the counter in many places. The latest BK ingredient statement can be accessed at: (http://www.bk.com/)

2) Always check the food before consuming it. I found an Onion Ring (contans wheat) once in the BK Fries!

3) A reader brought up a very good point – ingredient statements are different in different places (especially different countries) even within the same company. Thanks Karen

Happy and Safe Dining Out!

Before you dine out…

Anu Rao — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:06:40 +0000

Wow – the human race does eat out a lot!!! Birthday, Mother’s Day, friends from out of town, kid on the honor roll – we use the slightest excuse to celebrate with food ;-) However, dining out can be nerve-racking for someone with multiple food allergies. But, eating out has become so synonymous with celebration, relaxation and socializing that being armed can sometimes be a better solution than being paranoid because feeling part of the larger community is also very important. The moment we leave our kitchen, the outside world is fraught with potential food pitfalls but there are some pointers I have found useful. I will keep updating this list too because I seem to learn something new every day about managing allergies. Readers – do add to this list from the lessons you have learnt managing your own or a family member’s food allergies. The more we know, the better we can keep allergic reactions at bay…

Always have medicines handy (Epinephrine shot and Antihistamine dose): One cannot repeat this often enough – we just cannot afford to forget EpiPen and Benadryl even once. Ensure that the medicines have not expired and they have been kept under temperature conditions specified on the packaging. Be armed with meds even if you are not planning to eat anything outside.
Even safe is unsafe: Even eating something that you have not been allergic to in the past does not mean that you will not have a reaction today.
Do your homework: When possible, check out ingredient listings, menus and potential choices beforehand. Call the restaurant or the parent company if ingredient listing is not available. You will be surprised what things can go into even a simple dish! Even a techno-phobe like me switched to a blackberry so that I have instant access to online menus, nutritional information and ingredient information.
Stick to known and simple dishes: As a lifelong vegetarian, I had no clue that chicken could be marinated in yogurt. Therein I made the mistake of giving baked chicken marinated in yogurt to my son who is allergic to dairy. So, when in doubt stick to the relatively simple and the known!
Beware of generic terms in ingredient listings: An ingredient like ’spices’ may include allergenic items like sesame, mustard, sunflower seeds etc. The term ‘dry fruits’ includes one of the most dangerous food allergens – nuts…scary!!!
Remind the server: Do not expect the server to remember that you have allergies when ordering dessert just because you had mentioned it an hour back when ordering entrees and appetizers.
Be wary of every dish: Something as innocuous as a fries may have been deep-fried in peanut oil or a loaf of bread could have milk in it! Why have we stopped making simple food?!?
Mentally alert: Despite all these measures accidents may happen any time and that’s why it is good to be mentally prepared for the worst. I remember seeing on a TV show about self-defense that under moments of extreme stress people react at the lowest level of their training. So the more prepared we are, the more likely that we are to take quick and correct action.

Safe eating out…