Monday, July 4, 2016

Gluten Free Dining at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

What would the Fourth of July be without some barbecue?  One of my favorite barbecue places is Dinosaur Bar-B-Que.  I've loved this restaurant for nearly 2 decades- since I worked at a television station in Syracuse, NY- the home of the original Dinosaur Bar-B-Que.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Stamford, CT is one of
10 Dinosaur Bar-B-Que locations
When I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I thought my barbecue eating days were over, so I was thrilled when I found out Dinosaur Bar-B-Que has a gluten free menu.  I was even more excited when in 2012 they opened a restaurant in Stamford, CT, 25 minutes from my home in White Plains, NY.  Last week, my family and I stopped in for dinner, after my son's swimming lesson in nearby Greenwich, CT.
Gluten free menu- appetizers and entrees
Gluten free menu- sandwiches and sides
Every table has a selection of four sauces.
They are all gluten free.
Not only do they have a gluten free menu, but all of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que's sauces are also gluten free.  Unfortunately, they don't have any gluten free rolls or corn bread.  There are a bunch of sandwiches and burgers on the menu.  So those of us who can't eat gluten, have to get a "no roll" sandwich as the menu calls them (which isn't really a sandwich at all!).  All the entrees (or Bar-B-Que Pit Plates as Dinosaur Bar-B-Que calls them) come with corn bread- and of course we can't eat that either.  I love their sides- and always have a hard time picking which two I'm going to get with my meal.  But our 11-year-old son, Nathan- who also has celiac disease- loves french fries.  Unfortunately, they do not have a dedicated fryer, so he can't have them.
We decided to sit outside
Nathan also has autism.  He can get very antsy in restaurants to help ease his anxiety, we decided to sit outside on the patio.  If the weather is nice, I highly recommend it!  Nathan didn't feel cramped and actually put down the iPad and talked to us.  We have eaten inside in the past.  It's inside an old refurbished factory, with dark woods, and plenty of televisions to watch your favorite team.
Brisket taco appetizer- and you can't have
barbecue without a sweet tea!
For an appetizer, I ordered the brisket taco.  It has chopped brisket, cheddar cheese, smoked avocado and tomato salsa, and chipotle crema on a corn tortilla.  It's mildly spicy but not hot, even my husband, Jason, who can't handle anything spicy tried it and thought it was good.  It's the perfect combination of spicy chipotle and brisket and cool avocado and crema.  It's a great small bite to start your meal.
House special with simmered greens with smoked turkey
and Harlem potato salad
For my dinner, I had the house special- a 1/4 chicken and 1/4 rack of ribs.  For my two sides this time, I decided on the simmered greens with smoked turkey and Harlem potato salad.  The chicken is always great.  Even the white meat is flavorful, slightly sweet and juicy.  Even my son, Drew, who usually doesn't care for chicken loved it- he actually stole half of my chicken!  I was actually disappointed in my ribs.  They were a little dry.  This was unusual.  I added some more barbecue sauce to the top, then they were fine.  The greens never disappoint.  They were smokey and delicious.  I always get the potato salad.  I don't find it spicy at all, but Jason doesn't like it he says it's too spicy for him- maybe it's the smoked paprika sprinkled on top.

They don't have any gluten free desserts- but by the time we were done with dinner, we were all stuffed, so we couldn't have eaten dessert anyway.

In addition to the location we visited in Stamford, CT, there are several New York locations including- Syracuse, Troy, Rochester, Brooklyn, Buffalo, and Harlem.  There are also Dinosaur Bar-B-Que restaurants in Baltimore, Chicago, and Newark, NJ.  And you can buy Dinosaur Bar-B-Que sauces at many grocery stores.

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

1 comment:

  1. Wonderful family time spent right? You have expressed a great feeling of yours and yes some very valid points too. I liked your work and your travel diaries too

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