Gluten Freedom’s South East Road Trip: Part II

The next day on Sea Island we had coffee and I ate breakfast in the room, Stonyfield yogurt with a Serenbe Farms peach. When I travel, I usually try to eat one meal with my own food because it’s one fewer opportunity to risk getting sick. It’s also a good way to save some money! After breakfast we went to the Beach Club at the Cloister and had a lazy morning by the pool. For lunch we went to Big George's, the restaurant at the Beach Club. Due to its casual nature and mostly sandwich filled menu, I was nervous about this venue but we decided to try it.

Our trip was made by our waiter at Big George’s, Whitney! When I mentioned celiac to Whitney he knew exactly what we were talking about because his 12 year old daughter has been diagnosed with celiac for two years. A thoughtful and friendly waiter, I felt so comfortable with our dining experience at Big George’s. Whitney knew I couldn’t have grilled chicken because it was marinated in soy sauce, so I had a nice piece of grilled salmon on a salad. This was a perfect meal on a hot beach day. Whitney even brought out Glutino crackers before the meal came! (It’s no corn bread with bits of bacon like David got to eat, but very thoughtful of Whitney and gave a little more substance to my salad.)

For our final meal, we decided to go to dinner at the Oak Room at the Lodge. We really liked the ambiance at the Lodge and went with the Oak Room, which is more casual than Colt & Alison but still has very nice options on the menu. Of course we had a drink on the porch first, listening to the bagpiper! For dinner, I ordered the sweet tea brined pork chop. Of course the mac and cheese was not gluten free so I ordered their sweet corn grits which I enjoyed more than the mac and cheese anyway. (Sometimes it pays to have celiac because restaurants don’t mind if you swap sides!) The entrée also came with yummy stewed okra and tomato. (Side note: now that I’ve moved to Atlanta I’m in love with okra. I had some last night at my friend, Mary Stuart's house and I just bought some okra at the Decatur Farmer's Market on Wednesday…Let me know if you have any recipe suggestions for okra.) The Oak Room was a great choice for us and the waiter and manager were very attentive to us and my dietary needs. The manager checked on us multiple times throughout the meal to see how we were doing.

David and I had a great time at Sea Island and our dining experiences were all delicious, fun and memorable. I felt like I was able to enjoy the food that I wanted, and that I wasn’t limited by my celiac disease. Now we just need to figure out a way to go back!