Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Gluten Free at Roti Mediterranean Grill

I love this place! My son and I eat here almost weekly. The food is fresh, the gluten free menu is displayed right on the counter, and the price is right. Roti even has gf pita!

Gluten free options include chicken, steak, or salmon kabobs OR chicken and steak grilled roti. Meals all come with rice which is zesty and has varying amounts of vegetables. Some of the meals include hummus or tomato/cucumber salad. The hummus is not as tangy as I prefer but the salad has always been fresh. Sorry, the felafel is not available to us. Roti has 6 different sauces, all gf. I like them all. They offer gf pita for $2 extra from Rose's Bakery in Evanston (http://www.rosesbakery.com/7-Pitas-Pack-of-6/productinfo/35-001).

The main thing I like at Roti is the steps they take to avoid cross-contaminating the food. The procedure was implemented 2-3 months ago and I find it reassuring. I noticed that with their new procedure they even re-positioned some food items on the line to further prevent cross-contamination. As soon as the diner orders gluten free the staff person washes hands, changes gloves, and follows the order down the line, alerting other staff to not touch that plate. The gf pita are warmed up in the same press as the regular pita but they are all foil wrapped for safety.

Currently Roti has a $5 lunch special - chicken roti, salad, & hummus. Skip the felafel and pita (although you can always pay extra for the gf pita). Locations in Vernon Hills, Northbrook, and Chicago.

http://www.rotiusa.com/