Dahlonega Georgia eating out?

[MissWendy]

I'll be in Dahlonega Georgia in a few weeks, for 4 days.  It's a workshop with a group, and there will undoubtedly be some dining out after stuff.  Anybody know the area?  Have any Whole-able places to recommend?

[Jihanna]

I'd seriously suggest two things -- planning ahead to not have any viable options, and finding out where your group is likely to eat (if there are plans to eat as a group) so you can call ahead to see what options could be available for allergy-restricted diets.

I'm not in Dahlonega, but am looking at the Trip Advisor site for their restaurants, and it looks like you're going to have an array of places that aren't particularly known for compliant foods -- Mexican, pizza, barbecue, etc. -- so I'll try to at least make suggestions based on what I can see here and my own experiences when I had to eat out during Whole30.

Chick-fil-A is mostly not compliant. Seriously, don't even begin to fool yourself into thinking their grilled chicken is compliant. It is possible to eat, but the only thing I can think of off the top of my head that's compliant is a fruit cup and dry salad... they might have a salad that offers boiled eggs, or be able to provide you with boiled eggs for your protein, but I can't guarantee that. I used to love their food, especially the fries, so I generally avoid it altogether now (particularly during W30).

Captain D's is mostly not compliant. You can look over the menu at their website, but even things that seem like they should be okay list non-compliant allergens (all of the grilled items list corn, and some also list soy). They DO have a side salad that could be eaten dry or with dressing you've brought along for the ride. The steamed broccoli looks like it would be okay, and a baked potato is fine as long as they don't pre-baste it with non-compliant oil or butter and it's ordered without the butter and sour cream. The other veggies don't look compliant (fried stuff, corn, slaw, and green beans that list soy in the allergen info).

Moe's Southwest Grill isn't as compliant-possible as you might think. Moe's is one of those build-your-own-plate type of places that makes it semi-easy to make sure of what you're getting... which you'd think would make it simple to be compliant. Their website actually lets you check out the nutrition information with a variety of filters. I'm currently viewing it with the diet "gluten-friendly" chosen, and showing without milk, peanuts, and soy -- every single protein is marked out, and of the options that are available after applying those filters, a handful of those aren't Whole30 compliant anyway... you'd basically be left with salad options: shredded lettuce, black olives, diced cucumbers, diced tomatoes, fresh and/or pickled jalapenos, cilantro, lime wedges, and pico de gallo (which may or may not have some kind of sugar added, you'd have to ask)... bacon and guacamole are both showing available, but I can almost guarantee the bacon's not compliant, and the guacamole you'd have to make sure of added sugar.

Foothill Grill notes include Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, and Gluten Free Options. They're listed as one of the "cheap eats" according to Trip Advisor, and they've got some pretty amazing reviews from what I can see. If this one's potentially on the list to visit, I would say it's definitely worth calling them -- since it shows that they've got vegan and gluten-free options, it's entirely possible they'll be able to help you figure out what you can have without significant modification and/or how they can cook something to fit your need.

Waffle House is probably more friendly than you think. You'd have to make sure about oil (or bring a little compliant oil with you for them to use), but overall it shouldn't be difficult for you to get a decent breakfast at Waffle House. Eggs and hash browns can be cooked up on tin foil to prevent your food from touching allergens on the grill, and they've got decent options for adding in veggies (dry salad or additions to your hash browns).

The biggest thing, whatever the dining plans might be, is to be prepared. Be ready with specific questions that you want to ask, or specific information you want to let them know (i.e., "I need allergy-friendly food handling: no soy, no dairy, no gluten, no legumes including no peanut oil or non-stick spray with soy lecithin, no grains. I also need no added sugars of any kind, no msg, sulfites, or carrageenan, and no alcohol including extracts like vanilla. Do you have options available that would allow me to dine with you?"... be sure to ask about any marinades on meats, etc.) It's tough, but it's often possible.

If you've got the option of including a small cooler with your travel things, I highly suggest taking along some compliant foods just to be sure that you're not starving while you're away. On my last trip during W30, I took a dozen boiled eggs, enough lettuce for a few salads, some diced up roasted chicken, some diced roasted veggies, a few bananas and a couple of apples. I kept the cooler in the car when we went out to eat, so I could easily grab something if there weren't any compliant options available. I also had a variety of tea bags with me, so I could ask for hot water to make my own tea instead of drinking theirs (I found fruity tea to be much more palatable without sugar than black tea, so I still carry tea bags in my purse). It's nice to be able to have a little container of compliant sauce or dressing, also, to add a bit more flavor to the food once it's on the table.

Good luck to you!