On Being a Regular

I love being a regular at restaurants and cafes. It makes your dining experience so much more personal. A good restaurant will make its patrons feel welcome on their first respective visit, but there's something to be said about being greeted very warmly on your 20th or 100th visit, when the staff knows you're a regular customer who appreciates their efforts.

Until the economy caused some strict belt-tightening, I used to go to a Starbucks near my office almost every day. The manager and baristas knew me by name, sight and drink -- sometimes my tall americano, no room, would be waiting for me by the time I parked my car and came inside. Now that's service.

Frequenting an establishment often also can make dining out much easier for those managing allergen concerns.

Finding a suitable place when you have dietary restrictions does involve some trial and error. Initially, you have to go through the process of asking questions about the menu, making sure your server understands your needs, then assuming you enjoy your food and suffer no ill effects after the first visit, you go back and repeat the process. But once you find a place that will accommodate you and your particular concerns -- and do it well -- it's wonderful to know you can rely on eating there safely. The staff gets to know you; you, them. And you build a relationship with a restaurant much like you do with any other -- it grows over time.

There are those places I've tried to which I won't return. If I've gotten sick from a restaurant's meal, it's clearly a no-go in the future. Less obviously off-limits are the places where I've been accommodated, but only very grudgingly. If, at any time during a restaurant visit, it's made apparent that meeting special dietary needs exceeds the kitchen's abilities, believe me, I'll be more than willing to take my business elsewhere next time. It isn't worth the hassle or discomfort, and I'd much rather patronize a place that is only too happy to meet my needs.

Fortunately, my go-to list is growing. Two of my favorites:

Very often for lunch or brunch I can be found at Townhouse Cafe (Out for Lunch), a charming place where I feel very comfortable and welcome.

Every second Wednesday of the month, you can be sure to find my posse and me at Ina's, enjoying the gluten-free fried chicken dinner there. I first wrote about Ina's more than a year ago (Fried Chicken Heaven), and save for twice during my health crisis this summer, we haven't missed one since she began hosting the event in mid-2008.



We have standing reservations at 7 p.m. at the large table in the front -- stop by and say hi! If you haven't had a chance to try the chicken dinner, do; you can look forward to a wonderful meal you can savor without worry. Gluten-free beer is stocked, and there's always a gf bread of some sort to partake before your meal arrives.



The regular gluten-free chicken is accompanied by cold slaw and mashed potatoes; the dairy-free version that I get comes with steamed vegetables and mashed sweet potatoes. The portions are so generous that you're likely to have leftovers, too.



It doesn't get much better than that.