Hi friends! For those of you that may not know, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease almost a decade ago (you can find out more about it here). The last four years I’ve been following the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) to help control symptoms. The diet calls for the elimination of all gluten, grains, refined sugars, soy, certain starchy vegetables, dairy (with the exception of aged cheese, butter, and homemade yogurt), additives… it’s a LONG list! As you can imagine, dining out at restaurants can be somewhat daunting for me, so it’s not something I do very often.
A few weeks ago my family and I celebrated my brother’s birthday at Ocean Prime. I could not have been more pleased with my meal or the service our waiter gave me! Ocean Prime is a chain with about fifteen restaurants scattered around the US. They specialize in seafood and prime steaks while also boasting an impressive wine list.
Aesthetically, the restaurant is beautiful! The interior of the Tampa location is sleek and sophisticated with large windows that overlook the outdoor dinning area and pond. It has a cozy outdoor bar area with comfy, couch like seating as well as a small bar inside. There’s also a large lounge area where you can enjoy a cocktail and listen to live music.
Even though the restaurant has a dedicated gluten-friendly menu, I still felt it necessary to explain my many food sensitivities to our waiter. He diligently wrote everything down and checked on a number of menu items for me with the chef.
When it came to the appetizer, he was able to modify the shrimp cocktail to meet my dietary needs! What came out was an impressive tower of shrimp with drawn butter. It was SO much food and absolutely delicious!
I decided to stick with filet mignon for my main entree and it was incredibly tender! For my sides I ordered the asparagus (deciding to forgo the hollandaise sauce it comes with) and the chef was able to modify the sauteed button mushrooms for me!
I was in complete heaven! Everything was mouthwatering and considering the care and attention I received from the waiter, I was confident that everything I ordered was safe for me to eat.
They do have have two gluten-free dessert items on their menu, but if like me you follow the SCD, then your only option would be to ask for fresh berries. I was so stuffed after dinner though, that I just sipped on some tea!
Overall, I have to say that I was highly impressed with their care and attention when it comes to accommodating someone with special dietary needs. I never once felt like I was “bothering” my waiter by picking his brain about the menu and he truly went above and beyond to ensure I would be able to enjoy my meal alongside my family!
Go to OCEAN PRIME to find out about locations, hours, and menus.
This is great, Keep them coming!