Fun with Food Allergies in Ocean City, Maryland and Bethany Beach, Delaware

Hi Friends! It's been awhile. Life is REALLY busy now with baby number three and working full time. But I just HAVE to share with you about our great food allergy finds on our recent trip to Ocean City, Maryland...with two stops in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Little Guy has multiple food allergies to dairy, egg, nuts, salmon and sesame, and he was able to eat out safely for 3 meals, plus 4 food allergy friendly desserts on and off the boardwalk.

Now, that's what I call an allergy friendly trip.

Vacations always stress me out a bit because most of my worry, planning and packing revolves around food. But it's a wonderful stress because that means we're going on VACATION - a much needed and loved activity! We've vacationed in OC Maryland almost every year, so it's easier when you've been there before. However, we haven't ventured to many restaurants.

At restaurants at home and on vacation, Little Guy has not eaten much more than a plain hamburger (no bun) plus steamed veggies, and maybe potatoes on the side. So, this vacation, I was determined to find a few different food allergy friendly options that our whole family could enjoy - including Little Guy!

A few weeks before vacation I emailed a number of restaurants that I found on both AllergyEats and in a food allergy forum on Facebook. A number of restaurants emailed and called me back immediately - which was just amazing! 

So where did we end up eating?  Well, we ate many meals at the beach house we rented, but otherwise we found a few good restaurants. 

BETHANY BEACH, DELAWARE
On the way down south from the Philly area, we decided to make a quick stop in Bethany Beach for lunch, before check-in time. I have to say - we really hit the jackpot with Bethany Blues. I spoke with the manager a week before the trip, and he told me that ALL their barbecue is free from Little Guy's allergens. WOW!

At the restaurant, we gave our allergy card to the waiter, and asked to speak with the manager. He confirmed that the barbecue, rolls, corn and green beans would all be safe. He said they would change gloves, watch cross contact, and they even mentioned that they were just named one of the 10 most allergy friendly restaurants in the US! 

I believe it.

They even made the corn on the cob specially for Little Guy for lunch since it's usually a dinner option. Little Guy had a GREAT meal and we truly appreciate Bethany Blues' allergy friendly options and care for those with food allergies.

We ALL loved the food at Bethany Blues so much that we decided to stop here again, on the way back home, for lunch! Little guy decided he like the pork barbecue and slider rolls, so he had THREE sliders, corn and green beans. 

Big guy now = big appetite ;)

We ALSO found two options for safe water ice on the Bethany Beach boardwalk. The first was at Shore Break.

We checked the ingredients of Georgeo's Italian Ice, and confirmed with the staff that they use separate scoops for the italian ice, separate from the ice cream.

Little Guy got a large (and it WAS large!), and Little Gal actually got a Spiderman popsicle, which was also a safe treat (even though she doesn't have food allergies). 

Happy kids all around!

I also spoke with the manager at Tropical Treats, and the shaved ice would have been safe for Little Guy. We didn't get a chance to try it, but hopefully next time.

OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND
While in OC Maryland, we ate at one restaurant, Harrison's Harbor Watch. This has constantly been a perfect restaurant for our family. Great food for everyone, and beautiful views of the boats coming in and out of the inlet, and of Assateague Island.

Again, we used our chef card, and the wait staff was very knowledgeable about food allergy protocols in the kitchen. They also always bring out the food with an allergy stick in it. A comforting practice for everyone.

Little guy safely ate a burger with no bun (the "best burger I've ever tasted"), green beans, applesauce and potatoes.

Now, what about food allergy friendly TREATS and DESSERTS!?  Everyone likes to get a treat on the boardwalk, right? Thankfully, we found safe cotton candy (sadly I didn't get a photo of the place where we got it!).

And water ice (maybe 2 or 3 times!?) at Polish Water Ice.

And we also specifically chased down DOLE WHIP. Yes, I said DOLE WHIP! It's a beloved treat for those who are dairy free and have food allergies. It's the creamiest dairy free "ice cream" I've ever tasted. It tastes like traditional soft serve ice cream made of cow's milk, but again, it's dairy free (and also egg free, nut free and free of all Little Guy's allergens).

See that awesome "Dole Whip" sign at the bottom?

Two happy kiddos with Dole Whip.

 We tracked down the dole whip on the way back from my relatives' house (always fun to visit them on our trips to OC!) since it was on our route back home. 

Dumser's Dairyland has many locations, and one with Dole Whip (the West Ocean City location)! Sooo, who wants to support a social media petition with me for Dumser's to add Dole Whip to ALL their locations!?

We unfortunately didn't get a chance to try ALL the restaurants I contacted who responded that they could safely cook for Little Guy. I really wanted to try Mother's Cantina since they said they could make safe tacos, fajitas or nachos (they even have vegan cheese). 

I also wanted to try The Bayside Skillet for breakfast for lunch as they also gave us a positive response.

I really hope this is helpful for others looking for food allergy friendly restaurant options in OC, Maryland and Bethany Beach, Delaware!

Please remember to do your own research at each restaurant to serve the needs of your specific food allergies. Management, chefs and policies change, so ask every time.

And yes, I'm logging all these great finds on AllergyEats!

I hope you'll join me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for conversations and posts that may not necessarily be included on the blog.

Happy eating!

Restaurant Review: Harrison's Harbor Watch Restaurant in OC Maryland

Last week I posted about our fun trip to OC Maryland. I wanted to share more with you about our restaurant experience. Since we rented a beach house with our extended family, we ate in most nights which made it easier from a food allergy perspective.  The one night we went out to eat, we had a positive experience at Harrison's Harbor Watch restaurant.

This wasn't our first time there. We had a positive experience there last year too. Harrison's offers beautiful views of the inlet, Assateague island (where the wild ponies roam) and ships coming in and going out to sea. They also have been great with food allergies.

After we handed the waiter our food allergy card, the manager came over to us with a kids' menu she updated to include all the options for little guy to eat. We've NEVER had that kind of service before. It was such a nice treat to see all the possible options.

I was so excited by it that I of course took a photo :)

Little Guy ended up ordering a plain burger, veggies, potatoes and applesauce. It was the "best burger" he ever had...and that's a direct quote. (I think he was really hungry! :)

Don't ya just love that allergy stick?  It's the same one that I took a photo of last year during a beach trip!

The only thing I would have changed?  The fact that the sides came out all together on a big tray with no allergy stick in them (only the burger had them on). It made me feel less confident that the sides were safe for Little Guy, so I made sure to ask the waiter about them.

Little Guy ended up only eating the burger a few veggies, plus some Surf Sweets gummy worms on the boardwalk that I brought along (in a BIG bag of treats that I made sure to have for him!). 

Did a restaurant ever update a menu specifically for you or your child? I know many restaurants like Red Robin have books ready-made for customers to reference. But I thought this was great customer service!

DISCLAIMER: My reviews are only reviews of our unique experience at these restaurants. They are not an endorsement of safety when eating at these restaurants as each restaurant, staff and kitchen are different. Please do your own research and take all precautions for you and your family when eating out.

Beach Vacation and Food Allergy Planning

What's the secret to a wonderful beach vacation with family (and views like this)?

Planning, preparation and fun!

But as you know, going on a vacation or trip takes a little more preparation and planning than usual when you have food allergies.

Last week we stayed at a beach house with 7 other family members. We all had a wonderful time together and also had a successful food allergy friendly experience for Little Guy.

What are the main things that I prepped?  Well, beyond LISTS and LISTS of everything we needed to take and remember for the trip....

I baked a double batch of pumpkin muffins from Sophie-Safe Cooking the day before we left to share with everyone in the family.

I baked a loaf of food allergy friendly egg-free, dairy-free (and gluten free) bread two days before. We use King Arthur Flour, Gluten Free Bread Mix. It's STILL Little Guy's favorite bread. (Deep breath exhale of frustration). More on that in another post.

I bought a FRIO pack to make sure Little Guy's Epipens stayed at the correct temperature at the beach. During other years we kept the Epipens in a thermos in the shade of a beach umbrella. This year we tried something new and I was VERY pleased with the FRIO pack. It was simple to use and it made me feel more at ease without having to worry about the Epipens getting too hot at the beach.

Frio pack to make sure the Epipens stayed cool at the beach

I normally would have researched restaurants before our trip, but since we've had a few good food allergy related experiences at restaurants in OC Maryland the past few years, I felt comfortable in knowing where we could go. We only went out to eat one night at Harrison's Harbor Watch restaurant, and we had a great experience. I'll write a separate post about it!

I brought a lot of food to the beach (including items I knew I might not find at the beach grocery store like coconut yogurt, Sunbutter and safe soymilk), but I also planned meals beforehand and wrote a shopping list for the beach. My list included things like meat, fresh veggies, fruit, brown rice, etc. 

One of the nights we all had the same food allergy friendly chicken chili meal with avocado and safe tortilla chips. Thankfully everyone was very satisfied!

And all the kiddos had dairy free So Delicious Coconut Milk ice cream with mini Oreos on top. A definite treat!

We all had a wonderful trip in general and love the family and beach time. Here are a few pics of the beautiful community where we stayed in OC Maryland.

A few of the bayside part of the resort looking at the beach area where the kids loved playing.

Lots of fun at the beach and pool here.

OC Maryland and the setting sun.

The kids loved playing by the bay. 

Fishing off a pier was fun too.

We all had fun playing in the water! Some days we went to the bay, and some to the ocean.

A beautiful sunset. We felt like we were on an island in this picture!

And here are some other beach and food allergy posts you might find helpful:

OC Maryland Food Allergy Friendly Restaurants

At the Beach: Traveling with Food Allergies

Traveling with Food Allergies: What I packed on our beach trip

Here's the link to the Frio pack we used:

Eating Out with Food Allergies: Penn State Trip

I have another great food allergy friendly restaurant experience to tell you about. We traveled to Penn State in State College, PA this weekend as a fun little getaway and family reunion. My cousin is graduating from PSU this spring, so it was time for all of us to meet at PSU for some family time. Of course, when planning any travel or long term trip that will involve eating out a restaurants, my first thought is...how am I going to feed Little Guy safe food allergy friendly food?

So, I started my usual process:

• CALL AHEAD: Since I went to school at Penn State, I already knew about a few restaurants that might work well with food allergies (and kids!). I called the Allen Street Grille, The Deli (where we had a previous great experience) and the restaurant at Toftrees where we were staying, The Down Under Steakhouse. All restaurants said they had previous experience cooking for food allergies and could accommodate our requests!

• REVIEW THE MENU ONLINE: I usually order the same thing for Little Guy - a plain burger or chicken, steamed veggies and potato or rice. However, I always like to see if there's anything different on the menu he might be able to have.

• PACK OUR OWN FOOD: I planned to pack enough food that would get him through the weekend - even if we couldn't find a restaurant that could serve him safe food.

• USE OUR CHEF CARD: The chef card is what I depend on to communicate how SAFE we need to be when cooking food for Little Guy. It also helps the information get directly to the chef.

We ended up eating two meals at Toftrees' Down Under Steakhouse since it was the most convenient place to meet family on a busy weekend at Penn State. The kids loved just walking from our hotel, and especially loved playing on the open green space outside of Toftrees golf course.

We ate dinner and breakfast at The Down Under Steakhouse (although I only got a photo of breakfast). Two great meals for everyone!

This was the first time we ordered breakfast for Little Guy at a restaurant. Breakfast is usually such an egg and dairy-focused meal that we haven't really tried to go out for it much. But The Down Under Steakhouse had a number of great options. Little Guy ordered the oatmeal, sausage and fruit (potatoes and bacon were other safe options!).

Look at that oatmeal bowl - ENORMOUS! He loved it. Especially when we added a little brown sugar and raisins.

Little Guy thoroughly enjoyed his food allergy friendly meals as you can see!!

Here's my official review!

Food: American-style food focused on steak, burgers and chicken (of course since it's a steakhouse!). Small kids menu for breakfast, but great food overall.

Allergy-Friendly: Yes. As mentioned above we had a great experience with this restaurant and the staff.

Atmosphere: Dark wooden furniture makes it feel more upscale, yet it's a casual place that's great for kids too. It overlooks the golf course and we walked right outside and down some stairs for the kids to play in the grassy area while waiting for our meals. A great place for kids and adults.

I'll be sure to add my great review to AllergyEats!

You may also like my list of other food allergy friendly restaurant reviews with photos of some of the food! 

DISCLAIMER: My reviews are only reviews of our unique experience at these restaurants. They are not an endorsement of safety when eating at these restaurants as each restaurant, staff and kitchen are different. Please do your own research and take all precautions for you and your family when eating out.

OC Maryland Food Allergy Friendly Restaurants

We recently had a great allergy-friendly experience at two restaurants in Ocean City, Maryland. It was a drastically different beach trip than last year's trip. Although we had fun last year too, I didn't feel comfortable ordering at a restaurant that I wasn't familiar with, so we made all of Little Guy's food in the hotel room.

This year, Little Guy is obviously older and notices if he doesn't get a meal from the restaurant like everyone else. I also felt more confident trying two new restaurants since I did my research beforehand. We ended up having positive experiences at both Harrison's Harbor Watch Restaurant and Phillips Crab House. We've eaten at these restaurants before - even before Little Guy was born! So, our family loves going there anyway, and it's a bonus they could accommodate Little Guy's food allergies.

I called both restaurants ahead of time to make sure they felt comfortable preparing an allergy-friendly meal for Little Guy. I also used our trusty chef cards to help me communicate with the server, manager and chef about Little Guy's multiple food allergies to egg, dairy, nuts, sesame and wheat.

Little Guy had a plain hamburger with steamed veggies at both restaurants. Here's his meal at Harrison's - especially photo-worthy due to the "Allergy" stick:

Love the Allergy stick!

 Little Guy sat by the window to enjoy the view. Harrison's is right on the harbor and the views are so beautiful to watch the water and boats pass by.

Little Guy enjoying his allergy-friendly meal!

I didn't take a photo of Little Guy's meal at Phillips, but it was about the same - burger and veggies. I usually bring extras for him like a gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free muffin or nut-free granola bar. I also usually have some sort of treat on hand like Enjoy Life cookies!

Little Guy having fun at Phillips with Daddy!

Our trip to OC Maryland was SO much fun, and I was so happy that we had great restaurant experiences. I'll write more about our fun vacation in my next post and more about the food we packed for Little Guy and what he ate the rest of the trip.

What is your best tip for managing food allergies on vacation?  AND/OR what's your favorite place to vacation!!?