We begin to study the menu and I as I normally do, try to hone in on what would seem like good milk-free choices. The menu has changed since my last visit and now includes many gluten free (GF) choices as well as items marked as vegetarian (V). http://www.fiveloavescafe.com/menu.html Although there are many vegetarian choices, they are not vegan which means most of them have cheese or cream sauce as an integral part of the dish. There are also five soup choices but four of them are cream base and the other one I have had before and did not care for the flavors of it. I mention this because Five Loaves has fabulous soups and salads. I was hungry though and looking for a dish a bit heartier. After studying the menu I asked our server about the tilapia dish. I told her my allergy is to milk, not to be confused with dairy because I CAN eat eggs. She checked with the chef and came back and told me I could not have the tilapia because it was coated in an egg wash. Hmmmm..... She suggested I just get a salad. Maybe it shouldn't, but it really irritates me for someone to suggest I just get a salad. Truth be told, I usually have to deconstruct a salad enough for it to be much like my salads I eat at home frequently. Especially the salads here! I settled in with the Fresh Vegetable Stir Fry with Chicken Breast and chose the Thai Peanut Sauce. Our server then brought us bread with olive oil drizzled with a bit of balsamic vinegar. We began to eat that and that was very good. Then I noticed several shavings of Parmesan cheese on the plate. I asked our server and she said the cheese was right next to where the oil mix is prepared so it must have accidentally fallen on the plate! Fortunately, I am not that sensitive to milk being in that close proximity but there are people whose allergies are that bad. (Particularly with peanuts and shellfish!) My stir fry arrives and my sauce is on the side. I am not sure if that is how it is prepared normally or if they were just being cautious. Funny enough, I have been in many restaurants that tell me they can serve a certain sauce on the side for me rather than putting it in the dish. I'm not sure how that might make the difference! Anyway, my food was okay. It was not a dish I would order again though. My overall experience at Five Loaves was a bit frustrating but I did enjoy meeting up with my friend.
