Ryan also suffers from a food allergy and he has friends with allergies, so he was very empathetic to my situation. He mentioned how in other restaurants he's worked in, when cooks complained about customers like me, he'd tell them to step up to the challenge. I was appreciative of his awareness that food and beverage is a service industry. After having spent 20+ years in this industry myself, I am amazed at how often servers will think I'm just being picky or finicky about my meal preparation. He offered some suggestions of items for me to eat and told us the kitchen could make something to fit my needs (a vegetarian with food allergies).
I had already filled up on funnel cake at the International Collectibles & Antiques Show at the Metrolina Expo, so I really just wanted fried pickles. I don't eat fried food very often, but going to a place like Pinky's was the perfect opportunity for me to indulge. Unfortunately, their batter contained ingredients I could not eat. Ryan assured us the kitchen would make a fresh batch of batter for me and take care in avoiding cross contamination with bowls and utensils. He was even cognizant of the oil in which the pickles would be fried; I decided to go for it and take a chance with the oil even though other foods with my allergens were fried in it. Ryan also brought out the package with the ranch dressing's ingredients; again, I chose to take a chance after seeing the word "Spices" on the package. Fried pickles just aren't the same without the ranch dipping sauce!
The pickles were delicious and they went great with my Shock Top beer. However, once I got home and had been there for a little while, I began to have a delayed reaction. It happens that way sometimes; I don't always get an immediate warning that I'm going to have a reaction. My lips and tongue had not tingled or itched at all while we were at Pinky's. Hours later, I started coughing (asthma) and my eyes and nose started to itch. I took a couple of Benadryl tablets, but my right eye still swelled up and my throat became sore and tight.
I went to bed and woke up with a slightly swollen eye this morning and my throat is still sore. However, I know that Pinky's did all they could to accommodate me. Ryan was excellent in checking back with me during the appetizer and he took the time to simply chat and get to know us a little. I'll definitely be back, but I will wait until I'm hungry enough for them to prepare a whole meal that I'm sure will be safe.
