Interesting cupcake options

100% gluten free bakery!

Last week I spent a day in Fresno, California as part of a little road trip. I didn’t see as much of the city as I would have liked but in the short time I had there I discovered a couple of good gluten free spots.

It was my 29th birthday and we decided to have dinner at PF Changs. I discovered quite a while back that this chain has a gluten free menu and on speaking to the restaurant’s staff at a couple of different locations throughout the States (the first being on our trip to Vegas) they appeared to have good awareness of celiac disease and the importance of avoiding cross contamination. I’m not a fan of restaurant chains in general, usually opting for somewhere a little more interesting and family run instead, but PF Changs and their tasty sounding menu intrigued me and I had to try it.

The menu includes information on gluten free dishes including  the fact that gluten free dishes are served on a special plate with the PF Changs logo. It also lists the ingredients used in their gluten free sauces which I thought was great. Our server was confident that the kitchen staff are well educated on cooking for those with special dietary needs and that I need not worry. I didn’t and my meal was delicious. I ordered the Norwegian Salmon steamed with ginger. It came on a bed of mushrooms, bok choy, tomatoes and asparagus and with a side of brown rice. Pretty healthy and extremely tasty. I would definitely eat at PF Changs again even if many of the dishes they serve are similar to the type of things John and I cook at home.

The other place I found in Fresno is Sweet Tomatoes, a chain soup and salad place. I didn’t have time to eat here on this trip but some of their soups and deli salads are gluten free and labelled as so on their menu. This is somewhere I’d check out at lunch time. Let me know if you’ve eaten here and what your thoughts were….

Delicious cupcakes!

Birthday dinner at PF Changs

The best find of the day had to be Gluten Free Please, a 100% gluten free, family run, bakery in Clovis, just north of Fresno. They sell cupcakes, cookies, muffins, breads and various other gluten free goodies. I had the pleasure of meeting the Bakery’s lovely owner and fellow celiac, Janet when I stopped by. The bakery opened in November, 2011 and so far seems to be a bit hit with gluten free locals. I can see why. Their cupcakes are amazing!! I tried their carrot cake cupcake with coconut frosting. Seriously..this may be the best cupcake I’ve ever had!  They also do some really unique flavours of muffins and cupcakes such as corn dog, pizza, rootbeer and chocolate marshmallow. This is awesome.

Tasty sushi!

I found myself in Bakersfield earlier this week when my friend and I took a little road trip heading south for a few days. Bakersfield probably isn’t a town I would have chosen to visit without a reason but I was glad I got the chance to as we met some very friendly locals who helped me celebrate my 29th birthday!

Bakersfield is a five hour drive from San Francisco so by the time we arrived we were hungry for dinner (even after all the garlic ice cream in Gilroy!) We both felt like sushi and so we checked out Ichiban Sushi on 2641 Oswell Street, a place I’d found online which got some good reviews. I brought my own gluten free soy sauce as usual and our server seemed to think this was pretty cute. I explained to her that I was celiac and couldn’t eat anything with wheat or gluten. I asked if the sushi chef could change his gloves and prepare my meal separately to avoid cross contamination. The chef looked over and nodded at me as he changed his gloves to show that he was doing as I asked.

The sushi here was tender and delicious and had the perfect rice to fish ratio. The best sushi to me is that which melts in your mouth and this did. I ordered six pieces of nigiri  and one tuna roll. We were served some complimentary edamame on the side. Yum! I would definitely eat here again.

Gluten free shopping wise, I wandered into Nature’s Food Market and Juice Bar, located on 1918 G Street in the city. It’s a small market which sells various juices and a variety of groceries, a large number of which are gluten free. I noticed gluten free sauces, gluten free pastas and noodles, gluten free flours and oatmeal, gluten free bars and some gluten free ready meals. If I was a celiac living in Bakersfield I would definitely frequent this place.

Nature's Food Market

Gluten free products

I didn’t have time to eat here but Red Brick Pizzain Bakersfield does gluten free options. I’d never heard of them before but in looking at their site it appears they have locations across six states, including California. I called the Bakersfield location for further information on how they prepare their gluten free pizza and the guy I spoke with was really helpful. The gluten free pizza bases aren’t made in store but are shipped in. Whilst they use the same stove for cooking gluten free pizza, they use a separate container in which to cook it, separate cutters and utensils and a separate preparation area.  ’We do a good job of preventing cross contamination.’ the dude on the phone told me.  They have a bunch of locations in California so I’m sure I’ll find myself here at some point but if you have eaten here, I’d love to hear about your experience!

Taco Del Mar and PF Changs are two other chains I found in Bakersfield which offer gluten free options. If you know of any more gluten free eateries in the area please share!

Garlic Ice Cream

En route from San Francisco to Bakerfield earlier this week we stopped at a little town called Gilroy. Gilroy, nicknamed ‘Garlic Capital of the World’  houses a factory which processes more garlic than any other factory in the world.  They hold their annual Garlic Festival every year in July and it’s one of the biggest food festivals in the US. As you drive past the town you can smell Garlic for miles so you definitely can’t miss it…it’s a pretty unique experience!

The best part about Gilroy is that they make and sell garlic flavoured everything. I bought a little tub of garlic ice cream. How could I resist? All of the ingredients were listed and nothing was suspicious…except the garlic of course! It was pretty tasty too although at points it felt as though I was eating both my dinner and my dessert at the same time. Garlic just isn’t a flavour you expect to taste when you’re eating ice cream.

For gluten free travellers’ who are looking for something a bit different to try and who love garlic of course! Gilroy is the place to go. Also, I now know where to go when the vampire apocalypse comes!

Very tasty crackers

Crunchmaster sent me a few bags of their multi-grain crackers to try recently. They come in White Cheddar, Roasted Vegetable and Sea Salt. I was extremely impressed.

All of the flavours are super delicious but I found the roasted vegetable ones particularly yummy. They are spicy and have a bolognese taste to them as the flavours of onion, garlic and tomatoes are very strong. They are the kind of cracker I would nibble straight from the bag whilst watching a movie or as a scoop with which to eat a bowl of chilli.

All Crunchmaster products are certified gluten free by the Gluten Free Certification Organization (GFCO). They only certify a product as gluten free after testing that it does not contain more than 10ppm. Yay for celiacs in the US where this type of testing is not common practice.

I really enjoy the crunchy consistency of these crackers and the flavours are strong and delicious. To be honest these are probably some of the best gluten free crackers I’ve ever tried.

Gluten free dinner at Posana

Recently my friend and fellow celiac, Sasha Cagen, travelled to and spent a week in Asheville, North Carolina. She had such a positive gluten free experience here that I had to share her gluten free travel story with you. She spoke to me of this mystical place in the mountains, with a welcoming community and creative spirit. It sounds like a wonderful town. I have travelled to various other parts of beautiful North Carolina, including one of my favourite towns ever, Wilmington, but I’ll be sure not to miss out on the chance to explore Asheville on my next visit to that part of the United States.

Sasha has nothing but high praise for Posana, a 100% gluten free restaurant in Asheville. In her words this place is ‘Heaven on earth for celiacs.’ It’s a fine dining restaurant with a diverse and luscious menu. In checking out their website and menu I can understand Sasha’s enthusiasm. Their menu boasts a huge variety of delicious sounding dishes such as a grilled chicken breast sandwich with apple-cranberry chutney, brie and bacon (how good does this sound?!), ricotta gnocchi and North Carolina shrimp and grits. Yum! The Gluten Intolerance Group of North America has awarded them with the Gluten Free Service Accreditation for their commitment to best practices in gluten free food service. The owner’s wife has celiac disease hence the good awareness of issues such as cross contamination. Strangely the restaurant does not do much to market themselves as being gluten free and safe for celiacs (perhaps they think it would turn non gluten free-ers away?) but luckily for gluten free travellers it is both.

This enchanted spot is situated in an area where street performers and musicians can be found milling around. The food is so delicious, Sasha told me, that she ate here five times during her visit! Lasagna with seared scallops was one of the dishes she tried. This sounds amazing. Posana is clearly somewhere the Gluten Free Traveller must visit.

It’s not only Posana that Asheville, North Carolina, has to offer celiacs. For a small town it has a bunch of good gluten free options and awareness of celiac disease is high. There is a general consciousness in bakeries and restaurants regarding which gluten free products are certified and which are not. Staff in a bakery pointed out to Sasha which of their products were gluten free certified and therefore safe for celiacs and which weren’t.

Laughing Seed Cafe on 40 Wall Street is another eatery with gluten free options at which Sasha enjoyed a meal. She had an in depth conversation with a server at the cafe and felt confident enough that they know what they were doing regarding cross contamination. Gluten free menu items are marked with ‘GF’ and include some tasty sounding dishes such as Indian pakora batter-dipped in spicy chick pea flour, Autumn risotto, Thai curry and tonnes of other amazing sounding gluten free entres.

For preparing a home cooked meal or for gluten free travellers’ looking for an on-the-go snack there are a couple of natural food markets in downtown Asheville which carry a variety of gluten free goodies.

If anyone has further information on where to find delicious gluten free options in Asheville, North Carolina, please let us know. I will definitely me making a point of visiting this town in the near future!

Double Chocolate

Enjoy Life cookies

Recently Enjoy Life sent me a few boxes of their new Crunchy Cookies to try. These cookies come in four different flavours. Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate,  Vanilla Honey Graham and Sugar Crisp. They are certified gluten free and made in a dedicated nut and gluten free bakery. On top of this they are free of the eight most common allergens. Almost everyone can eat these cookies. Yay!

The Texture

Cookie fans, in my opinion, can be placed  in two distinct groups, those who prefer their cookies crunchy and those who prefer their cookies soft and bendy. John tends to be on the soft cookie team whereas I am on the crunchy side. As these are definitely in the crunchy category, I was more excited to taste them than John. However, after munching our way through a box we were both big fans of these crunchy gluten free cookies.

Many gluten free cookies fall apart as you eat them which is why I don’t often choose a cookie as a snack. I feel as though you lose half the cookie when it crumbles. These ones don’t crumble.

The Flavour

As we were already a big fan of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks, the Chocolate Chip cookies were probably our favourite, followed by the double chocolate as a close second. You would never know these cookies were as free of as many things as they are. This is definitely a good thing. I really enjoyed these cookies and would love to see them introduce a peanut butter cookie in the future.

Gluten free dessert

The sign celiacs long to find!

Last weekend my husband, our friend and I had a little out-of-the-city adventure in Napa. None of us had made the trip to Napa before and this was our chance. When you think of Napa you probably think Vineyards. Our experience there was a little different as there was no vino involved and the town was extremely quiet on this chilly November afternoon but we still had a lovely day. Pica Pica, my favourite gluten free restaurant in San Francisco, has been hiding Pica Pica Gold (vouchers for tasty gluten free food) all over the Bay Area. They post photographs as clues and treasure hunters have to figure out where the treasure is and snap it up! We knew there was some to be found in Napa and decided to add finding it into our day.

On top of finding the treasure I discovered a variety of different places in Napa with gluten free options! Any gluten free travellers thinking of heading to Napa to explore the beautiful countryside and do some wine tasting, please do not hesitate. There are plenty of gluten free options here to keep you satisfied whilst you sample lots of great wines.

Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa is awesome. Inside are various eateries and stores selling food and gifts. I was especially impressed because they have two places which  are 100% gluten free, Pica Pica and C Casa. Pica Pica is awesome and I always have lots of good things to say about them but I’ll let you read the post I wrote about their San Francisco location when we first moved to the Bay Area. It surprised me but I think I prefer their Napa location. They have a few more options on the menu (including an amazing fresh coconut and lime drink) and when I handed over my voucher to claim my treasure they said ‘So you must be Laura’. How can I not love a place where I’m famous!

My huge Pica Pica lunch!

C Casa was a total surprise. I’d never even heard of the place never mind their 100% gluten free menu. They serve lots of amazing sounding tacos, rotisserie dishes, salads and various other delicious sounding things. On my next trip to Napa I will definitely be checking this place out.

Another great find was Cielito Lindo, a Mexican restaurant I noticed whilst wandering the Napa Art Walk. They had a menu sitting outside and I noticed a whole bunch of gluten free options marked with stars. They weren’t open yet so I didn’t get the chance to ask any questions but some of their dishes sounded very tasty.

Gluten free options

Cielito Lindo

Lots of gluten free products!

100% gluten free store

Yesterday I took a day trip to Sacramento with my friend. We had a really fun day and lots of tasty gluten free goodies were discovered. This was my first visit to Sacramento and I enjoyed wandering down the many tree lined streets which were especially pretty due to all the fallen leaves and autumn colours.

What every celiac hopes to find when they visit a new town is a 100% gluten free store run by gluten free staff who are extremely knowledgeable and helpful about available gluten free options in their town. Sacramento has this. Gluten Free Specialty Market is must visit for any gluten free travellers who find themselves in California’s pretty capital city. Not only does this market provide an expansive collection of celiac friendly products but they have also produced an information sheet on restaurants in the area with gluten free options. The sheet gives tips on how to ensure you get a safe meal at each of the eateries.

We decided to eat at Dad’s Kitchen on 2968 Freeport, a homey place which does sandwiches, burgers and salads. I was attracted by their promise of gluten free bread and their delicious sounding selection of sandwich toppings. On first explaining to our server that I was celiac I didn’t feel too confident that cross contamination would not be an issue but after speaking with other members of staff I felt confident enough to order. The kitchen understood that I was ‘totally gluten free’ and would do everything they could to keep me safe. They would change their gloves, put foil down to avoid cross contamination and use separate utensils. I went for the Rueben and it was very delicious. Their sandwiches come with fries but these are cooked in the same fryer as breaded glutenous things so they changed this for a salad. The bread was extremely light and tasty and didn’t seem gluten free at all. I was impressed.

Dad's Kitchen

Gluten free Reuben

We almost ate at Sugar Plum on 2315 K Street but decided against it as the chef said he wouldn’t be comfortable feeding me if cross contamination was an issue. Their kitchen was tiny and therefore I was told it would be difficult to keep my sandwich away from the crumbs. He may have been being over cautious but I couldn’t help but leave after hearing this. Their sandwiches did sound pretty delicious though!

I was interested in Mikuni Sushi on 1530 J Street and I’ll have to check it out next time I’m in the area. It’s a sushi restaurant, so nothing extraordinary there, but they have a gluten free menu which is what interests me. Sushi is often a good choice for celiacs but I don’t think I’ve ever before come across a sushi place which actually has a seperate gluten free menu. The fact that this place has one, and also has gluten free soy sauce, gives me confidence that they will hopefully take gluten free cooking seriously.

Finding gluten free lunch in Sacramento was a success and according to the sheet I picked up from Gluten Free Speciality Market there are a whole bunch of other eating out options for gluten free travellers headed to Sacramento. Very good news.

Think Thin Bars

I received a box of Think Thin bars last week. All of their bars are gluten free and contain varying amounts of protein. Personally I enjoyed their crunch bars the most but their whole selection is pretty yummy, especially if you’re looking for a good tasting bar which also has lots of protein. Their protein bars come in at around 230-240 calories per bar and the crunch at around 190 calories.

Over the past few months I have tried a whole variety of different protein bars (Who knew there were so many gluten free protein bars out there?) but these ones I would eat again. I have never understood why some people doing endurance events waste all the calories they are burning on bad tasting protein snacks. If I’m running a marathon and I’m going to burn 2500 calories I’d much rather save those calories for something delicious and worthwhile rather than wasting them on 10 bags of gooey protein. I have trained and run one full and three half marathons so I know protein is important but this doesn’t mean it has to taste bad. This is why I’m thankful for tasty protein bars like Think Thin. They of course don’t compare to a huge plate of post run chilli cheese nachos with spicy salsa and guacamole…MMmmm…but as far as pre or post race protein snacks go, these are pretty damn good.

The Chunky Peanut Butter is probably my favourite of their protein bars. It tastes like a scoop of peanut butter covered in chocolate and with some protein added to the mix so pretty much what it says on the label. You can tell there has been something proteiney added to the peanut butter but it’s still really tasty. The Chocolate Fudge Protein Bar is pretty yummy too.

Of the Crunch Bars, I really enjoyed both the Caramel Chocolate Dipped Mixed Nuts and the White Chocolate Dipped Mixed Nuts. I was particularly happy to see that Think Thin do white chocolate bars as well as milk chocolate as many of the gluten free bars (protein or otherwise) which I’ve tried in the past have gone the dark chocolate route which I am not a huge fan of. White chocolate on the other hand is something I haven’t found myself enjoying much of since going gluten free so it was a pleasant change to enjoy the creamy taste of white chocolate again.

On a side note I’m so happy that lots of different gluten free bars have decided to add peanut butter to the mix with delicious results.

My tasty lunch at Erik's

Yesterday I went on a mini road trip with a friend which took us to Los Gatos and Morgan Hill, an hour or so south of San Francisco. She had a couple of short meetings in each town so I used this as an opportunity to discover what these small towns have to offer in terms of celiac friendly options for gluten free locals or travellers to the area.

As usual I did some online research into the towns we would be visiting to get leads on celiac friendly eateries. The plan was to find somewhere safe and delicious to eat lunch and as it turned out I found six different possibilities! I was very impressed.

Morgan Hill

This pretty little town was empty as I wandered around in search of gluten free options. The sun was shining and it was the perfect afternoon, especially as I stumbled upon two restaurants which serve gluten free pizza.

The first was Rigatoni’s, an Italian restaurant located on 17385 Monterey Road. They make gluten free pizza in house here. When I asked about cross contamination issues they didn’t seem 100% sure that their pizza would be safe for celiacs since their kitchen sees a lot of gluten filled flours and breads but I was told that they do clean the preparation area and use seperate utensils when they have a gluten free order.

The second place I visited was My Pizza , located at 229A Main Street. It’s a takeout pizza place and I was told that they can make any of their pizzas gluten free. Their small gluten free bases are bought in and are pre-made as is often the case at pizza places. I spoke with a young guy who was serving and making pizza and he appeared to be trained and understand the necessary precautions to take when making gluten free pizza. They have a seperate prep area, use seperate utensils and a seperate tray in the oven to lessen the risk of cross contamination. As always there is some risk involved in a location where almost everything else on the menu is filled with gluten but I would probably try this place out if I were to return to Morgan Hill.

Gluten free crust at My Pizza

Gluten free pizza options

Los Gatos

I was even more impressed by the selection of gluten free options when we moved onto Los Gatos.  I found information on four eateries with possible options and decided to call and speak to each of them en route before I decided where to eat lunch.

We decided upon Erik’s Delicafe, located on 15495 Los Gatos Blvd. I was expecting a Subway-ish place but it is far more interesting. It’s a sandwich,  soup and salad deli with both indoor and outdoor seating. They have lots and lots of amazing sandwiches to choose from and their home made gluten free bread is an option with any of them. I went for the Sweet Liberty which is turkey breast and swiss cheese with red bell peppers, sweet hot mustard, red onions, tomatoes and sprouts. It tasted as good as it sounds. Yum-my! I had called before arriving and spoke to a lovely woman named Karen who was even nicer in person. She assured me that she would take extra special care when making my sandwich. Eating lunch here made me very happy and although it’s unlikely I’ll be passing through here again any time soon, I really hope I do so that I can return to Erik’s for a second sandwich!

Erik's Delicafe

Willow Street, on 20 South Santa Cruz Avenue, in Los Gatos does a variety of gluten free options including pizza, pasta and salads. Their pizza is already fully made (base and toppings) to avoid cross contamination issues and comes in four different toppings – cheese, pepperoni, mediterranean and pesto chicken. Their gluten free pasta is quinoa linguini and is prepared in a separate area with a separate pot/water.

Hobee’s, on 165 Los Gatos Saratoga Road, also has a variety of gluten free options including pancakes, burgers and pasta. On their online menu it says that it should be noted that they prepare coffeecake in house daily and therefore have flour particles in the kitchen at all times. Slightly worrying for celiacs to hear this but when  I spoke to them they said they have a separate area, utensils etc for preparing gluten free dishes. The flour particles statement put me off a little but their menu items sound tasty so I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has eaten here.

The fourth place I found in Los Gatos is Tapestry Bistro, on 11 College Ave. I was told that more than 2/3 of the items on their menu are gluten free and all of their sauces are gluten free. The man I spoke to said they didn’t have a specifically separate prep area but that they don’t use flour or bread in any of their dishes so there isn’t much gluten around the kitchen in general. I wasn’t completely sold on this but it was nice to hear of another place with gluten free options and if I decide to eat here on a future visit to this area, I’ll do some more in depth research before I dig in.

A fun day and lots of gluten free finds! Don’t be afraid to explore…there are plenty of gluten free goodies to be discovered all over the place!

I made a new friend!

Silly hats