Disney on a Budget

I live on that fine line between sane and crazy, and leaned a little into the crazy when I decided to go to Disneyland on New Year's Eve. The place was packed by 9 AM and it just got busier. It's usually best for gluten free diners to order during a non-rush period, but that was not going to happen at Disneyland this time. I was prepared however.  For starters, pack your bag accordingly. They mainly care about weapons, and didn't say anything when they looked into my bag, but if they have any qualm just tell them you have special dietary needs.  We brought in several small ziplocs of homemade beef jerky, pretzels and peanut butter, a couple protein bars, trail mix, and bottled water. 

Then once you're in the park go over to the kind people at city hall and pick up a current gluten free dining list. They update them fairly often, but in general they have gluten free buns throughout the park, a gluten free pizza option, and so much more. Now here's where the budget comes into play.  We ate responsibly and shared a gigantic turkey leg for $8.99. Add in a soda and lunch was only $6.50 a person; that's less than any hamburger meal costs throughout the park. Hell, it would probably cost you more to buy a combo at Carl's Jr. Plus, the turkey leg was amazing; slow roasted in it's own juices. Tip: grab a fork and knife and a mustard packet and find yourself a seat. This is way easier to eat sitting down, even tough it was amusing to see others walking around eating this giant leg walking around.

Ki's Resturant

Ki's Restaurant has been on my wishlist for a couple of years. Located in Cardiff by the Sea, which is a great surfing area, the restaurant itself is right across the street from the beach.

When you walk in it seems like an independent smoothie place, with a smoothie and juices menu above the register and a few small tables.  Their full menus are sitting at the counter and once you order you can go upstairs to seat yourself and pretty much anywhere in the house is a nice view of the ocean.

They have a gluten free menu for all three courses of the day, but I think breakfast is their specialty and serve it until 2pm. They use breads from a local bakery, and teff tortillas, with ingredients listed on the menu, as well as a dedicated toaster, etc. I gave the menu one look over and new instantly what I was going to order.

American Grilled Cheese Restaurant

On a recent trip into the city I was having a hankering for cheese, especially after seeing all the giant cheese wedges inside the ferry building, so we took a walk to a place I had wanting to visit for the last 6 months: American Grilled Cheese Restaurant. Our previous trip to an all Mac and Cheese place was slightly disappointing, so how did this place fare?

Sans Gluten Free

On a recent trip into the bay area, I crossed the San Mateo Bridge and visited Sans Gluten Free; a small gluten free market in San Mateo. I like the fact that I can go to an all gluten free market, but truthfully the trip left a bit to be desired.

Walking through the open wooden door, I found a giant table and a couple metal shelves of products.  The front table was full of fresh bakery items, but other than that 95% of the store was stuff I've seen in mainstream grocery stores.

HomeRoom

This past weekend I finally got to visit a place I had been wanting to go....Homeroom- a Mac and Cheese hotspot in Oakland, which...obviously had gluten free pasta, and 90% of their menu can be made gluten free!  It's a very small, bustling space, with library cards, and chalkboards on the walls.

I, of course, totally dug this: A is for Apple. B is for Beer, C is Cheese! The menus are printed on brown paper, although it would have been ever cooler if they worked in the green lined paper somewhere; the one we all learned how to write the alphabet on.

Now for the food....

Off the Hook

If I was stuck on an island I would have a lifetime supply of fish to make sushi, and I would be ok with that, because I LOVE sushi. Eating out with Celiac Disease can be tricky but I've learned how to maneuver through the dangerous world of gluten most successfully at sushi restaurants.  On a recent trip to South Lake Tahoe, and a day full of physical activity, we felt we were only deserving of sushi after our long day.  After some quick research we found that Off the Hook was highly recommended.

Gluten Free Haven!

 While in Portland I stumbled upon a gluten free haven of candy, baked goods, and murals. In a somewhat residential area there's one house that stands out with a candy cane stripped porch; it's Keana's candy land. They have a nice candy selection, with a few special finds, a gluten free bakery counter and they even serve hot meals, like hamburgers on freshly made gluten free buns-delicious! Let's continue on my journey, shall we?

Bob's Red Mill Store & Cafe

If you're ever in Portland, OR the Bob's Red Mill store and cafe is a must stop- whether you're gluten free or not. The store is awesome, with a nice, large gluten free aisle, and a baking section.  There were some cute senior citizen couples having breakfast and I bet they've going there for years. Whether it's before or after, don't miss out on the tour of the plant which is just up the street (it used to be across the street, but they out grew it).

One of the murals in the store. And yes Bob looks just like that in person.  I know, I met him, and it was awesome!

 At the cafe I ordered a number 4: 2 eggs, hash browns and toast.  I hadn't had hash browns in months and these hit the spot. The meal was delicious. 

Hedge Creek Falls

While Mike and I were in Shasta this past weekend we managed to have some us time and go for a short hike. We've passed through the Mount Shasta area several times but never got to check out Hedge Creek Falls until now. It's super easy to find with a short trail option with a medium downgrade.  The waterfall is only about 1/2 mile down, but you can actually walk under and behind the falls and continue on the trail along the river. We sat for a bit and enjoyed the view.

Pizza and Crickets at Pismo Beach

Pizza on the beach never gets old, and with a six hour journey ahead of us we needed some sustenance. I did a quick search for gluten free around Pismo Beach and stumbled upon Doughboy's Pizzeria, who also makes their own gluten free crust from scratch. (Why can't more places in Sacramento offer this? err) While we were paying for our pizza we ran into another gluten free diner and ended up chatting a bit. There's more of us out there than I think any of us realize.
Anyhow, we ordered a the pesto chicken which had cheese, pesto sauce, roasted chicken, feta cheese, & fresh tomatoes. The chicken on this pizza was not nearly as dry as the chicken from Pizza Guru, although the crust was less firm than Pizza Guru, and almost couldn't handle all of it's toppings. The edge of the crust was almost over done and the edges of the left overs got really hard. The flavor however was amazing; the chicken had a nice roasted flavor and was nice and moist. We ordered our pizza to go, and headed to the beach for the last of the sunset. We found a bench away from the teenage clicks there to party for the night, and had a nice romantic dinner.

When we were all done we walked up the strip a little and went into a "candy" store for a treat before hitting the road. We were surprise with what we found. Gummi bears, taffy, and insects. Yes insects, the real deal too. The cashier told us about all the owner of the store raises all the insects that they had: ants crickets, scorpions, and larvets; chocolate covered, or seasoned. WOW! And he ships them all over the world. I mean I know some cultures eat insects but I've never anything like this in a candy store before. I was seriously tempted by the sour cream and onion crickets, but I saved my $2 bucks.

Pizza Guru, Santa Barbara, CA

I don't need a super fancy meal to feel special, so my birthday dinner was pizza and beer from Pizza Guru in Santa Barbara. I knew it was on State Street which is the main strip, but it was actually on the far end, so we didn't end up walking like we originally planned.

This place seemed to be the place to go for good food, good laughs, beer, and tunes. Some seating, several people came in for pick up while we were there, and the groups that we there when we got there were still there when we left. We hung around for a while too, as there was more beer than planned involved in our meal.

This was the one place I did a little research about before I went on our trip. I discovered they make gluten free crust from scratch and it was super tasty. The pizza in general was moderately priced and so with the $2 up-charge for gluten free crust our small 7 inch pizzas were $9 and $10 respectively. We ordered the "White House" which had sun dried tomatoes, chicken, garlic white sauce, artichokes, and fresh herbs. The chicken was dry, but overall the flavor was good.

I'm glad we decided to order 2 small pizzas for variety because if we stopped at the white house I'd be just a little bummed. The Big Cheese however was the BOOM! Is that still something cool to say? Well it was the best of the best...mozzarella, fontina, asiago, Gorgonzola, parm, herbs, and garlic sour cream. Let's ignore calories, ok...it was amazing, and to top it off, we sprinkled more Parmesan on top of it, and dipped it in ranch dressing!!! I wish we had gotten at least a medium of this one. Now in terms of the crust, it was thin, browned nicely on the bottom, not too crunchy, and firm enough to hold all the toppings.

As beer is commonly paired with pizza, it was nice to see they had multiple gluten free beer options, including green's which is one we hadn't tried yet. Made from millet and buckwheat it had a different flavor, not bitter like I normally feel beer is. I didn't get that bitter taste until the end. I'm not sure really what the normal price for a pint size bottle of beer at a restaurant, but it was $6.00. Whatever, it was my birthday.

Also, the place is mainly covered in chalkboard walls, and so we wrote on the bathroom wall. Check out our fun filled video review:

Flippin Pizza

A pizza-by-the-slice joint that offers gluten free pizza? Well if you're in Southern California, Flippin Pizza deserves a stop. Now, if the gluten free pizza was premade and by-the-slice too, that would be even more awesome, but instead you do have to purchase the entire pizza. Now gluten free pizza tends to range from $16-$27 dollars, but at Flippin Pizza, you can get a 9 inch pizza for the low, low cost of $9.00, plus $1 per additionally topping.

That all sounded good to me, so fifteen minutes later I had fresh, hot gluten free pizza on the table. For a new york style pizza place they picked the right gluten free thin crust. And for once, a super thin crust that didn't flop under the pressure. I hadn't met a pizza crust, even Udi's, that doesn't droop when fully loaded. It was a little sketchy as to which bakery/vendor was responsible for the crust, but it was phenomenal! I wish it had been more like a 12 slice pizza instead of 4, or that I wouldn't have to wait another 15 minutes for another one to bake, so I could take one with me.

One tip: Just make sure to call the location you're planning on visiting to confirm they have gluten free crust in stock.

Rendezvous

The Rendezvous restaurant in Del Mar, California is a nice mix between upscale and casual. It's very close to the beach, so you wouldn't be thrown out if you came in with shorts and flip flops. Gluten-free dining options are plentiful here, as they provide a dedicated gluten-free menu with plenty of mouthwatering options--so many, in fact, we had trouble choosing. The choices we made, though, did not disappoint.

Burger Lounge in La Jolla, CA

If you're in the San Diego area anytime soon, do yourself a favor and check out the Burger Lounge in La Jolla, CA. The Burger Lounge serves premium burgers with or without a bun, offering both turkey and beef for your meat options. They also offer a variety of fries and other sides with their own cool twist. Definitely worth checking out. Interestingly, we didn't feel stuffed after we finished--just nice and content.

Miglet's Bakery

If you have a sweet tooth and are passing through the San Francisco bay area, then Miglet's is a most stop! Plus there are some thrift stores in the nearby area. Make it a day- that's what I did.

GNI Bakery

So while I spent the week in the San Diego area, I felt the urge, and some obligation to my readers, to check out some new gluten free options in the area. In Escondido, CA you will find GNI Bakery, otherwise known as Gluten Not Included. The trip to this bakery was anticlimactic. My mother-in-law had previously been there, and had described a long display counter with an amply amount of comfortable seating. It was what you might expect from a bakery/cafe. The outside of the windows are decorated nicely, but the inside is dark, and the retail space is tiny. The counter is pushed up close to the door, with a small selection of fresh baked goodies and no seating. The rest of the place has been rearranged for mass production for their wholesale accounts. So the trip to the actual bakery was disappointing, but was their product decent?

We bought a large brownie for $2.50, some cheese focaccia for $6.99, and a set of 3 pizza rounds for $7.99. The brownie was super soft and fudgy, but it was missing something and the focaccia was just ok. The pizza crusts were super thin, but seasoned well. Be careful not to burn the edges, as their directions were to bake at 460 degrees, which seemed extremely high for an already baked thin crust. We did ours at 400 degrees for about 7 minutes and it came out great. If you love thin crust this is a really good option and I would consider buying these again. GNI Bakery has their products sold at multiple San Diego health food stores, as well as some area attractions, like Legoland, and Sea World, so next time you're out, see if you can find their cookies or breads at the store.

Bubba Gump gets 2 Thumbs Up

Recently I mentioned that Bubba Gumps has introduced a gluten free menu. Well now I have dined there and let me tell you- DELICIOUS! I love shrimp and I got my fill at the BG in Monterey, CA. As soon as our server came over and saw that I had the GF menu he told me what their process is, and it starts by him altering the manager and the chef. Then the manager came out to speak with me, although our server Matt did a much more detailed job of explaining everything. (It was great to meet a server who knows what gluten free is.) They say they change out all the cutting boards, utensils, and gloves for my meal, to greatly decrease my chances of cross contamination. Whatever they did back there worked, because my stomach was happy as can be right after the meal and for the next 24 hours.

I ordered a massive shrimp cocktailAnd the shrimp chimichurri skewers
After having an absolutely horrible experience 5 or so years ago (before they had a GF menu) I am so thankful I had such an enjoyable meal without any sort of negative reaction.

The GF Cookie Jar in Florida

A viewer of GFree TV recommended a bakery out of Florida, and so we contacted the GF Cookie Jar for samples, and we received them soon after. Their chocolate chip cookies weren't the best we've ever had, but still delicious. The brownies were great--Mike especially liked the Mint variety--while the cream-filled cakes "twinkies" left us wanting more cream filling, even though the flavor was great. Overall, we recommend giving them a try.

Vegas: The RainForest Cafe at MGM

Years ago my husband I went to a Rainforest Cafe in Florida (Disney World), this was before I was gluten free, and we had such a good time there, so when I saw that there was one inside the MGM Grand in Vegas I immediately attempted to contact them. I sent a message via their online feedback form inquiring about gluten free information specific to Las Vegas; I even included my travel dates. Then low & behold I got a call from the executive chef of the Las Vegas location three days before I flew out. I was impressed; my message had actually been routed through the appropriate channels. Thus the Rainforest Cafe became a "must-eat" stop for us.

When I saw the menu I was pleased with my choices, and on the back their were instructions for both the customer and the servers (order without ______, sub for ____, etc.) They had a lot of great options, and I went with a salad, by choice, since we went there for lunch. And man oh man, it was a delicious and gigantic salad! For more details about this tropical dining experience check out our video review on GFree TV:

Vegas: RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay

Chef Rick Moonen is all about sustainable seafood, and his restaurant, RM Seafood, located inside Mandalay Bay, was voted the best of Las Vegas 2009, so I was excited about being able to dine here. I was told they would be able to accommodate my gluten free diet, and I love seafood, so this was a planned meal for one of the nights while we were in Vegas.

Once we were seated, our server consulted directly with the chef about what could be prepared gluten free for me. Our server seemed really confident while passing on the information to me, however considering that everything is fresh and made from scratch in the back, I didn't feel like I really had as many options as I have had at other restaurants that cook seasonally and fresh. Moreover, I didn't find my options as appealing as you think you should have at a seafood restaurant. I'm all for fresh, and small & healthy portions, but this place definitely caterers to the more sophisticated pallet that enjoy foie gras, oysters, and caviar. Sure who doesn't love deep fried fish, but for this meal I really was hoping for a nice grilled piece of salmon or tuna, but I didn't really have that option.

I tried an oyster for the first time, and well... it was not good, and not something I want to eat ever again. I also ordered a sushi roll made with fresh crab, which was good, but forgettable. Plus, I was told their wasn't any vinegar in their sushi rice, but I know sushi vs. steamed rice, and this stuff was a little too sticky and a little to sweet to be steamed just in water. I had some minor gastrointestinal issues after this meal, so I'm willing to bet it was the rice that made me sick. And if it wasn't the rice, it was something else. Verdict: One of our most expensive meals and one of the most disappointing, and yes, my husband pretty much felt the same way I did.