Gluten Free Bun at Red Robin, YUMMMM!

DELICIOUS gluten free buns from Red Robin!

Last night we picked up Tim from the airport and took advantage of being near the only Red Robin on Long Island for dinner.  We have been to a few Red Robins in the last couple of years, including the one in Carle Place and always enjoyed our meals.  After arriving last night and facilitating multiple bathroom trips and trying to get all of Ellis's food out of the diaper bag, I glanced at the menu for a second and tried to make a decision.  Thank goodness Tim is a speed reader because he was the one who noticed they now carry Gluten Free Hamburger Buns, for $1.00 more.

I usually get my burgers wrapped in lettuce when I'm there, which is nice, but messy, the juice just leaks out all over the place and makes a disaster.  I didn't have much faith that the Gluten Free Bun would be much more than edible, but was I ever WRONG!!!  It was AMAZING!!!  Soft, warm, lightly toasted, and buttered, PERFECT!  I have eaten so many hamburgers without buns in my life that this was a truly delicious experience, the bun is there to sop up all the juices and make the whole thing more edible, who knew!

Tim also noted that his Royal Red Robin burger actually looked like the picture on the menu when it was delivered to him.  I had the "Big Tavern," I think, the waitress helped me order (she told me the Tavern double is two smaller patties and almost the same weight as the Big Tavern) amid the chaos of two hungry kids, and I couldn't have been happier .  Ceci had a cheese burger without a bun, she is so spoiled!  She lives in a world where there is access to gluten free buns and she doesn't even want them, foolishness!

We will be going back for sure!  And if I have my say it will be sooner than later.

My Breakfast, Wild Flours Bakeshop

I wanted to type a nice post about my breakfast this morning, instead I'm surrounded by two adorable children who want all of my attention.  I've managed to balance Ellis on my lap and the computer on my legs with Ceci on the other side begging for wonder woman videos on youtube.  I bargained a few minutes away from wonder woman videos to write this note about my delicious coffee cake from Wild Flours Bakery in Huntington Village.   We stopped by last night on our way home from haircuts and picked up some cupcakes and breakfast treats.

First of all, it's a dedicated gluten free bakery that does not use any nuts!  They are also dairy free for those who need it.  I love walking in the door and telling Ceci she can pick anything she wants in the cases, that is a huge mommy moment for me, considering most of the time I have to negotiate with her to select one or two items that are close to safe for her.  Ceci picked a gorgeous vanilla cupcake topped with chocolate mousse frosting and some pink sprinkles, I chose a cookies and cream cupcake for dessert last night, and a coffee cake for breakfast today.  We were too greedy to stop and take pictures of the cupcakes, they were so yummy we gobbled them up.

All the cake components of our treats were so light and airy and perfectly sweet.  The vanilla cake is almost to delicate to hold up the sinfully rich chocolate mousse frosting, but somehow gets the job done in the most delicious of ways!  My cupcake had a light chocolate cake, again light, airy, and delicate, with the perfect flavor of chocolate.   The icing on my cupcake was more of a ganache than a frosting which I suspect comes from the lack of dairy, and was a bit purpley-grey from the cookie bits being blended into it.  Now ask me if I was bothered by any of those issues after the first bite, my answer is NOPE!  I ate the whole thing!  This morning I got the joy of a beautiful coffee cake that I did not have to make.  The topping was so crumbly, with the perfect balance of sweetness and cinnamon, on top of the again, delicate, airy and sweet, dry cake.  I loved it!

Maybe I'm glad it's a bit of a hike to the bakery, so I can save it for when I really want to go, otherwise I would weigh a million pounds.  Everything is always yummy there and it is so hard to choose just a few treats when we are at the counter.  As a person who has been gluten free all my life, there is such a beautiful happiness seeing an entire bakery case full of treats that are totally safe for me to eat.  I said it earlier, but it's worth repeating, taking Ceci into a bakery where everything is safe for her to eat, makes my heart so happy, seeing the huge smile on her face as she runs to the glass case and presses her tiny button nose against it to choose the most beautiful treat she can find.

We are so happy we have found Wild Flours Bakeshop!

Ok, back to Wonder Woman videos!

White Rabbit Bakery

Duchess Gluten Free Cake from White Rabbit Bakery

For the last two weeks I have been visiting my parents out in Oregon where I grew up.  Usually I don't expect much from the world in regard to gluten free eating while I'm there, sometimes if we are lucky we are able to run to Bob's Red Mill.  This trip was vastly different!  My Mom took me for a brunch treat at White Rabbit Bakery, and I'm positive that when I stepped through the door I fell down the rabbit hole into a world of nonsense and make-believe!

It was fantastic!  First of all, the building the bakery resides in used to be an old antique shop, as many buildings are in Aurora Oregon.  I have vivid memories of my mom dragging me into this particular shop as a young tween/teenager, it was filled from floor to ceiling with all sorts of odd treasures.  There also used to be a particular dusty old smell to the place.  All that has more than disappeared!  The smell is some sort of sweet heaven mixed with cinnamon and coffee.  Here's where the bit of nonsense comes in, I'm positive someone picked up a bakery straight out of the Lower East Side of Manhattan and plopped it right into this building in Aurora Oregon.  Anyone who has ever driven through Aurora and managed not to blink knows it's the oddest little town FULL of antique shops and old man bars, so to find this amazing gem was truly a surprise.  I think the biggest moment of visual disbelief was when the adorably sweet lady, Becca, behind the counter let me know that there were more GF options in the case than regular items, WHERE AM I!?!?!?!  Each item was more enticing and beautiful than the last!

I ordered a Chocolate Chip Oat Scone (GF) and a cup of coffee, and sat down in the cute dining room with it's antique chairs and rustic wood tables.  The coffee came in a clay pottery mug, and my scone sat nicely on a plain white plate.  It was fantastic!  I admit the scone was a bit of work to chew, from the deliciously fibrous contents, lots of oats and Becca said they also use Amaranth flour, but it was worth every chew.  The hardest thing for me was to sit there watching the counter and see all the other delicious GF treats be sold off one by one, it gave me horrible anxiety!  I finally stood up and got a few things to go, Oscar one of the owners was a tremendous help and with that infectious smile, I might have bought the whole store if he had asked.  I took home a Plum Tart (GF), and two Her Majesty Cupcakes (GF), both gorgeous and you would never believe to look at them that they were GF.

I ate them on two separate days and even had dreams about how delicious they were!  Some how Emily the owner and head baker at White Rabbit has managed to suspend the laws of physics when it comes to baking without gluten!  I don't understand how she made such amazingly moist and tender cake, or a perfectly flaky dense delicious tart crust, it's nonsense!

Plum Tart Gluten Free

The Plum Tart was pretty, with sweet red plums baked into the top.  Oscar had told me it had almonds in it so I didn't dare share it with Ceci, but it was worth keeping it from her because it was Wonderful!  The crust was flaky and buttery and dense while the filling was sweet with a hint of lemon that paired perfectly with the sugary and slightly sour plums.  I wanted about 10 more of them after that.

Her Majesty Gluten Free Cupcake

The next day I took the Her Majesty Cupcake out of the fridge and finally noticed the cute leopard print liner it was in, I had been so distracted by the perfect top of the cupcake I never looked down to see the liner.  Her Majesty is a vanilla poppy seed cake, with a lemon curd and raspberry jam filling topped with vanilla butter cream frosting, and possibly a dash of heaven!  Light, fluffy and tender don't even begin to describe the poppy seed cake, and it could not have been a more perfect palate for the creamy and tart lemon curd, the sweet raspberry jam worked perfectly with all of it.  Finally the vanilla butter cream spoke directly to my heart and my stomach, I'm a huge frosting fan since it was all I ate at birthdays and weddings for most of my life.  The frosting was tremendously rich and buttery, I could have sat down with a tub of that and the raspberry jam and eaten all day.

The last thing I picked up at White Rabbit Bakery was a menu, and after the amazing success of the Her Majesty I just had to have a birthday cake!  After more than an hour of pouring over the menu I decided on the Duchess cake!  It didn't hurt my decision that Ceci calls me Duchess (from the Aristocats Movie). But I was so excited to try the Chocolate cake, with raspberry jam filling and more of that amazing vanilla butter cream frosting!  Tim placed the order for my birthday and spoke directly with Emily the baker/owner and said she was very accommodating even though we missed the 48 hours of notice.  She said she could have it ready by the next afternoon for us.

Cut section of Duchess cake

The last item I ate from the bakery was a Marionberry Sour cream Muffin (GF) that I tucked into my carry-on for our flight.  It got smashed in all the hassle of travel but that didn't alter the flavor at all, it was bursting with cinnamon and nutmeg and reminded me of holiday baking yet was perfect for a summer breakfast treat.  The Marionberries  made the muffin even more moist than just the tender muffin by itself.  I'd say it was the perfect treat to end my long flight home to NY.

I'm so sad that I'm now so far away from the bakery and won't be able to get more treats until we are out in Oregon again.  I'm so spoiled now, I have even less tolerance for bad texture or horrible tasting GF foods, after having Emily's beautiful creations there is no excuse to eat bad food!  If I had more regular access to White Rabbit I think I would end up like Alice in Wonderland when she eats the cakes, she grows bigger and bigger and bigger.  I would certainly not be getting taller from these cakes though!

I'm so inspired to work harder on my own recipes to make them even better in taste and texture.

To Emily, Oscar and all your staff;  please keep up all the hard and delicious work!  You are doing amazing things with gluten free flours!  You might want to consider writing a cook book for those of us who can't always make it into the bakery, or maybe shipping some of your amazing treats would be great.

Mario's Pizzeria, where have you been all my GF life?

Mario's Pizzeria's Gluten Free Chicken Parm dinner

A few weeks ago we were informed that the pizzeria we pass on a weekly basis was not only offering GF pizzas, but entrees, and pasta dishes as well.  We have gone a few times now and I'm in love after our last visit!  Mario's Pizzeria here in Melville NY, has so much to offer and makes my GF life even more delicious.  We have eaten food from them I think 3 times now, every time it's so yummy and Ceci can't get enough.  So far we have had their GF pizzetta with cheese, with pepperoni, and most recently the GF Buffalo Chicken Pizza.  The first time we went I ate the GF Chicken Parmigana that comes with GF pasta and a GF roll.

The rolls are heavenly by the way, soft and fluffy inside with a nice crust on the outside and with a little bit of butter, they are AMAZING!  I had to have Tim take a bite the first time to see if he thought they were glutinous, they tasted so good I couldn't believe they really were gluten free.  The chicken is tender with a nice crunch from the bread crumb crust and the marinara sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy and makes my tummy so happy.

Yesterday we decided to stop by Mario's on the way to dropping my parents at the airport, I called in our order to dine in knowing it would take a while to get the GF pizzas ready.  I was so happily surprised by the fantastic customer service we received, Pete who answered the phone, asked how many in our party and if we needed a high chair for Ceci.  And when we ran late due to a street closure Pete even called to make sure we were still on our way because he was worried about our food getting cold.  When we got there our food was ready and waiting and a table was set for us.  PERFECT!  Did I mention this was on Superbowl Sunday, at lunch time, but still who is this nice any more?  So nice to get this attention.

If you have the chance you should make your way to Melville NY and try Mario's Pizzeria!  You will be so happy you did, and your stomach will thank you too!

Disappointed Dining

This is not my most timely article, but I feel the need to express my frustrations and in the mean time educate others about the potential pitfalls of dining at this particular establishment.  This summer a dedicated Gluten Free Bakery/Restaurant opened up here on Long Island.  The word went out early about the coming establishment and I can't tell you how I researched and essentially stalked this place.  It doesn't hurt that it is near my friend Sheri's home and the park that we frequently go to, making it much easier to drive by.

It's the Bare Naked Bakery and I believe it's the only dedicated Gluten Free restaurant any where near us.  I was so excited I took Ceci to the grand opening after our Stroller Strides class for lunch.  That day I ordered several items to eat in and take home because I have no self control and I love to be able to order lots of different things (a joy not often found for a life long Celiac.)  That day we found one of our new favorite dishes, the Sicilian Pizza, soft, pillow-ey crust, with a delicious sauce and yummy mozzarella.  On the other hand the bagels had a yeasty taste to them which was impossible to over come, and the cupcakes especially the chocolate ones had a course texture that made them slightly unappealing.  The saddest crime was the extremely crunchy chocolate chip cookie.  I held out hope that these were just artifacts of the opening day jitters, that maybe they pushed really hard to get the store open and would be able to balance out their recipes in a short time.

Ceci and I went back a few more times, and each time we drove up to the bakery, she would shout from the back seat "I want deep-dop! (pizza)"  Obviously the Sicilian slice made a big impression on her.  The last time we visited the Bakery there had been many changes and I have to admit most were not for the better in my opinion.  The first issue I had was that the operating hours had changed to offer breakfast, which would have been fine, but lunch service did not start until noon.  Explaining to a hungry toddler why she can't have the pizza she is expecting for another 45 minutes is not my idea of a fun time.    In the mean time we ordered a bagel, which still had the horrible yeast taste to it, nothing changed there, so Ceci wasn't very interested in eating it.  She got very restless and the Chef had come out to the counter and noticed her being squirmy, he asked if she needed a high chair.  I said "No she's ok, but she really wants some pizza, that would actually help her behave."  He let me know he had actually just pulled a pie out of the oven and could bring us a slice now.  Thank god!  My last big issue was finding out that they no longer offer the Sicilian pie by the slice, we would have to order a whole pizza, and to the tune of $28, I was not prepared for that.  We finished our regular slice, which had the same horrible yeast taste as the bagels, and sadly headed home.

I have not been back since, I have come to a point in my gluten free life where I will not put up with bad food.  When gluten free products were rare and hard to find, I would eat substandard food just because I was happy to have something available to me.  Now with the huge boon of Gluten Free products on the market, I see no point in eating something that tastes bad!  No one should suffer through bad food because they think they have to, you don't!  There is a lot of good Gluten free food out there, and right now it's not at Bare Naked Bakery.  I was really looking forward to the joy of walking into a bakery and being able to safely order anything on the menu, instead I will continue to shop the frozen aisles at the grocery store, or make my own, for better flavor and texture of items.

I should mention that I have visited their website and the menu currently states that they offer Sicilian pizza by the slice.  If this is the case I could be convinced to go back at some point but I do not hold out much hope for the rest of the food served there.

Chef's Gluten Free Pizza

Chef's Gluten Free Pizza

This weekend we ordered dinner from Chef's, which has become a habit for us lately, which is fine by me. My husband has been eating at Chef's for years and a few months ago saw they started serving gluten free pizzas.  We were happy to find out they are one of the least expensive of the local pizzarias to serve gluten free pies, a plain pizza runs about $8.95, where other places charge as much as $15.95 for the exact same thing.  One other simple reason we love Chef's is that my husband can pick it up on his way home from work.

As far as the actual pizza goes, it's good, I probably think it's better than it is because I can get a decent gluten free pizza, not far from home at a good price, that will make almost anything taste better.  Realistically the crust is a little cardboard like, I assume that is due to it being made off site, frozen, and shipped to Chef's.  I do really enjoy the sauce they use, it has a nice little kick to it, working well with the pepperoni and olives that I typically order.  I do wish they would offer some gluten free pasta dishes on their menu but I can be happy with the pizza for now.  I would like to acknowledge a few things that Chef's does correctly in regard to serving the gluten free pizzas.  The pizzas come on a little aluminum pan which they leave it in when the slide it into the oven so as not to cross contaminate the pizza with any thing that may be laying in the bottom of the oven previously.  Next, when I watched them cut my pizza into slices I saw that they thoroughly wiped down the pizza cutter before applying it to my pie.  Tim also over heard the manager speaking to the staff during his last pick up about the procedures of cooking and serving a gluten free pizza safely.  A few small steps that I appreciate them taking the time and effort to make a safer meal for me.

Overall I'm very happy to eat a Chef's gluten free pizza, hopefully as I said previously they can expand their gluten free menu to include pasta and entrees.  I'll let you know as soon as I do if that happens.

Phil & Sons Pizza

Only thing that could make this look any better is a bottle of GF beer!

  Today I had a long conference in Flushing Queens, so on the way home I called in my order to Phil & Sons Pizza.  We happened to find it a few months ago and learned that they served Gluten Free Pizza and Pasta.  The last time we ate there I had not started this blog so I don't really recall the distinct flavor of the pizza.  I did recall it was pretty good though, then again I consider all gluten free pizza good, because I can finally go out somewhere and get a meal.  Tonight it was convenient on my drive home and I was smart enough last night to program the number into my phone.  I called in and the gentleman who answered was nice enough to check their stock of gf pizza crusts before he allowed me to finish my order.  Pepperoni and black olives of course!
  I got there no problem and had to wait a little bit, but it wasn't long, when there is a pizza at the end of the wait.  I got home and Ceci was thrilled to see a pizza!  Mind you she had already eaten dinner with her grandparents who assured me she ate really well.  We got to the kitchen and I went ahead and gave her a slice too, who can resist pizza.  We sat together and enjoyed our dinner.  I don't think I remember the crust from the first time we ate at Phil & Sons, when I opened the box it seemed much larger than I recalled.  
  The crust is not made in house, I regret to say I did not ask what company they order from, and I definitely have not had it before at any other pizza place.  At first I thought it looked really crispy, but after eating it I found it dense and a bit chewy.  It reminded me of the Glutino brand pizza crusts I have previously bought at Whole foods and heated up at home.  I have to say it's not the most amazing crust I have ever had, but it's not a bad way to get cheese, pepperoni, and olives into your mouth together.  The sauce was a little garlic-y for my taste, but it was flavorful none-the-less.  We will definitely be getting more pizzas from Phil & Sons in the future.