Fabulous and EASY gluten free bread mix!

As most of you know, unless you have a good, gluten free bakery in (or near) your town, you can't buy ready-made gluten free bread that's edible without being heated first. If your local stores carry gluten free bread, they are most likely stored in the freezer case to keep them 'fresh'. We always get a kick (and feel sorrow at the same time) when a newly diagnosed Celiac asks where to buy freshly baked gluten free bread in Atlanta. The answer is from your own oven, of course.

In the past I've made bread from two mixes that deliver wonderful gluten free bread. They also are much easier to prepare if one has a bread machine, which I do not. Since I'm always looking for ways to do everything in the kitchen easier, I recently ordered the new oat bread mix from Tracey's Treats. They have killer pizza crust and muffin mixes so I knew I liked their stuff in general. This new bread mix was supposedly easy to make without a bread machine so I had to try it.

You need a magnifier to read the instructions on the labels from this company if you have over 40 eyes like I do. However, I mixed the bread up quickly and easily and left it to rise for an hour or so. It rose very well and continued to do so when baking. The smell of freshly baked bread is wonderful but smells and even looks can be deceiving when speaking of gluten free bread. The real test would be how it tasted - both toasted and at room temperature. I let the bread cool off slightly before tearing off a piece to test taste. It was just exactly as the name implies - outstanding. Both the taste and texture were phemonenal actually!

The next day I made an open faced sandwich with the unheated bread that I'd stored on the counter in a baggie overnight. Again, the bread was excellent. Several days later I defrosted some of the same loaf (needs to be stored in freezer if not eating in a couple of days) and had another open faced, unheated sandwich. Still, the bread lived up to it's name - Outstanding Oat Bread. I'm likely the worst gluten free food snob you'll ever find. The only way this bread could be better is if it was sitting on the shelves of my grocery store already baked for me. Maybe one day.....

Gluten Free baking - it's really not as hard as it seems

When I was first introduced to the gluten free diet (the week of my Celiac diagnosis) I dove right in and purchased a gluten free cookie mix from Whole Foods. The maker of said mix will remain unamed but it comes in a blue and white box with red accents...and the company makes gluten mixes as well. The smell alone should have been a warning about how bad these cookies would taste but I'm an optomistic person so I remained upbeat as they rose and turned golden brown in the oven. Once they cooled, I took a bite of what looked like a cookie, but tasted and even smelled a little like sawdust with a slight hint of chocolate chip cookie dough flavor. I kid you not - it was that bad. As a matter of fact, it's over two and a half years later and I'm not sure it wasn't the worst gluten free product that's come out of my oven. Oh, and just to prove my point further, please consider this. On an episode of the ABC show 'Cavemen', one of the brothers decided to go on the gluten free diet. They said the word gluten about ten times and our community crashed the ABC server the following day so it took me two days to finally be able to view it. Not suprisingly, that episode is now absent on ABC's site and was pulled from every other site that had publisded it. Anyway, the guy trying the gluten free diet is finally convinced by another brother that the diet is silly. So the newly gluten free brother exclaims 'Good! these cookies taste like dirt!' as he slams the package of cookie mix on the counter...lol!

For a while, I assumed all gluten free baked goods were the same - not worth buying, baking or eating. But that could not be farther from the truth and I'm sort of sorry that there are so many fabulous mixes out there now. I mean who really needs three kinds of favorite brownies anyway? In my gluten eating days I rarely made brownies and now I pretty much make them at least every month if not more often. Or if I'm being lazy, I just buy ready made gluten free brownies, I'm particularly partial to those by French Meadow Bakery. Theirs are teeny tiny so you don't feel guilty if you have one or two of them.

But there's a lot more out there than just brownie mixes. You name it and I can recommend a killer brand for you - scones, muffins, cakes, cookies, pancakes, etc. As with the brownies, there are usually more than a few good choices for mixes. Or if you're lazy like me, there are many fabulous ready made items of the above items...even ready made pancakes that are better than Eggos. Those come from Trader Joe's and are not to be believed!

Here is a tip to use with mixes that I've found work in most any situation. For cake, quick bread and muffin mixes, add unsweetened applesauce. For example, 1/2 cup works for a two layer cake but use only 1/4 cup for a quick bread loaf. This is a trick gluten bakers use and I found out about it on a regular recipe website. I make the best ever pumpkin bread using this trick. I tried four variations of an old family recipe before I finally added the applesauce. Once I did that, everyone thought that it was the best pumpkin bread I'd ever made - including what I baked in my gluten eating days. Now I use this trick for my zuchinni and strawberry quick breads and even blueberry muffins. What else...oh, and I use it in a spice cake mix and a yellow cake mix too. I prefer the natural version from Mott's.

If I'm baking anything that calls for flour, I use Pamela's gluten free pancake and baking mix. I don't use it for pancakes as I prefer the mix from Gluten Free Naturals. Pamela's baking mix subs out cup for cup for regular wheat flour. It even works for savory things like olive cheese puffs and sausage balls. Recently I learned that gluten actually absorbs grease so frying things in a gluten free flour produces a less greasy (and much better tasting) product. Therefore, depending on what you're making, you might adjust the amount of fat (oil, butter or margarine) you use for the recipe. For example, my gluten olive cheese puff recipe calls for three tablespoons of butter but 2 1/2 tablespoons is plenty for the gluten free version.

People are seem perplexed when I tell them my favorite recipe site is Recipe Zaar. This site does not even have a gluten free section on it. You can type gluten free pizza or French bread or whatever....even gluten free funnel cake, and you will find at least a version or two of all of these things. But I just type in what ever I'm looking for, excluding the words gluten free, and sort by ratings before deciding which recipe to print and start experimenting with. If something calls for a cookie crumb crust, I use the gluten free version of whatever type cookie they reference - Oreos, ginger snaps, pecan shortbread, etc. You name a mainstream cookie and I can recommend a gluten free version of it that makes a perfect tasting pie crust. It's not rocket science either. You melt some butter, mix into crushed cookies and press into the pie pan. You follow the recipes instructions for baking details. It should be noted that to date, I have tried three brands of prepared frozen gluten free pie crusts, and have not found any of them to be worth purchasing a second time. If you need a regular pie crust for pies of even quiche, you can not go wrong with the mix from Breads by Anna. I just wished she made a pre-made crust for us...lol!

Why not give gluten free baking a try yourself? I'd love to hear what others are out there creating. Especially if any of you are into uncomplicated creations, like I am. I love cooking more than I ever dreamed possible but there is more to life than being stuck in the kitchen. I strive to create great tasting, quality food that is also fairly easy to make. I recently found a new gluten free bread that is super easy to bake (without a bread machine even) and is shockingly good. But I'll write about that later. Happy baking everyone!

Triumph Dining give-away!

These days I consider myself an expert at dining gluten free, even in the US. But in the beginning I could not have gotten through without the cards and dining guide book offered by Triumph Dining. They are doing a give-away through the month of August for their American cuisine dining card. If you don't already have at least that card, I urge you to order your copy today. Below is the press release regarding the promotion. Happy gluten free dining out everyone!


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Triumph Dining is giving away FREE American Dining Cards until the end of August. There’s absolutely no purchase necessary. Your readers can simply visit http://www.triumphdining.com/freediningcard.aspx to participate and get a free dining card.

The purpose of this give-away is to raise money for Celiac Disease Awareness. If 15,000 people to sign up for free dining cards, Triumph Dining will make a $10,000 donation in support of a national celiac disease awareness campaign. When we hit our goal, we'll ask you and the gluten free community to help us decide which non-profit(s) receives the donation.

We’re trying to build awareness on two fronts: With 15,000 more dining cards on the street, we’ll be educating more restaurants about the gluten free diet faster. And, with $10,000 funding behind a national campaign, we can diagnose and educate more Celiacs.

The FREE dining card offer is available at http://www.triumphdining.com/freediningcard.aspx and we’ll be posting regular progress reports on our blog at http://blog.triumphdining.com/.

Why is Texas so gluten free friendly?

We are going to Dallas in late September for a family related event. Unlike for most people, a trip where someone else chooses the location is fairly stressful for those of use with Celiac. So I started scouring the internet looking for any and all info I could find about dining out in Dallas gluten free. Then I remembered there is a gluten free Bed & Breakfast called Chicken Paradise in San Antonio (that's their pool below). Mmmm....it's just a few hours drive to Dallas from San Antonio. It took some convincing but I talked my husband into letting us make a detour on the way to Dallas. I booked two nights in San Antonio and two in Dallas. We used reward airline tickets which might have vanished soon otherwise. By my own creative accounting methods, that savings more than pays for the B&B, rental car and gas to get to Dallas...lol!
As usual, I turned to the Celiac listserv to for help about where to eat in San Antonio and Dallas. Soon after sending my request into cyberspace, I was inundated with tips from people in all parts of Texas - and some who just travel there - about where and even what to eat during our trip. I'll wait until we get back to post about said places as I don't want to recommend any place we havn't actually dined at yet.

But here is what I found very strange about Texas. There are three restaurants within several hours of each other that are either completely gluten free or about 98% gluten free. Another place in Dallas offers daily gluten free desserts made by a pastry Chef who studied at the Cordon Bleu. I mean where is all this coming from? There is not a Celiac center in the whole state that I'm aware of. Please correct me if I'm wrong. The fact that these places exist anywhere in the US is amazing, of course. But to find them in Texas of all places...quite perplexing. I don't remember being told of any 100% gluten free restaurant in NYC and the gluten free bakery there actually uses spelt in about half their goods. So in other words, in NYC there is not even a 100% gluten free bakery, let alone a gluten free restaurant. In Texas there are at least two such places. One of the places my listmates informed me about is in Austin and they do have at least one non gluten free granola. The other two places are gluten free cafes that are bakeries as well.

I really can't imagine walking in to a restaurant and checking out the menu and not having to worry about what is or isn't gluten free. I simply can't put myself in that frame of mind. It will take me being there to really understand what that means. How that feels. One menu lists crab cakes, chicken fingers, french fries, onion rings, fried catfish....the offerings are more extensive than I could dream up. It's simply unbelieveable to me. One listmate suggested that I really study the menus online right before the trip so I won't be tempted to over order, as most people do the first time they visit such a gluten free nirvana. Very good advice.

Another listmate suggested that the catered affair we'll be attending in Dallas will not likely offer me any dessert, though the hotel staff did assure me the Chef can make us gluten free meals for said event. The listmate sugested that I get some gluten free cake (at a cafe we'll visit that day) and put the cake container into a gift bag and keep it under our table. When dessert is served I can ask for a plate and discreetly as possible put my cake on the plate and enjoy dessert right along with everyone at our table. How smart is that? I've done similar things in the past, but never at such a formal event. Of course, if I'm surprised with a dessert that is NOT ice cream, my 'smuggled in' cake will keep for the following day.

So if any of you know why Texas is such a trendsetter in the gluten free world, please let me know. Dr. Kenneth Fine is based in Texas and believes that as much as 20% of the population can't digest gluten properly. That is many more people than the 1% of us that have bonafide Celiac. Maybe his teachings have something to do with Texas' gluten free friendliness. Or maybe like everything else, Texans like to do things big and this is just another example of that. Either way, I can absolutely not wait to get there. I just hope I don't want to move there after the trip!

More Gluten Free Pasta in Atlanta - Saba opens a second location!

OK - so it's not a new place but it's still an addition to our quickly expanding 'safe' list of gluten free friendly restaurants in town. And the new location is on the trendy Decatur square, no less. Since I helped Saba on their gluten free path, I'm happy to see that in an economy where many restaurants here are folding left and right, Saba is instead prospering and opening their second location. Shane (the owner) allowed me to take the dinner club in for our July event. The Emory location is not very big and we took over almost the entire space.

My opinion was asked about which pasta to use for our event and I suggested the Bionaturae brand, since it's the best tasting one I can buy locally. It's made in Italy and very good. Bi-Aglut makes the BEST gluten free pasta I've had but it's very difficult to get in the US. Some people with Celiac don't handle soy well and the Bionaturae pasta contains soy. And that's exactly why I think it tastes like the gluten pasta I used to consume. My favorite pancake mix contains soy flour as well. Most places in the area that have gluten free pasta offer corn or rice pasta and I don't care for either. Finally with Saba I got to enjoy great pasta when dining out again.


Last month my husband and I were perusing the wares at the Decatur Arts Festival and I looked up from the middle of the square to see a sign that said 'Saba' on a storefront. What - Saba is moving? But they weren't moving - just expanding. Maaaarvelous! Now we can have dinner on the square and then saunter down to the Chocolate Bar for their gluten free 'Oreos and Cream' dessert (a decadent dark chocolate treat that is not made with actual Oreos, of course or it would not be gluten free). Or if we're looking for a lower fat treat after dinner, Saba offers about the best sorbet in Atlanta. And the presentation for it is really something to see!

Periodically when I'm at Saba, the owner Shane will tell me about out of town customers that stumbled upon his place and were shocked to find he actually has a printed gluten free menu - two in their family had Celiac. Or he'll mention the party of ten who came all the way from Tennessee for a 40th birthday party. Only one person, the guy with the birthday, was gluten free. You see, when we tell restaurant owners and managers that they can increase their business by offering offer gluten free menu choices, we are not kidding. And Saba is the gluten free proof in the pudding of that fact. Thanks to Shane and all his crew for making not only safe gluten free pasta meals for us - but for making them fabulous tasting as well! Maybe you'll expand to Gwinnett one of these days...hey I can dream can't I?

More Gluten Free Crab Cakes in Atlanta - thanks to Meeehan's Public House!

Once again Atlanta has proved itself as THE place to dine out gluten free - at least in the SE. Even Miami can not hold a candle to our fabulous gluten free dining options. Crab cakes are one of the restaurant delights that I've missed most since my Celiac diagnosis. I was born and raised in the Florida panhandle and I love most things seafood...raw oysters being the only exception I can think of. The first place that offered to make me gluten free crab cakes was a place in Orlando called Samba Room. When the Chef offered to make them for me, I almost fell off my chair. He acted as if it was no big deal to do this for me, but I've been hard pressed to find such a Chef in Atlanta since then. My next experience was at Park 75, the Atlanta Four Seasons Hotel restaurant down town. But crab cakes were only offered for their official Gluten Free Week, back in April. That meant I got to enjoy them only once. Of course they were absolutely fantastic, as all of Chef Robert's gluten free creations are!

Fast forward to a few months ago when the corporate Chef from Meehan's Public House contacted Kerry (the organizer of our dinner club) about their brand new gluten free menu. A menu that included gluten free crab cakes.... maybe there is something to this law of attraction thing after all. Last night we took the dinner club to Meehan's with our July event. They offered their regular gluten free menu, and many other things that are not usually available to us. But at least last night our group of 35 dined like gluten free royalty!


Meehan's is more of a pub atmosphere so it was very loud and boisterous inside. Some of the 'regular' patrons there asked one of our members if we were doing a speed dating event. We all got quite a kick out of that, to say the least! After we'd ordered our food, a plate of bread sticks suddenly appeared on the table. Both Kerry and I got a little concerned...someone didn't get the memo. 'We can't eat bread, but thanks anyway'. Then the server explained that these were gluten free bread sticks prepared just for us. What a wonderful surprise! Everyone found it hard to believe these flavorful and perfectly baked bread sticks were gluten free, including me. And they were better than some others that are quite famous and served in NYC at a pizza joint we all love. Yes, they were that great! The dipping sauce was some olive oil with a dollop of balsamic vinegar dropped in. As great as they were, I restrained myself and only ate two of them but I could have downed the entire plate without batting an eye.

For an appetizer I chose the fried green tomato 'stack' with herb infused goat cheese and spicy pepper jelly....the breading was a little heavy for me but that's a good criticism for someone with Celiac to have. The flavors and texture of this dish came together in a taste explosion which I quite enjoyed. For my entree I had the Pan Seared Crab Cakes - of course. It was actually listed as an appetizer but the portion of two was the perfect sized entree for me. My husband had the Steak Au Poivre as his main course, which I didn't taste even though I could have...gluten free gravy over the steak and mashed potatoes and everything. He liked it very much but the winner of the night was the crab cakes, hands down. They were crispy on the top and bottom, full of flavor and made mostly of crab meat. The grain mustard sauce and Granny Smith Apple Horseradish slaw on the plate finished the dish off perfectly. I could not eat both of my cakes and have dessert so I took one home and had it for lunch the next day. Other members in our group also enjoyed the Sheppard's Pie, Grilled Ahi Tuna and Chicken Pad Thai.

Dessert choices included a White Chocolate Panna Cotta with Bing Cherries or a Chocolate Pate with fresh cream and raspberries. I'd never even heard of chocoate pate before so my choice was obvious. And no, this dish didn't have any liver in it, in case like me, you were wondering about that. I don't think I can adequately describe how fabulous this dessert was, except to say it's like something you'd expect to be served in a fine Parisian restaurant. It was very rich so I brought about half of that home too, and indulged myself for several days. Since this dessert contains bittersweet chocolate, my husband could not share it with me. Oh well, I guess we all have our sacrifices to make, don't we?

If anyone had told me two years ago that gluten free crab cakes would be on any menu in Atlanta GA, I would have questioned their sanity. But today we can walk into Meehan's any of day of the week and order this very sought after gluten free dish. We can't get the bread sticks on demand...at least as of right now. But who knows what the future holds for us at Meehan's. If my instincts are correct, it is certainly something very tasty. Thanks to Chef Linda and the gang at Meehan's for making this event so special for our group. Hopefully your efforts will be rewarded in kind.

Amazing gluten free cheese crackers!

Each time I tried one of the commercially available gluten free cheese crackers, I was disappointed over and over. One version literally tasted like dirt with a slight cheese flavor. The only excellent cheese cracker-like product is actually made from all cheese and herbs by Kitchen Table Bakers. It's not really all that much like a traditional cracker, but it's excellent tasting none the less. But a gluten free Cheeze-it type cracker has eluded me for over two years. Until last week. From a listserve post about graham crackers, I found out about Sunny Valley Wheat Free in Maple Valley, WA. Though the name doesn't imply it, this company is gluten free as well as wheat free. Maybe a name change is in order...















After perusing the website offerings, I ordered the cheese crackers and some cookies and scones. Both the scones and the cookies were quite good and everything held up well shipping all the way to GA, via priority mail. But the cheese crackers...well, they tasted a LOT like a Cheeze-it. They looked like them too. The only difference might be that they are slightly more 'cheesey' and they taste like real food. The gluten crackers contain perservatives and this product does not. I've frozen a few of these cheesy delights to see how they hold up that way. If they do well (hold their flavor and terrific crunch), I'll order enough for six months or so, to pro-rate the shipping cost per package.

Generally I don't post about all the new exciting gluten free products I discover. Everyone has different tastes and what appeals to me might not do the same for you. But this product is close enough to an existing gluten product that I feel comfortable saying that if you liked Cheeze-it crackers, you'll like (or more than likely LOVE) this cracker! It's quite a remarkable little treat and when I place my next order, I'm going to try their 'Better than Grahams' crackers. Apparently they can barely keep up with the demand for those. Happy snacking!

Finally - Gluten Free pizza in Atlanta!

Most of us agree that the number one thing we miss is being able to have pizza - either in a restaurant or for take-out/delivery. Yes, I make delicious pizza often with crust from The Grainless Baker, but I'd like the option of having one I don't have to make myself. It's true that a few lucky people are able to do this, but only in 1/4 of the states in the US is it possible. And in some of those states, there is only one town with gluten free pizza. So when I heard of a magical place called Pizza Fusion, in South FL that offered gluten free organic pizza, I tried to figure out a way to get down there to try it. That was over a year ago and I still haven't been but now I'm getting something even better. Pizza Fusion is opening in Atlanta this Fall! I've absolutely died and gone to gluten free Heaven....or at least I'm going soon!

Recently, I got the chance to interview Jeff Melnick - owner of the Atlanta location of Pizza Fusion opening soon in the Buckhead area. The company is so committed to being 'green', they only deliver pizzas in hybrid cars! But obviously, the best part (and only reason I'd be writing) about Pizza Fusion is that they make gluten free pizza, for those of us that large pizza chains choose to ignore. After seeing the You Tube videos about Pizza Fusion's gluten free pizza, I was sold. Any pizza that is good enough for picky gluten free teens (and even glutenoids) is surely good enough for me!

If you're familiar with this company, you know that they offer gluten crust pizzas as well. But as you'll see here, Pizza Fusion is doing everything possible to ensure their gluten free pizzas are just that - gluten free. Jeff's answers to my questions are shown in italicized text.

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You know Jeff, a lot of people with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance react to the tiniest bit of gluten. I heard that Pizza Fusion has a unique way of dealing with the cross contamination issue. Can you explain that process to us?

We prepare a batch of our gluten-free dough every day, morning and evening. Additionally, we instruct our staff to remember how important it is to avoid contaminating the dough with any gluten product. We also inspect our equipment and remove any traces of regular flour before starting the batch. In addition, our gluten-free recipe is proprietary and we follow it exactly. We take the preparation of our gluten-free products very seriously. Our gluten-free pizza and products are prepared in a designated “gluten-free” area on a clean and sanitized cutting board.

Also, we take extra steps to ensure that the utensils that come in contact with the pizza are sanitized and kept separate from the non gluten-free pizzas. We have designated the top shelf of our oven for gluten-free pizzas only. In other words, there is never any cross contamination between the gluten-free pizzas and the non gluten-free pizzas.

Is it true that you'll be offering gluten free beer there too? If so, what brands are you stocking?

Yes, we'll be stocking Redbridge gluten free beer (by Anheiser Busch) for our gluten free patrons to enjoy.

Someone from Florida mentioned that your brownies are gluten free and very delicious. Is it true that you only offer one (gluten free) brownie to all your customers?

Yes, we offer only one brownie. It's vegan and gluten-free and they ARE very delicious.

Needless to say - the gluten free community in Atlanta is excited to finally get gluten free pizza in our area! When is the estimated opening date for your Buckhead location?

We are shooting for a soft opening of September 9th, 2008 and we look forward to serving our gluten free friends. Keep an eye out for grand opening news...! We also plan to open two additional locations in 2009 in Vinings and Midtown/Edgewood.

Thanks so much for your time Jeff. We can NOT wait until you open here!

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So, there you have it folks. I hope everyone will give Pizza Fusion a chance to prove they care about making us safe, gluten free food. This company takes the gluten free market seriously and cares about courting us more than any other chain with a gluten free menu, that I've worked with anyway. We've got to support companies like this or else we'll never get to where we want (and deserve) to be in the US, regarding gluten free dining. There are gluten free, dairy free options here as well. Check out the complete allergen information from Pizza Fusion here.

Pizza Fusion
2233 Peachtree Road, Suite M
Atlanta, GA 30309 / 404-351-9334
Jeffrey Melnick
j.melnick@pizzafusion.com
`Saving the Earth, One Pizza at a Time`

Update: check out the lastest press release from Pizza Fusion!
http://www.pizzafusion.com/press-room/press-release-detail.aspx?id=39

Gluten Free week at the Four Seasons Hotel in Atlanta!

This post is a little late in coming, since the week long event was back in April. I was planning for vacation then and somehow never got around to posting about it. Chef Robert Gertenecker is the Executive Chef at Park 75, at the Four Seasons Hotel. He got involved with the gluten free community last October, when he participated in the Gluten Free Cooking Spree hosted by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. After that event, he added gluten free lobster chili and cornbread to his lunch menu. With two days notice, you can also enjoy Afternoon Tea there, complete with gluten free scones, sandwiches and desserts! Naturally when the Park 75 manager told me about Chef's gluten free week in April, I was overly excited. They came up with a gluten free dinner menu with choices for the starter, entree and dessert. For $45, it was quite the bargain for this caliber restaurant.

I got an early preview of the menu and though it looked great, I really miss ordering crab cakes out. And so I did what I urge everyone to do, all the time. I asked for what I wanted - gluten free crab cakes. As always, Chef Robert did not disappoint and gladly added Blue Crab Cakes to his gluten free dinner menu.

Our original plan was to have a romantic evening out but it turned out a gluten free friend was having a birthday that week. So we ended up with a small group of friends to enjoy this great evening together. We were seated at a prime location in the restaurant at a round table, and within a minute a bread basket appeared on the table. I recognized the gluten free cornbread muffins but there was something else in there. Oops...they must have put gluten rolls in the basket, rendering everything in it unsafe for us. No actually, they had made gluten free rolls just for us. They were fairly good, but could not compete with the cornbread...it's some of the best cornbread I've ever had, regardless of ingredients.













To keep things simple and worry free, the entire table ordered from the gluten free menu. My husband started with the gluten free mushroom ravioli with truffle cream sauce and I had Chef's signature white bean lobster chili. The crab cakes were actually offered in the appetizer section on the special menu, but Chef made an exception for us and gave us two cakes as an entree choice. They were some of the best I've ever had and certainly the best gluten free version I've tasted. This is probably because it was comprised mostly of crab...some of the best tasting I'd had in a while. All crab cakes should be this decadent....I could have eaten them continuously until morning. But we still had our dessert course coming.


My husband ordered the creme brulee and I had the berry parfait with a gluten free cookie. I wasn't crazy about the cookie part but the rest of my dessert was fabulous. The creme brulee was excellent and presented beautifully, with a caramelized sugar spray on top!
















Just as we thought our night would soon end, the server and manager appeared with a special birthday dessert for my friend...what?! Though I had asked for something special for her (at her husband's secret request), when they brought her dessert out with ours, I assumed they hadn't come up with anything special. Since the dessert offered is not available at present, I can't tell or show what exactly it was. But trust me when I say it was out of this world delicious and they should be offering it all the time. It was so unbelievable that as I stuffed a few bites down (very full from dinner), I kept thinking this could not possibly be gluten free - but it was. Pastry Chef Christopher Jennings really outdid himself this time. I can't wait to see what he'll come up with next!


So a very late but sincere thanks to Chef Robert, Managers Augustin and Mike, and the entire staff at Park 75, for making that night so wonderful for all of us. And an extra special thank you goes to Pastry Chef Christopher, especially from the birthday girl! None of us will ever forget the special treatment we received at the Atlanta Four Seasons Hotel! And seriously Chef Robert, you really should consider packaging the lobster chili and selling it retail....

One last stop on our gluten free tour of New York City!

We have to leave Wyman House today - our home away from home - we wish! But maybe we can come back one day. For now, there is the matter of deciding where to have our last meal in NYC, for now anyway. There are three diners in Manhattan (that I know of) with gluten free menus. By far, the one I've heard the most fabulous things about is Peter's Gourmet Diner on the UES. So we decided to enjoy our last meal of the trip there. A car was picking us up at 1 pm at so we had to eat a very early lunch. We set off around 10:30 am to catch the bus that takes us across town, within two blocks of Peter's. It's very cold, windy and rainy today. Needless to say everyone is taking the bus and so it's slow going....twenty people were cramped into the covered bus stop, trying to stay dry. Since the bus was packed, it stopped at every stop but we finally get off and practically sprinted to Peter's.


We enter the place to find we're the only ones there, except for three employees. We were seated and handed a massive menu, with things marked only if they are NOT gluten free...how neat is that?! I haven't been able to order pancakes out in over two years but when I asked what gluten free brand of mix they used, the server said he didn't know and didn't offer to go find out. He seemed like he was having a bad day so I ordered chicken fingers and onion rings - but they were out of onion rings. So I ordered potato skins instead my husband ordered a patty melt with gluten free bread. The chicken fingers were coated with a cornmeal batter that I didn't care for, but the skins were scrumptious! However, the patty melt was unbelievable....my husband assumed that they'd messed up the order and served it on gluten bread. But they hadn't so I got to taste it...I would not order anything but a sandwich if I ever went back to Peter's. I can't believe this place is baking their own bread so please tell me if you know what brand they use. It's fabulous and probably one of the many gluten free breads that I've heard great things about, which are not sold in the South. I left half my meal on the table because I couldn't eat it all, so we didn't inquire about dessert. But trust me, they have a LOT of them!
















The bus ride back over to our side of town took forever so we literally ran three blocks to get back in time for our car. We actually arrived about 12:50 but after we ducked inside, the Inn owner noticed our car passing by without stopping. She called the company immediately and the driver circled back to get us. We loaded everything in the roomy town car and headed to Laguardia. I was sort of glad it was cold and rainy, and that I was not super impressed with Peter's. I wanted to get home where it was warmer.....and I wanted to think we have it as good in Atlanta as the gluten free set in New York do. But of course, this is not true.


Atlanta probably ranks in the top ten cities to live in the US, if you're gluten free for whatever reason. But we've got a LONG way to go to compete with those lucky New Yorkers. I know we'll never beat them...probably won't match them either. But we'll have fun trying, and we'll make life easier for every Celiac that comes after us in the process!


There are way too many people to thank for making our gluten free tour of New York one of our best vacations ever. But I've got to mention several who went above and beyond to help us in every way they could. Bruce and Pedro at Everybody Eats - we'll never forget your gluten free pinata and we are so excited that some of your products now sold in the Atlanta area! Debra - your advice about everything was a home run - we agree with you about the bakery too - thanks for everything! Julie - thanks for telling us about two places that not one other New York Celiac seems to know about! To an unnamed listserve member - 'Cesca was amazing...you're lucky to have such a fabulous place in your neighborhood and happy anniversary! Jonah at PizzaBolla - I'd love your chocolate chip cookie recipe. Liz - thanks for organizing the pizza party for the Meetup group! Dave at Mozzarelli's - you should be selling your gluten free biscotti nationwide! Enzo at Tini's - thanks for making our anniversary so special...we hope to try Opus one day!



Finally, to my fellow (and much more professional) bloggers - Shauna, Catherine, Erin, Kelly and Jamie - you each helped me plan and enjoy this trip in different ways, and for that I'm very grateful. But most of all I'd like to thank each one of you, for everything you do for our community. You are all proving that together we can make a difference! Rock on gluten free ladies - rock on!!!!!

Our last full day in the city ... savoring every last gluten free bite!

Today is our last full day in New York. We decide to go to the National Museum of the American Indian in the morning. The weather looked 'iffy' so we packed a mini travel umbrella in our tote bag, just in case it rains. Once inside the Museum (where security is tighter than at most airports) we quickly became disappointed. Much of the space was closed off and what was open was interesting, but not what we thought it would be. I'm 1/16th Cherokee Indian so I wanted to read more about tribes found in the Southern US. But the entire Museum focused on the Northwestern tribes. It was educational learning about tribes we'd never heard of, but we were glad we didn't have to pay to get in. I've heard that the same museum in DC is fabulous so we'll try to visit it one day.
It was still overcast when we hopped on the subway about a block away and headed to a place I'd read about right before we left Atlanta. It's called S'MAC (short for Sarita's Mac-N-Cheese) located in the East Village. Being from the South, I was not missing an opportunity to have mac-n-cheese in a restaurant. You might be wondering how a place can serve only one type of dish and stay open. But you see, S'MAC serves many different types of mac-n-cheese and all options can be ordered with gluten free pasta. In fact, the owner (who developed gluten intolerance after she opened the place) spent eight months developing her gluten free offerings. She would not serve it to gluten free patrons until her glutenoid customers could not tell the difference between the gluten and gluten free versions. Finally, after trying many different types of gluten free pasta, she found one that would freeze and reheat well (a lot of her business is take out) and she removed all gluten breadcrumbs and replaced them with gluten free cornflakes. Even the glutenoid patrons get gluten free breadcrumbs...they probably just don't know it...lol!











After reading Catherine's review of this place, I knew I had to try the Parisienne, but I wanted the basic classic version as well. I thought we should order three types of mac-n-cheese but my more logical husband advised me that we should start with only two 'nosh' sized pans. When the food was delivered to the table, I reconfirmed it was gluten free and was assured it was. It's sort of a foreign concept for someone with Celiac to have mac-n-cheese in a restaurant. But that's what was in front of me and so I dug in....all that melted cheese....figs and Brie in the Parisienne. I simply could not believe this incredible mac-n-cheese was gluten free. It's hard to find a gluten free pasta that tastes good AND reheats and freezes well. In the end, my husband fell in love with the Parisienne and I could not get enough of the classic 'All American' version!

A few days after we returned from New York, my husband asked if S'MAC sold their stuff online...he's never ever asked me that about any food before. And remember, though he doesn't often do it, he can eat gluten. That is how fabulous Sarita's food is. You could serve it to the most picky gluten eater you know and they would never suspect it didn't contain wheat! Oh and the answer is yes - S'MAC will soon be shipping their Partay! sized portions in the US! Thanks Sarita for this little piece of Heaven on earth - you're an angel in our community!

Even though it would be our last dinner in NYC, for a while anyway, we decided not to patronize a place with a gluten free menu, but instead go to a place that had an amazing Chef, who happened to know how to serve safe, but creative gluten free meals. Centrico is such a place. It's a trendy spot located in SoHo. Though the patio was packed when we arrived, it was also cramped looking, so we opted for a lovely large table with a view of the entire restaurant inside. The staff knew of my gluten free needs before we arrived (http://www.opentable.com/ request) and so our server proudly informed me that they serve Redbridge beer. Good to know but I passed and had a margarita instead. The server also informed me that I should pick out a couple of things that looked good to me on the menu, and he'd find out if those dish could be made gluten free, or if they were gluten free without modification.

To start, we tried the stuffed plantain appetizer. We'd never had anything like it before and it was amazing! As it happened, both the entrees that intrigued us were gluten free as prepared. No modifications were needed. I really love ordering such dishes because there is less chance that the kitchen will throw a piece of bread...or gravy....or whatever on my plate, rendering it unsafe for me to eat. The first dish below is the roasted duck with spicy red fruit sauce and asparagus. Below that is my seared salmon over some pureed root vegetables and asparagus, drizzled with a chili oil. The fish was coated with a ground almond mixture and it was absolutely divine! We disagreed about who'd ordered the best entree...as usual...lol!

I think we could only have flan or ice cream for dessert but we cleaned our plates and could not eat another bite. Centrico is a totally hip place, but luckily we were not the only ones our age in there...lol! Whether you eat gluten or not, please give it a try if you're in the area and haven't yet. You won't be disappointed!