Before I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I used to like the convenience of being able to go to Zankou Chicken. Three or four of us would get the whole chicken with garlic, pita (eek. gluten), etc.
I drove past a Zankou Chicken that is opening soon in Granada Hills (@Chatsworth and Zelzah), so I decided to check if they have gluten free options (as more places become aware of GF needs, the options available are increasing).
Lo and behold...gluten free options. Obviously, you cannot get the pita wraps, but check the link to see what you can get....the chicken is the way to go in my opinion. Their website has a handy PDF menu also.
The other place I noticed gluten free rotisserie chicken recently was Costco. Cheap, well labeled, and GF...but you have to walk the quarter mile to the meat dept in the back of the store after surviving the parking lot. The chicken is not on their website, as it is an in store item...not something that they will send via UPS...use the website to find a Costco near you, then hunt in-store. (you do need to be a member..if you live somewhere other than the US and have never heard of Costco before).
In summary, if you are a masochist, you can save some money by getting a gluten free rotisserie chicken at Costco, but for convenience and flavor Zankou Chicken is hard to beat.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
GF in SF (Jane on Fillmore)
I was up in San Francisco a few weeks ago for Memorial Weekend and had a great gluten free breakfast at Jane.
They make everything in house from scratch and always have GF options available.
The muffin I had was delicious, and they also have excellent coffee. The muffin had good texture, chewiness, nice top, and great flavor. If in SF, you should stop by and treat yourself...
The address: 2123 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115
It is in Pacific Heights (for those of you who know your SF neighborhoods).
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| gluten free muffin from jane (see texture) |
They make everything in house from scratch and always have GF options available.
The muffin I had was delicious, and they also have excellent coffee. The muffin had good texture, chewiness, nice top, and great flavor. If in SF, you should stop by and treat yourself...
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| jane gluten free muffin and coffee |
The address: 2123 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115
It is in Pacific Heights (for those of you who know your SF neighborhoods).
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| jane sandwich sign on fillmore st |
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Gluten Free in the OC
I'm spending a few days in Orange County. These are some reminders for myself of gluten free places I should check out or perhaps avoid.
Check Out.
Paul Martin's American Bistro- in Irvine Spectrum. Looks good but rather pricey.
Original Pancake House - Orange and Anaheim locations only. Gluten free pancakes, waffles, crepes, and soon french toast. Not sure if they cross contaminate with cooking surface. Ask first.
Pei Wei Asian Diner - GF menu here. I'm excited about the GF sweet and sour chicken. 1302 Bison Avenue, Newport Beach, CA. (near MacArthur and the 73).
Also in Terminal C of John Wayne airport (now with limited GF options at airport as of 8/21/2013)
Sensitive Sweets Bakery - in Fountain Valley. Looks like babycakes (see my GF in New York postings), but with more muffins. Custom cakes are a small fortune, but the rest seems reasonable (for GF). Closed Sunday and Monday.
118 Degrees - Raw food place in the Camp in Costa Mesa. Folks claim lost of GF stuff (including beer, brownies, pizza...) but their website is less than revealing. They mention wheat free. Make sure they know that some things not called wheat also contain gluten.
Z'Tejas - in South Coast Plaza mall. Menu here, separate GF menu at store.
Taco Mesa - gf options delineated on the menu above the counter. Hole in the wall vibe with modest prices. $1.25 tacos on tuesdays. Four locations.
Rutabegorz - Fullerton, Orange, Tustin. Word on the theoretical street is that they have a separate GF menu upon request. Not sure, so don't go there when starving. Or, call the location ahead of your visit.
Stonefire Grill - Irvine and Fountain Valley locations. GF options listed here. They have a lot of CYA language which makes me sketchy.
Don't forget to check out my previous posts about Orange County for other options.
example: Newport Rib Company, BJ's, Red Brick Pizza, Chipotle, PF Changs, Outback,
Avoid
Z Pizza - I have asked at different locations. All locations have admitted openly that they "like, totally, cross-contaminate." Good to know. Too bad they can't take some steps to prevent that. They use same utensils, sauces, pans, etc. I wish there was a Garlic Jim's in the Newport Beach area (Garlic Jim's is my GF pizza of choice...haven't written them up yet as I was waiting for a place with tables....I digress.)
Check Out.
Paul Martin's American Bistro- in Irvine Spectrum. Looks good but rather pricey.
Original Pancake House - Orange and Anaheim locations only. Gluten free pancakes, waffles, crepes, and soon french toast. Not sure if they cross contaminate with cooking surface. Ask first.
Pei Wei Asian Diner - GF menu here. I'm excited about the GF sweet and sour chicken. 1302 Bison Avenue, Newport Beach, CA. (near MacArthur and the 73).
Also in Terminal C of John Wayne airport (now with limited GF options at airport as of 8/21/2013)
Sensitive Sweets Bakery - in Fountain Valley. Looks like babycakes (see my GF in New York postings), but with more muffins. Custom cakes are a small fortune, but the rest seems reasonable (for GF). Closed Sunday and Monday.
118 Degrees - Raw food place in the Camp in Costa Mesa. Folks claim lost of GF stuff (including beer, brownies, pizza...) but their website is less than revealing. They mention wheat free. Make sure they know that some things not called wheat also contain gluten.
Z'Tejas - in South Coast Plaza mall. Menu here, separate GF menu at store.
Taco Mesa - gf options delineated on the menu above the counter. Hole in the wall vibe with modest prices. $1.25 tacos on tuesdays. Four locations.
Rutabegorz - Fullerton, Orange, Tustin. Word on the theoretical street is that they have a separate GF menu upon request. Not sure, so don't go there when starving. Or, call the location ahead of your visit.
Stonefire Grill - Irvine and Fountain Valley locations. GF options listed here. They have a lot of CYA language which makes me sketchy.
Don't forget to check out my previous posts about Orange County for other options.
example: Newport Rib Company, BJ's, Red Brick Pizza, Chipotle, PF Changs, Outback,
Avoid
Z Pizza - I have asked at different locations. All locations have admitted openly that they "like, totally, cross-contaminate." Good to know. Too bad they can't take some steps to prevent that. They use same utensils, sauces, pans, etc. I wish there was a Garlic Jim's in the Newport Beach area (Garlic Jim's is my GF pizza of choice...haven't written them up yet as I was waiting for a place with tables....I digress.)
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Green's Gluten Free Beer Review - Magically Delicious
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| Green's Gluten Free Beer (3 types). |
I was given 3 Green's Gluten Free Beers to try for my birthday a while back. They were a bit of an extravagant treat, as I usually would not have spent so much on a bottle of beer. Now that I have tried them, I am willing to pay to have them again, as they were quite different (and pretty darn strong). They are each 500mL, so larger than a normal beer (if that allows one to justify spending more money on them). If you care, they are a Belgian import. You can usually find them at BevMo or Total Wine. Here is their North American site.
I will give them each a brief review ordered by descending alcohol content...Notice the large Gluten Free text on each bottle...puts your mind at ease.
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| Green's Tripel Blonde Ale (gluten free) |
1. Green's Tripel Blonde Ale (8.5% ALC/VOL). Potent. Yellow gold. Tangy kick. Lot of head. Consider adding lemon or orange slice.
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| Green's Dubbel Dark Ale (gluten free) |
2. Green's Dubbel Dark Ale (7% ALC/VOL). Dark. Nutty brown. Fizzy. Like a less sweet Newcastle (if you ever tried that before becoming Gluten Free).
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| Green's Amber Ale (gluten free) - sorry it's a bit blurry... |
3. Green's Amber Ale (6% ALC/VOL). Sweet. Dark cranberry red. Frothy. Little fizzy. Good with piece of chocolate...random, I know.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Wingstop - NO LONGER Gluten Free Wings of ANY kind(Beware)
Once upon a time there were GF wings offered atWingstop.
I went on their website to find a location near me and decided to double check the allergens.
Egad! ALL of their food now is listed as containing gluten because of the way they filtrate their oil in the cleaning process, even the bone-in wings may have trace amounts of gluten...and can no longer be called completely gluten-free. (I'm guessing that means that they mix the boneless and bone-in wing oil during the cleaning process.)
Don't believe me (or don't want to believe me)?
Their allergens can be found on the website here.
Looks like I will be going to TGI Friday's for some bone-in wings that are GF from now on. Several locations now offer a gluten free menu...ask at the one nearest to you. I'll post some photos when I get around to it.
I guess this shows that it is always good to double check that allergen information at a restaurant has not changed since your last visit....
I went on their website to find a location near me and decided to double check the allergens.
Egad! ALL of their food now is listed as containing gluten because of the way they filtrate their oil in the cleaning process, even the bone-in wings may have trace amounts of gluten...and can no longer be called completely gluten-free. (I'm guessing that means that they mix the boneless and bone-in wing oil during the cleaning process.)
Don't believe me (or don't want to believe me)?
Their allergens can be found on the website here.
Looks like I will be going to TGI Friday's for some bone-in wings that are GF from now on. Several locations now offer a gluten free menu...ask at the one nearest to you. I'll post some photos when I get around to it.
I guess this shows that it is always good to double check that allergen information at a restaurant has not changed since your last visit....
Saturday, October 1, 2011
GF Restaurant Review - Seasons 52 at South Coast Plaza
A few weeks ago I visited Seasons52 in the South Coast Plaza.
Their name comes from a "seasonally-inspired" menu (their words). They use fresh ingredients and promise that nothing on the menu is over 475 calories.
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| Seasons52 Coaster |
Their alternative menus (including gluten free) can be found here.
I had a nice beef meal, with seasonal vegetables and tasty potatoes. The sauce was tasty, but probably too spicy for most people (I really enjoyed it).
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| Gluten Free Lunch @ Seasons 52 in South Coast Plaza |
Service was attentive and unobtrusive. The interior was nicely designed, though some of the dining room chairs looked rather battered.
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| Seasons 52 Interior |
The wait for food was about 20 minutes, because it was cooked to order, so make sure you are not in a rush.
The official address is:
Seasons 52
At South Coast Plaza
At South Coast Plaza
3333 Bristol St
Suite # 2802
Costa Mesa,
CA
92626
(714) 437-5252
It is located on the outside of the mall, the entry looks like this:
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| Seasons 52 Costa Mesa Entry |
CeliacsUnited.com Hits 10,000 page views
Thanks to you readers, celiacsunited.com got its 10,000th page view yesterday. Thanks for using my gluten free resource as your resource also. I'll be trying a small format change in the future, with more top 5 lists going forward. Let me know how you like it.
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