Happy Celiac Awareness Month! Thanks to Gluten-Free in SB reader, Ellen, I got a tip that Islands offers great GF burger buns. They also have a gluten-free menu! We decided to try it out yesterday at the prime dining time of 4:45pm to avoid the rush. I prefer eating super early when I am trying a restaurant for the first time so I can ask the server all of my questions without feeling like they are rushed. After asking our waiter my usual questions, he confirmed the following answers with the manager and kitchen: The gluten-free buns are prepared in a safe spot when told it is for an allergy/celiac. The fries are made in their own fryer. However they are close to the fryer that is used for non-GF things, so there is a slight chance of oil splattering into the fries fryer. I took the risk and ordered my Maui Burger with fries. The bun definitely held together better than the standard Udi’s bun. Upon asking about it, the waiter informed me they are made by Smart Flour. I really liked the fries (and felt fine last night), but I did feel a little risky eating them. Would you have tried them?
Islands
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For spring break, I brought the kiddos to NY to spend the week with my family. The first day started with breakfast from the entirely GF @modernbreadandbagel . We then visited the Statue of Liberty to check out Lady Liberty’s right foot (thank you #daveeggers ). I had lunch delivered from the entirely GF @naminori.nyc and then dinner @pastisnyc with fries made in their dedicated GF fryer. I am certainly eating well!
Last week, I enjoyed the black bean quinoa sweet potato burger at the dedicated GF @greentablesb . Rather than having it wrapped in romaine, I opted for a cauliflower bun. The chipotle aioli that came on it was super flavorful. This burger was their special of the week. I found out that the burger that is on their permanent menu is served cold which didn’t sound appealing to me!
My daughter and I just got back from another trip to @socalfoodallergy in Long Beach. We stopped at the entirely GF @kirariwest to try out their new gluten-free waffle options. There are two locations within the same shopping center. The waffle offerings are located at their Confections location. I had the ham and gruyere sandwich made with their amazingly delicious GF waffle. This was so good that we decided to split one of the sweet waffle options for dessert. After confirming that there would be no cross contamination with my daughter’s allergens, we dug into the strawberry and chocolate waffle which came with whipped cream and powdered sugar. I’m not even a big sweets person but this was fantastic!
A few weeks ago, I enjoyed a meal @lapalomasb with one of my friends from college that was visiting (Go Gauchos!). I had the Red Oak Grilled Snake River Farms Wagyu Tri Tip which was delicious and went great with the Late Night Margarita. I always find everyone at La Paloma super knowledgeable about their ingredients and how to avoid cross-contamination. Plus, they have one of my favorite outdoor patios!
A while back, I returned to @tygertygersb to have another helping of the Tyger Bowl. I decided to try some other items while I was there. The crispy rice salad is marked GF but if you have celiac, there is cross contamination with the crispy rice part which had been prepared earlier that day. However, the head chef was there and found some rice that hadn’t been prepared yet and was able to make it safely for me. I also tried the Daigaku Imo which had a delicious flavor. Dessert was the Ube Cheesecake which was naturally GF!
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I have eaten at the SB Islands 3 times. Each server was very knowledgable & the manager came over as well to explain how they help keep gluten free items from being cross contaminated. I used my Nima sensor at 2 of the 3 visits and the food came back safe. I’m happy to have another GF restaurant option in town.
I found that our server wasn’t too knowledgeable but was quick to confirm all of my questions with the manager and kitchen. I’m glad to hear that Nima approved it! Did you have the fries?
Another great post glutenfreeinsb! As a celiac I really appreciate all the great information you provide. To be honest even though I’m incredibly sensitive, given their gluten knowledge I would absolutely take that ‘risk’. You naturally run a risk every time you eat out with cross-contamination in the kitchen however they seem to REALLY know what they’re doing. Thanks again can’t wait to see where you go next!
Thanks for chiming in!