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Finch & Fork

14 May

Blistered Shishito PeppersToday was another beautiful day in Santa Barbara. My good friend and I decided to take advantage of the weather by enjoying a beverage on the rooftop at the Canary Hotel. After soaking up some rays, we headed downstairs to try Finch & Fork. We started by sharing the shishito peppers. I love shishito peppers. These were especially salty and delicious. I then had the halibut.

Local HalibutThis was served with a lentil salad, roasted cipollini onions and asparagus. The fish was cooked well and I enjoyed the salad that it came with. I would probably try something a little more flavorful though next time. My friend ordered the Pan Roasted Half Chicken.

Pan Roasted Half ChickenThis was served with a sweet corn puree, apple and arugula salad and charred lemon. Out of the two dishes, I preferred the halibut. Overall, we had a pleasant meal. I can already see myself returning just for the shishito peppers and the views from the rooftop.

 

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Spring Meet-Up

7 May

Happy Celiac Awareness Month! As a reminder, we are holding our Spring Meet-Up this Wednesday at Adama at 5:30 PM. For details and for any information about future events, please visit the Gluten-Free Santa Barbara Facebook Page! See you there… I will be the one devouring the GF onion rings!

Curried Onion Rings

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Papa Lennon’s

30 Apr

Pasta PrimaveraAfter getting my hair done today in Ojai, I decided to get some lunch at Papa Lennon’s. They have gluten-free pizza available and even make their own crust. However, after asking some questions, I found that they use the same surface and utensils for the GF and regular crusts. They also have gluten-free pasta available. After confirming that the pasta would be cooked in a clean pot and with clean utensils, I ordered the Pasta Primavera. This had sauteed seasonal vegetables, freshly grated parmesan cheese and a pesto cream sauce. It was hearty and warm which was appreciated as it was quite overcast today.

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El Encanto

30 Apr

Spring Salad Edible FlowersLast night, we decided to try the much buzzed about El Encanto restaurant. We walked around the property a bit before eating, and found it to be quite beautiful. On a clear night, the views would be outstanding. Then we sat down for dinner. When I asked our waiter what my options were, he ran down a list of four menu items and then walked away not allowing for me to ask questions. This made me a bit nervous. When he finally came back, I narrowed it down to the two items he said I could have unaltered. They were the Pan Seared Swordfish and the Confit Jidori Chicken Breast. The chicken came with crispy chickpea fries which intrigued me, so I asked how they were prepared. It turns out that they are fried in contaminated oil so they were not GF. Additionally, about five minutes after ordering, an amuse bouche came out that was clearly not GF. The gentleman that brought it out apologized and said he would be back with something I could have but we never saw him again. Hmm. I started with the Spring Salad Edible Flowers without the croutons that usually come with it. I wasn’t a huge fan of the taste of this. My husband tried it and decided it tasted like Febreeze. For my main, I had the swordfish which was served with creamy Jerusalem artichokes, French black truffle, sweet garlic parsley custard and cabbage bacon emulsion. 

Pan Seared SwordfishI would love to say that this was great, but I found it a bit bland. The whole experience at the restaurant just felt very impersonal. As an Orient-Express property, I had high hopes that they would be well informed about allergies. But it was very apparent that there was a lack of awareness and communication going on. I think that in Santa Barbara, if you charge a certain amount of money, an expectation of reliable service come with it. I don’t think we would go back for food, but it does seem like it would be a nice spot for a drink in the summer.

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The Shop Cafe

29 Apr

Cecilia SaladMy coworker has been raving about The Shop Cafe since it opened, so I finally jumped on the opportunity to try it. I had their Cecilia Salad. This had quinoa, peas, roasted corn, kale, mandarin orange, spring squash, feta and toasted almonds with a chili lime vinaigrette. It was light and satisfying at the same time. I asked the owner if they have considered bringing in GF bread, but as they make everything from scratch (including their breads), they would only want to do it if they had the space to make their own. After eating, I headed over to the Mission since this is the perfect time of year to see the rose garden in bloom.

Mission Rose GardenDo we live in the most beautiful place or what?

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Hoffmann Brat Haus

28 Apr

Hoffmann BratAs we were walking around downtown Santa Barbara today, we stumbled on Hoffmann Brat Haus. After glancing at their menu I noticed that they have Udi’s GF buns available for a small charge. Sweet! The guy at the register was really helpful in finding someone who had the answers to all of my questions. Some of the brats are off limits, but they have a list behind the register of which ones are gluten-free. I ordered the Hoffman Brat with caramelized onions and hot peppers. They also have Belgian Fries which they assured me were GF as they are they only thing fried in the oil.

Belgian FriesThirsty and of age? They also have a couple of gluten-free beers available on the menu!

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Blue Ridge Grill

17 Apr

Escarole SaladOne of the dinners we had in Atlanta was at Blue Ridge Grill. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a gluten-free menu upon sitting down. I started with their Escarole Salad. This had spiced walnuts, local apple and a poppy seed vinaigrette. The salad was very unique, yet tasty. For my main dish, I had the Dayboat Sea Scallops with red peas and rice and a mustard vinaigrette.

Sea ScallopsThe scallops were very hearty paired with the peas and rice. In addition to our main courses, my Celiac brother and I split the brussel sprouts with pancetta and the sauteed spinach. We both really enjoyed the sides as they were flavorful and fresh.

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Pure Taqueria

16 Apr

Shrimp TacosWhile in Atlanta, we found a Mexican restaurant with a gluten-free menu. We found our waitress at Pure Taqueria was very informed as to what we could and could not have. When she brought chips to our table, I asked about how they were fried. She knew that we could not have them as the oil was contaminated. She then offered to bring out some GF chips for a small charge. I thought that it was pretty awesome that they had the option of GF chips. I ordered their shrimp tacos with the shrimp grilled rather than fried. These had poblano slaw, chipotle mayo and cruda tomatillo salsa and were served on corn tortillas. In Santa Barbara, we have no shortage of Mexican restaurants. However, it would be great to have at least one that is this proactive in knowing about the gluten-free diet!

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Radial Cafe

13 Apr

GF PancakeOne morning in Atlanta, we tried Radial Cafe for breakfast. Our waiter’s grandmother also had Celiac, so he was very well informed. I ordered the gluten free pancakes, which he assured me they prepared on a designated GF surface with clean utensils. These were ridiculously good. They consisted of quinoa, corn, tapioca, buckwheat flours and ground flax. There was some cinnamon in them as well. The short stack was plenty as the pancakes were huge. He also recommended a very GF friendly spot to us in Atlanta called Urban Pl8, which we didn’t get a chance to visit, but sounded as if they would take care of Celiacs.

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Yeah! Burger

11 Apr

GF BurgerThis past weekend, I was in Atlanta for the Final Four. After being sick and eating chicken broth for way too long, I was craving a burger. Luckily, we found Yeah! Burger, which was the most fantastic place for my Celiac brother and me. The first thing I ordered was a grass-fed beef burger. On it, I had cheddar cheese, bibb lettuce, plum tomato, grilled onions and their Yeah! Sauce which was chipotle based. It was served on Pure Knead gluten-free bun. This was unbelievably good. It was so good that a couple days later, we visited their other location where I got another one of these. The bun held up really well and everything just had so much flavor. I also ordered a chili cheese dog on a gluten-free bun.

GF HotdogAs I ate this, I had flashbacks of my pre-celiac days eating at The Hot Grill in Clifton, NJ. It was incredibly satisfying. As I was so excited to eat normal food again, I also ordered their Fifty-Fifty which was half french fries and half onion rings. These were made in a separate, dedicated fryer to avoid any cross contamination.

Fifty-FiftyEverything I had here was really good. I found that the staff was very knowledgeable about their gluten-free offerings. I almost wish we hadn’t gone here, as I have been unable to get rid of my craving for Yeah! Burger since I had it.

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