Since last Sunday, I have been home sick with a bad case of the flu. Forcing me to miss 10 days of work, this has been no ordinary flu. One of the only things that cheered me up in that time was this care package left on my stoop by my good friend that also happens to be celiac. I hadn’t had a Juice Ranch juice before, but I found that all of the nutrients that were packed into this particular juice was exactly what my body needed. I also enjoyed munching on the GF banana muffin she left me from Recipes.
Archive | Uncategorized RSS feed for this section
Brunch at Home
22 Mar
I was able to get away from work for a couple of days to squeeze in a quick trip to New Jersey to see my grandparents. There is nothing like hanging out at the house, playing 500 and feasting on bagels and lox. I used Joan’s bagels. They are a little tricky to bake, but the taste of them is worth it. We got our lox from Fairway Market where the guy there was able to slice it paper-thin. Later in the day, when we were ready for another snack, we made some corn dogs that we found at the market. 
These were made by Applegate and were found in the frozen section. There is just something about eating food on a stick that makes it so much more fun.
Anchor Woodfire Kitchen and Bar
13 Mar
Last week we went with my parents to try Anchor Woodfire Kitchen down on lower State Street. The waitress we had was very helpful in letting me know what I could and could not have. We started with some cured meats and cheeses. Since they make all of their meats, she was able to confirm that there were no fillers in them. Typically this comes with bread, so she made sure to place that on a separate plate. For my appetizer, I had the local mussels.
These had chickpeas, nduja (which is a spicy, spreadable sausage) and a paprika broth. I found them quite tasty. I had wanted to order the special fish that evening for my main dish. However, they refused to remove the head and debone it for me, so I went with the smoked and braised short ribs.
These were served with parmesan polenta and a heavy dose of yummy mustard. Overall I enjoyed my meal here. I loved the playlist they had, and the space was really cool. There were a couple of things that happened during our meal that they will hopefully figure out. We were served all of our entrees while there were still appetizers being consumed. Additionally, we were served our check without being offered dessert or coffee. I have a feeling they were new restaurant kinks though, so I will be sure to try it again!
Sides Hardware and Shoes
8 Mar
Wednesday was one of those overcast days that almost beg you to have soup. Lucky for me, at Sides Hardware and Shoes, their special soup for the day was a fantastic carrot soup with ginger cream and chive oil. I started with a cup of it, instantly regretting that I didn’t just order a gallon of it as my order. For my main dish, I initially was going to order the shrimp tostada but they fry the corn tortilla in contaminated oil. Instead, I had their fish tacos.
These were served on fresh corn tortillas and had fresh albacore tuna, cabbage, guacamole, salsa and a chipotle aioli. There was a lot of fish with the tacos so I filled up pretty quickly. However that didn’t stop me from trying their gluten-free dessert, macaroon sandwiches.
These coconut macaroons were filled with dark chocolate and coconut swirl sorbet. I am not a huge coconut fan and I was pretty full at this point so I only had one. But for those coconut lovers, this would be a great dessert to share!
Padaro Beach Grill
3 Mar
On Friday night, a friend and I took advantage of the weather and headed to the Padaro Beach Grill for dinner. This extremely casual spot is great for taking in a sunset and if you have kids, letting them run around in the play area. I ordered the Shrimp Tacos.
These shrimp were marinated with tequila and lime. They were served with shredded cabbage, tomato, avocado and cilantro on fresh corn tortillas. On the side were corn tortilla chips and pico de gallo. With views of the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean, it was the perfect way to end the week.
The Garden Market
2 Mar
Yesterday was an unbelievably beautiful day in Santa Barbara. To take advantage of the weather, I decided to try The Garden Market in Carpinteria as I had heard they had a really nice spot for al fresco dining. The Garden Market has gluten-free bread available for their sandwiches. They typically use a toaster that is contaminated to prepare the sandwiches but were happy to use the oven instead to warm the bread up. I had the Classic Avocado which had avocado, provolone, lettuce, tomato, sprouts, red onion and mayo. The sandwiches usually come with tortilla chips, but rather than take any risks, I asked to hold the chips and purchased some GF potato chips instead. I enjoyed my meal back in their sunny garden area which was a very peaceful spot to unwind, eat and make progress on my latest book.
Red Brick Pizza
15 Feb
Happy day after Valentine’s Day! Yesterday, we headed down to Ventura to look into buying a piano. After receiving some sticker shock, it was time to fill our bellies. After doing some research online, we decided to stop at Red Brick Pizza. At this restaurant, a portion of every gluten-free pizza sold supports scholarships for children on gluten-free diets, celiac disease research, support and awareness programs. How cool is that? I was also comforted by all of the Celiac Disease Foundation literature that was present. We ordered the Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza but had it without chicken, bacon or mushrooms. I found the crust of this pizza really good. It was a thin crust but it had tons of flavor and held up to all of the ingredients. We also split a Vegetarian Fhazani Sandwich.
I loved this sandwich as it was fire-baked yet still safe for me to eat! It almost seemed as if the bread was the same as the pizza dough. It was the perfect consistency and tasted great!
GF Bread at Sojourner Cafe
14 Feb
Last night, we decided to try out Sojourner’s gluten-free bread. They are making it in-house, so I was excited to see how it held up. I ordered the Roasted Eggplant and Bell Pepper Sandwich. It had roasted eggplant, red bell peppers, smoked mozzarella, sprouts and pesto. The bread taste was normal, but it was a bit crumbly as you can see in the picture. Perhaps once they tweak it a bit, it will hold together a little more. We also split the Conehead Salad which is always healthy and yummy.
Rori’s
6 Feb
Thanks to a tip from Laura via our Gluten-Free Santa Barbara page, I caught word that there is an ice cream spot in Montecito that has gluten-free cones! I literally RAN there as fast as I could. Rori’s which is located in the newly revitalized Montecito Country Mart is the cutest little ice cream shop you will ever see. And… not only do they have GF cones, but they also have GF and dairy free chocolate chip cookies to make ice cream sandwiches out of! The girl behind the counter was very knowledgeable about which flavors were and were not safe for me to eat. I decided on the fresh mint patty with chunks of chocolate in it. I love that it is February and I was able to enjoy a GF ice cream cone out in the sunshine. Does life get much better than this?
Adama – Santa Barbara’s First Entirely GF Restaurant!
28 Jan
As of last week, Santa Barbara got its first entirely gluten-free restaurant when Adama decided to revamp their menu. How great is it that we can eat out locally and know that we can order every single thing on the menu?! I decided to head over there for lunch the other day to try the new menu out. I started with the Curried Onion Rings which were unbelievably crispy and satisfying. I then had the Twisted wrap.
This had southern fried “chicken” strips that were wrapped in a rice tortilla with ranch, lettuce and tomatoes. Even though I was nervous about it, I liked the consistency of the “chicken” strips. For dessert, I had a chocolate chip cookie.
Looking for the perfect excuse to try out the new menu at Adama? Come join Gluten-Free Santa Barbara on Tuesday, February 5th at 6:00 PM at Adama for our winter meet-up. If tasty libations, yummy food and gluten-free people aren’t enough of a reason to come (what is wrong with you?!), then I have another reason… Celiac Dietician Melinda Dennis will be there to offer information and guidance. RSVP on the Gluten-Free Santa Barbara Facebook page or send me an email at glutenfreeinsb@gmail.com.
gluten-free in sb 