Tag Archives: california

Goleta Coffee Company

6 Mar

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This morning, I headed to Goleta to try out Goleta Coffee Company’s new gluten free toasts. They prepare and bake their gluten-free, vegan bread on dedicated equipment. The area that they prepare their toasts is also dedicated gluten-free. They do serve lots of items with gluten there as well, but are careful to prevent cross contamination for the toasts. I had a really hard time deciding between the seven choices. I ended up going with their Classic Avocado and Superseed Banana Nut. The Superseed Banana Nut had almond butter, sliced banana, chia, flax, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and shaved coconut. It was toasted with maple syrup and cinnamon and drizzled with honey. Holy moly… this was awesome. The consistency of the bread was fantastic and held up to all of the toppings really well.IMG_7740.jpeg

I was afraid that by ordering the Classic Avocado, I would be making a boring choice. This toast was anything but boring though. It was served with farmers market watermelon radish and lemon pepper. Both dishes were so beautifully prepared – I was surprised to see such an attention to detail at a super casual coffee spot. The fact that the flavors were just as good as the presentation made me put this on my short list for favorite breakfast in the area. I have included the toast menu below so you can plan your future visit! IMG_1029.JPG

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Fitzpatrick’s Tavern Pub & Grill

25 Aug

IMG_3279.jpgLast weekend, we found ourselves a little north of Santa Barbara as we spent the day visiting the Folded Hills Farmstead to pick some berries and feed the animals. After working up an appetite, we headed to Fitzpatrick’s Tavern in Solvang as I had discovered them on the Find Me Gluten-Free app. I always get a kick out of visiting Solvang with their horse-drawn wagons, wind mills and Danish architecture. After talking at length with our waitress, I learned that they have GF buns, they prepare them on a portion of the grill that is not contaminated with gluten, and they have a dedicated fryer for their fries. I had a cheeseburger but might try the Spicy Melt burger next time. If you are looking for a no frills, standard (and safe) burger and fries this is your place.

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Industrial Eats

9 Aug

Zucchini Tomato GratinTo celebrate my birthday weekend, we took the scenic drive up to the 154 to spend a few hours. I have been meaning to try Industrial Eats in Buellton ever since it opened as the couple behind the new hot spot were the caterers for our wedding. Upon telling the lady at the counter that I was celiac, she was quick to inform me that due to one oven, there is a big chance of cross contamination. They have GF pizza crusts, but they are cooked on the same surface in the oven as the regular crusts. I ended up ordering three things that were cooked in the same oven, but were in their own cast ironware. First, I had the Zucchini and Tomato Gratin without the bread that is typically included. This dish had a way of tasting so fresh and healthy even though there were massive amounts of cheese on it. Topped with basil, it was incredibly flavorful. I also ordered the Sweet Corn with Tomatillo and Bacon.

Sweet Corn with BaconCorn with house-made bacon will always be a winner in my books. Add in some Mexican flavors with the tomatillos, cheese and cilantro and you’ve got a plate of amazingness. The third thing I ordered (yes, I ordered too much per usual) was the Shrimp with Pancetta, Chile and Garlic.

Shrimp with PancettaIf I remember correctly, the woman that rung me up altered this dish as well as it usually has bread on the bottom. I loved the flavor of the large chunks of garlic. Eating here reminded me of why we used Janet and Jeff Olsson to cater our wedding… they cook amazing food using locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients. I was a bit disappointed that they wouldn’t think to cook the GF pizzas on a separate surface as they were beyond GF friendly for our event. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t hesitate to stop by again if I was in the Buellton area.

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Mesa Verde

8 Jul

Black Bean TacosSanta Barbara’s newest restaurant is Mesa Verde, a “plant-based” vegetarian restaurant. The first thing I noticed on the menu was that it said “No Modifications. No Substitutions.” These are the worst words to see as a Celiac. However, I saw that they offered gluten-free flatbread. When I asked our server about it, I learned that they share the same surface in the oven as the regular flatbread. When the server asked the kitchen about that, she was told that the gluten burns off in the oven so it would be safe. Wrong. I just wish our local restaurants would participate in gluten-free training to make it more comfortable for Celiacs to dine there. Luckily, I was able to find some tasty alternatives. We started with the Cacao Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos. There was a spicy red sauce drizzled on top that was particularly yummy. Then I had the Fez Seven Vegetable Tagine served on Red Quinoa. For this dish, they omitted the fried shallots that typically accompany it.

Vegetable Tagine with Red QuinoaIt was good, but I would probably try something else next time. Luckily, many items on the menu are naturally gluten-free. If you check Mesa Verde out, make sure that you do not park in the 7-11 parking lot as we watched multiple cars being towed!

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Cafe Luna in Summerland

4 Mar

Quinoa TaboulehAs I am about one week from my due date, I have been trying to make healthy options when I go out to restaurants. Cafe Luna made that easy for me as they offer a quinoa tabouleh option for lunch. With quinoa, diced tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and fresh herbs, it was both tasty yet light. It came with a side of mixed greens and hummus. Typically it comes with bread, so you just need to omit that for a perfectly yummy gluten-free meal.

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LYFE Kitchen

26 Jan

Kale CaesarOne night in Palo Alto, my Celiac friend and I went to LYFE Kitchen. The first thing that was cool was that when you walk in, you grab a menu depending on whether you are GF, vegan, vegetarian or can eat everything. We ordered a kale caesar to start which came with a little stick that showed it was GF. We then split two of the gluten-free flatbreads.

GF BBQ Chicken FlatbreadThe one that I preferred was the BBQ Chicken Flatbread. The cilantro and BBQ sauce gave it a lot of flavor. We also ordered the Margherita Flatbread.

GF Margherita FlatbreadI still enjoyed this as the crust had a good consistency. However, it might have been a bit more flavorful with some garlic. This restaurant clearly understood what cross-contamination meant and how to prevent it which was very comforting while away from home!

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The Counter

25 Jan

GF CheeseburgerLast weekend, I spent a couple of days in Palo Alto as a way to relax before our baby arrives. After getting up there, my first stop was The Counter in Palo Alto. This incredibly GF friendly burger chain offers customized burgers with a GF Udi’s bun. I ordered a cheddar cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, sautéed onions and a chipotle aioli. It felt so normal being able to order a burger on a bun. The only thing that would have made the burger better would have been to use Canyon Bakehouse’s bun as theirs is less dry. The waitress also informed me that they had a dedicated fryer if I wanted to enjoy some fries.

Cheese FriesOf course I did. And of course it made sense to add some cheese to those fries since I only have a couple more months of wearing expandable pants. The Counter has locations all over California, so I am crossing my fingers that Santa Barbara will get one of their own!

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The Bourbon Room

24 Oct

GF Cheese PizzaTonight, we headed to The Bourbon Room as I was craving a burger. I had heard that they offer gluten-free rolls for their burgers so I was very excited. Once we got there, I found that in addition to the rolls, they also had GF pizza! Since I am eating for two, I rationalized that it was totally normal to order two main dishes. The gluten-free cheese pizza was pretty good. The waitress assured me that they cook it on a different surface than their regular pizzas. The crust was on the thin side and stayed together well. I also ordered a cheeseburger on the GF bun.

GF CheeseburgerI couldn’t have the fries since they were in contaminated oil, so I got a side salad without the croutons. It was so nice to be able to have a burger with a bun! As I had just consumed a whole lot of food, I turned down dessert as tempting as it sounded. Our waitress had informed us that they had a GF chocolate chip cookie pie. This is definitely a reason to return!

As a reminder, we will be holding our Fall Gluten-Free Santa Barbara Meet-up on Wednesday at Shoreline Park. For more details, please visit our Facebook page.

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Hip Vegan Cafe

17 Jul

Avocado WrapI know… it has been a looooong time since I have shared a new restaurant on here. There is something about summer that makes time fly by. Today, I had the day off, so we decided to go on the pretty drive to Ojai. There, we tried Hip Vegan Cafe. All gluten-free items are clearly labeled on their menu. Additionally, when I had questions, they were very aware of what was in each dish. I ordered the Avocado Wrap. This had avocado, lettuce, tomato and red onion wrapped in rice paper. I also had a choice of GF dipping sauces. I ended up getting the peanut sauce which was quite delicious. This came with soup or salad. I went with their special Indian Dahl soup of the day.

Indian Dahl SoupThis was incredibly flavorful. It might have been crazy to have soup since it was in the 90s, but I was glad I did.

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Memorial Day Weekend

28 May

Fire-Roast ToastThis past weekend, we took advantage of the great weather by miniature golfing, hiking and enjoying i Madonnari at the Mission. Before miniature golfing, we stopped at my favorite spot in Ventura, Redbrick Pizza Cafe. We started with the GF Fire-Roast Toast. I want to eat this every day for the rest of my life. It had olive oil, garlic, chipotle sauce, parmesam, herbs and a bruschetta spread. I also had the Italian Fhazani which was good as well. After eating, we headed to Golf N’ Stuff for some miniature golf.

Miniature Golf CourseEven though I lost, it was still a lot of fun. They have an arcade too if you want to pretend that you are a kid again. The next day, we decided to go on a short hike/walk to Knapp’s Castle. The views there were fantastic.

Knapp's Castle

From Wikipedia:

George Owen Knapp, founder of Union Carbide, built Knapp’s Castle shortly after purchasing the 160-acre (0.65 km2) parcel in 1916. In 1940, Frances Holden bought the property and invited her friend, world-famous opera singer Lotte Lehmann, to move in. The mansion was destroyed by a forest fire only five weeks later, and now only the massive sandstone foundations, fireplace pillars and walls of the original seven structures remain intact.

It is such a unique spot that offers unbelievable panoramic views. We also took advantage of i Madonnari. If you have the chance, you should visit the Mission the next couple of days while the chalk drawings on the plaza there are still fresh. It is one of those great local events that Santa Barbara offers every year. I just love this city so much.

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