Tag Archives: gluten free

Olio e Limone

18 Oct

I was craving some carbs tonight so we went to Olio e Limone. The starter I ordered was on the specials menu (it has been on the specials menu every time I have eaten there), and I understand why. It is just so darn tasty. It consists of Burrata Cheese, Tomato, Eggplant, Red Peppers, Greens, Olive Oil and Balsamic. When I ordered, I had asked the waiter if they GF pasta available. He told me they have spaghetti and a noodle similar to penne on hand. Gluten-free pasta choices? Nice. I went with the Rustichelle d’Abruzzo all’Amatriciana which is pasta with pancetta, onions and a spicy tomato sauce.

It was so delicious. I wish I could eat those onions everyday for the rest of my life. I prefer my sauce a little spicier, so the waiter brought out the hot oil they use next door at their pizzeria. I started talking to the waiter about gluten-free pizza offered at the Olio Pizzeria next door. He said that they had been getting a lot of interest and that they were working on it. He thought it would be sooner than later. Just moments later when he returned with the check, he said, “Guess what? I was in the kitchen and saw a pizza that looked a little different. It turns out they have the gluten-free crust now!” I can’t tell you how excited I was to hear this news. I started grilling him about how they handle the crust, and he assured me that they use a thin baking sheet to keep it off the same oven as the regular pizza and they use a different cutter as well. So there you have it… it has finally happened as of this week! Olio Pizzeria now has pizza available for us GF food connoisseurs!

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Alchemy Arts Cafe

17 Oct

I decided to try out Alchemy Arts Cafe for lunch today since places that focus on health tend to be gluten-free friendly. After looking over the menu, I asked the waiter which items were GF. He wasn’t sure so he went to the kitchen to check. Moments later, he returned to inform me that EVERYTHING on the lunch menu was gluten-free. I tried to conceal my sheer joy at being able to order anything on the menu. After much perusing, I finally decided on the Cabbage Wraps and the Pumpkin Soup with Dandelion. The wraps were light and refreshing. These by themselves would be plenty for a light lunch.

The pumpkin soup was very good. It was very hearty though and I found myself struggling to finish both items. The one thing I would say is that I wasn’t too crazy about the taste of the dandelion. I know that it is supposed to be very healthy and cleansing for the body, but I just wasn’t a huge fan. Luckily for me, it was very easy to avoid the dandelion and enjoy the soup. Overall, I found the cafe to be the perfect place to have lunch while I immersed myself in a book.

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Le Crepe Shoppe

17 Oct

I finally gave Le Crepe Shoppe a call since I was very excited to hear that they have buckwheat crepes (GF). It turns out that they do have buckwheat crepes, but they make them on the same surface as the wheat flour crepes, and therefore they are not entirely GF. So if you eat GF just to be healthier, go try them out, but if you are a celiac like me, we will just have to drool from afar.

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Dinner and a Movie

16 Oct

After a long day of volunteering at the Cancer Run and house hunting, we decided to keep it low key and do dinner and a movie. We went to Pascucci since our movie was at Paseo Nuevo and that seemed easy. They were out of the GF pasta, so I ended up getting the caesar salad sans croutons and the Toscano risotto. If I were to pick my top three caesar salads, I would put this one in that category. It was extra garlicky tonight which made it even better. The risotto was good as well, but I could barely finish half of it since it was pretty heavy.

When we were done, we headed to our movie, 50/50. I loved this movie. It made me cry (which isn’t really a hard thing to do), but it had some great funny moments as well. As a bonus, the soundtrack was fantastic. Definitely worth seeing while it is still in movie theaters…

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Savoy Cafe and Deli Part 2

14 Oct

 

 

I know I was just at Savoy yesterday, but I couldn’t curb my enthusiasm for a gluten-free sandwich in Santa Barbara. I got the Lorraine which included avocado, tomato, cucumber, sprouts, lettuce, cheddar and dijon on toasted GF bread. YUM.

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Savoy Cafe and Deli

13 Oct

I don’t know why it took me so long to make it to Savoy Cafe and Deli, but I am so happy I finally did. You know when you find one of those places where there are so many gluten-free items available and you can’t pick just one? That was me this morning. Above is the GF banana nut bread that I started my breakfast with. It was as good as it looks. Then, I had a hard time deciding between gluten-free french toast or pancakes. I ended up picking the french toast.

With strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and powdered sugar, this dish was unbelievable. It was also a very large portion. But I didn’t stop there. There were GF cookies in the display case. I ended up taking a chocolate chip cookie and snickerdoodle cookie to go…. you know… for the blog. I wouldn’t want to skimp on showing you how fantastic these looked.

While there, I noticed that there were sandwiches offered for lunch. Since they clearly had gluten-free bread available, I asked an employee if they could make their sandwiches with the GF bread. She informed me that they can! Woohooo! I have found a gluten-free sandwich place! AND… if you are a chocolate person (which I am not), you can also find a GF brownie here at Savoy. Looks like I have found my new favorite place in Santa Barbara!

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Jungle George Grill

11 Oct

Three years ago, my husband and I used to go to Dish Cafe on Calle Real a bunch. Since then, it has become Jungle George Grill. The exciting thing? They still have the sandwiches which are made with plantains and are GF! Woohoo! I got the vegetable plantain sandwich without the tabbouleh. It comes with corn chips and salsa. I also got a side salad without croutons. There must have been a little communication error because it came with croutons, but that was easily remedied by the staff.

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Tupelo Junction

9 Oct

If you were to ask me what my top three breakfasts in Santa Barbara were, this would be one of them. It isn’t even a breakfasty type dish. But for me, it is the most wonderful way to start a day. Tupelo Junction‘s red beans and rice is so colorful and delicious. It consists of red beans, rice, roasted shallots, corn, spinach, tomatoes and parmesan. Yum.

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Ca Dario

9 Oct

 

See that really dark picture? It is hard to make out, but that is a delicious bowl of GF pasta with bolognese sauce ready to be pounced on. We went to Ca Dario last night, which was clearly the right decision when I saw on the specials menu, “Gluten-free pasta with choice of any sauce.” It was the most hearty, rich bowl of pasta I have had in a long time, which was perfect after not having anything to eat all day. Even better, they gave me a side of parmesan that I dumped on the pasta to make it even more fantastic. When making the reservation, I had asked if they would have GF pasta available tonight and they confirmed, but I would check with them if you are planning on dining there. 

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D’Vine

6 Oct

Today, I called D’Vine to see if they carry GF bread for sandwiches. They don’t, BUT the person I spoke with sounded VERY interested in starting to offer this. He asked about which bread would be best, and how it should be handled as well as what customers would think of paying a little extra due to the cost of GF bread. Perhaps if all of you Santa Barbara peeps would stop in and inquire with the staff if they have GF bread, they will realize how much demand there is for a sandwich spot in SB for us gluten-free folk!

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