For the end of Spring Break, we decided to take a quick trip to Los Angeles, staying at an airbnb near Griffith Park. Even though it was a short visit, we were able to squeeze in some tasty gluten-free food that made me wonder why we go to LA so infrequently. When we arrived, we headed straight for the entirely gluten-free Erin McKenna’s Bakery on Larchmont for a snack. 
We split two doughnuts, banana bread and a cookie sandwich filled with icing.
Not only were the items we selected delicious, they brought back great memories of going to BabyCakes in NYC when I was younger. The next morning, we got an early start to the day at Fonuts, an entirely gluten-free donut business. These “faux donuts” are baked rather than fried. Not only is this spot completely GF, it was also free of my daughter’s allergens which made a 5-year old very excited to be able to choose anything from the case. 
I chose the breakfast sandwich which consisted of a biscuit-type of donut/bread. I loved the flavor of it and considered getting a second one until I remembered we ordered lots of fonuts to sample.
These three were the banana, churro and raspberry vanilla fonuts. We also had a banana chocolate and chocolate with sprinkles fonut. We did not leave hungry. After our hearty breakfast, we spent the morning exploring Griffith Park.
Everything was so green due to the recent rains. Our favorite part was the Ferndell Trail which was a shady, winding trail along a stream. It was mellow enough that both kids could walk it and sparked the imagination of our 5-year old who envisioned that fairies were hiding behind every corner. After tiring the young and not so young out, we headed back to our airbnb for nap/rest time. Thanks to a hot tip from April of Gluten is My Bitch, we got takeout from Stuff’d. Holy moly gluten-free dumplings. 
We ordered three of these deliciously light and flavorful nuggets of goodness. The Corny For You was filled with cream of corn, ricotta and spinach.
The Siberian Classic dumplings were filled with beef and pork and were served with a sour cream sauce on the side. My personal favorite were the Hot Chick dumplings.
They were filled with chicken and veggies and drenched in a Thai coconut curry. The good thing about eating these in the comfort of your home is that no one can judge you when you lick the container clean. How do people in Los Angeles eat anything other than these dumplings every day?
The next morning before we drove back to Santa Barbara, we ate breakfast at Hugo’s. As soon as we started talking to our waitress, it was clear that they took allergies very seriously. I ordered the Desayuno Fuerte which was two poached eggs over potato pancakes with sautéed spinach, garlic, onions, tomato and shredded parmesan.
The potatoes were so crispy and good. The dish was served with the restaurant’s homemade gluten-free flatbread.
This bread would be great for a sandwich. With our bellies full, we drove back to Santa Barbara.
gluten-free in sb 