Tag Archives: pizza

Malawi’s Pizza

13 Dec

We had an errand to run in Provo, Utah, and I saw a place called Malawi’s Pizza. I thought I would try my luck and call them to see if they had GF pizza. It turns out they did! We got two pizzas to split. The first was the Santa Fe Pizza which is pictured above. It had lime salsa, chicken, black beans, chilis, onions, peppers, avocado and tomatoes, but we got it without the chicken. The other pizza we got was the Classic Cheese Pizza, which we added garlic to.

I preferred the cheese pizza with the garlic because they did not skimp on the garlic. The GF crust they had was unbelievable. As my husband and I were eating it, we were almost certain I was going to have a reaction because it was that good (no reaction other than being in a food coma ensued). If that wasn’t enough, this place tries to do something good for the world with their business. For every meal that is purchased, they donate a nutritious meal to a child in Malawi, Africa. How great is that? Eating GF pizza just got a whole lot more charitable.

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Cafe Galleria

13 Dec

For the past five days, we were in Utah skiing which is why things have been a little quiet here. Within those days, we found some gluten-free friendly places that were great. On the day we got in, we went to lunch at Cafe Galleria in Midway, Utah. I had the Goat Cheese with Roasted Peppers GF Pizza. It included goat cheese, roasted bell peppers, mozzarella, caramelized onions, fresh tomatoes and oregano. This pizza was really good. Between the tasty toppings and the crust which was a little meatier than the typical GF crust, I ended up eating the whole thing. So much for self control.

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Woodstock’s Pizza

13 Nov

This weekend I had my lacrosse alumni game at UCSB. It is a tradition to go to Giovanni’s in Isla Vista after the game for some pizza and pitchers of beer. Now I couldn’t drink the beer due to it being gluten-filled and the fact that I was one of the drivers. However, I knew that Woodstock’s Pizza nearby has gluten-free pizza available now. I decided to call and see if they could deliver one of their GF pizzas to Giovanni’s. The guy on the phone had to make sure it was ok with his manager, which it was. About twenty minutes later, I met the delivery guy outside and got the delicious looking pizza shown above. This was a larger GF pizza. The sauce on the pizza was really good. I really liked this pizza since it wasn’t trying to be gourmet. It was just good sauce and good cheese on a decent crust. I ended up having plenty as leftovers, so this would be a good pie to get for sharing.

On a side note, congratulations to my fellow Gaucho lacrosse alumni who beat the current school team 8-7.

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Dinner from Whole Foods

30 Oct

I have a bit of a cold and didn’t want to go out to eat so we decided to get food from Whole Foods for dinner. In one of the prepared food cases, I spotted a Take and Bake GF Pepperoni Calzone. After baking for 15 minutes, I had a little calzone of tastiness! It had tons of pepperoni in it, and was the perfect portion for dinner for one.

While I was there, I checked to see if they had the Whole Foods brand frozen GF pizza crusts. They have always been our favorite to use for pizza night since it is a thicker crust and holds well with a lot of toppings. Unfortunately, they don’t. When I asked if they could order them, I was told that I would have to buy the whole case of them. I would have thought that they would want to stock the shelves with their own brand. Oh well. I guess it is a good thing that there are so many GF pizza options in Santa Barbara these days!

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Olio Pizzeria

21 Oct

Tonight we went to Olio Pizzeria to try the gluten-free pizza. We started with the Calabrese-style olives which were very spicy. I then had the Favorite Salad which was good. It was a pretty large portion for a starter salad so I would share it in the future. Then, my husband and I shared two gluten-free pizzas.

The Umbra pizza had robiola cheese, crimini mushrooms and umbrian black truffles. I am not a fan of mushrooms, so I just pushed them off, but the truffle taste was fantastic.

The Margherita Pizza had fresh bufala mozzerella, san marzano tomatoes, parmesan, basil and e.v.o.o. My only complaint about this pizza was that the cheese wasn’t melted enough as shown in the picture above. I would also prefer more cheese coverage on my pizza. As far as the crusts themselves, I found that they were good. The bottom was firm enough to hold the toppings. The edge was crispy and had a nice flavor. I asked the waiter where they get the crusts from, and he told us that they were supplied through Sysco. Overall, the individual ingredients in these pizzas were far superior to the other pizzas in Santa Barbara that I have tried thus far, but it comes at a price.

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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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Pizza Mizza

6 Oct

The Classic Margherita Pizza

We tried to go to Taffy’s tonight to try their GF pizza. When we got there though, they told us that they didn’t have any crusts at that moment. We were kind of set on pizza, so we decided to try Pizza Mizza instead. I am very glad we did. These GF pizzas were 9″ so they were more of a personal pie size. I liked the crust a bit better than Pizza Guru’s. It was firm enough to pick up, and it had a good taste to it. We ordered the Classic Margherita Pizza with garlic and the Pesto Veggie Combo without mushrooms. My husband and I both liked the Pesto Veggie Combo better than the Margherita but they were both tasty. As far as the cross contamination issues, I was told that they use a different pizza cutter for the GF pies. However, I had to request that the pizza be placed on a separate surface than their regular pizzas. So, if you eat GF out of necessity, make sure that you follow-up with the staff.

Pesto Veggie Combo Pizza

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GF in London

3 Oct

Our trip to London was a quick one. My brother that has Celiac lives there, so it was nice seeing his neighborhood. When we arrived to our hotel, we had about ten minutes to get ready for dinner which was in our hotel. We went to Bar Boulud, located at the Manderin Oriental at Hyde Park. They had GF bread for me which my brother informed me was the Genius Bread by Glutino. It was quite tasty. I also had salad, a huge bowl of mussels and frites. They seemed well-informed of what was GF and wasn’t.

The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel. This meant more GF bread which went perfectly with some eggs and fruit. We took a bus tour of London so that we could pack the most sightseeing in for a short visit. After working up an appetite by climbing to the top of St. Paul’s Church, it was time to find some food. We got back on the bus and got off again at the Tower of London. We intended to eat at Wagamama, a GF-friendly noodle chain, but the location at the Tower was closed. Instead, we went to GBK, a burger place that had a whole sheet listing what I could and could not have. Particularly tasty was the garlic mayo I got to dip my “chips” in.

We then did a tour of the Tower of London which was incredibly interesting. My favorite things to see were the crown jewels, but the white chapel that held the armor and artillery was fascinating too. We then took the bus back to Hyde Park and walked around Harrods for a bit. That store is insane. You could spend a whole day there and still not see everything. We then prepared for our dinner at Dinner. As this was located in our hotel, they too had the GF bread. This restaurant was really creative. Their menu is based on “historic British gastronomy”. I started with the meat fruit, a recipe that comes from about 1500. I then shared the wing rib of Irish angus which was a dish from about 1830. Everything was delicious.

The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel again and then walked to Buckingham Palace. We got there in time for the changing of the guard, which we all found pretty dull. We then walked to Westminster Abbey which was unreal. After spending time there, we took a cab to our lunch destination, Cotto. If you have celiac and are visiting London, you must visit this place. GF pizza, pasta, bread and desserts dominated the menu. I had a pizza while my husband ordered a GF pasta so that I could try it. The owner, Leno (who was awesome), then brought me a tiramisu. Now I have never had tiramisu, so I had nothing to compare it to… but this thing was SO good. The rest of the day was spent walking around and window shopping. Before we knew it, dinner time had arrived. My brother insisted we go to a place called Hunan, a chinese restaurant where you tell them what you can’t eat, and they take care of the rest. The man in charge did a good job at telling my brother and I which dishes we could not eat. However, it was a little confusing some of the times when others brought our dishes out. It was a really interesting take on eating out though.

We would love to return to London, especially to try more restaurants. My brother has found tons of GF options there in just one year. It was definitely helpful that there was not a language barrier.

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Pizza Guru

25 Sep

Tonight to celebrate my first day of work, my husband wanted to take me out to a nice dinner at Tre Lune. As delicious as that sounded though, all I really wanted was some pizza so that I could kick my feet up and enjoy some food in the comfort of our (temporary) home. After meeting my friend’s beautiful new baby boy, we went to pick up some pizza from Pizza Guru. We ordered two medium-sized GF pizzas… the Mystic Pizza and the Peaceful Pesto. They were both decent. As far as the toppings, we both thought they could have had a little more kick to them. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the crust which was firm enough to hold the toppings. It was pretty thin, but thicker than the cracker type crust you often see with GF pizzas. They also seemed very cautious of cross contamination. We just got the pizzas but apparently you can order GF wings, bread sticks, beer (Green’s), and even chocolate cake!

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Future Restaurant Posts

23 Sep

Even though I have only been back for a week, I am amazed at how far Santa Barbara has come. For those of you that are just visiting the area and would like more options for your stay here, below are restaurants that I know to be GF friendly but that I have not posted anything about yet. Many of them I have been to and have experienced no problems. Others are on my list of places to try. As always, know that you are eating at your own risk and speak with the staff to avoid any cross contamination issues.

Olio e limone (pasta) – I have had many fantastic meals here prior to them offering GF pasta. This is a great place to go for a special meal. Posted!

Ca Dario (pasta) – The last time I lived in Santa Barbara, I know they would cook your GF pasta if you brought it, but word is that they have their own stock now. Posted!

Pascucci (pasta) – This is a good option to go to if you are shopping downtown. Posted!

Bucatini (pasta) – I only had one meal here a very long time ago and didn’t love my experience, but they are owned by the same guy as Tre Lune and Luckys. I will definitely be giving it another chance now that they are carrying GF pasta.

Aldo’s (pasta) – This place seems to cater to more of the tourists, but they need to eat GF too! I ate here once many years ago and it was kind of mediocre, but I will try it again to taste some GF pasta.

Pastavino (pasta) – I just saw online that this place offers GF pasta. They are owned by the same people as Holdren’s.

Palazzio (pasta) – This is the place to go if you are hungry as their portions are HUGE. I haven’t tried this GF pasta yet, but I used to get salmon here and it was nicely prepared. Posted!

Adama – This is an entirely vegan restaurant that has GF items clearly marked on the menu online. Posted!

Le Crepe Shoppe – I read that they offer crepes that are made entirely of buckwheat flour. I haven’t been yet though to check out any cross contamination concerns. Posted! 

Taffy’s Pizza (pizza) – Saw that they have GF pizza. Plan to go there soon!

Pizza Mizza (pizza) – Never been, but will definitely be visiting since they have GF pizza! Posted! 

Pizza Guru (pizza) – Posted!

Woodstocks Pizza (pizza) – It would have been nice to have a GF pizza option in Isla Vista while I was still at UCSB! Posted!

Spiritland Bistro – We have been here a few times. It is fantastic for people that eat GF, vegetarian, or just want a tasty meal.

Simply Pies – I am not a huge pastry/dessert kind of girl, but this just sounds too good to pass up. Can’t wait to try a GF pie! Posted! 
Honey B. Bakeshop (entirely GF bakery) – I am not a sweets girl, but look at the pictures on this website. This place might change me.

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