Behold the tastiest BLT you will ever have. In November, my brother got married in North Carolina. After doing a search on the Find Me Gluten-Free app, I found out that Merritt’s, his favorite BLT spot was GF friendly! They even have a choice of GF breads to use for their sandwiches! My parents picked me up a sandwich when they were out running errands. She said that when she told the lady at the counter that I was Celiac, that she was extremely careful. She washed her hands, used a clean surface, and even opened up a new jar of mayo to make sure there was no cross contamination from the non-GF items that they serve there. The result was an amazing BLT on a gluten-free sourdough roll!
Tag Archives: sandwich
Merritt’s Store & Grill
6 JanThe 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!
Enterprise Fish Co.
10 Nov
This weekend is my lacrosse alumni weekend. Last night, some college friends and I went to Enterprise Fish Co. When I asked the hostess if they happened to have a gluten-free menu, she informed me that they don’t, but that they do have GF bread available for sandwiches! I ended up ordering the Mesquite Grilled Chicken Sandwich. They served it on an Udi’s hamburger roll. This hit the spot. It had avocado, smoked bacon, and chipotle aioli. The waiter was really informed and had a good understanding of cross contamination and how to prevent it.
The Blue Owl
16 Sep
After seeing their menu online that said “Gluten-Free Bread is Available on Request”, I decided to try The Blue Owl one day. They use Our Daily Bread’s gluten-free bread. I ordered the Turkey Thyme sandwich which had roasted turkey, thyme mayo and cheese. The result was really tasty. They warmed the sandwich in a toaster oven using foil to protect the surface of the bread. They then brought me a GF brownie which they don’t have regularly, but happened to have on this day.
The brownie was very rich and decadent. The woman I spoke with behind the counter didn’t seem entirely confident in being able to keep my sandwich GF so I might avoid this place if you have Celiac like myself. I didn’t feel ill afterwards, but it felt like I was living on the edge a bit when I placed my order.
Hannah’s Bretzel
8 Sep
Some Celiacs may see a sign like that and run the other way. I did the opposite. I asked a bunch of questions. I found that Hannah’s Bretzel in Chicago did a great job of preventing cross contamination when making my GF sandwich. A chosen staff member went to put on a different color of gloves, and then went to a separate area where the GF baguettes were individually wrapped. He then used a special knife kept in that area that had been wrapped up when not in use. The end product was Hannah’s Club on a gluten-free baguette.
This “Über Sandwich” had organic smoked turkey, bacon, gruyère, avocado, vine tomatoes, red onions and romaine hearts. It was quite good. I know that every time I eat out I am making the decision to put myself at risk of being gluten-ed. My experience at this particular spot was great though and I appreciated their sign to show that they were educated on what gluten-free truly means.
Lazy Acres Sandwich
29 Jun
It was one of those perfect Santa Barbara days where the weather is practically begging you to have a picnic. We went to Lazy Acres to get some sandwiches, cheese and crackers and made our way to Shoreline Park. I ordered their turkey sandwich on the GF multigrain bread. I LOVE that they now have an option for us GF people that are craving a sandwich on the Mesa. However, my bread crumbled to pieces as I ate it. Hopefully with time, they will find a bread that stays together long enough to enjoy the whole thing!
Breakfast at Fresco
1 Jun
Yesterday, we went to Fresco for breakfast. I was able to order one of their wraps on their GF bread. I got the Morning Wrap which had three eggs, vermont cheddar, crispy bacon and fresh avocado. I got it served with the side of fruit. This was VERY filling.
Ice Cream Sandwiches
28 May
While perusing the shelves at Whole Foods, I stumbled upon these goodies. GO BUY THESE. They are the perfect dessert item for the summer. I love the size of them as well… not too big, but large enough to be satisfying. Yummy!
Silvergreen’s GF Menu
21 Mar
Silvergreens just made it a whole lot easier to order if you have to eat on a gluten-free diet. When we went tonight, I was pleasantly surprised to receive the menu above. I ended up getting a half sandwich with a cup of soup. The Tillamook Grilled Chicken sandwich was wrapped in lettuce and included grilled chicken, Tillamook cheddar, tomatoes, red onions and mayo. I chose the potato cheddar for my soup. Potatoes and cheese are always a fantastic combination. It is just so nice to be able to go to a restaurant that has been proactive in accommodating the gluten-free diet!
gluten-free in sb 