Another day, another gluten free pizza

While we don't live there, I work in Southlake, TX and there are quite a few local places that do gluten free. We decided to check out the Mellow Mushroom and see how their pizza stacked up against the few local places we've found.

The restaurant itself is cute and family friendly despite the not-so-subtle decor and illicit 70's inspiration. It was clean and colorful and had a VW wagon that had been converted into booths that kids seem  to love. We started off with drinks and I was happy to see that they offered not only wine and cider (several varieties for a change) but also several types of gluten-free beer! One of the drinks they offered was the Omission Pale Ale and, having tried Omission before and been less than impressed I decided to give one of the others a go. I opted for the Green's Discovery Amber Ale at random and was fairly pleased with the result. Not too bitter and not fruity, not too light, just a nice simple beer that I thought went well with pizza. I haven't been able to sell other people on gluten-free beers the way I can sometimes on GF foods. Maybe that says something about the quality we've reached with the foods, or the lack on a lot of the beers.

We started with a salad, caprese style because my hubby and I are suckers for it. It was fresh, large enough to share and had a nice balsamic dressing. I'll be honest, I didn't double check on the GF factor of the salad because my husband ordered it, and I just ended up sharing, but I had no adverse reactions.

We opted for the Kosmic Karma pizza, it's a vegetarian as well as gluten-free option that included both fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, mozarella and feta. I don't often eat vegetarian I just happen to like tons of veggies and more cheese is always a plus to me. The pesto swirl was visually pleasing but also very tasty. It made for a very nice picture - how thoughtful of them - and even my husband had no complaints about the (no meat, no wheat) dinner.

The crust had a good flavor but was definitely the crispy thin-crust style that I know a lot of Celiacs lament. I didn't find it's overly crisp though so I didn't mind the thinness. Over all I really enjoyed my visit to this restaurant. The staff was friendly and fast and the food and drinks were satisfying.

I would say that there is only two big down sides to this pizza place that keep me from being a regular. First, the price point is a little high for me but then again, it is in Southlake so that says something. Secondly, this place sort of fell down on the dessert front which is surprising given how well they did with everything else. The hubby ordered pretzels because he lives for cinnamon sugar and that was one of their options. The serving of this was HUGE (like, silly) and yet they had NO gluten-free options at all. I asked about just getting ice cream which they agreed to bring me without a problem. However, when it came it was a scoop of vanilla and a mini single serve of chocolate brownie Ben & Jerry's in a cup. Clearly the gluten-free factor of that had not been considered despite it being clear that it was the reason I had requested just ice cream. Even though it was strange to get one in a package and one a bowl it ended up being for the best because I could send back the Brownie ice cream and just eat the vanilla.

From across the country and Across the Pond

It has been far too long since I've been able to make an entry here. Between moving from Connecticut down to north Texas and finding new jobs I haven't had a lot of time to sit down and write. I haven't been off the hunt for good gluten-free restaurants though. Recently we made a trip to a place I found through the iPhone app "Find me Gluten Free". It is located in Colleyville, Texas which is conveniently right around the corner from where we are currently living.

The restaurant is called From Across the Pond and is run by a lovely English family who really knows gluten-free. It is casual in it's decor but brilliant when it comes to it's menu. One of the owners suffers from Celiac disease so I had no worries trusting their gluten-free menu and process. I love that they have a completely separate GF menu and it's not just a few items either. My husband does not have to eat wheat free but since we share a lot of items (especially since we've gotten to the south where portions are HUGE) he often gets to weigh in on the taste of foods compared to the wheat-filled counterparts.


First off, when I came in and requested a gluten-free menu they happily obliged and also told us they would bring a basket of complimentary GF garlic bread. The bread was hot and toasty and came with a little bowl of marinara for dipping. It was the perfect amount to nibble on while waiting for our food to come. They were also kind enough to check that dairy was acceptable before putting cheese on the bread.

We have tried several gluten-free pizza places since arriving in our new home but most of them have been rated somewhere between "okay" and "acceptable". Really none of them had produced anything to get incredibly excited about until we got to From Across the Pond. Their pizza was not a flat bread, it was a genuine, regular crust pizza made from rice flour. It was light and crispy and didn't at all leave me wanting. The toppings were fresh and the cheese was plentiful and I was absolutely stuffed after sharing the 12" pizza with the hubby.

The place is BYOB so I don't have any gluten-free drinks to report on but obviously it wouldn't be a problem to bring your own. As it was we stuck with soda and they were quick and happy to bring refills whenever we needed them.

Now, being stuffed would normally mean that I opt out of dessert. I mean, I can have ice cream at home and since that's so often the only option in the dessert menu for someone with Celiac it's no real loss. This restaurant certainly made me stretch my diet though and I decided that I should try one of their half dozen GF dessert options. The one that really called to me was the chocolate-chip bread and butter pudding. Now, pudding according to English people is not what someone from America would expect. In fact, as far as I can tell, it can often encompass most types of dessert. This was not surpsing to me having grown up in Canada and what we got was amazing. A bread pudding that was sweet and cakey but not heavy with a lovely cream to accompany it. It had a sweet, crispy bruleed outside that was delightful. It was a wonderful way to end our meal. Again with the dessert, I found it to be just the perfect amount when shared between the two of us.

I will certainly be making more trips to this quaint little restaurant in the future. I want to try everything on their GF menu but it will be hard to turn down such excellent pizza to do so! In short, give them a go, you shouldn't be disappointed in the selection!

Garlic cheddar bread mix

This is my very first post on a product rather than a restaurant - so it's useful to the gluten-intolerant all over rather than just local to where I am visiting. While at my dad's place during my visit to the North he decided to brave making some bread for me to have along with our standard lunch of cheese, cold meats and olives (and wine, let's be honest).

The box that he had purchased was from a company I had not ever tried before called Heartland Gourmet. The mix was for their gluten-free garlic cheddar bread and overall I was super happy with how it came out. Now, this recipe tells you to add 8 oz of water to the mix in warmer weather and 10 oz in colder. Given that it was being made in a 36th level condo in Ontario during a cold snap in February, we added the 10 oz right away - which was a mistake. I believe the 8 oz would have been enough even in these extreme cold circumstances. Despite our somewhat sticky dough experience, we managed to lump it on to a sheet tray and get it into the oven.

The bread baked up beautifully and was moist and flavorful without being too much. It also didn't have the heaviness that a lot of GF breads seem to be known for. Even the folks who are not gluten-intolerant were happy to nibble away at warm slices of this delicious bread.

I especially enjoyed it with a little butter and a pat of blue cheese melting on top. It was a perfect combination and I highly recommend it.

This bread was also great the next morning under the broiler with  some shredded cheese and sliced tomato. The tomato flavor in the bread played off the fresh cooked tomatoes perfectly and when the bread toasted it actually crisped nicely and took on some color. This may not seem especially important but a lot of gluten-free breads don't toast nicely or look especially appetizing when they come out of the oven.

This mix can be bought for $6 through the Heartland Gourmet website and I think once I have moved South it will be worth buying a few boxes for the pantry.

The Wheat-less White North

This past weekend my husband and I made a trip up to Ontario (Canada not California) to visit some family of mine. It was a crazy non-stop weekend of visiting, eating and drinks.

I used to be terrible about asking if a restaurant was capable of working around gluten-intolerance. No one wants to be the difficult person at the table but since I've started asking I've found people to be really helpful and friendly.

One morning we decided to stop for brunch with some friends and family at Pure Spirits Oyster House in Toronto's Distillery District. I have spent many years near Toronto and amazingly never visited this area. If industrial chic is a thing though, they are doing it well. It IS a thing right?

I was happy to see that right at the bottom of the menu they said that they would substitute in gluten-free pasta for any of their dishes at no additional cost. I am usually willing to pay the premium but I'm happy when I'm not forced to. I started my meal sharing an order of their PEI Mussels Provencal in white wine, tomatoes and fresh herbs with my husband. The mussels were beautifully cooked to a perfect tenderness and had no rubbery qualities to them.

Then, since I have always loved mac and cheese I decided to give theirs a go. It is called the Pure Mac 'n Cheese and is made with salmon, shrimp and mascarpone cheese and topped with a beautiful smoked salmon. It was very rich and even a small bowl was more than I could have wanted. Between this, the mussels and a Toasted Marshmallow Martini - although my husband says it's a vodka cocktail if there is no gin in it - I was more than satisfied. Also, I have never been served a drink with actual toasted marshmallows in it but I feel like it is a thing that needs to happen more often.

Although their dessert menu looked very interesting I decided to walk across the street and check out The Sweet Escape Patisserie whose chalk board told me they had many gluten-free options. They are a tiny place inside a hall of interesting shops but very quaint and welcoming. My husband and I picked up a chocolate mousse trio, some macaroons and a chocolate chip cookie - all helpfully listed as gluten-free on their signs. I was incredibly happy with all of these things.

The mousse had a cakey bottom layer with some wonderfully smooth middle layers and a topping of heavy chocolate ganache. The macaroons were crispy with a sweet cream center and the cookie was a bit crunchy with excellent flavor and very good quality chocolate chips. If I was more local I would certainly be a regular at this little shop. There is nothing I had from this place that I did not enjoy.

In the end, I have discovered that if you are in downtown Toronto and looking for some amazing gluten free food and drinks the distillery district has you covered.

You wouldn't think a place named after Barley would be Gluten-free...

 A few weekends ago my hubby, two friends and I decided to check out The Barley Vine. Any place named after one of the top three offenders on my allergy list is usually a no-go but I had heard good things about this place and there are so few nice restaurants in Bristol that we had to give it a try.

Barley Vine lists itself as a Gastropub and while the menu was small-ish,it was interestingly laid out. It had sections for air/land/sea and appetizers listed under sweet/salty/savory. I didn't see very many gluten-free options right off and it didn't specify on the menu but when I asked my waitress she seemed fairly well informed and, when she didn't know, was happy to check with the chef.

Another bonus for the waitress - she was happy to play along with my husbands shenanigans, which can get quite silly at times. Don't quote me on it but it's possible he claimed to be a "food wizard" at some point during the ordering process. She was such a good sport.

Anyhow, back to the menu... I decided for an appetizer I would try the orange marinated olives because I love olives and everyone else was having delicious looking soft pretzels with spicy mustard. I was very happy with the flavor of this dish, it was well-balanced and great to nibble away at while waiting for supper to come.

Since it's a gastro-pub I suppose I should mention that they had a very extensive beer menu. They had one type of hard cider (although I can't remember which) and two types of GF beer as well. I hadn't ever had either so of course I had to try them... both... for you of course. Because the waitress said they sold significantly more of the Lakefront New Grist beer, made of sorghum and rice, I had that one first. It was an extremely light Pilsner (5.1% alc/vol) with very little hoppiness but it was tasty and easy to drink. It tasted like beer, honestly, very light beer but beer - not fruit or molasses. I could see this being a beer I would enjoy in the summer time on a patio or by the pool. Yes, I know you aren't supposed to have breakables by the pool, I'll put it in a plastic sippy-cup to be safe.

Although I could have happily ordered another bottle of New Grist I decided to be adventurous and try the other GF option, Omission Pale Ale. I had heard of this beer several times both at restaurants and from friends who are interested in brewing but had never taken the leap to trying it. It is supposedly made with barley but put through a process that removed the gluten from the finished product. It sounds really cool right? I have to admit to you though, I was very disappointed by this beer. It had an okay front-flavor but it had a very bitter finish and I found myself sort of forcing it down. I have tasted this bitter-molasses flavor in other Gluten-free beers in the past and it's the thing I am always trying to avoid. I suppose if you're the type of person who really enjoys bitter flavors it may be for you but I found it a bit too much for my enjoyment.

Eventually I even got around to eating food at the Barley Vine. I promise drinking if not my only concern when going out - although don't ask my hubby, he may argue with me given my love of wine. There was only a few options for me here but they all (both?) sounded nice. The first thing I almost picked was the vegetarian "lasagna" which is made with eggplant slices in place of the pasta in a normal lasagna. I almost got this one but when I'm out drinking beers I just feel like eating meat so I had the waitress double-check with the chef and then bravely ordered the wild Texas boar ribs with ratatouille. I was, overall, fairly pleased with my meal if not blown away. The veggies were a bit soft for my taste but they were tasty and the ribs were falling off the bone. The biggest down side of the food was the lack of ANY dessert I could even try. Alas, my waistline at least was thankful for that.

I may go back to Barley Vine in the future, especially if looking for somewhere fairly nice and inside Bristol since choices there are limited but I'm not dying to get back. A few more GF options on the menu and maybe a little symbol showing me whats safe and I could easily be swayed though.

Pizza, I know you miss it...

When I lived in Canada the big chain restaurant we had ordered from all my life came out with a decent gluten-free pizza fairly early in the game. I was obviously spoiled by this fact and when I moved down to CT we had very little luck with our GF pizza hunt. We tried everywhere in the area that advertised but everything was terribly disappointing and incredibly pricey - I'm looking at you Wood N Tap.

As luck would have it, on a trip home from Dallas we were seated next to a gentleman who mentioned we were fairly close to a great pizza restaurant that he and his wife often traveled to for their gluten-free pies! We had never heard of it so we decided to give it a chance and see if he was right.

Naples Pizza was absolutely as wonderful as advertised and we have made many subsequent trips. The decor is casual but classy and it's cozy even in the coldest parts of the year. In the summer they have a surprisingly nice patio area around the side of the building which almost doubles their seating area. The servers here are always warm and hospitable and - most important of all - well informed about the food they are serving.

Most of their salads are gluten-free and certainly large enough to share. While I normally make a face when someone tells me the GF options are salad, I enjoy the heck out of the salads here. What I recommend most on the salad front is their Tuscan salad which is amazing. The croutons in it are made of polenta and are crunchy but warm in the center (warning: they do not have a dedicated fryer so if you are incredibly sensitive to gluten skip the croutons). The salad also comes with tons of fresh mozzarella, roasted red pepper, artichoke and black olives in a beautiful vinaigrette, they are anything but stingy with their toppings.

The gluten-free pizza here comes in one size which I would call a medium. Its enough food that the hubby and I share it and are completely satisfied. My normal go-to is the tomato basil toppings with a red sauce but every pizza that goes by my table looks amazing.They do a thinner crust which comes out nice and crispy without tasting like a dry piece of cardboard.

An added bonus is that they have a nice wine selection at a reasonable price. If you're not much of a wine drinker they also offer Redbridge Gluten-free beer. It's not a bad variety as far as GF beer goes, the flavor is decent although I find it a little bit watery. I have ordered it several times though so I guess I don't mind it too much.


All in all, an amazing place for a Saturday afternoon lunch or a cozy Friday night date. I certainly can't get enough!

Burgers and beer, how American!

The other day my husband and I were listening to NPR while driving to work and they mentioned a sponsor of theirs, Plan B Burger Bar. My husband mentioned offhandedly how he had always wanted to give it a try, having heard good things from friends, but since burgers weren't exactly gluten-free he didn't think he would manage to get there before our upcoming move. That afternoon, on a whim, I decided to check out their website to see if they had anything to say on the subject of GF and, much to my surprise, they had a whole gluten-less menu!

It was a Wednesday night and yet it was busier than we expected. They told us about a half hour wait so we took our little buzzer-thing next door to the Taqueria Tavern - where the decor was fun and the service was super friendly. We had chips and guacamole which were excellent and very inexpensive and I had a margarita. The wait was shorter than we expected so we quickly wrapped up and traveled back to our original destination, making a note that we should come back to the Taqueria and give it a night of its own.

Back at Plan B I was happy to see that they had a separate menu for their gluten-free foods so there was no guessing and no confusion. This menu had many options for appetizers, large plates and salads which I skimmed over but... let's be honest, we were here for the burgers, of which they had many. We started with drinks and while I am usually satisfied with a glass of wine I was not limited to that here. They offered two varieties of Woodchuck cider, which is nice if you like sweet (and I do - for reference) but the amazing part was that they offer TWO types of gluten free beer!

The first type was Bard's sorghum beer which I have had before and really did not enjoy. I found it had too strong a molasses taste followed by a seriously bitter hit at the end. I was not signing up for that a second time. Even those friends I had who I thought would drink anything, and I mean anything, would not drink my leftover Bard's. The second option was something I had never heard of before, Dogfish Head Tweason'ale. It had a beer taste up front followed by a strong punch of strawberry at the end. Again, very sweet, but quite delicious and did not taste like it was desperately trying to be "regular" beer. I would definitely order this again.

And finally, the moment you have all been waiting for, on to the gluten-free burgers! A lot of folks don't consider it but with a lot of places, not only is the bun full of wheat products but regularly there is gluten in the burger patties in the form of binding agents and bread crumb fillers. This was not a problem we have to worry about at Plan B (yay!). They had so many delicious looking options that it took me ages to decide what I should order. I'm so used to having 1 gluten-friendly option and just taking what I can get that I was in heaven with all the choice. They have everything from traditional burgers to seafood to vegetarian - you're certain to find at least one that speaks to you.

I decided that, when in Rome do as the Romans do, so I ordered the "New Englander" which is topped with lobster, smoked gouda, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato and corn spread. I was expecting inexpensive shredded lobster when my burger came but I was happy to see that it was whole claw pieces of lobster meat and lots of it! The combination of the toppings was excellent and the corn spread, which I had been skeptical of was slightly sweet and delicious. I ordered their truffle fries which appear to be regular fries tossed with truffle oil and chives. Their fries were crispy and thin cut, not greasy even with the truffle oil on them.

After all this food I was so stuffed I certainly didn't feel like I needed dessert... but, for the sake of you, dear internet, I decided to brave their wheat free dessert. Otherwise, your gluten-free journey might feel incomplete and I just can't have that weighing on my conscience - at least, that's what I told my husband. The  gluten-free menu features something called The B Cup, which is a flourless double chocolate cake filled with white chocolate mousse and covered with a thick chocolate ganache. It is served with a generous dollop of whipped cream and trust me when I say it is MORE than enough to share. I loved the whimsical look of this cake as it came to the table and I had no complaints about the rich chocolate flavor either. This was the ideal end to a delicious meal where I wasn't wanting to wheat even once.

On my gluten-friendly scale, Plan B certainly gets 5 stars!