Chicago's Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide

I've been collecting a list of Gluten-Free-Friendly restaurants in Chicago over the past 5 years. The good news is that this list is growing! Leave me a comment if you know any others that should be added to the list!

GLUTEN-FREE RESTAURANT

Senza
It’s a fully Gluten Free Restaurant that opened in 2012. I haven’t tried it yet but hope to soon!
2873 N Broadway
Chicago, IL 60657
773-770-3527
www.senzachicago.com
http://senzachicago.com/menu.html

ITALIAN
Italian is the most challenging food to find good Gluten-Free alternatives for. Below is a listing of several options!

Ranalli’s of Andersonville
Gluten Free Pizza, Pastas, Desserts and even Appetizer Breads!
1512 W Berwyn
Chicago, IL 60640
773-334-1300
www.ranallispizza.com/
www.ranallispizza.com/main/?page_id=53

Marcello’s
Gluten Free Pizza’s, brownies and beers
http://www.marcellos.com/
http://www.marcellos.com/gluten_free_menu.htm

   Three Locations:
   Lincoln Park
   645 North Ave
   312-654-2550

   Logan Square
   2475 N. Milwaukee
   773-252-2620

   Northbrook
   1911 Cherry
   847-498-1500

RPM Italian
Ask for the gluten-free noodles
52 W Illinois
312-222-1888
http://rpmitalian.com/
http://rpmitalian.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Gluten-Free4.pdf

Piccolo Sogno
Ask for the gluten free noodles
464 North Halsted Street
Chicago, IL
312-421-0077
www.piccolosognorestaurant.com

Piccolo Sogno Due
340 North Clark Street
312-822-0077
www.piccolosognodue.com

Homemade Pizza Co
Offer’s a 10” gluten-free pizza crust
Locations: https://www.homemadepizza.com/locations/illinois.html?view=stores&id=1

BREAKFAST
Wishbone 
Buckwheat Pancakes – weekend only
www.wishbonechicago.com

   Two Locations:
   West Loop
   1001 W Washington Blvd
   312-850-2663

   Northside
   3300 N Lincoln Ave
   773-549-2663

BAKERY
Rose’s Wheatfree Bakery and Café
2901 Central Street
Evanston, IL 60201
847-859-2723
www.rosesbakery.com

Swirlz Cupcakes
Best gluten-free cupcakes with a variety of flavors that change every day
705 West Belden Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
773-404-2253
www.swirlzcupcakes.com

Sprinkles Cupcakes
Only a Red Velvet every day
50 East Walton Street
Chicago, IL 60611
312-573-1600
www.sprinkles.com

Cookie Bar
A few gluten free cookie options
2475 North Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
773-348-0300
www.cookiebaronline.com

Cassava
Cassava treats, empanadas, soups
3338 N Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60657
773-857-3039
www.cassavachicago.com

RESTAURANTS THAT SERVE ROSE'S GLUTEN FREE BREAD
Café Ba Ba Reeba
2024 North Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60614
www.cafebabareeba.com

Girl and the Goat
809 West Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60607
312-492-6262
www.girlandthegoat.com

OTHER RESTAURANTS
Chicago Diner
3411 N Halsted Street
773-935-6696
http://www.veggiediner.com/wp/

Wildfire
159 W Erie Street
312-787-9000
www.wildfirerestaurant.com

PF Chang’s
530 N Wabash Ave
312-828-9977
www.pfchangs.com

Ben Pao’s Chinese Restaurant
52 W. Illinois Street
312-222-1888
http://www.benpao.com/PDFs/menu_gluten.pdf

Cassava

Ernie and I found our way into a nearby new 'bakery' just around the corner from us.  Cassava was opened by Jorge, who spent much of his life in Ecuador.  He opened Cassava as a tribute to the plant.    With flour made from this plant, he's re-created the traditional Cassava Bread known as Pan de Yuca in Ecuador.

The best way to describe this bread is that it looks like a little doughball, about the size of a golf ball.

The outer crust is warm and flaky kind of like a bagel crust but not as crusty. The inside is chewy, similar to a favorite Asian treat of mine, mochi!

We tried 6 delicious flavors from jalapeno, to chocolate, to greek with feta cheese and olives.  It was tough to pick a favorite... so we may have to go back for more sun dried tomato flavored or one of Jorge's latest creations.

I also indulged in a cranberry muffin.  OH my goodness, this was the BEST gluten-free muffin I have ever tasted in my life!  I savored every moment and Ernie could only sneak in for a tiny bite.

I can't wait to try the new empanadas stuffed with grass-fed beef, cheddar cheese and sauteed onions!!!

All in all, Cassava is definitely a place to try for some gluten-free specialty items. I'm not sure I would call it a bakery because they don't have the traditional breads, bagels, cookies, pasteries, etc. that would qualify it as a bakery.   The inside also has a look and feel like a small cafe with their wireless internet and several college students gathering around their laptops. 

Cassava stashould position the place as a cafe rather than a bakery and offer more menu items that are hearty enough for lunch or dinner.  That way, the right target audience stops in rather than someone looking for a crusty baguette.

Cassava
3338 N Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60657
http://www.cassavachicago.com/

Das Foods' Gluten-Free Macaroons!

My first Chicago Cube-Mate has launched her own Candy Company called Das Foods.  Back in the day, we worked on the Seasonal gum & candy business until she went off to pursue her dream.  Katie started her business with delicious bite-sized salted caramels and has now expanded into a wide variety of offerings.  A new addition to her product line is Gluten-Free!  Horray!  I should also note that many of her other items are also gluten-free.

I first found these Gluten-Free Macaroons in France when I was googling "gluten-free eating in Paris."  I posted about our tasty findings at Paul's in this blog post.  Macaroons are made of almond flour and therefore are naturally gluten-free without the taste of those nasty substitute flours.  They are light, puffy cookies sandwiched around a creamy layer in the center.  You can sink your teeth into this bite-sized indulgent treat without feeling terribly guilty about the extra calories.  Plus, it's almost Valentine's Day so you deserve a little treat!  Buy your self a gluten-free Vday present or surprise your gluten-free honey.

Das Foods offers two flavors of the French cookie: Dark chocolate cream and Fleur de Sel Caramel Cream.  The 4 oz boxes have 6 macaroons.

Free Shipping for Valentines Day on orders over $30. Use Code VAL11.

Way to go Katie! We all thank you for brining yet another delicious treat to the Gluten-Free Community!

http://www.dasfoods.com/

Defloured, gluten-free bakery

Thanks to Christina Kline for sharing this bakery!

Defloured Bakery
http://deflouredbakery.com/
Currently no 'walk-in' bakery, but are carried at Swim Cafe and Lulu's Dim Sum

SWIM CAFE
1357 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
T 312.492.8600
Lulu's Dim Sum
804 Davis

Evanston, IL 60201
Open Monday-Saturday 11:30-9:30
Sunday 11:30-9:00
847 869-4343
UPCOMING EVENT:


Logan Square Kitchen Valentine’s Pastry Market: February 12th-13th, 2010: defloured will be at the Logan Square Kitchen Valentine’s Market from 10am–3pm on Sunday, February 13th selling our assorted holiday treats! Come say hello with your mouth full sampling our goodies and buy your somebody special something special… or just for yourself (wink!).

A Good “Gluten-Free Wedding Cake” is Hard To Find

Ernie’s on cake duty… mostly because I can’t eat normal cake.  We’ve been searching for some options that can make us a gluten-free cake, or at least one tier that’s gluten-free.  Ernie contacted lots of Chicago cake companies and here’s the run down:

·         Baking for the Taking: $3.75/slice and they can make the top tier gluten-free.

·         Amy Beck Cake Design: They make gluten free cakes, but at $7.50/slice, the price is too steep.

·         Take the Cake: Their gluten-free option is a cheesecake layer with a flourless chocolate cake base. But, they have a $25 tasting fee.

·         Bleeding Heart Bakery: Amazingly decorated gluten-free cakes but slices start at $9/person.  I would love to go with this bakery but I just can't justify the cost, especially when most people forget to eat the cake.

The only place we have visited so far was Reuter’s Bakery. They were the least expensive option at $3.20/slice (up charged to $4.20/slice with fondant decorations) but they don’t make gluten-free cakes. I offered a solution of using the Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Cake Mix for the top layer.  Is that ghetto?  Maybe we should just cut a cupcake instead of a cake. 

Does anyone know of Gluten-Free Wedding Cake options in Chicago?

Rose's Bakery

We finally made it out to Rose's Bakery in Evanston!  All I can say is Hoooorrray for a gluten-free bakery! It's like walking in to a totally normal bakery filled of delicious cookies, pasteries, pies, cakes, breads, etc... but everything in there is certified 100% gluten-free!  I was a bit overwhelmed and didn't know what to pick out.  I stared at the glass case for a solid few minutes before deciding on some cookies and bagels.

We chose three cookie flavors: Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Craisin and Snickerdoodle.  These are listed in order of my favorite to least favorite.  Ernie even said he thought the Chocolate Chip Cookie tasted like a normal, real cookie!  The snickerdoodle was a bit on the hard side and not soft & moist like the other cookies.  There were lots of varieties so I encourage you to go out and try some.

The bagels satisfied my craving for bagels. I used to work at a bagel shop back in the day with several friends. I ate SO many bagels when I was young and not gluten-free. I really miss smooshing warm bagels into my hungry mouth.  I love all the flavors: egg, pretzel, everything aka "mish-mosh", pizza bagels, cinnamon rasin, onion, garlic, poppy, salt ... But now, I have Rose's bagels. They're soft and not really crispy around the outside, but they are similar enough to the real thing for me to be happy eating them! I'm glad I only bought 2 bagels - otherwise, I probably would have eaten the whole dozen by Monday morning.

I love that they have a little cafe where you can order gluten-free foods.  The helpful gentleman that served me said that everyone who works at Rose's has some tie to "the disease" which I assume he means Celiac's.

There are some specials that Rose's runs throughout the week.

Mon-Wed, Sun
Bagels
Baguettes
French Berad Loaf
French Bread Rolls
Pita
Seeded Sandwich Loaf

Thurs
Bagels
Baguettes
French Bread Loaf
French Bread Rolls
Pita
Sandwich Bread
Seeded Sandwich Loaf

Friday
Bagels
Baguettes
Challah
French Bread Loaf
French Bread Rolls
Herb Cheddar Dinner Rolls
Pita
Seeded Sandwich Loaf

Saturday
Bagels
Baguettes
French Bread Loaf
French Bread Rolls
Pita
Sandwich Bread
Seeded Sandwhich Loaf

Rose's Bakery
2901 Central Street
Evanston, IL 60201
847-859-2723
http://www.rosesbakery.com/

Brown's Orchard & Farm Market

I was recently on a business trip out east to Hunt Valley, near Baltimore.  I was so pleasantly surprised to learn that the catering group went out of the way to pick up delicious gluten-free desserts for me!  There was a variety of treats including Pumpkin bread, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Brownies.  While I am a huge lover of pumpkin bread, I would actually recommend the Chocolate Chip Cookies over anything. These cookies were very similar to the original kind!  One of the guys in the meeting was eating the pumpkin bread and when I asked him if it tasted gluten-free, he said he didn't even realize it.

Definitely keep this bakery on your list if you're traveling in the Baltimore area. It's actually about 45 min from Hunt Valley in Pennsylvania.  Info is below.  Enjoy!

Browns Orchard and Farm Market
http://www.brownsorchards.com/

BROWN'S NORTH
3100 North George Street
Emigsville, PA 17318
Phone: (717) 767-4142
Email: infonorth@brownsorchards.com

BROWN'S SOUTH (Original location)
8892 Susquehanna Trail South
Loganville, PA 17342
Phone: (717) 428-2036
Email: info@brownsorchards.com

Gluten-Free Guide to Paris

I was worried that I wouldn't be able to enjoy Parisan food.  The last time I was in Paris was in 2002 and I was certainly munching away on the crusty baguettes and buttery croissants every moment we walked past a patasserie.  But now, having converted to the gluten-free lifestyle, I was definitely concerned.

Aside from breakfast which I found to be the most challenging meal of the day, I was alright for the bigger meals of lunch and dinner.  There are a lot of gluten-free options available. We LOVED the French food and it's difficult to find really bad food, but here are a list of GF-Friendly places for you to check out!  I also wanted to provide recommendations for three restaurants that weren't necessarily GF but totally amazing and worth finding.

Des Si et Des Mets
It's the first FULLY gluten-free restaurant that I've ever found! I was so excited to find it online and HAD to try it. We even planned some of our sight-seeing events around getting to this restaurant since it's a bit out of the way.

We went for lunch on Saturday and were the first to arrive at the restaurant. Shortly after, several other couples trickled in for lunch. We sat next to a nice couple from DC that the wife was gluten-free and had also found this restaurant online.

Let's just say, it's exhiliarating to be in a restaurant and NOT have to explain that you can't eat 90% of the menu.  The bread slices they brought to the table was GF bread. Leave it to the French to figure out delicious breads! Sure, it wasn't spongy or crustly like the baguettes, but it didn't have the sharp aftertaste of most GF breads and it wasn't super crumbly either.

The portions were enormous. I couldn't even finish.  In fact, Ernie and I could have split one plate and we would still be stuffed.  Plus, we got desserts!

The owner served us and speaks English though prefers French. She even thought I was fluent in French and handed me a menu I couldn't read.  She was quiet and mild-mannered but very polite.  We even got parting gifts of GF yellow cakes individually wrapped. I saved mine for the flight home!

63 Rue Lepic
Metro: Lamarck-Caulaincourt
Near: Montmartre
http://www.dessietdesmets.com/
contact@dessietdesmets.com

Briezah Cafe
Go for the amazing buckwheat crepes, or known locally as 'galettes'. Normally, galettes are the savory version of crepes and served with eggs & meat or some variation. Traditional flour crepes are the dessert versions because they are a bit sweeter and softer in texture. At Briezah, they had no problems subbing the buckwheat crepe in for the regular. I got a buckwheat crepe filled with apple sauce and drizzled with a caramel sauce. It was topped with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.  A delicious treat!
Buckwheat crepes are good substitutes of the originals. They have a deeper flavor, a stiffer texture and a darker color but overall, it's totally worth it. You might miss the light, fluffyness of the original crepe but honestly, this will make you pretty happy as well.  (The GF crepe is the bottom one in the picture)

Briezah is also known for their varities of hard cider.  They have several pages of different flavors. Try a jug while you're at it!

49 Rue Vieille du Temple
Metro: Saint-Sebastien-Froissart
http://www.breizhcafe.com/
Near: Picasso Museum (which is closed until 2012)
3rd Arr.
Note that the website says they open at 9am but they really open at noon.

Other crepe places that serve Galettes:
Lepic Assiette
35 Rue Lepic
Metro: Abbesses Blanch
Near: Monmartre

Creperie de Josselin
67 Rue du Montparnasse

I also hear that along Rue d'Odessa and Rue du Montparnasse are countless Creperies.

Naturala Grocery Stores
This is a chain of grocery stores that are speckled throughout Paris.  We happened to walk by one near our first hotel and another one near our second hotel.  (We stayed in two different parts of town to experience as much of Paris as we could!)  Try the Quinoa bread loafs. They're made fresh everyday. 

Don't expect something that tastes similar to your regular white Wonder Bread loaf.  It's definitely more dense, crumbly and has a darker flavor than the white breads.  Think of it closer to the flavor of a multi-grain or even a dark rye bread.  I was more-or-less happy about the flavor and the moist and consistent texture. I yearned for a little more, maybe something a bit sweeter rather than savory.  The bread wasn't amazing but when you're walking around scouring for breakfast options that are GF, you'll be happy you packed a few slices of Quinoa bread in your purse or bag.

The staff was friendly and helpful to find the gluten-free bread loaves and they're even marked in English by the bread baskets.  Let them select and pack it up for you to take on your way!  Loaves run about 4-5 Euros each.

Biogeneration Grocery Store
I read that there were gluten free croissants (heaven!!!) and chocolate chip mini cakes, etc. But after trekking all the way out to this store, I was dissappointed to only find that they have dry packaged GF goods. If you do decide to make this a destination during your trip to Paris, head down stairs to find a full GF section filled with pastas, cookies, biscuits, crackers, etc. I bought some lasagne noodles since I've never seen them in the US. I'll let you know how those are once I make my first gluten-free lasagne!  It cost me 10 Euros for 2 packages of pasta. Packages are smaller than those sold in the US.

70 Rue de Cherch Midi

Paul's
It's a chain (like our Panera Bread) so they're all over town.
Get the Macarones that are made of almond flour and are gluten free!  They are very sweet cookies with filling in the middle.  Paul's has large sized ones. You can find smaller sized ones all over town at the Patisseries (bakeries).  I liked the Raspberry flavor best. Vanilla was delicious but the Pistaschio was not very good.  It just depends what flavors you like.

Other noteable places for Macarones:
Laduree (also a chain)
75 ave de Champs Elysees (flagship store)

--------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some restaurants that are not necessarily Gluten Free, but have great GF options and servers willing to help:

Willi's Wine Bar
It may say "Bar" in the name, but this was way more up-scale than I imagined.  As one of our most expensive meals in Paris, this is totally worth it for the quality of the food and the friendliness of the staff. This waas a recommendation by Ernie's Uncles Lee & Bill who swear it's their favorite place in Paris.

Our server was actually from Singapore though she could have fooled us with her French accent and pale caucasian skin.  Nevertheless, she was amazingly helpful and totally willing to find GF options for me.  We also went by her recommendations for starters, main plates and desserts. 

The Wine selection (as you may infer by the restaurant name) was vast. We had a light white wine from the Loire Valley on the south-western area of France. It was a perfect pick since we spent the day visiting the Loire Valley Castles that are better described as Chateauxs.

13 Rue des Petits Champs
Metro: Pyramides
http://www.williswinebar.com/
Near Jardin du Palais Royale
1st Arr

Le Chalet des Iles
This restaurant is not easy to get to. You have to take the metro to the closest stop and either walk 15-20 min or cab it.  I'll tell you that the walk would have been really difficult due to the topography of the area and just plain getting lost in the round-about.  One cab driver refused our business and it took another 15 min to get another cab driver to take us. We ended up being 30 min late for our reservation. I felt really bad because we were meeting up with a friend from Kellogg and Kraft and he was waiting around without any way of us contacting him.

Once we got there, it was much smoother. You take this little ferry across the pond to an adorable pond-side restaurant kind of like Tavern on the Green in NYC's Central Park.  The food was unbelievable.  I'd recommend the heirloom and tomato mozzarella salad for starters. I had the shrimp cocktail with greek yogurt and a tomato jelly paste. It was good, but the tomato salad was so much more delicious.

My main dish was the walleye fish with a salty/crusty exterior and a moist and flaky white fish interior. It was served with Quinoa on the side.  Ernie had steak served with potato croquettes. The potato was the highlight of his meal. The outer shell was fried crispy and the inside was soft, mashed potato puree.  Olivier, my friend, had the lobster. I don't think you could pick something that wasn't satisfying.

Dessert options are limited to ice cream for GF people.  Otherwise, there's a caramel cake option that you MUST get.  It's like a molten chocolate cake but it's caramel vanilla cake with soft warm caramel inside rather  than the chocolate.  I did have a bite and it was heaven.

Port de La Muette
http://www.chalet-des-iles.com/

TRAVEL CARD
Print this card before you go. It tells servers/chefs that you have a gluten intolerance and it's written in French!

http://www.celiactravel.com/gluten-free-cards/14-french.html

The Cookie Bar

So delicious, you won't know you're eating a gluten-free cookie.

Awhile back, Ernie and I tested out the Cookie Bar. We first learned on the Daily Candy email that they serve gluten-free cookies. It's not just your ordinary cookie; you can also make an ice cream sandwich with your choice of cookies!  (It's like Diddy Reese in LA)

This retro little shop in Lincoln Park serves a wide selection of cookies. Some traditional (like Chocolate Chip) and some unique ones (like Chipotle Chocolate Chip).  If you're looking for a gluten-free cookie or even a Vegan cookie, you're in luck! 

I had a mint chocolate chip gluten-free cookie.  I topped it with a scoop of peanut butter ice cream.  Not sure I would recommend the mint-pb combination but I still loved that I didn't even know I was on a restricted diet eating GF cookies.  It was well worth the 8000 calories that I'm sure the half ice cream sandwich stacked up to.  The lucky thing is that they often have 2-3 varieties of the gluten free cookies!  I'm itching to taste them all.

If you're lucky, you can spot one of the owners sitting at the bar counter with his iMac probably working on another screen play.  Read their fun story on the Cookie Bar website!

The Cookie Bar
2475 N Lincoln Ave
773-348-0300
http://www.cookiebaronline.com/

Sprinkles Gluten-Free Cupcakes

I once waited in line for an hour and a half for Sprinkles cupcakes when I was still consuming Gluten filled products. I absolutely love love love their Red Velvet cupcake. The cake is so moist, soft and full with a nice balance of flavor.  It's topped with a firm cream cheese frosting that is just the right sweetness and creamyness to make a delightful treat.

When I found out Sprinkles was opening shop in Chicago, I had to check it out. Just like in LA, there was a line out the door but at least the wait wasn't an hour long.  I think the line has more to do with the inefficieny of moving customers through rather than a sheer popularity issue.  It took no less than five minutes to order, get the cupcakes packed out and pay before we could squeeze our way through the exit.

I was hopeful that the Gluten Free cupcake offered daily in Red Velvet would taste similar to their regular gluten cupcake.  Sadly, it was a dissappointment.  Although there's a cute "G" that marks the cupcake rather than their traditional button topper, the cake itself did not deliver on taste.

That sour/pungent aftertaste that you get with many gluten-free foods was clearly discernable in this cupcake.  There is the super-moist texture of the cake and the same cream cheese frosting as the original full-gluten sibling, but the Red Velvet flavor was masked by the nasty-ness of the trademark "gluten-free" after taste.  I was also hoping that other flavor varieties might be offered alongside the Red Velvet but in a world of gluten-eating people, there's only space for one cupcake flavor in the Sprinkles shop.

Bottom line: try it if you want, but don't expect it to taste like the real thing.

Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels

OMG. So exciting!!! I have missed my big soft pretzels since going gluten-free! I think it’s going to be super challenging for me to not eat any pretzels when we go to Germany for Oktoberfest next month. But yesterday brought me a lot of joy and happiness when I walked into Kim & Scott’s Café Twist.

We were on a “Pub” crawl of sorts for work yesterday. It wasn’t a crawl that stopped at bars, but rather, we stopped at various businesses throughout Chicago. We had a great time exploring Google, Threadless, Flirty Cupcakes and others. Lunch was at Kim & Scott’s Café Twist where we sat down with the owners and they told us their story.

The couple is adorable. They named their company "Kim & Scott" like "Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream" since Scott's dad used to own a B&J Franchize in Lincoln Park.  Clearly Scott loves Kim and will do anything for her, including selling a ton of pretzels! He seems to be putting his Acting skills to good use in those sales calls.  Kim was from a big ad agency (I think Ogilvy) and had a passion for twisting pretzels. They boot-strapped the business back in 1995 and today, 15 years later, they are in retailers across America (Kroger, Meijer, Whole Foods, Wal-Mart) with their gourmet pretzels and have finally opened their own Café. There was so much to learn, but you’re probably waiting for the details on how yummy the gluten-free pretzel is!

It took two years to develop a good tasting pretzel and I have to say, it was worth the wait. We went to Twist Café for lunch, after everyone devoured Flirty Cupcakes (no gluten-free ones my fellow glutoids. Disappointing). I was worried I wouldn’t be able to eat anything but luckily there were some salads. I got a tuna salad – but be sure to order it without the croutons that are made of pretzels. As I was standing in line to order, my co-worker exclaims, “they have a gluten-free pretzel!!!” I was giddy with joy as I usually am when I find an unexpected gluten-free food product. Of course, I added this to my order.

The gluten-free pretzel was served warm with my salad. It was soft, buttery and tasted like those tasty little Pillsbury crescent rolls but definitely more dense than flaky. I sure did miss that buttery-biscuit flavor since going gluten-free. There's no gritty or cardboard aftertaste with this pretzel - not even the slight chalky film that some gluten-free products leave on your tongue. At first, I thought I wanted a sprinkle of sea salt on top, but the flavor was excellent without the additional sodium. Kim said the pretzels were difficult to twist since the gluten is what gives regular pretzels elasticity. I planned to eat only half the pretzel and save some for later, but I honestly couldn’t put it down. I’m ecstatic to say that they just got authorization for national distribution at Whole Foods for their gluten-free pretzel! Look for it in the frozen aisle in a few months!

The great thing about Twist café is that they make sandwiches with flavored pretzels as the “bread”. Next time, I might just get a sandwich on the gluten-free pretzel!  But, the best part of the whole operation is Kim & Scott’s commitment to giving back to the broader global community and to the environment. I also love the picture of their three kids in aprons and chef hats twisting up pretzels! I’m so happy for gluten-free soft pretzels!

2218 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
http://www.kimandscotts.com/

On a side note, an amazing way to close out the evening was by meeting up with the STANLEY CUP at Epic!

Cinnamon Works - Seattle Pike Place Market

Ernie and I took a little trip through the Pacific Northwest over Fourth of July weekend.  We spent less than one day in Seattle as our entry point. 

The Seattle Pike Place Market was one of the major sites on our list of things to do. I was first introduced to the famous Fish Market during undergrad when we learned the "Fish Philosophy" during a Greek Leadership Training week. They throw fish around!  That part was somewhat anti-climatic because now it's become a tourist attraction, but it's a bit challenging for tourist to buy fresh fish and have somewhere to take it.  They don't throw the fish til someone orders it so everyone is just waiting for a local to stroll by.  The Catch-22 is that the locals don't go to this fish place anymore because the prices are increased.  What to do?

I digress.  The real reason for this post is to discuss Cinnamon Works. It was a small, nondescript bakery on the corner of the market. At first, I cruised right by it assuming I couldn't eat anything. But then, I stopped after seeing a huge cookie marketing itself as "wheat free" but not gluten-free.  After further inspection, there was an entire gluten-free case! I tried to take a picture but the glare is pretty bad here.

I swiftly picked up a small loaf of banana bread and a pumpkin cookie.  The cookies are HUGE and probably chock full of calories; at 7 or 8" in diameter, I think they're bigger than Potbelly cookies!  I'll review the cookie first.  The pumpkin flavor wasn't too strong and maybe a bit on the mild end and it wasn't super sugary but had just the right amount of sweetness.  There was a bit of a gritty rice-flour aftertaste that is common among gluten-free baked goods. The texture was soft and fluffy, more like a biscuit than a cookie but didn't have the stiff/stale texture of many gluten-free cookies (especially those frozen ones).  Overall, I'd definitely try another flavor, but I won't jones after it to go as far as mail-ordering dozens to share with gluten-eating family and friends.
Pumpkin Cookie Rating: 7

The banana bread was so-so.  I love original banana bread, often craving it and try to make some of my own gluten-free recipies but have yet to have any huge breakthrough.  They all taste just OK, not fantastic but not terrible. I'd say this bread is also so-so.  Like the cookie, the bread wasn't too flavorful but not too bland. You could definitely taste banana but I wish there were some chocolate chips!  The texture was soft and moist and slightly fluffy but misses that deliciousness of original banana breads and is a bit more crumbly without the gluten to hold the bread together.  There was still that rice flour aftertaste that leaves your tongue a bit gritty. I don't really know if it's due to the rice flour and that's totally my own non-culinary-artist assumption.  Overall, I might buy this again but I'm still looking for that perfect loaf!
Banana Bread Rating: 6

Cinnamon Works
Specialty Bakery
Pike Place Market
1536 Pike Place
Seattle, WA 98101
206-583-0085
No website that I could find

Southport Grocery

Saturday afternoon was kind of rainy and sleepy. Ernie had some early morning softball games and saw that Southport was closed down due to a street festival. We decided to walk over during the afternoon to check it out. The fest turned out to be sponsored by Cuervo and they had all kinds of games similar to what you’d see on MTV Real World/Road Rules challenges but not nearly as intense. We watched a bunch of people fall off a rock climbing wall while being sprayed by water flowing at 8 gal/seconds. What a waste of water. I guess you could sign up in teams and compete for prizes and such.

We walked down to the end of the street and stopped into Southport Grocery. I’ve heard from friends that this place has great brunches and amazing cupcakes (though no one mentioned a gluten-free variety). Ernie got a glass of white wine and after a short debate of should-I-shouldn't-I, I ended up with a vanilla gluten-free cupcake. I’m usually a chocolate girl, but the gluten-free cupcakes were only in vanilla. We sat outside at metal tables on the sidewalk and watched the activities in the street. I also ran into a co-worker who was lunching with a friend while a former intern walked by on the street. The co-worker and I yelled her name to catch her attention. We made some small talk and I wished her well in her job search.

The cupcake and wine arrived. Ernie didn’t care much for the white wine but drank it anyway. On the other hand, the cupcake was delicious! The texture was super moist and dense, almost like angel-food cake and tasted of sweet vanilla extract. The butter crème frosting on top was very sugary sweet but complimented the fresh cupcake nicely. There was no chalky or powdery aftertaste like a lot of other gluten-free substitutes.

I later checked the website where they say, “our Vanilla and Chocolate cupcakes are to die for.” To die for? Maybe extreme. Extraordinarily yummy? Yes definitely. There’s no mention of the gluten-free variety but I assure you that there were several on hand Saturday afternoon.

I would say that this cupcake is better than the Swirlz cupcakes that you can buy at Whole Foods, but slightly worse than the cupcakes you can buy directly at the Swirlz bakery. Plus, Swirlz has a huge variety (I still love the banana nutella best) and they are very carefully decorated. If you can see from the picture below, Southport Grocery has some work to do on their frosting capabilities!  Ernie's looking over at the hula-hooping Cuervo girls who have cottage cheese legs. The view didn't give me much inspiration to eat the cupcake as I was worried about what my legs might look like!

Southport Grocery & Café
3552 N Southport Ave
Chicago IL 60657
773-665-0100
http://www.southportgrocery.com/

Green Grocer Chicago

The Fat Tax: Lower Tax Rate for Candy with Wheat

On Saturday, Ernie and I walked over to Windy City Sweets on Broadway to get birthday treats for his dad. It's an adorable old-style candy shop with ice cream and bakeries. The two associates in the store were extremely helpful in identifying gluten-free candies. They also told us of this new tax rate in IL that went into effect last September.

Get this - if a candy product has wheat in it, it's considered a "foodstuff" and is taxed at 2.5%, the grocery rate. Think: chocolate covered pretzels, s'mores, chocolate covered graham crackers, chocolate covered cookies.

For all other candy that has no wheat, it's taxed at a higher rate of 10.25%!! This includes gummy bears, hard boiled candy, chocolate covered nuts (what? nuts aren't a foodstuff? They have more protein than wheat!), etc. The hope is the taxes will contribute to the state's $31 Billion public works program. The upside to implementing this new tax rate is that we didn't get a 50% income tax hike.

I pulled the following info off this website:
High tax candy items are: chocolate bars; yogurt or chocolate covered fruit or nuts; honey coated nuts; caramel popcorn; lollipops; snack mixes containing yogurt or chocolate; breath mints; and gum.

Low tax candy items are: chocolate covered cookies; yogurt covered pretzels; "candy" that contains flour; plain dried fruits; and nuts with no added sweeteners.

While I get the intention to make money by taxing unhealthy foods, then shouldn't all of those items (except dried fruits and nuts) also fall into the high tax candy item list? It's been said that the "sin" tax on cigarettes was exceedingly effective in reducing the incidence of smoking. If this tax is supposed to get people to avoid bad-for-you foods, then chocolate covered cookies should also be added to the "high tax" list. Why not twinkies or ho-hos, little debbie treats - all are made with flour so avoid the high-tax rates; yet all are much worse for you than a handful of chocolate covered nuts.

Did you know that licorice is made with wheat? So for you non-gluten eating friends out there, you better back off the licorice too, even though it looks like its made of sugar and flavoring! Also, be careful of peanut butter cups. Sometimes manufacturers will add flour to the peanut butter filling. You can probably just check your receipt for the tax rate. If it's 2.5%, don't eat it.

A lot can be learned by talking to the friendly men in the candy shop!

Windy City Sweets
3308 North Broadway
Chicago, Illinois 60657
773-477-8100
http://www.windycitysweets.com/

Swirlz Cupcakes - a little bit of heaven

I had been waiting ALL day for this gluten-free cupcake that Abby brought to girls night. This morning we had a baby shower at work (well kind of) which consisted of a huge cake for the marketing department to share. Then at the next meeting, there were Sweet Mandy B's cupcakes to celebrate the launch of '5 React'. It's a wonder how people in my office stay skinny! So many tasty treats! Being gluten-free means I had to pass on the cake and cupcakes.

When I got back to my desk, Abby had emailed that she was bringing cupcakes tonight - and a gluten-free one for me!!! It made my day and I was so excited!

Swirlz Cupcakes offers a new variety of gluten-free cupcakes each day. Today's was gluten-free banana nutella. One: I LOVE nutella. Two: I LOVE bananas. Three: These two flavors are FANTASTIC together. I had to double check the lid on the cupcake because I was in such disbelief that what I ate was actually gluten-free. The moist and fluffy texture combined with sweet banana flavor covered in the European hazelnut spread... I really thought I was in heaven.

I quickly realized that I would not ever be going to heaven (I make fun of too many ugly babies). But Swirlz Cupcakes could at least bring me a little slice of happiness.

I must try all Swirlz Gluten-Free Varieties: Red Velvet, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Grasshopper mint, Vanilla on Chocolate, Lemon or Carrot. Perhaps I may even try their vegan gluten-free varieties too! Maybe the CLEAN program will be a bust once I refill my spare tire with gluten-free cupcakes.

swirlz cupcakes®

705 w. belden, chicago, il

773-404-CAKE (2253)

http://www.swirlzcupcakes.com/

My Love Affair with Cupcakes

I used to LOVE Sprinkles Cupcakes!!! In 2007, I was visiting my brother in LA. It was just the two of us for Christmas so we went over to our second cousins' house. In effort to thank them for their hospitality, we went to get a dozen Sprinkles Cupcakes for dessert.

I made my brother take me to the original Beverly Hills Location where I fell in love with the soft red velvet cupcakes. The wait was OVER an HOUR long. So, I stood in line while my brother went to park. This was the most insane wait for cupcakes I had ever seen in my life. My brother parked, walked all the way over to the end of the line and decided he didn't want to wait in line. So he shimmied up to the front of the line, bought 18 cupcakes (6 for us to keep) and we walked out. Because the wait was so long, we were so late for dinner that we actually missed dinner all-together. So awkward.

Anyway, I tell you this story to highlight my love-affair with the red velvet cupcakes from Sprinkles. I've eaten quite a few Chicago cupcakes, but this takes the cake! The news broke today...




HOOOOOOORAY! GLUTEN FREE RED VELVET CUPCAKES.


The best part is, they are opening in Chicago in March 2010. You better bet I'll be there right after my Clean program is over. If anyone wants to join me, comment on this post and I'll organize a group!
My love affair with Sprinkles Red Velvet can now continue for a lifetime...


Sprinkles Cupcakes
50 East Walton Street
Opening Mar 2010
http://www.sprinkles.com/