Gluten Free Peppermint Hot Chocolate- Thanks Starbucks!

So I don't usually drink caffeine, however every once in awhile I have a craving for a Peppermint Hot chocolate from Starbucks. Yep, chocolate is the extent of my caffeine. I haven't had a soda in 15 years! I don't even drink tea. I indulged in my craving today and oh how amazing it is :)!






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Rooster, Downtown St. Louis-- Amazing Gluten Free Crepes

As many know, I attended college in France and fell in love with their food, wine, and language.  This would include Crepes!!  When I first started the gluten free diet, I was sad I would no longer be able to devour crepes anymore. :( Then I heard Rooster served Gluten Free Crepes!! Of course, I dragged Rob downtown the first possible moment I could.

We have frequented Rooster several times before my gluten diet started and each time has always been amazing.  I do have to warn you though, if you are going on a weekend for breakfast, brunch or lunch, be prepared to wait.  We showed up Sunday morning around 11am (the morning after Mardi Gras none the less) and I believe we waited about an hour to be seated.  It is tiny place and as Rob does not crowded places we debated somewhere else.  However, Rob being the awesome husband he is, knew I was dying to try the gluten free crepes, so we waited.

Each time I have been to Roosters they always have a nice touch of fresh flowers at the tables. And it just so happened to match my yummy Mimosa!

Normally I order the hot chocolate, as it is amazingly tasty, but while waiting I saw someone drinking a Mimosa a the bar and could not resist the temptation!  They always remind me of the good times my Mom and I shared on our cruise to the Bahamas.  I was also lucky in this case since Rob decided to order a hot chocolate.  MMM!! The best of both worlds.

I ordered the brie gluten free crepe with roasted spiced apple and a side of chutney. 

I was pretty skeptical (imagine that..) of how the gluten free crepe would taste as I have eaten some of the best creperies in the world at my favorite 1513 in Clermont-Ferrand, France.  I was delightfully surprised with the melange of the flavors. I actually think this may be my new favorite Rooster crepe, however I need to try out a few more just in case. :)

Rob on the other hand ordered a roasted sirloin crepe.

He was not as impressed as I, but I am not sure if this is because this is the choice I encouraged him to select rather than what he would have picked on his own.  A lot of times when we go out to eat, he ends up liking what I order more than what he chose.  This time, not so much.  Another great thing about Roosters is they have Srichacha sauce! (the big red bottle in the background of Rob's picture)  I first heard about Srichacha sauce on the Dr. Oz show.  It is a very tasty, yet super spicy hot sauce.  It is Dr. Oz recommended as it is so spicy, just a tiny bit goes a long ways, it helps speed up your metabolism, and it helps add flavor, without a bunch of calories.  At home we use it a lot on scrambled eggs.

We were both wanting to try one of the dessert crepes, as we have yet to try one.  Each time, this time not excluded, we are so full from our meal we never have room.  The crepes taste so good, we just cannot stop eating till we clean our plates.

We made a vow that the next time we eat a Roosters, we are strictly going for the dessert crepes!  We are both looking forward our next visit.  Thanks to Roosters for a great gluten free dining experience!!

Granite City Brewery--- Not so Gluten-Free Friendly.....

So, after several amazing experiences with my gluten-free dining experiences, I guess it was in due time to have a bad one.  Rob and I were exhausted with trying to close on a foreclosed house, most of our kitchen items were already packed, so we were searching for a place to eat with Gluten Free items on their menu in our area.  We called Granite City Brewery and they said they had an entire Gluten Free menu.  I was super excited!

We waited for about 15-20 minutes to be seated and I asked the hostess for their Gluten Free menu.  It took her awhile to find it.  She seats us and gives me the menu and on the outside it says Gluten Free Menu.  It was a red folder, like something you had in high school with the three metal prongs, with just a list of their menu items. Next to their menu you items were a spreadsheet of wheat, dairy, eggs, nuts, etc and below the tabs it would have a Y or a N.  It did not list the ingredients or a description of the dish

There were not many items that were wheat free...  I think I could have the quesadilla garnish, but of course not the quesadilla, two appetizers, a couple of salads, but the kicker was they only had two entrees that were wheat free.  They were both pork and since I am not a huge pork fan (well of course except bacon), I decided to go with one of the salads.  At this point I was a bit frustrated.  I do not know if I have just been spoiled, with the other Gluten Free menus, but this was hardly something I would call gluten free. Rob suggested we could go somewhere else to eat, but by this point we had already been there for awhile.

Rob seemed pretty hungry, so I asked if he wanted to share one of the two appetizers that were wheat free.  One was wings and the other Idaho Nachos.  I was worried the wings were cooked with everything else, so we decided upon the nachos.  When I think of nachos, I think corn tortilla chips (which are safe to eat), however I was wrong.  As I did not have the descriptions of the items on my menu, I didn't realize the Idaho Nachos meant fries instead of tortilla chips.  I was disappointed again, however I will take some blame as I could have looked off Rob's menu to see the rest of the ingredients.  I had a few, then I started to think.  O' Crap I bet I shouldn't eat these.  I asked the waitress if the potatoes are cooked in the same fryer as everything else and she said Yes.  Now I am really disappointed, because I should not have eaten them.  As us Gluten-Free know, it is not only the items that contain gluten, but also how they are cooked.  Our potatoes had been cross-contaminated with other gluten items.  Err!

Rob had mentioned we could go somewhere else to eat, but I still stuck it out.  I did not have any more nachos and ate some of my salad.  The waitress seemed like a sweet young girl, however Granite City had not trained her on food allergies/intolerance.  She kept recommending items I could not have.  After a past experience in working in a restaurant (especially chains), it is all about up-selling and this what she was taught to do.  It's just annoying when can't have anything they are offering.  She apologized and said, sorry I don't what contains gluten.  I am not mad at her for this, because I did not know either till I started the diet, but with this being so common now, I am disappointed with Granite City for misleading me to believe items on their menu are gluten free, when they are clearly not.  It seems they took the shortcut approach to food allergies/intolerance.

Rob and I will not be heading back to Granite City anytime soon!  It is not gluten free friendly!  In fact, the next day I did not feel good at all.  Insert Gluten intolerance symptoms.... Granite City could learn something by eating at Outback.  Check out my Outback's restaurant review

Outback Steackhouse Gluten Free Menu- OMG So Awesome!

Rob and I always seem to find things to celebrate by eating out and drinking some wine and last Tuesday was no exception.  On Tuesday Rob and I found out we were approved and cleared to close on our new house!!!  How exciting.  Of course Rob twisted my arm about going out to eat and I was really wanting to try Outback Steakhouse's Gluten Free Menu.  I previously had seen online they have a completely separate menu just for us Gluten Free.

We show up to Outback and I ask if they have a Gluten Free menu.  I was so excited when they gave me a menu that was the same size as the regular menu!

At this point, I am super excited.  Outback has always been one of my favorite places to eat (even before this whole gluten free thing).  I am very picky on my steak and many places do not know how to cook a medium rare steak, however I have yet to have an issue at Outback.  Thanks Outback!  I was ecstatic to  see my regular item on the menu on the Gluten Free menu, the Victoria's Center Cut Filet!!  It melts in your mouth.  So, of course I order it and the wonderful waitress Anastasia asks my two sides and I request the mash potatoes and of course the Caesar Salad.

If you like Caesar salads and you have not had the one at Outback, run there now!!  It is my all time favorite!!  I told the waitress the menu said to ask for "no croutons and to have it mixed in a separate bowl".  ( Kuddos to Outback  because most restaurants do not understand the importance of not cross contaminating.)  Then Anastasia says "Oh, are you gluten free?"  I reply yes and she says "Oh we have a button for that."  Wow!  What?!  That's awesome.  She then asked if we still wanted the bread and as my husband is not Gluten Free, he said yes.  It must have been good because I did not even have time to snap a picture by the time he devoured it....

Another great thing about Outback and their Gluten Free Button was every time something was delivered to the table, the server would announce the Gluten Free in front of the menu item: Gluten Free Ceasar Salad, Gluten Free Victoria's Center Cut Filet, etc.  It was very comforting to know everyone who came in contact with my food knew I had a gluten intolerance and paid extra attention to my order.  Bravo Outback!! So they delivered my Gluten free steak:

MMM!  So good and cooked to perfection (it's hard to please me when it comes to steaks too).  Rob had the Outback Special.  It was a sirloin steak and he was also impressed, since had not tried it before.  As for mine, I will let you decide for yourselves if I thought it was Yummy:

I am going to go with Yes!!  I ordered the 6 ounce filet and it was the perfect size for me.  I did not feel as if I over indulged, however by this point it could be the bottle of Shiraz we are finishing off.  :)  So glad wine is Gluten Free!  Then Anastasia asked if we are interested in a dessert and I ask if they have anything Gluten Free and she was like we do.  What?  Really?  Is it good, what is it?  They had a Gluten Free version of their Infamous Thunder Down Under! Although the name reminded me of that Australian male stripper reality show, I was intrigued.  They brought out the dessert:

I would never consider myself a dessert fan; I am more of a steak and potatoes girl, however when it comes to brownies, I LOVE them!!  This was my first experience with a gluten free brownie, so I was quite skeptical.  My skepticism quickly faded and all of the sudden the brownie was gone.

Where did it go?  It was so good.  We ordered the smaller version, but after trying it, we may hit up the large version next time.  So good!!  What a great night!  Thanks again Outback Steakhouse for making our special occasion wonderful.  I am sure we will soon find another special occasion to come back for visit, probably something like Hey it's Tuesday, you want to go to Outback?

Guten free? Eat a Fin Japenese Restaurant in Chesterfield, MO!

After trying several times to meet up from lunch, my friend Laura and I were finally able together last Tuesday.  She had been wanting to try the new sushi restaurant in Chesterfield, Fin.  I was of course happy to oblige as Rob does not like fish, so I try to eat it as much as I can with my friends.  I was busy that day, so I was not able to call ahead to see if they had a gluten free menu, but I figure hey its sushi and rice, I should be okay...

I checked out the menu, really searched to see if they had Chirashi, because its my favorite thing to eat at sushi restaurants and Yay! they had it.  As a good gluten free person I read the description and it said it was served with season rice, so of course I asked what were the seasonings in the rice?  The very friendly waitress explained it has fresh ingredients like ginger (I don't remember all of them). So I asked to make sure there was no gluten and she said no.

The lunch menu included a salad and some yummy miso soup.  Then came out our Chirashi! (I say our, because my non gluten friend Laura also ordered the same thing).  The best thing was our amazing waitress also brought our gluten free soy sauce!!  I did not even have to ask for it.  Wow!!!

The Chirashi was excellent!  When I first saw it, I did not think it looked like a lot of food, however I was full by the time I left.  So I had another great gluten free meal with great company.  Thanks Fin Japanese Restaurant!  We will be back!

Chandler Hill Vineyards and Winery in Defiance, Missouri, Made Being Gluten Free Easy!

We have been to Chandler Hill Vineyards and Winery on many occasions, however last weekend was my first visit on the gluten free diet.  Our friends and I enjoy Chandler Hill, because one: it's gorgeous, two: they serve more than just local wines, three: they serve beer for our non wine drinking friends, and four: because it is always a lot of fun!

When we headed out to the wineries last Saturday I was bummed I was on a gluten free diet, because they have this amazing Brie, Chicken, Cranberry Sandwich thing that is Oh So Amazing!!  Rob and I ordered the cheese plate and they were happy to accommodate the whole, "Can you please put the bread on a different plate than the cheese please?" The cheese was amazing and I had to give Rob the look of "What are you doing?" a couple of times when he tried to use the same cheese knife to put the cheese on the bread.  We are both learning the do's and don't's of this diet.  The tiniest bit of wheat can cause a whole lot of problems.

We continue drinking the Syrah we always order and our hunger grew (this time only two bottles, not our three like last time).  I spoke to the waitress about not being able to eat wheat, but I really wanted to have that yummy sandwich.  So she spoke to the chef and they were able to make it without the bread and put all the sauces on the side.  How wonderful!!  So the waitress brought out my plate of Chicken covered in melted Brie and with the side of the Cranberry sauce that she made sure was gluten free.  It looked delicious and tasted even better!! Apparently I was so excited, I forgot to take a picture.  I guess I will just have to go again.  ;)  Another amazing Gluten Free dining experience!!!  Thanks Chandler Hill Vineyards and Winery!!!

Hacienda Mexican Restaurant, Gluten Free Menu in St. Louis

So last Friday, I finally had my blood tests done for Celiac disease and after a grueling week of eating lots of gluten before my tests were done I was ready to start the gluten free diet.  Rob and I hopped on the internet and starting searching for restaurants in St. Louis that are gluten free.  We usually eat at El Maguey for Mexican food, because I love it (I'm on the mayor on four square) and it is conveniently close to our house.  So we called them, since they were on a gluten free list, and asked if they had gluten free items on the menu and they said that I could just  substitute corn tortillas instead of flour, so that didn't make me quite happy.  So since the one in Chesterfield Valley was the one actually listed to be gluten free, I decided to call them.  I think the guy on the phone thought I was asking if they had any free food....  He was like "OH NO NO NO."

So Rob and I continue on our quest to find a restaurant.  We found Hacienda Mexican Restaurant, went to their website and they have an entire Gluten Free Menu!!! So even though it is in Rock Hill and a bit further away we decided to try it out.  I am so happy we did!

This could have been the best ways to start off the gluten free diet.  Hacienda's house margaritas are made by hand, so no worries about any mixes containing gluten.  They are excellent by the way.   The Hacienda house chips are also corn tortillas and the salsa contains no gluten.  Hacienda brought out an entire menu just for those who are gluten free, which had more items on it than the website.  It stated that Hacienda tries its best not to cross contaminate its items and that the house chips are made in a dedicated fryer.  Awesome!

We tried the Spinach Queso Blanco for our appetizer and OH MY was it so good!  Then for dinner I tried the Roasted Fish Tacos and they were yummy.  After a couple of Margaritas and all this food, I told Rob that this was a great experience, because I did not feel cheated on my meal.  These were items I would have normally ordered if it were not for the gluten free diet.  I also had leftovers to take home for the next day.

Overall, I highly highly recommend Hacienda Mexican Restaurant for anyone on the gluten free diet!  We will definitely go back!