Hooray for Chick-fil-a!

Chick-fil-a has always been good about ensuring a guests safety when it comes to food allergies. And today was no different.

I ordered one of my two "usuals": grilled chicken - no bun, which prompted the wonderful people of Chick-fil-a to ask (for the second visit in a row) if my no bun request was due to a gluten issue and did I need them to change gloves before preparing my order. Yes  please, thank you for asking!

I really LOVE how pro-active they are about ensuring their guests are taken care of.  Just one of many reasons why I enjoy Springfield Chick-fil-a.

Occasionally Cake

During a visit into Old Town, a friend and I were on a mission to find Gluten Free cupcakes at one of the (seemingly) many cupcakaries in the area.  After all, we'd had a wonderful dinner and it was time to finish the night off with a little dessert.

As we strolled down King Street, we happen about a cute shop called Occasionally Cake (http://occasionallycake.com/Site/Occasionally_Cake/Home.html).  Very quaint and the lady running the shop was super nice as well as helpful.

They had one Gluten Free option: Chocolate with Strawberry Buttercream icing.  It was so moist and delicious!

The Upside:

• Cupcake was really moist
• Frosting actually bits of strawberries in it (yum!)
• They use rice flour to make their cupcakes.

The Downside:

• The gluten free cupcakes are 'petite' in comparison to normal cupcakes.  Which isn't necessarily bad,since sometimes you just want a *little* treat, however..
• These petite goodies go for $3.25/piece. 
• Was told the daily flavors were provide on their Facebook page, which is partially true.  The regular flavors are listed both on Facebook page and on their website, but Gluten Free not listed anywhere. Bummer..even if only one or two options are offered, it is still nice to know they exist.

Final:  Would definitely visit them again, but at $3.25 for a petite cupcake, it won't happen often.

Pamela's Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Not sure about everyone else, but I like to know what I am buying (Is it any good? Does it work?) So since becoming Gluten Free, I have relied on reviews and recommendations of others for products I know nothing about.

But it's been hard to find reviews and GF is expensive.  I hate spending money on something that is just going to be thrown away.  Hence, one of the reasons I started this blog.. not only in case others happen upon it and can find it useful, but also for me to keep track of what I have tried and liked.

During a recent grocery store run, I found Pamela's Chocolate Chunk Cookie mix (http://www.pamelasproducts.com/product/Pamelas_Chocolate_Chunk_Cookies_Mix/13196.aspx) and since I was needing a dessert for an upcoming movie night, I figured they were worth a shot (as a side note, I had tried other products by Pamela's and really liked so I knew chances of it being awful were fairly slim).

The mix was easy to make and the end result was just as I expected - delicious!  No offense to Pamela's, but the deliciousness doesn't quite make up being able to whip up something from scratch.. but it comes close. And even my non-GF friends really enjoyed them. :)

Uncle Julio's

Recently a good friend had her birthday celebration at Uncle Julio's (http://www.unclejulios.com/).  Honestly, I was a little worried when I saw the evite, thinking it would be another dining experience of enviously watching everyone else eat delicious food.

The need to be Gluten Free is forcing me to be a little more forthright and outgoing than I am used to. So, determined I am going to try and make the best of it, I called a day before event around 4pm thinking it would be in-between the lunch and dinner rushes.

Both the girl who answered and the manger she later passed me off to, claimed my "phone was cutting out" and they could barely hear me, but considering all the din I could hear from their end, I knew it wasn't me and low and behold once the manager moved to another (quieter) area, there was no issue at all.  Needless to say, I was a little put off by their customer service.. and wasn't getting my hopes up that they would accommodate.

However, the manager did state that items without the marinades, corn tortillas, and the grilled fish would all be safe.  He also verified that the chips were made from corn, but did share fryer with other gluten containing items.

As mentioned, my expectations were set low.. but I was pleasantly surprised!  The wait staff was phenomenal and very patient as I asked about the menu, and considering we were a party of 20, I find that to be a BIG plus.  I ordered the chicken fajita (sans tortillas) and ate a few of the chips from communal bowl.  The food was fantastic, service was great, I highly recommend!

Bencotto Restaurant

Bencotto Restaurant, a photo by bearblue09 on Flickr. (http://lovebencotto.com/)

During a recent trip to San Diego, I struggled to find "safe" eats..then I found this place (unfortunately, a the day before we left, or I would have been there EVERY day).

Bencotta  is located in Little Italy area of San Diego and offers 2 types of GF pasta (elbow or spiral) and any of their "normal" sauces you wish to put on top.

My choice was the spiral pasta with a gorgonzola and walnut sauce with chicken (added after the picture was taken, sorry). It was really good!

Reservations are recommended, since they do get busy.  We didn't have one, so we ended up at the bar, but that was fine with us as we had very attentive bartenders.  Prices are a little higher (I believe mine, with the added chicken, was about $18).