GF in SF - Part 2

Bread SRSLY

Bakeries, East Bay, Featured, GF, San Francisco

Feb 162012

Bread SRSLY is a brand new CSA bakery for “foodies with allergies.” Sadie Scheffer went into business after learning of her own gluten intolerance and now delivers bread via bike on Tuesdays in San Francisco and Fridays in the East Bay. Bread SRSLY caters to people that avoid gluten, soy, egg, dairy and nuts. Her breads are made with home dried local herbs and 100% gluten free ingredients, sourced fresh from mills that use clean, uncontaminated equipment. With loaves like whole grain fig & fennel and apricot & cinnamon it’s hard to resist not placing a weekly order. Don’t forget to tack on a wholegrain vegan apple muffin to your delivery (see menu for weekly option).

In addition to bread delivery, Sadie offers awesome gluten free sandwiches on Mondays. Creative combinations like the “steam punk,” a sandwich with ginger shiitake relish, stinging nettle pesto and Point Reyes cheddar (sub avocado for dairy free) on homemade sourdough. Every ingredient can be sourced back to the farm, and the selection changes weekly. Sandwiches are available Mondays at noon at the Yerba Buena Center Steps and at 1pm at the Beach Hut Cafe in Crissy Field, but check her website for weekly menu options and location.

When your bread is delivered, my advice is to eat it with in a couple days or slice and freeze it. Most of you are very familiar with gluten free bread, and her gorgeous handmade loaves are no exception to the rule.

For Tuesday delivery in SF, order by noon on Monday. For Friday delivery in the East Bay, order by noon on Wednesday.

Grub

Mission, Restaurants, San Francisco

Feb 072012

Spotting the words “gluten free” while scanning the menu outside of an unfamiliar restaurant is a triumphant moment for any celiac. I had one of these moments last weekend after waiting way too long for a table at Radish. Starved, a couple of friends and I wandered down Valencia Street and discovered that Grub offers gluten free noodles with their mac and cheese. Tucked away in the mission on Valencia in between 18th and 19th this happening little spot is plenty knowledgable about the meaning of gluten, and their friendly wait staff will prove it. Menu highlights include their seared artichoke glazed with balsamic, and served with lemon aioli. The waiter confirmed this dish could easily be made gluten free (omit the bread crumbs).

The gluten free creamy mac n’ cheese was also a winner. As if a big bowl of creamy, cheesy noodles isn’t appetizing enough, Grub offers over a dozen “throw-ins” like shaved fennel, caramelized onions, brocoli, and truffle oil for $1 extra each. You could also go for a real cholesterol booster with lobster on top for an extra $3. If you’re wondering how seriously they take gluten free diners, I was told by the waiter that yes, indeed everything is kept separate. Just make sure to specify that you want gluten free noodles and no breadcrumbs when you order.

758 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110-1735(415) 431-4782

Feel Good Foods: Egg Rolls and Asian Dumplings

GF, Products

Feb 062012

I forgot how much I loved egg rolls and dumplings until I was reunited with them in my very own kitchen last week. Based in San Francisco, Feel Good Foods is an amazing little company that’s stocking specialty grocery stores nationwide with frozen gluten free eggrolls and dumplings. Owner Vanessa Phillips and her husband have developed an excellent product that’s not only easy to prepare in your own kitchen but also tastes just like what you’d get in a restaurant.

Per Vanessa’s suggestion, I deviated from the (healthier) instructions on the package and cooked my vegetarian eggrolls first for a minute in the microwave, and then crisped them up for several minutes in a pan with a few tablespoons of oil. Making sure to rotate them as each side browned, the eggrolls turned out perfectly. I threw together a little salad and dipping sauce to make it a meal (see above photo).

Feel Good Foods handmade vegetable dumplings are easily prepared in a nonstick pan with a little bit of water and oil. Each box comes with 8 dumplings and a tasty dipping sauce. Paired with an arugula salad and steamed edamame, it was a perfect lunch for two.

Check out their website to view each product, they’ve even posted cooking demos and a great FAQ page.

Here’s a list of where they’re sold in the Bay Area:

Andronico’s
1200 Irving Street, San Francisco

Andronico’s
1414 University Avenue, Berkeley

Andronico’s
1550 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley

Oceana Market
200 Eureka Square, Pacifica

Andronico’s
1850 Solano Avenue, Berkeley

Piazzo’s
1218 West Hillsdale Boulevard , San Mateo

Andronico’s

100 Center Boulevard, San Anselmo

Miglet’s Gluten Free Bakery
480 San Romon Blvd #A2, Danville

Country Sun
440 S California Ave , Palo Alto

Piazza’s Fine Foods

3922 Middlefield Road , Palo Alto

Golden Carrot Natural Foods
1621 West Imola Avenue, Napa

Miglet’s Cupcake Shop

Bakeries, East Bay, GF

Jan 302012

I’ve sung Miglet’s praises in a previous post, but after finally making the hour drive out to the bakery in Danville I’ve got a bit more to say. It was clear from the moment I stepped foot into the bakery that owner and operator Katie Taylor knows how to make gluten free baked goods sell, even to people that don’t have the slightest allergy to wheat. Who could scoff at dozens of beautifully decorated cupcakes lined up neatly in a glistening case? Katie’s display of baked goods doesn’t read as a sad assortment limited to the poor suckers who can’t have wheat. Her lovely selection of treats is begging to be pulled out of the case and eaten. Half a dozen cookie jars line the counters, a case stacked with donuts sits right at eye level, fresh quiches are displayed here and there, and a bona fide gluten free grocery store complete with every allergy free specialty item you could ask for surrounds the whole place. It’s all in the presentation, and at this bakery, there’s an air of excitement that puts you in the mood to buy stuff. Don’t try to debate here over the cupcake or the cookie. The answer is both, and a few of each.

Many gluten free bakeries feel, well, dismal. You walk in excited to pick up a muffin and a loaf of bread, but the place is so empty you can hear the refrigerator running. The baked goods (all 3 of them) are wrapped up to last for weeks, and it smells like bean flour. You’ve been there. But not Miglet’s, this place is somewhere I’d bring my gluten eating friends. I wouldn’t tell them to try the place next door while I shuffled in for my sad muffin. In this case, they’d truly be missing out.

480 San Ramon Valley Blvd # A2 Danville, CA

Fōnuts – Los Angeles

Bakeries, Featured, GF, Vegan

Jan 242012

I’ve had this recurring dream lately. I’m standing inside a fragrant donut shop marveling at my purchase, and then right before I take a big bite into my jelly donut covered in powdered sugar, I awake to my reality. Gluten free diet, no donuts.

I’ve yearned for plenty of wheaty things that seem virtually impossible to recreate with gluten free flours. Feta and spinach stuffed croissants, tortellini, flaky biscuits, thick crusty bread. With some foods, I know I’ll just have to wait a couple years for gluten free technology to get there. Donuts on the other hand, seemed more feasible. Knowing I couldn’t score a good gluten free donut right here in San Francisco, I began searching for recipes. Ultimately, I decided that going through the process of dropping sugary dough into a big vat of hot oil in my own kitchen just killed the buzz, so I kept to my regular baking routine.

Then I heard about Fōnuts, a trendy little Los Angeles bakeshop doing gluten free donuts amongst their regular line-up. On the days I stopped in, Fōnuts had six or seven flavors of gluten free donuts (many of them were vegan too) all arranged neatly on their own trays. Their claim to fame is that the donuts are baked, but don’t be discouraged, this isn’t some overly healthy donut. They’re sugary, decadent, and have a wonderfully moist, cakey texture. My favorite flavors were lemon and coconut passion fruit, though every other one I tried was also fantastic. If you’re in Los Angeles, stopping here is a must.

8104 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048

(323) 592-3075

Ferry Building Favorites

Farmers' Market

Dec 062011

Being gluten free in San Francisco means access to an abundance of local artisanal food producers who’s gourmet goods are easily purchased at many of the Bay Area Farmers Markets and high-end grocery stores. The Ferry Building Farmer’s Market and Plaza houses an enormous selection of gorgeous produce and gourmet eats. Highlighted above are a few items I brought home with me last week. Combined, the ingredients make a great vegetarian lunch or snack. Simply toast the bagel, spread on fromage blanc and top with the apple fennel kraut.

Cowgirl Creamery: Artisan cheeses made locally. A beautiful display at their Ferry Building location gives you lots to choose from.

Farmhouse Culture: Local and organic vegetables cultured and seasoned with fantastic flavors. Find them at the Ferry Building on Thursday and Saturday and other bay area farmers markets. I love their seasonal apple fennel kraut, available fall-spring.

Mariposa Bakery: the go-to bakery in the Bay Area for everything gluten-free. With two locations (one at ferry building), and products sold at local grocery stores, their baked goods are readily accessible to the region. Find everything bagels baked fresh daily at their Oakland location.

Chantal Guillon Macarons

Bakeries, GF, Hayes Valley, San Francisco

Nov 222011

My new favorite spot to grab a fancy little dessert item is Hayes Valley’s Chantal Guillon Macaron and Tea shop. A beautiful selection of colorful macarons made of almond flour and egg whites are handmade in San Francisco with organic ingredients and seasonal fruit flavors. Over a dozen options are offered daily, and every one of them is gluten free!

437A Hayes Street San Francisco, California (415) 864-2400

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Bread SRSLY

Grub

Feel Good Foods: Egg Rolls and Asian Dumplings

Miglet’s Cupcake Shop

Fōnuts – Los Angeles

Ferry Building Favorites

Chantal Guillon Macarons

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