Étoile at Domaine Chandon

After taking a tour of the vineyards at Domaine Chandon, we went for lunch at their restaurant Étoile.  They did not have a gluten free menu but everyone was very aware of how to alter menu items to be gluten free!

For my meal, I chose to have the roast chicken with vegetables and for dessert I was able to sample an assortment of sorbets including coconut, mango and pear.  Of course, I also enjoyed one of their famous sparkling wines with my meal.

Domaine Chandon is located at:

1 California Drive
Yountville, CA 94599
1-888-242-6366

For more information, please visit their website at www.chandon.com/etoile-restaurant.html.

Pica Pica Maize Kitchen

After a long day in Napa Valley, we decided to get a quick bite to eat at Pica Pica Maize Kitchen (the San Francisco location - they have a location in Napa too!).

It reminded me of Caracas Arepa Bar in NYC.  Pica Pica Maize Kitchen offers a large assortment of arepas (grilled corn flour cakes), cachapa (100% sweet corn pancakes) and maize'wich (sweet corn bread). Everything on the menu is gluten free so there is no risk of cross contamination.

I enjoyed the Arepa Pepeada.  This was a chicken salad made with guasacaca (creamy avocado) as opposed to mayonnaise.  It was delicious and just the right size!

Pica Pica Maize Kitchen has two locations including:

Napa -
Oxbow Public Market
610 First Street, #5
Napa, CA 94559
707-251-3757

San Francisco - 
401 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-400-5453

For more information, please visit their website at www.picapicakitchen.com!

Bar Bambino

I was extremely excited to try Bar Bambino in San Francisco's Mission District.  I had heard they have their own homemade gluten free pasta - having never enjoyed homemade gluten free pasta this was to be a real treat!

Although there is no gluten free menu at Bar Bambino, everyone is very aware of which dishes are gluten free or can be made gluten free and which ones are off limits.  I ended up having a special vegetarian gluten free pasta dish made for me.  It was homemade gluten free pappardelle with roasted squash in garlic and oil.  The gluten free pasta was amazing!  The portions were fairly small but the pasta tasted so fresh and delicious!

For dessert, I enjoyed the Schwarzwalder with Liquored Cherries - Bar Bambino's version of a Black Forest Cake.  Their menu describes it as "boozy cherries, on top of a knock-your-socks-off TCHO chocolate cake, alongside whipped Kirsch cream."

Bar Bambino is ranked as one of the Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants by the San Francisco Chronicle.  For more information, please visit their website at barbambino.com or visit them at:

2931 16th Street (btw. Mission and South Van Ness)
San Francisco, CA
415-701-8466

Luna Protein is Gluten Free!

Way back before I started on a gluten free diet, my favorite nutrition bar was made by the brand,  Luna!  So, I was extremely happy to hear that they were releasing a line of gluten free protein bars!

A few weeks ago, I was sent a sample package of some of their new gluten free bars.  I got to try the Mint Chocolate Chip, the Cookie Dough and the Chocolate Peanut Butter!  My favorite of the three, was the cookie dough bar! They are all covered in chocolate and make for a nice pick-me-up!

These bars are fairly small, so they travel easily.  In addition to the flavors I mentioned above, they come in Chocolate Cherry Almond and Chocolate.  Each bar is under 200 calories and contains 12 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber.  They are also rich in calcium, iron, vitamin D and folate!

Luna Protein bars are available to purchase at grocery stores and health food stores.  They are also available at Ms. Celiac's Market.

For more information, please visit www.lunabar.com.

The Plant Cafe

I would have to say that my favorite restaurant in San Francisco was The Plant Cafe.  I went there twice - once for a weekend brunch and another time for lunch.  They have a few locations within San Francisco, however, both times I went to their location at Pier 3 at the Embarcadero.

The Plant Cafe has an assortment of options that accommodate almost any diet.  They have vegetarian, vegan and gluten free choices clearly marked on their menus and most items contain only organic ingredients.

The first day I went there for brunch.  The gluten free options on the brunch menu were more limited than on the lunch menu.  You could choose from gluten free granola and a large assortment of salads.  I chose the Housemade Granola which was absolutely delicious!  It came with an assortment of fresh fruit and a side of soy milk!  I also was able to enjoy a hot glass of Yerba Mate with my brunch.  In fact, when I was at the airport (SFO's terminal 2 has a Plant Cafe!) I was hoping that they would be selling the granola because I was absolutely craving more of it (unfortunately, they didn't have the granola).

The second time I went to the Plant Cafe was for lunch.  This time I ordered the Fish Taco Plate - grilled fish, black beans, shredded cabbage, mango-avocado salsa, crema, corn tortillas!  It was amazing!  The fish and all of the ingredients tasted so fresh!  For dessert, I enjoyed the Raw Raspberry Cashew Cheesecake - young coconut, pecan-date crust, blackberry pepper sauce.  I must say that I was a bit hesitant about trying a raw vegan cheesecake but it was delicious!

The other nice thing about the Plant Cafe's Pier 3 location is the excellent view!  For more information and to check out their menus, visit their website at www.theplantcafe.com or visit them at the following locations:

Pier 3 Cafe & Restaurant:
Suite 108, Pier 3, The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-984-0437

Downtown Cafe
101 California Street (corner of Front and Pine)
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-693-9730


Marina Cafe
3352 Steiner Street (at Chestnut)
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-931-2777

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) - Terminal 2

Gluten Free in San Francisco!

At the end of June, I visited San Francisco.  I had heard that this city provided a multitude of great gluten free dining options but I was still truly surprised at how aware people were of the gluten free diet!

During my vacation, I was able to check out so many bakeries and restaurants.  Over the next several days, I will be reviewing each place and sharing pictures of all of the great foods I was able to enjoy!  Some of the places I went to had gluten free menus while others were just very accommodating.  The list of places that I will tell you about include:

• Bar Bambino
• Boulevard
• Chez Panisse Cafe
• Etoile at Domaine Chandon (in Napa Valley)
• Kara's Cupcakes
• Mariposa Gluten Free Bakery
• Pica Pica Maize Kitchen
• The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen
• The Plant Cafe Organic
• The Slanted Door / Out The Door

From the homemade gluten free pasta at Bar Bambino to the enormous gluten free grilled cheese sandwiches at the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen to the delicious fish tacos at The Plant Cafe, I was able to sample an amazing selection of gluten free food!

Stay tuned...

Katz Releases New Products + Giveaway!!!

Katz Gluten Free recently sent me some of their new products to sample and review.  I received a box filled with an apple pie, a coffee bundt cake, and sugared snack poppers.

The coffee bundt cake was truly one of the most amazing gluten free products I have yet to try.  The cake was nice and moist and the coffee flavored icing was to die for!

The apple pie was also a delicious treat!  Katz Gluten Free recently released pies with cherry and blueberry fillings too!

The sugared snack poppers which are also available in a regular variety make for a great mid-afternoon snack!  They are the perfect size with just the right amount of flavor!

If you would like to win 5 Katz items, please send me an email at MsCeliacSays@gmail.com with your name and address in the body of the email and "Katz Gluten Free Contest" in the subject line by Thursday, July 28th, 2011 at noon EST.

If you would like to enter Katz Gluten Free's contest to win a box filled with all 40 of their gluten free items, please visit their website here:  Katz Gluten Free Contest

And to stay up-to-date with the latest Katz news, make sure to "like" them on Facebook and to follow them on Twitter!

For more information, please visit KatzGlutenFree.com!