Rosebud Atlanta

I recently went to Rosebud, a restaurant located in Morningside, just outside of Virginia Highlands. Rosebud describes its food as a ‘Creative fare of American cuisine with a bit of southern inspiration.” When a friend sent me a list of restaurants to choose from, I was particularly intrigued by Rosebud because of its mission to be an ambassador for local farmers and products. I’ve learned that when restaurants promote local fare, it means they’re creating fresh, flavorful food and Rosebud did just that! It also means that they’re aware of everything that goes into their meals, making it more likely that they’ll accommodate me, the gluten free diner.

I met up with my friend, Allison, at Rosebud and even though I had already looked at the menu, I still had trouble deciding what to order because there were so many delicious items on the menu that seemed like great flavor combinations. I informed the waiter that I had celiac and he confidently assured me that I should be able to have most things on the menu, but most likely not the sauces that come with the entrees. He told me the chef could just make me a special sauce. That sounded great to me! As you know, I love it when a restaurant tells me to pick what I want and they’ll make it work.

I chose the braised lamb shank for my meal and it was so delicious. The menu changes frequently, depending on what’s in season, so my meal was a little different from the lamb shank entrée currently listed on the online menu. Mine came with fingerling potatoes, sun dried tomatoes and olives. It was a great combination of strong flavors and the lamb was so tender it practically melted in my mouth. (No need for the fancy sauce!)

While I went with the lamb shank, there were definitely plenty of potential options for me at Rosebud. The crab and corn risotto and seared scallops also appealed to me. Allison ordered the shrimp and grits, which she said were delicious (and most likely GF but I didn’t ask).

I highly recommend Rosebud and I will be going back! When we ate at Rosebud it was a Wednesday, which is known as Big Salad Wednesday. They have a special entrée salad menu on Wednesday nights. I was more interested in lamb shank that night but am eager to try one their beautiful, fresh, local salads. I also want to try the homemade pimento cheese…I’ll let you know if it’s gluten free.

Rosebud
1397 North Highland Ave
Atlanta, GA 30306
404.347.9747
Rosebud Website

Gluten Freedom’s Search for Thai Food

Thai food should be gluten free. Rice noodles, rice, spices, it should all be gluten free, right? (Just hold the soy sauce.) David and I love to make GF Thai food at home, but it’s always great to find a Thai place accommodates the GF customer. After a week in Atlanta, I figured why not try searching for my go to Thai place in Atlanta?

Last night we went to Amaryn’s Thai Bowl and Sushi in Decatur. While there was definitely some confusion as to what gluten was, I will say that the management and waiters at Amaryn’s were very nice and willing to work with me. They also knew that soy sauce has wheat in it. When I inquired about the menu, they told me I should be able to get any of their Thai Bowl combos, without soy sauce. Of course you need to have rice noodles, not egg noodles (they contain wheat in addition to the egg).

I ordered the chicken panang which they assured me had no soy sauce in it and they even checked the ingredients on the fish sauce for me. They thought rice had wheat in it but I assured them rice is fine.

When the waiter brought me my meal, there were two balls of fried something in my meal. I was pretty sure those were not gluten free. I explained to the waitress that I couldn’t eat it and that I needed a new meal entirely (they couldn’t just take off the fried dough balls). She very nicely agreed and brought me an entirely new meal. It was definitely an entirely new entrée, which I very much appreciated.

So was I nervous about eating the meal? Definitely…But, I was totally fine afterwards. No contamination! Always a victory when eating out at a new restaurant in a new city. I don’t know if I would give Amaryn’s my highest recommendation to the gluten free diner, but there should be plenty of options at Amaryn’s and other Thai places.

A couple of tips for dining out:
- I find it’s always good to call places ahead and try to speak with a manager. It’s even better to call at a time when you know they won’t be busy.

- There’s an IPhone App called “GF Card” where you can get explanations of Celiac Disease in about 50 different languages, from Bulgarian to Thai to Urdu. This App is great for travel and dining. Just show it to your waiter and they can even take it back to the chef (Of course I left my ITouch at home last night!)

Amaryn’s Thai Bowl & Sushi
265 Ponce De Leon Pl
Decatur, GA 30030-3259
(404) 373-2788‎

Gluten Freedom's SouthEast Road Trip: Part I

Through some lucky circumstances, David and I were fortunate enough to have a mini vacation last week to Sea Island, Georgia and Pinehurst, North Carolina. I had never been to either of these resort towns before and I was excited for our post-Bar, pre-Atlanta trip.

Being gluten free makes traveling and vacations tougher than in my earlier gluten filled days, but the change in diet is clearly worth it. One thing I always make sure to do when I travel is have plenty of snacks with me, just in case my gluten free options are limited. The ‘travel with food’ rule applies basically any time I leave the house. You don’t want to get caught hungry. Almonds, Dark Chocolate M&Ms, and Apple Pie Lara Bars are a few of my staples when on the road.

In researching prior to our trip, I was disappointed not to find anything online regarding gluten free dining options in Sea Island or Pinehurst. I was optimistic, however, that in a nice resort town like Sea Island/St. Simons, places would be able to accommodate me throughout our trip and my hunch proved to be solidly valid.

Our first night on vacation we decided to eat dinner at Halyard’s on St. Simons, which a friend recommended. Before dinner, we met up with my cousin at the Lodge. What a beautiful setting! Every night a bagpiper plays and you can look out at the water, listen to the music and enjoy a beverage. Even though a torrential downpour disrupted the bagpiper, The Lodge was a great place to spend cocktail hour. David and I definitely went both nights of our trip!

We arrived at Halyard's for our 8:30 reservations and I immediately wanted everything on the menu. They had a 3 course menu for $30 and David and I both decided to inquire about this option. Much to my delighted surprise there were plenty of options for me on the three course menu and I was able to get my first choice for every course. I went with the soup of the day, which was a broth based soup with peas, tomatoes, beans and bacon. Hearty but not too rich because of the broth. (It sounds like an odd combo but it worked well!)

My next course was the house salad with grilled peaches, goat cheese, candied pecans and balsamic vinaigrette. I love salads with fruit, cheese and nuts and this one did not disappoint. I definitely saved the best for last because my main course outdid the previous courses. I ordered the grilled hanger steak with mashed potatoes (my favorite side dish!), grilled broccoli with a Vidalia onion and tomato jam. My entire meal, entirely gluten free, needed no modifications from the regular menu!

Our Halyard’s waiter was willing to go back and talk to the chef each time I asked her about an item on the menu, never appearing annoyed or overly confident. Our meal was so good that we actually thought about going back for our second night as well, but we ultimately decided we need to branch out. Another plus about Halyard’s is that it’s prices are much more reasonable compared to the Lodge and the Cloister.

Gluten Freedom’s South East Road Trip: Part II

The next day on Sea Island we had coffee and I ate breakfast in the room, Stonyfield yogurt with a Serenbe Farms peach. When I travel, I usually try to eat one meal with my own food because it’s one fewer opportunity to risk getting sick. It’s also a good way to save some money! After breakfast we went to the Beach Club at the Cloister and had a lazy morning by the pool. For lunch we went to Big George's, the restaurant at the Beach Club. Due to its casual nature and mostly sandwich filled menu, I was nervous about this venue but we decided to try it.

Our trip was made by our waiter at Big George’s, Whitney! When I mentioned celiac to Whitney he knew exactly what we were talking about because his 12 year old daughter has been diagnosed with celiac for two years. A thoughtful and friendly waiter, I felt so comfortable with our dining experience at Big George’s. Whitney knew I couldn’t have grilled chicken because it was marinated in soy sauce, so I had a nice piece of grilled salmon on a salad. This was a perfect meal on a hot beach day. Whitney even brought out Glutino crackers before the meal came! (It’s no corn bread with bits of bacon like David got to eat, but very thoughtful of Whitney and gave a little more substance to my salad.)

For our final meal, we decided to go to dinner at the Oak Room at the Lodge. We really liked the ambiance at the Lodge and went with the Oak Room, which is more casual than Colt & Alison but still has very nice options on the menu. Of course we had a drink on the porch first, listening to the bagpiper! For dinner, I ordered the sweet tea brined pork chop. Of course the mac and cheese was not gluten free so I ordered their sweet corn grits which I enjoyed more than the mac and cheese anyway. (Sometimes it pays to have celiac because restaurants don’t mind if you swap sides!) The entrée also came with yummy stewed okra and tomato. (Side note: now that I’ve moved to Atlanta I’m in love with okra. I had some last night at my friend, Mary Stuart's house and I just bought some okra at the Decatur Farmer's Market on Wednesday…Let me know if you have any recipe suggestions for okra.) The Oak Room was a great choice for us and the waiter and manager were very attentive to us and my dietary needs. The manager checked on us multiple times throughout the meal to see how we were doing.

David and I had a great time at Sea Island and our dining experiences were all delicious, fun and memorable. I felt like I was able to enjoy the food that I wanted, and that I wasn’t limited by my celiac disease. Now we just need to figure out a way to go back!

Richard Blais' Flip Burger

Last spring David and I came to Atlanta to check out the city, as we knew we’d be moving here this summer. While on this trip, I had the opportunity to check out a couple of different restaurants. As a huge fan of Bravo's Top Chef, the place I was most eager to see was Flip Burger, which is owned by Richard Blais, a contestant on Season 4 and personal favorite of mine. For those of you who’ve seen the show, Richard always used molecular gastronomy in his cooking and has a bit of a mini-Mohawk.

It’s clear from the name that this relatively new restaurant does burgers. They’ve got all kinds of burgers (turkey, faux lafel, salmon and lamb, to name a few) and they do them well.

Before we went, our friends called ahead to see if Flip Burger was willing to accommodate gluten free customers and they said they definitely could. Located right on Howell Mill Road, Flip is in an up and coming area on the Westside and it is filled with customers.

When we got to the restaurant we sat outside and could not have had a friendlier waiter. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable, she told me to pick what I wanted and they would see what they could do. I decided to go with the turkey burger which comes with avacado, alfalfa sprouts and pomegranate ketchup. The cook wrapped my burger in lettuce since I had to go sans bun. Definitely a thoughtful touch! We also decided to share the Caesar salad (without the croutons of course). Everything I ordered was delicious and looked beautiful. The presentation and menu creativity are some of the best parts of Flip besides the food.

The highlight of the evening for me was actually getting to meet Richard Blais! Like I mentioned earlier, I loved him on Top Chef. He was friendly and nice to us and I thanked him for being willing to make gluten free burgers. He said of course they accommodate the GF customer and that he realizes what a large population is becoming gluten free. He even mentioned that on the side he’s working with a friend to try to create a delicious gluten free pasta. I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything more about that.

Flip was a fun and unique first dining experience for me in Atlanta. I was definitely star struck but also enjoyed the delicious food. Many of the burgers themselves are gluten free (if you leave out the bun), but you might have to make some modifications to the toppings. Sadly you’ll need to avoid fried things (fries, onion rings, okra, etc.) but the salad was yummy and they have a beet and goat cheese salad that looks good too. The potato salad and five bean salad might also work, but I’ll have to check.

The other component to Flip Burger’s menu are the liquid nitrate milkshakes. Full from my burger, I did not try or ask about the shakes. My guess would be that you need to stay away from the Krispy Kreme shake, but the others (Georgia peaches ‘n cream, foie grois, and spicy chocolate mole to name a few) are probably GF.

If you go to Flip, and I suggest that you do, remind your server about being gluten free and also ask them to clean off the section of the grill/pan that they’re going to use to prepare your burger in order to avoid cross contamination.

Enjoy! And maybe you’ll get to meet Richard too! (It’s still worth it even if you don’t have a Richard sighting.)

Gluten Free Trips to Charlottesville, VA

David and I’ve gotten to partake in some great trips together this summer and shared many delicious meals. Once David finished the Bar Exam in July, we decided to meet up for a few days in Charlottesville, Virginia. Both graduates of UVA, David and I love Charlottesville. For those of you that have been to Charlottesville, you know that unfortunately many of the places we loved so much in college are based around bread…Bel Air sandwiches, Bodos’ bagels, and Take it Away bread ends with house dressing are just a few of the places I can no longer go…well, I still go there and just watch David eat our old favorites!

Needless to say, we’ve had to explore new options when we go to Charlottesville now. While it was tricky at first, we’ve found some yummy, gluten free alternatives and rediscovered old places with our new gluten free perspective. Sadly, I don’t think Bodo’s will ever be gluten free!

So I arrived in Charlottesville, eager to meet up with David who is coming from Roanoke where he took the Bar. For dinner that night, we decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants from our college days, Duner's Restaurant. Located on Route 250, five miles west of Charlottesville, Duner’s is small and does not take reservations, but it is totally worth the potential wait.

I was amazed at what a large menu they had and the wait staff was extremely friendly and encouraged me to decide what I wanted to order. I made my selections and the waitress told me that the chef would definitely be able to produce gluten free versions of my choices. Not only did she ensure that my meal would be gluten free, but she also said they could make David’s gluten free as well. For those gluten free eaters out there you know what a treat it is to be able to eat off of someone else’s plate at a restaurant!

The meal was absolutely delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed everything I ordered as well as David’s! We shared grilled sea scallops for our appetizer that were prepared with a summer squash salsa on top. For my main course I chose rack of lamb with sun dried tomato pesto. The menu listed the rack of lamb as ‘parmesan crusted’ so the chef just left off the crust and sprinkled some parmesan on top. It was perfectly prepared and the sun dried tomato pesto went perfectly with the lamb. David ordered the grilled ribeye steak and it too was perfectly flavored. The chef put the sauce for the ribeye (which was not gluten free) on the side for him so I could try it. I personally think I out ordered David but both meals were unique, flavor and delicious! The wait staff was very knowledgeable about gluten and definitely willing to accommodate their gluten free customer.

The next morning David and I ventured out for our morning coffee. Since being diagnosed with celiac disease, I’ve discovered a Charlottesville bakery called Baker's Palate that makes gluten free muffins. My personal favorite are their pumpkin muffins, but they also make banana muffins. Located close to the Downtown Mall, we stopped in to stock up. They keep their gluten free muffins in the freezer, so they’re not freshly baked each day but they’re still delicious. I would suggest heating them up before you dive in. The owner pointed out to me that she makes the gluten free pumpkin muffins with raisins. Note: if you are ever at Baker’s Palate and they serve you a pumpkin muffin without raisins, it’s NOT gluten free. Just a heads up!

Baker’s Palate also sells their gluten free muffins at Java Java coffee shop on the Downtown Mall (421 E. Main St.), but sometimes they’re sold out and they never have more than a few. In the past I’ve gotten a bunch of muffins at Baker’s Palate and stuck them in the freezer. They freeze really well; just reheat them in the oven.

As any good vacation goes, by the time you finish coffee and breakfast, you’re thinking about your next meal. Lunch is tough in Charlottesville with no more Bel Air or Take it Away, but we’ve discovered (thanks to Gluten Free Bird), The Flat Creperie on the Downtown Mall. At The Flat you can order buckwheat crepes that are gluten free. They serve both sweet and savory crepes at this crepe stand.

While delicious and filling, The Flat is not a fine dining experience. It’s often very busy and the only potential seating can be found on benches outside. Being that there are cramped quarters in the kitchen, I do worry about contamination but they wipe down the crepe makers before they make a buckwheat crepe and all of their ingredients you can get inside the crepes are gluten free. I’m very sensitive to gluten, but in the three times I’ve eaten at the Flat, I’ve never gotten sick. My personal favorite is a buckwheat crepe with chicken, spinach, cheddar and tomatoes. Yummy! Once I get my crepe I like to take my food and sit on the Downtown Mall. The Flat tends to be quite hot a crowded in their front yard eating area.

Now I’ve saved the best news for last about our trip to Charlottesville. Arch's, the popular frozen yogurt spot, is gluten free!! Hooray! I indulged in this dessert twice while on our three day stay. Sadly, you must stay away from all of the toppings (major cross contamination with all of the serving utensils and open area where the mix ins are located) so you can’t get an Archer. I brought my own M&Ms and homemade granola to add to my peanut butter and chocolate swirl frozen treat.

Another fun afternoon treat in Charlottesville are the many vineyards nearby. Our personal favorite is King Family Vineyards, located off of 250 in Crozet. The grounds are beautiful and the UVA polo team plays on the fields on the property. There is plenty of seating outside and they don’t mind at all if you bring your own food. The vineyard also sells cheeses on the premises but you’ll want to bring your own gluten free crackers.

So even though I’ll no longer have a Zazu’s wrap or a Bel Air picnic at Beaver Creek, David and I have found many gluten free alternatives in Charlottesville as we stayed well fed during our Charlottesville visit.