Review: Carrabba's Italian Grill

We went to Carrabba’s on Saturday night for an early Mother’s Day celebration with my mom. I downloaded the gluten-free menu the day before, and decided that I was going to get the Pollo Rosa Maria if I could get it with Marinara sauce instead of the mushroom and lemon butter sauce. When we arrived, the server was very helpful with my sister (she's GF also) and my orders, making sure to indicate that they were to be gluten-free. He spoke with the kitchen staff to make sure that the Marinara was safe, and that they could replace the Pollo Rosa Maria’s usual sauce with the Marinara. My sister, Kristen, and I both had that with garlic mashed potatoes and Mama Mandola’s Sicilian Chicken Soup (without pasta).

It was delicious. I don’t get to eat at Carrabba’s very often, and I slightly prefer Maggiano’s since they have a gluten-free pasta available, but I will definitely be looking forward to the next time we have a family outing at Carraba’s.

Overall, I give Carrabbas 4 out of 5 stars - they'll earn 5 out of 5 when they add some GF pasta to the menu.

http://www.carrabbas.com/ restaurant site
http://www.carrabbas.com/menu/pdf/GFmenu.pdf GF menu

Review: Trader Joe's frozen pancakes

I really like these pancakes. I must admit that I enjoy taste and texture of the pancakes that Brandie makes with the Trader Joe’s Pancake Mix more, but the convenience of just popping these bad boys in the toaster straight from the box more than makes up for it.

http://www.traderjoes.com/

Review: Trader Joe's frozen waffles

I love Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Waffles. The taste and texture remind me of my memories of Eggo Waffles. Every weekday morning, I eat a waffle with a piece of sausage and cheese. I occasionally eat these with some homemade syrup (from I guy that I work with), and they don’t get all soggy, even though I use a lot (I mean, a LOT) of syrup on them. As an added bonus for our casein-free friends out there, these waffles are Dairy-free too.

Another great thing - they're pretty cheap = $1.99 a box. They do sell out quite a bit so stock up while you can.

http://www.traderjoes.com/

Review: Castle Wood deli meats and cheeses

Brandie and I found the Turkey Pastrami at Sam’s Club, and I decided to try it to save some money on my lunch “bill”. I went into it expecting something halfway decent, but it ended up being so much more. It’s some of the best pastrami that I’ve ever eaten. We’ve also tried the Provolone and Colby Jack cheeses, and they are great too; almost too great, in fact. I kept using the provolone to make pizzas, and I’ve been using the Colby jack to make quesadillas. I’ve been going through these “wholesale-club” sized cheese packages a little too quickly for Brandie’s liking. They have a wide range of meats and cheeses including Roast Beef, Ham and Turkey of various types, Swiss, Pepper Jack and Cheddar cheeses.

Before I was introduced to the turkey pastrami - I would make a 'balovalone' which was provolone and bologna - ah my humor, it is wonderful.

Review: Georgetown Market Snickerdoodle cookies

These cookies are awesome. You can’t beat getting a delicious cookie about 4 or 5 inches wide (the cookies never make it home to be measured properly) for only a $1.75. Every time we go to G’town Market to pick up bread, I always sneak in a cookie. Sometimes, I’ll make up a reason to go to stop by G’town like: “We’re going to be in near Georgetown today, can we stop by for a Snickerdoodle on the way home.” Granted, even if we’re on the other side of town, we’re always close enough to G’town for a cookie.

www.georgetownmarket.com

Review: Monical's GF pizza

Friends of ours ate at Monical’s over a year ago, and told us that there was a sign on the table stating that they offered gluten-free pizza. As soon as I heard this, I began begging Brandie for us to go and try it out. When she finally got tired of hearing me complain, we went, and I couldn’t have been happier. Not only was it nice to be able to drive down the street to get a gluten free crust (Donato’s No-Dough just wasn’t cutting it anymore), it was really good. We told the server that we wanted a gluten-free pizza, and they knew all about it. I turned my sister onto Monical’s GF pizza when she came to visit from Chicago, and she really enjoyed it too.

Monical's does deliver (you can even order online)and a little hint: the Monical's in Avon charges less for the GF pizza then the Zionsville restaurant.

http://www.monicalspizza.com/

Review: Think Thin Bites - Cookies 'n Cream

Brandie introduced the Think Thin Bars earlier, and recently we found these “Bites” at our local Trader Joe’s. I was buying the bars to keep in my lunch box, as an emergency snack should I feel a little light-headed from not eating for a while. The bars were a little too much for the period of time that I sometimes go without eating, but the bites are the perfect size. I can eat a bite on the bus home from work and not feel too full to eat dinner a hour or two later. These bites also come in a Peanut Butter flavor, but I have not tried those, as I do not like peanut butter.

http://www.thinkproducts.com/bites-bars.php

Gorilla Munch at Aldi's

Tommie and I were shopping at Aldi's (just south of 71st & Michigan) and to our surprise they were selling Gorilla Munch!!!

How much: $2.49/box (lower then the usual)
Where: I'm not sure which Aldi's well be selling the cereal
When: Until supplies last -so get 'em while you can

GF in Grand Rapids! Marie Catrib's

Tommie and I had the great pleasure of spending the Easter holiday with my god-parents in Michigan! The Kalyvas family lives in Ada, Michigan which is right outside Grand Rapids and Tommie took this opportunity to research some GF options in the area. On our way home, we stopped at this wonderful little restaurant called Marie Catrib's.

I was amazed at how nice everyone was! As soon as we walked in an employee met with us and talked to us about the daily specials and the GF options (which is almost everything). The menu is extensive and leans towards the Mediterranean side. The owner is Lebanese and I have to tell you that being of Greek heritage, I was in love with the menu. I ordered the 'Adult Grilled Cheese' which had feta, goat, and cream cheese drizzled with olive oil and cracked pepper with fresh tomatoes and basil. I chose challah bread. YUMMMMMM! Tommie ordered the shoarma (gyros) on GF bread of course and it tasted as good as it smelled. We had some of their wonderful potatoes on the side and the heat supplied was just enough.

I have to say, we will definitely be visiting Marie Catrib's next time we're in town. Here is a link to the restaurant site: http://www.mariecatribs.com/

Thanksgiving in Chicago

Tommie's sister Kristen lives just north of Chicago and we decided to spend the week of Thanksgiving there. We were busy, we went to Shedd Aquarium, Millennium Park, Architectural river cruise, Lincoln Park Zoo, the Chicago Cultural Center, and many more sites. And of course, we ate very well. Now living here in Indy, we have tried the GF pizza at Uno's and we felt it necessary to try out Gino's while we were in Chicago. Below is a picture of Tommie eating his pizza as well a scene of the restaurant.

So the verdict....I have to say that Uno's is the better deal. The prices are reasonable and the dip dish (for your non-GF eaters) is much better. Tommie liked the Gino's pizza, but agreed that Uno's had been victorious. I would still recommend that you go to Gino's though, its a Chicago institution and it is a fun place to eat. The staff encourages you to write your name on ANYWHERE and Tommie and I wrote out names at our seats. Gino's website: www.ginoseast.com/

Another place we ate at (and if you ask me, the best meal we had in Chicago) was at Epicurean. Now it isn't exactly 'IN' Chicago, but it isn't a far drive either. This restaurant specializes in Hungarian cuisine and the atmosphere is great (see pictures below). Tommie's great-grandmother immigrated from Hungary when she was only 13. Tommie has fond memories of the food and am always willing to try anything. Tommie's parents and sister Kristen accompanied us for this adventure and everyone gave the meal 2 thumbs up! Tommie and I had the buffet which I prefer when trying new restaurants and cuisines because of all it offers. I have to tell you, I have never seen so many dishes that involved cabbage and I was in heaven. Before this experience I wasn't a big cabbage fan, but WOW they did a great job.

Everyone was pleased with their meals and the price is very reasonable. The atmosphere, as you can see by the picture is very homey. I imagine this would be very much like going to your grandma's house for a nice Hungarian dinner. I highly recommend this restaurant and I can't wait to go back. The food is fantastic, the environment is lovely, the prices are reasonable and the staff were welcoming. Epicurean website: www.thehungarianrestaurant.com/

Another stand-out meal that we had was at Walker Brother's Pancake House. This was Tommie's favorite restaurant of the trip. Tommie and I stayed at the Hampton in Lincolnshire and even though Hamptons offer free breakfasts, there were a couple of days where the offerings offered nothing to the GF eater. One of the hotel staff (not knowing we needed something GF) recommended that we try Walker Brother's. The restaurant is beautiful and we were surprised to see a sign that stated 'Now offering Gluten-Free Pancakes'. Woo hoo!!! What a way to start the day. Tommie of course ordered the GF pancakes and I ordered a blueberry Belgian waffle with a side of bacon. We were both in heaven!!! This meal definitely takes second place to the Epicurean for me. The owner emailed Tommie shortly after we returned home and said that she would make a call to the Pancake Houses down here to recommend that they start carrying GF pancakes!

In short, our trip was fantastic. The weather was wet and cold - but the sites and tastes of the city more than made up for the gloomy weather. Chicago is a city that has many offerings for the GF crowd and I can't wait to return. Our next big trip....we're hoping to go to Texas in the summer for a family reunion. We're not sure if we'll be spending most of the time in Dallas or Houston at this point, but I'll definitely let you know of the GF adventures.