Friday, August 18, 2017

News & Notes: August 18, 2017

Let's get the bad news out of the way first. The Jules Thin Crust location in Cherry Hill (1558 Kings Hwy. N., 856-448-4275) is closing on Sunday, August 27, leaving one less place in the area to order gluten-free pizza. The other Jules locations are not affected.

Philly.com reports that Washington Square West's Pennsylvania 6 has closed. The gastropub offered a number of gluten-free options.

On the plus side, reader Joe M. let me know that M.A.T.T.'s Gourmet Sliders has opened a storefront in University City section of Philadelphia (3601 Market St., 215-222-0195), serving burgers with buns (from a designated area of the grill) as well as wings and fries prepped in a dedicated fryer.
The two Delaware locations of Matt's Fish Camp - in Bethany (28635 Coastal Hwy., 302-539-2267) and Lewes (34401 Tenley Ct., 302-644-2267) - have gluten-free menus [Bethany/Lewes]. The Bethany location has gluten-free crabcakes, but note that both utilize shared fryers. (Hat tip to reader Melissa Y.)

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

The Cape Crusader

Andrea Tucker of Baltimore Gluten Free, a South Jersey native, has been dining at the Jersey Shore her entire life and eating gluten free there for the last seven summers. Her recent gluten-free finds in Cape May County include everything from bakeries to BBQ:

Avalon

Fiesta Bowl at The Juice Pod in Avalon, New Jersey
The Juice Pod (2001 Dune Dr., 609-961-3404): Popular juice and smoothie bar that specializes in acai bowls. Gluten-free granola is available for a bowl topping. For lunch try the gluten free Fiesta Bowl (think Chipotle rice bowl with chicken and avocado) or Mediterranean Bowl, made with a quinoa base. They also sell gluten-free snacks like chips and crackers by the register.

Avalon Barbeque Co. (224 21st St., 609-967-8222): All BBQ proteins and sauces are gluten free.

Tortilla Flats (2540 Dune Dr., 609-967-5658): Mexican food landmark in Avalon with large selection of gluten free options marked by a sombrero on the menu. Gluten-free items are prepared in a separate work area.

Isabel’s Bakery & Cafe (2285 Dune Dr., 609-967-5776): Sweet Christine's gluten free cookies and muffins individually wrapped by the register.


Sundae Best (2900 Dune Dr., 609-368-1121): Delicious homemade ice cream, including gluten-free flavors and cake and sugar cones. Upon mentioning gluten free, they will scoop your ice cream from a new container with a clean scoop.

Stone Harbor


Chill (224 96th St., 609-368-8500): Outdoor dining in a cool rooftop setting. Chill has a separate gluten-free menu that includes Kinnikinnick bread with a separate toaster, and burgers and pancakes are made in a separate pan. BYOB (bring your own burger bun).

Shore Juice (261 97th St., 609-610-1700): Real fruit smoothies, veggie smoothies and acai bowls with gluten-free granola available for the bowls.

Café Noir (261 97th St., 609-553-7080): European-inspired coffee shop and café serving individually wrapped gluten-free muffins and bagels. There is a separate toaster for bagels and staff will open a new cream-cheese container to avoid cross contamination.

Read about more of Andrea's favorite gluten-free-friendly spots in Cape May and Atlantic counties in her latest blog post at Baltimore Gluten Free.

Friday, August 4, 2017

News & Notes: August 4, 2017

During our recent vacation in Spain, France and Italy, we discovered so many gluten-free options nearly everywhere we went, from restaurants and gelaterias to coffee shops and pharmacies. I'd venture to say that Western Europe is at least 10 years ahead of the United States when it comes to accessible and safe gluten-free foods - even McDonald's has gluten-free burgers in Spain and Italy (among other countries):


We found Kit Kat-like candy bars and chocolate-covered palmiers (elephant ears) in Barcelona:



Madeleines in Nice, France:


Brioche bread in Capri, Italy:


Back on American soil, Amy's Kitchen has debuted a number of new gluten-free frozen entrees, including a vegetarian paella bowl, pesto pizza and spinach pizza made with rice flour crusts, Mexican breakfast bake with black beans, bell peppers and roasted potatoes and a country-style breakfast bake with meatless sausage.


Reader Lesley F. recommended Caulipower pizza, which she purchased at a South Jersey ShopRite. She wrote that the crust was fluffier than most gluten-free frozen pizzas. Varieties include Margherita, Three Cheese, Veggie and plain crust.

Reader Christin S. suggests two area restaurants being added the growing number of listings on the Gluten Free Philly restaurant app: Victor Cafe in the Bella Vista section of South Philadelphia (1303 Dickinson St., 215-468-3040), which can make its protein entrees gluten free in addition to those noted on the dinner menu (and where the servers sing!) and Kitchen 519 in Glendora, New Jersey (200 E. Evesham Rd., 856-312-8629), which has a separate gluten-free menu.

The Elevation Burger locations in Collegeville (201 Plaza Dr., 610-831-1360) and Willow Grove (3945 Welsh Rd., 215-659-1008) now offer gluten-free burger buns for a $2 surcharge. (Thanks Brian H.) Other area locations can prepare burgers in lettuce wraps, while all have separately prepared fries.

Have a great weekend!

- Michael

With the updated Gluten Free Philly app for iOS and Android devices, find more than 1,600 area gluten-free-friendly businesses on the go, search by cuisine or neighborhood, make reservations and more!

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Viva L'Italia!

Today's post is written by guest blogger Heather Stern, a longtime celiac advocate and volunteer, who shares her gluten-free finds from her recent trip to Italy.

Imagine for a moment starting everyday with an espresso and gluten-free pastry, spending afternoons eating pizza and gelato, and finding restaurants around every corner where the staff knows exactly what you mean when you ask for gluten-free pasta (or senza glutine/sono celiaco). This paradiso exists. This is Italy.

I originally planned the timing of my trip around one of Jovial Foods’ gluten-free Italian cooking getaways, but quickly found that most of their pricing was not very flexible for a solo traveler. So instead, I created a list of ideas (based on blogs, articles and history lessons over the years) and hoped that my instincts and smart phone would culminate into one great adventure.


Day 1: I started in Rome, where I stayed at an Airbnb around the corner from the Pantheon (and 10 glorious steps away from the gluten-free bakery/shop Pandali).  This shop quickly became a part of my daily routine where I attempted to try every item they offered. My “Welcome to Rome” twilight tour to managed to keep the jetlag at bay, especially with the stop at Della Palma, a gluten-free-friendly gelateria. For dinner we found a charming restaurant named Pantharei that offered gluten-free pizza and pasta options from their little alley-way nook.

Wonderland Bakery has gluten-free sweets
Day 2: I began the day with a tour of Cinque Terre where the friendly staff were not so well versed in gluten free options; luckily, trains in Italy actually carry gluten-free snacks and I found (through the magic of Google) a delicious veggie and pesto sandwich snack from Lunch Box in Vernazza and a few sweet treats from Wonderland Bakery in the town of Monterroso.