Gluten Free Road Trip: The Nationals Pastime

Poker and blackjack players know the value of holding aces. So do the Phillies. As the 2011 baseball season rolls along, All-Star hurlers Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels have proven to be the catalysts for the team's success this year. As was evident during our Memorial Day weekend trip to the Washington, D.C. area, the success had led fans to travel to see the team away from home, making away games feel like those in South Philadelphia.

We spent most of the weekend south of the Mason-Dixon line, spending some quality time with my brother and his family in Maryland. Our first "pit stop" on the trip was in Newark, Delaware, where we ordered lunch at Grotto Pizza on Main Street. Grotto, a fixture throughout the First State, recently added gluten-free pizza from Still Riding to its menu (and beer at bar locations). Our son loved the taste of the pie, made with Grotto's trademark alternating rings of sauce and cheese.

For dinner we ventured over to the Rio entertainment complex in Gaithersburg, Maryland. California Pizza Kitchen had not yet begun serving gluten-free pizza, so we opted to eat at Copper Canyon Grill. On its gluten-free menu, the restaurant offers several salads and a handful of meat and chicken entrees. The meaty half-rack of ranch-house BBQ ribs and grilled chicken my son tackled were served with mashed potatoes and green beans.

The next evening, we met up with friends at burger-and-fries chain Red Robin in Gaithersburg. The restaurant uses a dedicated fryer for its bottomless french fries, and we brought along a gluten-free bun to sandwich our son's burger.

The highlight of the weekend (besides hanging with my kid brother, of course) was our trip to Nationals Park in southeast Washington, D.C. for a Memorial Day matinee between the Phils and Nationals. The thousands of Phillies fans that trekked to the game from the Philadelphia area overwhelmed the ballpark, creating a "red sea" in the stands and even heckling ex-Phil Jayson Werth in his own house.

Perhaps it's a hometown bias, but I found the stadium, in its fourth year of existence, has none of the charm of Citizens Bank Park, Baltimore's Camden Yards, or even Citi Field in New York. It also has none of the parking; my brother paid $25 in advance to secure us a spot in a remote lot 15 minutes away on foot.  What is does have, though, is a dedicated gluten-free concession stand (Section 136) that serves hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, chips, candy and beer. Dutch Country's gluten-free soft pretzels are available elsewhere, at Sections 105 and 319.

Halladay was the starting pitcher that afternoon, and he didn't have one of his better outings despite earning the win. He gave up 10 hits in the 5-4 victory, including three solo home runs, as the lead see-sawed before the Phillies went ahead for good in the seventh inning on RBIs by Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez. The throng of Phillies faithful in attendance got their money's worth.

While we had to return home to resume our work-and-school routine the next day, there was time for one more excursion. On the drive back, we exited in Baltimore and strolled around Inner Harbor. Nearby, we dined at Kona Grill, a pan-Asian restaurant with a gluten-free menu. We began the meal sharing lettuce wraps and the salty edamame. As is his wont, our son ordered a top-shelf entree - a savory pan-seared ahi tuna dish served with bok choy.

After now seeing the Phillies play in New York (the Yankees in 2009; the Mets in 2010) and Washington, I think it's about time to think about a baseball road trip for next year. Warm weather? check. Newer stadium? check. We could do worse than Miami, San Diego or Arizona.

News & Notes: September 17, 2010

We're a little over a month away from the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness's Appetite for Awareness event, and more vendors have signed on for the festivities. Area gluten-free bakeries Amaranth and the Grain Exchange will be there, as will perennial favorite Shabtai Gourmet and newcomers such as Plum Catering, Bye Bye Gluti and O'Doughs. The first 200 people to purchase from the NFCA store will get goody bags filled with products from companies such as Cookies For Me, Blue Diamond Nut Thins, Lucy's and Mary's Gone Crackers.

This week I chronicled our recent summer vacation to Toronto, Niagara Falls and Cooperstown. Reader Jamie Y. shared some out-of-town restaurant recommendations of her own. During a recent trip to Washington, D.C., she and her family dined at several eateries owned by Chef Jose Andres, who popularized the small-plates concept in the United States. His Jaleo (Spanish), Oyamel (Mexican) and Zaytinya (Mediterranean) restaurants all have gluten- and nut-free menus. She also suggests a stop at Red Velvet Cupcakery.

Center City Philadelphia has another spot where gluten-free diners can enjoy pasta. Le Castagne (1920 Chestnut Street, 215-751-9913) offers gluten-free gnocchi, but it's not listed on the menu so request it from your server. The kitchen can also accommodate in the preparation of other items.

Suburbanites can get gluten-free pasta at Mina Cucina Rustica in Spring House (805 North Bethlehem Pike, 215-641-1180).

In Rosemont, longtime neighborhood staple Gullifty's (1149 Lancaster Avenue, 610-525-1851) has added a gluten-free food and beverage menu.

Grab a bowling ball, bites and beer - just not all at once, please - at North Bowl in Philadelphia's Northern Liberties (909 North 2nd Street, 215-238-2695). Among the menu items are gluten-free Mac & Cheese and Cheese Burger Mac as well as Redbridge.

J.B. Dawson's first Delaware location is set to open October 13. The restaurant is at the Christiana Mall in Newark near Nordstrom, Apple and Anthropologie (315 Christiana Mall, 302-369-4000). The chain, with Pennsylvania locations in Drexel Hill, Langhorne and Lancaster (and sister restaurant Austin's in Reading) has an updated gluten-free menu that includes gluten-free pasta dishes and mac & cheese for the kids.

P.F. Chang's new dessert

Earlier this week, P.F. Chang's China Bistro officially added to its dessert menu a new gluten-free Triple Chocolate Mousse Mini, a combination of chocolate ganache, milk chocolate mousse and flourless chocolate cake. We tried this a couple weeks ago and it is sinful! The chain has local Pennsylvania outlets in Collegeville, Glen Mills, Plymouth Meeting and Warrington and in Atlantic City, Marlton and Princeton, New Jersey.

Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Michael Klein reports that European bakery-cafe Le Pain Quotidien is coming to the 1400 block of Walnut Street in Center City. The chain's stateside outposts serve a Six Vegetable Quiche, made with artichokes and garden veggies on a gluten-free buckwheat crust.

Ninety Nine, a casual American restaurant chain with spots in Audubon, Northeast Philadelphia, Trevose and Warrington, Pennsylvania and Deptford, New Jersey, is supporting charitable organizations through its "Dining for a Cause" program. Apply to host a fundraiser at any location and the restaurant will donate 15% of sales from supporters back to the designated organization. The restaurant offers a varied gluten-free menu, including burgers on gluten-free buns. I'd be happy to spread the word about any local fundraisers organized by readers that support the NFCA, local hospitals' celiac disease centers or similar causes.

The Fenix Bar in Phoenixville (193 Bridge Street, 610-933-955) has Redbridge on its bottled-beer menu.

A postscript to last week's item on the limited-release pumpkin cider from Woodchuck. On its Facebook page, the company posted a list of cities where the cider will be sold. No towns in Pennsylvania or southern New Jersey are on the list. If you're in or near Delaware, though, you're in luck: package stores in New Castle, Wilmington and Newark are slated to get it.

Ian's Natural Foods has announced two new gluten-free products: chicken tenders (also free of dairy, soy, eggs and nuts) and french bread pizza with pepperoni (egg- and nut-free).

The Gluten-Free Supper Club will meet this month over dinner at Adsum, in Philadelphia's Queen Village neighborhood. The meal, on Tuesday, September 21 at 7:30 p.m. will feature three courses (two choices per course) for $35 per person exclusive of alcohol, tax and gratuity. For more information or to be added to the reservation, e-mail reader Adriana Z.

After a summer respite, Gluten Free Delaware resumes its support group meetings next month. The next meeting is planned for Sunday, October 3 at 3 p.m., to be held at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Room 1000.

Have a great weekend!

Gluten Free Road Trip: A Capital-Area Fourth

Because my one-year-old niece was sick over Memorial Day Weekend, we postponed our trip to my brother's house in suburban Washington, D.C. until this past weekend. On the way down I-95, we stopped in Baltimore for lunch at the always consistent Austin Grill, a regional Tex-Mex restaurant with an extensive gluten-free menu. (The chain has five locations in Maryland, four in Virginia, and one in D.C. proper at Penn Quarter.) Our older son ordered the chicken fajita entree, which came with char-grilled chicken, three corn tortillas and sides of black beans and cilantro rice. The complimentary tortilla chips and salsa are gluten free as well.

Highway traffic was surprisingly light, and we made it down to Montgomery County, Maryland mid-afternoon. We stopped by my brother's house to say hello before checking into our hotel for the weekend. From there, we met one of my wife's college roommates and her family at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers in Gaithersburg, Maryland. We brought with us a couple of Schar rolls (our son's favorite), so we used one for the cheeseburger he ordered. Our server told us that the "bottomless" french fries at that location were cooked in a dedicated fryer but that they would have to be served without seasoning to remain gluten free.

The boys take turns staying over my brother's house since we usually stay for two nights, and so on Friday night our older son stayed at the hotel with me and my wife. On Saturday morning, the three of us went to Rockville, Maryland outpost of The Original Pancake House. (The restaurant is part of a chain that operates in about 100 locations throughout the United States.) Our son ordered a short stack of gluten-free pancakes - cooked on a cleaned, separate area of the grill - along with scrambled eggs, bacon and shredded potatoes. In addition to its tasty pancakes, the restaurant is also known for its gigantic fluffy omelets. I don't believe all locations have gluten-free pancakes just yet, so call ahead if your travel plans take you to an area where there's an Original Pancake House nearby. In the D.C. area, there are locations in Bethesda, Maryland and Falls Church, Virginia, both of which offer gluten-free pancakes.

On Independence Day, we met up with my brother and his family and drove out to Great Falls Park in Virginia. At the Park, visitors can see the remains of the Patowmack Canal, which was used to ship goods on flatboats that traveled from Cumberland, Maryland to Georgetown in the early 1800s. The highlight of the Park is the Great Falls, where the Potomac River cascades over a series of rocks and falls into Mather Gorge. (Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.) The more adventurous can rock-climb and hike throughout the Park. We walked the trail along the falls and took in the magnificent view from three observation points.

For dinner, we brought in pizza from zpizza, a Southern California-based chain that offers pizzas made with organic ingredients, low-fat cheese and preservative-free toppings. Many locations, including the one we went to in Rockville, carry gluten-free pizza (call ahead or check the company's website to confirm). The gluten-free pizza is prepared away from the other pizzas and the staff is trained to use specially designated ingredients and utensils. Although all of the pizzas are baked in the same brick oven, the GF pizza placed in a pan first to avoid cross-contamination. There are a bunch of zpizza locations in suburban Washington. D.C.

Before we hit the road on Sunday, we stopped at the local outpost of Noodles & Co., where both boys ordered pad thai noodles. The pad thai is the only dish that is gluten free, and the beef and shrimp are the only proteins that are safe. The chain has lots of locations along the I-95 corridor in Maryland and Virginia. The safe options here are limited, but if you enjoy pad thai this fast-casual restaurant is worth seeking out.

While we didn't need to shop for groceries on this trip, MOM's Organic Market has a wide selection of gluten-free foods and beer. MOM's has four stores in Maryland and one in Virginia.