Free For All

Two alums of Chestnut Hill's late Good Food Market are setting up shop elsewhere in Philadelphia. Amy Kunkle and Leslie McLaughlin are aiming for an early September opening for their Food For All Market, at 7127 Germantown Avenue in Mt. Airy. The concept is a community market specializing in prepared foods, baked goods and groceries, with a focus on catering to health-conscious customers and those with celiac disease and food allergies.

Part of the store will include an area dedicated to preparing and selling homemade meals, with another section featuring local products and produce as well as many allergy-friendly products. The prepared foods - all gluten free - will be made from scratch based on Kunkle's recipes, incorporating local and organic ingredients as often as possible.

Kunkle (formerly chef at Good Food Market), McLaughlin (Good Food's pastry chef) and Rachel Kern, all partners in the venture, plan to carry locally made gluten-free baked goods from Amaranth, Sweet Christine's, Sweet Freedom and Greenwood Kitchen in addition to their own-make products like gluten free/vegan bread. They'll also have gluten-free bagels, muffins, and oatmeal bars for breakfast. Griggstown Quail Farm, Landisdale Farm and Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative also are among the regional food purveyors on board.

News & Notes: June 25, 2010

I'll start off the festivities on this Friday with a reminder of two upcoming local events. This Sunday, I'll be speaking at the Delaware Celiac Support Group meeting in Newark and will have product samples. The event is at Christiana Hospital (Room 1000) beginning at 3 p.m. You can RSVP at this link. Tickets are still available for Celiac Awareness Night at the Phillies game on Wednesday, July 7. I will be volunteering at the information table on the 200 Level for part of the evening, so if you're attending please stop by and say hello.

A new gluten-free beer was the subject of a post this week. Estrella Damm Daura from Spain is now being imported into the United States, with Pennsylvania among the first states to have access to it. The novelty of the beer is that it's made with barley malt that is removed during the production process, bringing the level of detectable gluten to less than 6 parts per million.

Lots of news - and notes, of course - to get to this week. La Locanda in Edgmont (4989 West Chester Pike, 610-353-7033) has gluten-free pasta, while its neighboring take-out place (5003 West Chester Pike, 610-325-5200) has pizza from Still Riding.

In Media, American restaurant Generations (9 State Road, 610-565-8212) now notes gluten-free items on its dinner menu.

Reader Jamie let me know about two places she and her family have eaten at with success: New American Tango in Bryn Mawr (39 Morris Avenue, 610-526-9500), which is working on producing a dedicated menu, and Haverford's Du Jour (379 Lancaster Avenue, 610-896-5944).

Two weeks ago, I mentioned that Modo Mio, in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia, has gluten-free pasta. Co-owner Peter McAndrews also runs sandwich shop Paesano's across the street (152 West Girard Avenue, 267-886-9556) and at the Italian Market (901 Christian Street, 215-922-9220), both of which will have gluten-free bread available for sandwiches beginning next week, according to the Inquirer's Michael Klein.

In Center City, 10 Arts at the Ritz-Carlton (10 Avenue of the Arts, 215-523-8273) can accommodate gluten-free diners. Pastry chef Monica Glass, who has celiac disease, tells me that several of her desserts are or can be modified to be gluten free.

In Wilmington's Little Italy, Ristorante Attilio (1900 Lancaster Avenue, 302-428-0909) now offers gluten-free pasta.

Also in Wilmington, Thai restaurant Soybean Asian Grill (4702 Limestone Road, 302-636-0800) uses gluten-free soy sauce and all noodle dishes are made with rice noodles. Thanks to reader Tammy for this news.

Steakhouse Seasons 52, in King of Prussia and Cherry Hill, posted its Summer 2010 gluten-free menu.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, locally in Radnor and Marlton, has new items on its Summer menu. Safe for those on gluten-free diets are the Lump Crab Louis Cups appetizer, Porcini Rubbed Filet Mignon (no cream sauce), Peppercorn Steak and the Salmon Nicoise Salad.

In more brew news, the Side Bar in West Chester and Chickie's & Pete's South Philly location (thanks Mark) carry Redbridge, while the Sidecar Bar & Grille - also in South Philadelphia - has Lakefront New Grist beer and Doc's Apple Cider.

Back in April, I shared the news that General Mills will be producing a gluten-free version of Bisquick starting this summer. Well, summer is now here and the mix will soon follow. In anticipation, the company has posted many recipes calling for the mix, including strawberry shortcake and biscuits. (Thanks to Kim of Gluten Free is Life for the link.) Nutritionally, a 1/3 cup serving of the new mix, which is made in Canada, has less fat (0.5 grams) and sodium than even the low-fat version of wheat-laden Bisquick. The ingredients are rice flour, sugar, leavening (mainly baking soda), modified potato starch, salt and xanthan gum.

General Mills, which has been progressive in introducing gluten-free products, has a website listing all of its safe products, including Nature Valley Almond Crunch and Peanut Crunch bars. A tip of the hat to reader Leslie, who shared that website with me.

Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakehouse's two newest products are 12 oz. round cakes in vanilla and chocolate flavors.

New animal cracker-style cookies are out from Ian's Natural Foods. I'm not a fan of the Ian's products generally, although there are a couple of exceptions. Perhaps this one will pleasantly surprise me.

So there you have it. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Daura the Explorer

Update: Note that under current federal law (October 2013), this beer cannot be labeled gluten free due to the fact that it is made with barley malt.

No doubt the variety of gluten-free breads, sweets and snacks these days is plentiful. One product that still lacks diversity, though, is beer. Most of the readily available brews, like Redbridge and Bard's, are derived from sorghum (a type of grass), millet or other grains that don't contain gluten. Now making its way onto these shores is a gluten-free beer from Spanish brewer Damm that is made with - wait for it - barley malt.

Estrella Damm Daura lager, which has won the World Beer Award for the best gluten-free beer two years running, tests at less than 6 parts per million of gluten. That amount is less than the 20 ppm "gluten free" threshold being considered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the 10 ppm standard used by the Gluten Free Certification Organization. On Damm's English-language website, the company describes the method used to remove the gluten as a "long collaborative research process ... using the most advanced technology." That description leaves open the possibility that sorcery is involved, unless you consider sorcery outdated. I don't. (Actually, the brewer uses a proprietary process that breaks down the gluten during production.)

Whole Foods Market in Plymouth Meeting held a tasting of Daura during the recent Philly Beer Week. Local suds expert Lew Bryson summed up his review of the brew by proclaiming, "Celiacs: your beer has arrived." Daura contains 5.4% alcohol by volume - a bit more than Bard's and slightly less than New Grist.

Daura is registered with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board for sale in the Commonwealth, so Philadelphia-area beer distributors should be able to order it upon request; the Plymouth Meeting Whole Foods stocks the beer at its Cold Point Pub. It's also available at State Line Liquors in Elkton, Maryland - just past the Delaware border off I-95. As the rollout progresses, Daura will be available in more states. The suggested retail price is $7.99 for a four-pack.

News & Notes: June 18, 2010

If you visited Gluten Free Philly in the past week, you noticed a redesigned blog. I created separate sections for the restaurant and bakery lists and corresponding maps, tabbed at the top of every page. (Update your browser's bookmarks for those pages if you have them saved.) I was also able to give more room to the posts themselves, which makes for a cleaner appearance. As part of a new layout, I also moved the search bar to the upper right of each page, making it easier to search though older posts. Drop me a line if there's any other features you'd like to see.

Earlier in the week, I wrote about my family's recent weekend in New York City and highlighted our largely successful gluten-free meals.

From New York to New Hope: Gluten-free pizza is now available in that Bucks County town at Peace Out Pizza (7 East Bridge Street, 215-862-2266).

There are two additions to the Asian section of the restaurant list. First is Susanna Foo Gourmet Kitchen in Radnor (555 East Lancaster Avenue, 610-688-8808), which last week hosted a celiac awareness dinner. The kitchen has been trained on cross-contamination issues by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness and is now GREAT-approved.

Also new is Buddakan, with locations in Old City Philadelphia (325 Chestnut Street, 215-574-9440) and in Atlantic City at the Pier Shops at Caesars (1 Atlantic Ocean, 609-674-0100). The Philly location has gluten-free menus available for diners. Thanks to L.A. blogger Stephen of Gluten Freeways, who recently ate at the original Old City outpost, for the tip.

Down the shore in Avalon, the new Seaglass restaurant replaces the Dining Room at the Golden Inn. Seaglass has gluten-free breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. Breakfast is the most intriguing, with waffles, bagels and cereal among the selections.

Italian chain Carrabba's has posted an updated gluten-free menu at its website.

July 18 is the grand opening date for Wegmans in Malvern (50 Foundry Way, 484-913-9600).

I was able to check out the new Whole Foods Market in Plymouth Meeting recently - it's a huge store with a beer and wine section. I spotted a few gluten-free items that I haven't seen at the Marlton location where we shop, including Maryland-style Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes from The Crab Ladies and Better Batter baking mixes. The beer selections include Redbridge and New Grist.

Conte's Pasta's dedicated gluten-free manufacturing facility in Vineland should be in operation later this summer. The company is working on a line of flatbreads - traditional, tomato basil, garlic, onion and spinach.

Shabtai Gourmet offers a flat-rate $5.95 nationwide shipping deal for its wonderful gluten-free cakes and cookies. Look for the bakery's new chocolate chip biscotti online and in area markets such as Acme, ShopRite and Wegmans. Exclusive to stores is a new 7" layer cake - thick sponge layers separated by chocolate creme and covered with dark chocolate. If your local market carries Shabtai's products, order the cake one month in advance by filling out an order form and giving it to the store manager.

It should be a great weekend weather-wise. Get out and enjoy it!

Gluten Free Road Trip: A Second Bite of the Apple

With very few free weekends this spring and summer, the Gluten Free Philly crew decided to make their annual New York City jaunt on Mother's Day weekend. Unlike last year's trip (when we ran into the Phillies' Ryan Howard and his teammates in the hotel lobby), this one was more subdued.

We decided to avoid the bustle and stay downtown at the Andaz hotel on Wall Street. The Andaz brand is owned by Hyatt Hotels, and is the company's answer to the trendy W Hotels found in many a metropolis. It was a bit too quiet: I learned only a couple days before the trip that the subway line stopping closest to the hotel doesn't run on weekends, so we ended up taking a few more cab rides than anticipated.

The hotel, which opened in February, doesn't have a front desk. Instead, roving concierges welcome guests in the lobby and check them in via portable electronic devices. The same employees assist with baggage and provide information on local attractions. (Do they clean the rooms and cook meals, too?) The rooms are large by Manhattan standards and come stocked with free - yes, free - mini-bar snacks and non-alcoholic drinks. Our fridge had lots of soda and water, and Terra chips and chocolate bars were among the munchies.

We took a cab to Chelsea Market, an enclosed shopping mall and food court housed in a former Nabisco factory, and grabbed lunch inside at Friedman's Lunch before exploring the shops. The medium-well brisket burger my older son ordered was served alongside fries on a sesame-topped gluten-free bun from The Grainless Baker. (Another dining option in the area is Mario Batali's Del Posto, which serves gluten-free pasta.)

From there, we went back downtown to the South Street Seaport, where we took an hour-long cruise aboard the Zephyr to see the Statute of Liberty. Having never seen the statue this close in person, I was awestruck at the majesty of this American icon.

Risotteria has always been a favorite of ours, but we wanted to try a different restaurant for dinner. We decided on Pala, on the Lower East Side. For starters, the four of us shared arancini (risotto balls filled with spinach and mozzarella) in a light red sauce and potato along with an order of beet chips called patatini. My older son and I shared the gluten-free bufala cruda pizza, made with buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomato sauce and fresh basil. I'd recommend Pala for adults alone, but with kids Risotteria is the better choice, with more gluten-free options from start to finish.

We saved room for dessert, and burned off a few calories walking a few blocks north to the new Tu-lu's Gluten-Free Bakery. Since we arrived late in the day, the selection wasn't as varied but we loved the red velvet cupcake and the mini chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting.

On Mother's Day, we got an early start and ate at the hotel restaurant, Wall & Water, for breakfast. The kitchen prepared a three-egg Swiss cheese omelet, bacon and potatoes for my older son.

We then went uptown to the American Museum of Natural History, where the original Night at the Museum movie is set. Take note: The guards aren't anywhere near as funny as Ben Stiller. And they didn't seem to take well to being asked where the "characters" from the movie can be found. (There are a few, actually, including the Easter Island "talking" head and Dexter the capuchin monkey.)

Before heading home, we ordered lunch at Nice Matin, a French bistro one block east of the museum. The diverse gluten-free menu there included a grilled chicken sandwich that my son ordered.