News & Notes: January 29, 2016

Gluten-free food finds this week include Big Pretzels, a larger version of Glutino's mini gluten-free hard pretzel twists. The company has posted a recipe for pretzel sliders with Italian meatballs, with the pretzels standing in for buns.

Quaker's new line of gluten-free oatmeal, which to this point, had limited availability, is now being sold nationwide. You can read the product FAQ for more information about the company's production process.

Look for the veggie blend flavor of Nabisco's new Good Thins snack crackers, made with rice flour.

Jules Thin Crust will be bringing its gluten-free pizza to Princeton (18 Witherspoon St.) this spring, according to a report.

Michaelangelo's in Cherry Hill (1334 Brace Rd., 856-428-3231) has added gluten-free pizza to its menu. Pasta is also available.

News & Notes: January 15, 2016

Healthy prepared-foods purveyor Snap Kitchen is entering the Delaware Valley next month with the opening of four area locations: Old City (243 Market St., 215-845-0004), Rittenhouse Square (1901 Chestnut St., 215-845-0002), Fairmount (1901 Callowhill St., 215-845-0001) - all in Philadelphia proper - and in Malvern (5 S. Morehall Rd.). Future locations are coming to Midtown Village (1109 Walnut St., 215-845-0003) in Philadelphia, Villanova and Cherry Hill. The entire menu of pre-packaged meals is gluten free, save for the whole-wheat pita crisps and the Caesar salad (which contains said crisps). Snap Kitchen currently operates in Chicago, Dallas, Austin and Houston.

At the week-old Revolution Taco on Rittenhouse Square (2015 Walnut St., 267-773-8120), all of the taco varieties except for roast duck and fried tofu are gluten free, as are the burrito bowls.

Coming to Exton in April is World of Beer (128 Woodcutter St.), which lists gluten-free items on its menu and offers more than a dozen hard ciders along with several gluten-free beers.

Come Sail Away

Royal Caribbean continues to impress the Gluten Free Philly clan. We spent time over the holidays on Royal's Independence of the Seas, currently based out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a five-night cruise with stops in Falmouth, Jamaica and Royal's private resort in Labadee, Haiti. This was the third time we've cruised with Royal since our 15-year-old was diagnosed with celiac disease, and each time it's gotten easier to manage his diet.

While the traditional dinner seating times for the ship's main dining room still exist, many cruise lines - like Royal - allow guests flexibility to choose their own dinner reservation times. Either way, you'll be served by the same waitstaff every night, so they become familiar with guests' dietary requirements. In our case, our servers took great care of our son, from bringing him freshly baked gluten-free bread at the start of each dinner meal to taking his order in advance the prior evening so that the following night's entree would come out at the same time as those of his family and friends. Royal's dining room menus are clearly labeled with gluten-free, vegetarian and lactose-free options.

News & Notes: December 18, 2015

The Philadelphia-area based National Foundation for Celiac Awareness this week announced that the foundation has changed its name to Beyond Celiac. The new name and brand reflect the evolution of the organization from its early focus on awareness to its expanded role today in increasing the rate of diagnosis, improving care for the community and expanding research of new treatments, ultimately to find a cure for celiac disease by 2025.

The name Beyond Celiac was chosen to embody the spirit of the community and inspire hope and passion for living well despite having a serious genetic autoimmune disease. Beyond Celiac intends to move beyond the acceptance of lifestyle and diet as treatment and move forward toward advancing research for innovative, groundbreaking medicines.

A Shore Thing

The last time we tried to get into Izakaya, the Japanese pub at the Borgata in Atlantic City (1 Borgata Way, 609-317-1000), was at the end of the summer, when the wait was over two hours long. We ended up that night eating at the hotel at the more casual Metropolitan  - which, on account of the service, I don't recommend.

Taking advantage of the magnificent late spring-like weather this past weekend, we spent a few hours in Atlantic City to celebrate our teenage son's birthday. His restaurant of choice: Izakaya. This time, we made a reservation earlier that day and were seated without a wait.

Izakaya's executive chef, Michael Schulson, also runs Center City Philadelphia's Sampan, another gluten-free-friendly Asian spot. Like his sister restaurant, the New Jersey outpost also specializes in Asian tapas. Like many tapas-style restaurants, the plates are brought to the table as soon as they are prepared, so there's no particular order of courses.

The gluten-free menu at Izakaya is diverse, We ordered an array of small plates - from edamame to robatayaki (grilled skewers) of Wagyu beef, chicken and Maine lobster - all excellent. Our teen had to himself the freshly prepared salmon avocado roll, served with Kari-Out gluten-free soy sauce, while we shared two orders of shrimp fried rice.

Our server demonstrated familiarity with the pub's gluten-free menu and we felt comfortable with the food preparation.

While Izakaya's main options are plenty, there are no gluten-free dessert choices. We finished our culinary tour at fondue restaurant The Melting Pot (2112 Atlantic Ave., 609-441-1100). We opted for a table with double burners so that our teen could have his own dipping pot of creamy, melted milk chocolate without worrying about cross-contact. The chain no longer has gluten-free cake and brownies, but he nonetheless was able to dip marshmallows and a variety of sliced fruits. The sweet ending was a balanced complement to our savory dinner.