Shopping Spree

With many imitators out there, Chipotle isn't content sticking to fast-casual Mexican cuisine. From quick-fired pizza (Pizzeria Locale) to burgers (Tasty Made), the company has slowly expanded into other concepts. The largest is ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, with locations in Southern California, Illinois and metro Washington, D.C. - they even had the chutzpah to open an outpost in the capital's Chinatown section! The best part about ShopHouse is that it's extremely gluten-free-friendly.

It took a couple years for us to get to ShopHouse, but we had an opportunity last weekend on the way to D.C. when we stopped at the Columbia, Maryland location for lunch. Similar to Chipotle, guests can build a bowl with various ingredients, all of which are gluten and dairy free. (ShopHouse recently added non-gluten-free spring rolls, but they are prepared and handled separately.) Base options include jasmine rice, brown rice, chilled rice noodles or a salad topped with grilled chicken satay, pork & chicken meatballs, grilled steak laab or organic tofu, From there, diners may customize their bowls with a choice of vegetables, sauces of varying spice levels (my favorite was the peanut sauce, but our younger son's red curry was tasty too), garnishes and toppings such as fresh chilies and toasted rice.

The friendly staff prepared our orders quickly and even gave us a two coconut rice & mango parfaits on the house.

Our younger son, who's as big a fan of Chipotle as anyone, thought that ShopHouse was even better. I have to agree, especially since Asian cuisine is my favorite. I'm not suggesting that you plan a trip around ShopHouse, but if you just so happen to be in one of the aforementioned areas, I urge you to try to dine at one. In the meantime, I'll be waiting with fingers crossed, hoping that ShopHouse is one day nearly as ubiquitous as Chipotle.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force

By Alice Ozma

On a recent cold Thursday night, my friend Sunny and I visited Center City Malaysian-Thai restaurant Aqua (705 Chestnut St., 215-928-2838) without reservations. We were surprised to find we were one of only three parties there. The lighting was rather bright, too, emphasizing the emptiness of the space.

Tom Yum Lemongrass Soup

Happily, the food and service were a different story. We were greeted and seated immediately, and had drinks almost as quickly. The refreshing iced lychee drink I ordered was juice-like but lighter and less sugary. The gluten-free menu is a section of the traditional menu, so everyone receives it. As soon as our waitress saw us looking it over, she asked if we’d be ordering gluten free. She then confirmed this after each item we ordered, which I appreciated.

We started with soups: I had the Tom Kha coconut soup and my friend ordered the Tom Yum lemongrass soup. He really enjoyed his, noting many layers of flavor, a little kick, and lots of vegetables. While mine was sweet and creamy, it was otherwise undistinguished.

Mango Chicken

For the main course, Sunny ordered the Thai Basil Chicken while I went for the Mango Chicken. My dish was a bit spicier than I’d have liked (despite having asked for mild preparation) but was flavorful and was presented beautifully in a carved-out mango. Sunny also enjoyed his entrée, with crisp, bold flavors and basil in each bite. There wasn’t a ton of chicken in either dish, but we didn’t feel cheated.

Vegetable Fried Rice

The true star of the meal was the fried rice. This is the one dish I miss most as a celiac, and Aqua’s version was pitch-perfect comfort food: a little greasy, a little salty, a lot of vegetables. It was a great complement to our spicier entrées.

The only gluten-free option on the dessert menu was ice cream, but we passed since I am lactose intolerant. Given our other courses, we were too full to eat another bite anyway.

Although we loved the food, the prices didn’t fit the casual atmosphere. Had Aqua been fancier, the expense would have felt right. Yet the fried rice is calling me back, so a return visit is in order.

Alice Ozma is a young professional in the publishing industry. She lives in Old City and loves the adventure of finding good gluten-free food almost as much as the food itself.

Ka-Chang!

P.F. Chang's new Caramel Mango Chicken
(Photos courtesy of P.F. Chang's)

P.F. Chang's has long been a safe haven for diners with a yen for gluten-free Asian fusion cuisine. For example, all gluten-free items are served on special plates emblazoned with the restaurant logo and take-out orders are clearly labeled.

Two years ago, P.F.Chang's added entrees that included a gluten-free version of its Mongolian Beef. Come Monday, the menu will grow even larger. The restaurants will add seven gluten-free choices, for a total of 25 items. In addition to current favorites like the Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Singapore Street Noodles and Mongolian Beef, you'll find these new items available:

• Vietnamese Crab Salad - Lump crab meat tossed with green papaya, mango, apple, fresh vegetables and herbs in a zesty Vietnamese Nuoc Cham dressing
• Crab Fried Rice - Wok-fried rice with lump crab meat, shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, egg, smoky bacon, zesty lemon and Sriracha
• Caramel Mango Chicken - Tender chicken caramelized in a Southeast Asian glaze with mango, tomatoes, Fresno chiles and Thai basil
• Asian Tomato-Cucumber Salad
• Lemon Scented Brussels Sprouts - Thinly shaved, wok-charred with ginger, garlic, Thai basil and fresh lemon zest

Crab Fried Rice, new at P.F. Chang's

Back by popular demand are two classic entrees - the spicy Dali Chicken with sliced potatoes and our longtime favorite, Philip’s Better Lemon Chicken, served with broccoli in a citrus sauce.

Of course, the sinful Flourless Chocolate Dome is still available for dessert.

P.F. Chang's has local outposts in Collegeville (10 Town Center Dr., 610-489-0110), Glen Mills (983 Baltimore Pike, 610-545-3030), Plymouth Meeting (519 Germantown Pike, 610-567-0226), Warrington (721 Easton Rd., 215-918-3340) Atlantic City (2801 Pacific Ave., 609-348-4600), Princeton (3545 Rt. 1, 609-799-5163) and Marlton (500 Rt. 73 S., 856-396-0818).

It's Tso Time

Don't put away those New Year's Eve party hats and horns just yet. The Chinese new year - the Year of the Rabbit - begins on February 3. Chef Joseph Poon, who opened Sang Kee, Philadelphia's first duck house, in 1979 and ran Joe's Peking Duck House for many years, is offering a 10-course feast at his BYOB Chinatown kitchen (1010 Cherry Street, 215-928-9333) to mark the occasion. Among the entrees is the chef's take on General Tso's Chicken, in which corn starch is used in place of wheat flour. The dinner includes salad, appetizers, entrees and dessert, and items can be modified to accommodate gluten-free guests; for example, lettuce leaves replace the flour wraps used for the Peking duck rolls and burgers.

The Chinese New Year banquet menu is available by reservation for parties of two or more now through March 31, with seatings seven days a week at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The cost is $35 per person, cash or check only, plus tax and gratuity. When making reservations, advise of dietary restrictions and request stir-frying for the chicken dish.

Gluten Free Road Trip: Mex in the City

The weather on Father's Day was too nice to pass up a trip down the shore, so we hopped in the trusty minivan and onto the Atlantic City Expressway after breakfast - destination Ocean City. We lucked out with a sweet parking spot two blocks from the northern end of the Boardwalk.

Pure Tacos owner Ted Schroeder

Strolling past the vendors hawking World Cup T-shirts and hermit crabs with shells decorated with the likes of SpongeBob Squarepants (Whose job is it to paint those? Not it!), we reached Pure Tacos. The eatery opened in May with a simple menu - nachos and tacos, all gluten free. We were all in the mood for sausage, apparently, since we ordered a plate of three chorizo soft tacos and several orders of chorizo nachos topped with zesty citrus guacamole and tomato-chipotle salsa. There's no seating at Pure Tacos, so try to find a nearby bench if you're not lounging on the beach or don't want to walk and eat. Whatever you do, grab a few napkins.

Inside the Bashful Banana Cafe

We wanted to finish off our lunch with something sweet before heading onto the beach, so we circled back to the healthy-oriented Bashful Banana Cafe, home of the famous Banana Whip. The Whip is a smooth custard-like dessert made solely with bananas. Toppings like chocolate chips, fresh fruit and fudge sauce can be added. The restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, has gluten-free breads, muffins and other safe menu items.

Sand and shells at last! We dragged our chairs, towels and other paraphernalia onto the beach and set up shop close to the water, where we spent several hours relaxing.

After getting some sun, we headed to Gillian's Wonderland Pier and chaperoned the boys as they went on the rides. The amusement park has lots of traditional attractions, from the Ferris wheel to the log flume to the Tilt-A-Whirl, all family friendly.

We backtracked a bit before heading home, stopping at China Sea of Absecon for dinner. Ordering from an extensive gluten-free menu, we ate family-style, sharing several chicken dishes, pork fried rice and an order of Ho Fun noodles.

Susanna Foo Hosts Celiac Awareness Dinner

Join the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness on Monday, June 7 as Susanna Foo Gourmet Kitchen goes gluten free. This celiac awareness dinner in the chic Radnor dining room offers the elegance of fine dining in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

Award-winning chef Susanna Foo is widely recognized as one of America’s top Chinese chefs, specializing in pan-Asian cuisine that blends traditional Chinese foods with classical French techniques.

The three-course fixed-price dinner menu is $40 plus beverages, tax and gratuity. Additional menu items for tweens and teens will be available. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the NFCA to support raising awareness of celiac disease. Guests will have the opportunity to win a raffle prize of a dinner for two at the restaurant and all diners will take home a gift bag of treats.

The restaurant is located at 555 East Lancaster Avenue in Radnor. Make your reservation directly with the restaurant (either online or by calling 610-688-8808) for any time between 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. If you have questions about the menu or reservations, ask for Shona at Susanna Foo. If you have other questions, call the NFCA’s Nancy Ginter at 215-325-1306, extension 101.

The menu for the dinner is as follows:

First Course
Choice of:

Chopped Asian Salad
Tofu, Pineapple & Citrus Vinaigrette

White Corn Soup

Thai Curry Grilled Shrimp
Lychee Slaw & Organic Greens

Second Course
Choice of:

Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Spice Rub
Potatoes & Broccoli Rabe

Kung Pao Chicken
Mushrooms, Red Peppers & Peanuts

Sushi Sampler
Tuna, Salmon, Eel, Hamachi, Shrimp, Striped Bass & Spicy Tuna Maki

Dessert
Choice of:

Mango-Passion Fruit Cheesecake
Raspberry Sauce

Sorbet Trio
Lemon, Mandarin Orange & Raspberry

Ginger Panna Cotta
Fresh Mango & Berries

P.F. Chang's Beefs Up Gluten-Free Menu

Five beef entrees will make their nationwide debut on P.F. Chang's China Bistro's expanded gluten-free menu March 8. The additions to the menu are:

• Mongolian Beef - quick-cooked with scallions and garlic
  
• Hong Kong Beef with Snow Peas - served with snow peas and water chestnuts
  
• Beef a la Sichuan - spicy, crispy beef strips with julienne celery and carrots
  
• Pepper Steak - quick-cooked with red and green bell peppers, yellow onion, garlic and black pepper (available in lunch- and dinner-size portions)
  
• Beef with Broccoli - served Cantonese-style and tossed with steamed broccoli (available in lunch- and dinner-size portions)
  
• Dali Chicken - spicy chicken served with sliced potatoes and leeks
  

Locally, P.F. Chang's has Pennsylvania locations in Collegeville, Plymouth Meeting, Warrington and Glen Mills and New Jersey locations in Atlantic City, Marlton and Princeton.

Pleasing at Pod

Eating at a Stephen Starr-owned restaurant is the dining equivalent of attending a Broadway musical. While both are given to pomp and circumstance, they usually leave one fulfilled, if not a bit lighter in the wallet.

During a recent dinner visit to Pod, Starr's Asian-fusion concept in Philadelphia's University City (3636 Sansom Street, 215-387-1803), we felt like we were attending opening night, as Starr himself ate at a nearby table in the main dining area. Our party of four was too small to be seated at one of the three semi-private illuminated "pods" but not small enough for the two-seaters that line the long exterior wall. With an Asian movie playing on a video screen behind the conveyor-belt sushi bar and techno music piped in from overhead, our kids were duly impressed with the show going on around them.

We started our meal with a selection from the dim sum menu - a finely chopped chicken-vegetable blend served alongside enormous lettuce leaves for wrapping. Although the kitchen had to substitute for the Thai peanut dressing called for in the recipe, the appetizer did not want for flavor. Before the main course, my wife and older son shared a heaping bowl of edamame pods splashed with coarse sea salt.

After a brief intermission, our server brought out my older son's savory gluten-free stir-fry - a plateful of the largest shrimp any of us had ever seen. The crustaceans were sauteed in a mixture of corn starch, spicy Thai chili and a Mandarin orange sesame glaze and tossed with Chinese broccoli. My younger son's garlicky macadamia stir-fry, with glossy chunks of white-meat chicken, was not prepared gluten free but easily could have been modified. While none of us opted for Pod's sushi, it too can be made safe for gluten-free diners.

Our one disappointment was the absence of an appealing dessert to share. Only the restaurant's selection of sorbets are gluten free. A flourless torte would have matched ably with the glutenous options on the menu and would have brought the curtain down fittingly on an otherwise superb performance.

The Wei to Go

Pei Wei Asian Diner is the casual offshoot of P.F. Chang's China Bistro, both of which offer gluten-free menu options. Pei Wei was established in 2000 in Arizona, and now has more than 150 locations in 21 states serving pan-Asian cuisine. Every item on the menu is priced under $10.

One of Pei Wei's four area locations is in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where we've dined in and, more recently, taken out dinner there. (The others are in Moorestown, New Jersey, Springfield, Pennsylvania and on the Philadelphia side of City Line Avenue.)

Pei Wei offers the following gluten-free items: Vietnamese chicken rolls wrapped in rice paper, Asian chopped chicken salad, wok-seared spicy chicken and shrimp salads, spicy chicken and shrimp with chile vinegar sauce, and sweet-and-sour chicken and shrimp. My older son enjoys the Vietnamese rolls and sweet-and-sour chicken, which comes with a side of brown or white rice. While extra chicken and shrimp can be ordered for an additional charge, the regular portions are generous.

When eating in, diners place their orders at a counter, where they're handed order numbers. Customers then place the numbers in stands at their tables in the dining room so that servers can bring the food as it's finished cooking.

Online ordering for take-out is a snap. From Pei Wei's home page, click on "Order Online," then search for the nearest location. From there, select "Online Ordering Available" next to the location you're picking up from. On the next screen, you'll select a pick-up date and time, then click on "Continue." From there, select the "Gluten Free" menu on the left. You'll see the following screen (click to enlarge):

At this screen, you can select the quantity and customize your order. After adding all items to your order, select "Checkout" on the right. If you already have an account, you'll enter your information on the next page; if not, you'll be prompted to create an account. You are then asked for your payment method (at the restaurant or in advance by credit card), followed by a page asking you to review and submit the order. Of course, if you don't want to set up an account, you can always order the old-fashioned way and call it in!

I like ordering online because it allows me to customize orders and ensure that orders are placed accurately. If you haven't already tried online ordering from Pei Wei, you can receive 25 percent off your first order under $100. Hurry, though, because that discount offer expires on November 1, 2009.

Pretty Fine Chow

P.F. Chang's China Bistro was one of the first "chain" restaurants in the United States to introduce a gluten-free menu. We're fortunate to have an outpost nearby in Marlton, New Jersey, where we went Sunday night for dinner. (Other Delaware Valley locations include Glen Mills, Plymouth Meeting and Warrington, Pennsylvania and Princeton and Atlantic City, New Jersey.)

We started with the gluten-free lettuce wraps appetizer, half a head of iceberg lettuce served with seasoned ground chicken and vegetable filling. Our older son ordered the savory Philip's Better Lemon Chicken as his dinner entree - cubes of chicken are coated with cornstarch and sauteed, served with broccoli in a sweet lemon sauce. His order included a side of rice. The restaurant serves numerous gluten-free chicken and seafood entrees and one noodle dish, Singapore Street Noodles.

For dessert, we all shared a flourless chocolate dome cake, served with berries and drizzled with raspberry sauce. If only they had gluten-free fortune cookies!

The entire menu is available for take-out as well. I also noticed that the Marlton location serves Redbridge beer, which is listed on the cocktail menu. The other area outposts may carry it as well, but you can call ahead to check whether they do or don't.

P.F. Chang's recently started distributing a loyalty card called the "Warrior Card." The offers vary; in June, for example, presenting the card to the server entitles diners to 10 percent off the bill. Diners can sign up for the card on the restaurant's website or by completing a form at the restaurant.