News & Notes: January 28, 2011

I've thrown in the towel and concede that winter has defeated me. Of course, no one can see the towel as it is buried somewhere under the piles of snow outside my house. On the bright side, though, Phillies pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in a mere 16 days from now.

With Spring comes Passover and, as I wrote this week, there are new gluten-free cereals, baking mixes and even matzo-style crackers that should be readily available when the holiday rolls around. Typically, Passover products begin trickling into markets about a month ahead of time, so I expect that these and other gluten-free items will first show up in mid-March.

Virtually the entire menu at Fort Washington's new Mexican restaurant Cantina Feliz (424 South Bethlehem Pike, 215-646-1320) is gluten free. In addition, the BBQ Chicken Huarache and the Cantina Wedge Salad can be made gluten free if ordered without the Cabrales blue cheese, according to executive chef Tim Spinner. The grouper used for the Baja Fish Tacos is battered with rice flour and coated with a plantain and nacho crust, and the fryer is 100 percent gluten free. For dessert, there's the Mexican Chocolate Crema (sans malted milk mousse) as well as assorted ice creams and sorbets.

Sampan, a pan-Asian restaurant in Center City (124 South 13th Street, 215-732-3501), now has a gluten-free menu. Just be sure to ask that the fries accompanying the filet mignon be pan-fried in clean cookware and not deep-fried (or request another side).

Ry's Bagels' second location in Glassboro (800 North Delsea Drive, 856-270-2575) has Udi's bagels.

I've added a link to the current gluten-free menu for Tinto in Center City on my restaurants page.

All Marathon Grill locations in Philadelphia serve Green's Discovery gluten-free beer, while Fairmount's Lucky 7 Tavern (747 North 25th Street, 215-232-7736) and Chelsea Tavern in Wilmington (821 North Market Street, 302-482-3333) have Redbridge beer.

Updating some earlier product mentions, Feel Good Foods' chicken dumplings are now sold locally at Water to Go in Pennsauken, $7.49 for a box of eight. They steamed up nicely in a skillet and tasted great. The dumplings need to be tended to in preparation so that they don't stick to the pan; just follow the directions on the package.

Ian's onion rings are now at Whole Foods, and on their way there are Kim & Scott's soft pretzels.

Look for Utz's new Rice Crisps at your local market. The brown rice tortilla chips come in three varieties: Sea Salt, Sweet Chili and Salsa Fresca.

Schar broke ground this week on its new gluten-free production facility in Gloucester County. The plant is set to be online in March 2012 and will turn out, among other items, bagels. Thanks to reader Mark M. for the heads-up.

Don't forget to join the new Gluten Free Philly Facebook page and follow my Twitter feed for late-breaking information. Have a wonderful (hopefully snow-free) weekend!

Gefen Records

As I've mentioned in prior posts, many kosher for Passover products are made gluten free. Also sometimes labeled as non gebrokts, those products are prepared without wheat, barley, spelt, oats and rye for religious reasons. New items are introduced every year, and some - like Shabtai Gourmet, whose gluten-free cakes and cookies at one time were made only for the holiday - satisfy demand all year long.

With that in mind, Kedem Food Products, in association with the Celiac Disease Foundation, has expanded their all-natural gluten-free products to include a year-round line of Gefen-brand cereals and cake, cookie and frosting mixes. In addition, the company will debut Yehuda-brand Gluten Free Matzo-Style Squares for Passover this Spring.

The new King Krunch cereals come in four varieties: Frosted Flakes, Fruity Rings, Honey Rings and Chocolate Rings. Although the brownie and chocolate cookies are not new, they previously were only sold for Passover. Premiering this year are a chocolate cake mix, chocolate and vanilla frosting mixes, and sugar-free coffee, chocolate and yellow cake mixes.

The matzo-style squares will be a new option for the holiday, and should make for a much less expensive option than the gluten-free oat matzos that have been available for Passover the last few years. The crackers are made with tapioca starch, water, potato starch, potato flour, expeller-pressed palm oil, natural vinegar, egg yolks, honey and salt.

The best bet for finding these products is in the kosher section of your local supermarket. If the store carries other Gefen products, chances are the manager can order these for you upon request.

News & Notes: January 21, 2011

If you didn't yet "like" the new Gluten Free Philly Facebook page, you missed out on posts about limited-time half-off deals at local establishments Sonata and Cupcakes Gourmet, which have gluten-free options, and one reader's experience at Kokopelli in Center City. Join the online community and contribute today!

Stay tuned for area locations where you can find the new vending machines from Snack Like a Local, which I wrote about this week. The machines will carry a number of regionally made gluten-free snacks and beverages.

Some tri-state restaurant info to pass along. In Wilmington, Domaine Hudson (1314 North Washington Street, 302-655-9463) can accommodate gluten-free requests. According to the chef, the kitchen has gluten-free crackers for cheese and charcuterie, and during prep and service all items are prepared and held with dedicated utensils. The restaurant also serves gluten-free beer and hard ciders.

Reader Daria D. recommends the White Dog Cafe in Wayne (200 West Lancaster Avenue, 610-225-3700), where she enjoyed gluten-free raisin French toast for Sunday brunch. For now, the bread is only available on Sundays and reservations are recommended so that the kitchen has notice of gluten-free requests.

The Ebbitt Room, located at the Virginia Hotel in Cape May (25 Jackson Street, 609-884-5700), can also cater to gluten-free diners with 24 hours notice.

I have two new bakeries to highlight this week. First, Aux Petits Delices in Wayne (162 East Lancaster Avenue, 610-971-0300) has a gluten-free pastry menu and can also prepare wedding cakes. The gluten-free items are made on a separate floor of the bakery using almond flour and potato starch.

Princeton's Moonlight Bakers makes a variety of gluten-free cakes and cookies. The company's chewy chocolate-nut squares are sold at Whole Earth Center in Princeton. Although the desserts are made in a shared commercial kitchen, the bakery's hours there are such that its gluten-free products are made when others are handling wheat flour. In addition, bakers Marilyn Besner and Piroska Toth use certain supplies and utensils just for the gluten-free items.

I'm not sure why Post Cereals didn't publicize this when it recently promoted the gluten-free status of Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles, but the company's Marshmallow Pebbles have been reformulated and are now safe. The new boxes proclaim that the cereal is "new and improved," so check the label at the store, as the old version (with wheat) is still floating around.

Reader Eve B. let me know that our family's favorite gluten-free Italian pasta, Le Veneziane, now comes in farfalle. It's available online from U.S. distributor Quattrobimbi.

With Chocolate Dips, Jelly Belly bean flavors of Very Cherry, Raspberry, Strawberry, Coconut and Orange have been drenched in chocolate. Another new product, Peas & Carrots mellocreme mix, is revived from the company's antique candy molds. The "baby carrots" are mellocreme candy in orange sherbet flavor and the "peas" are green apple flavor. They will begin to ship to stores nationwide by February.

The Giant supermarket in Kennett Square is celebrating the expansion of its gluten-free and natural foods section with samples and an information fair on Saturday, January 29 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. A basket filled with gluten-free products will be raffled off.

The next Supper Club dinner will be held on Monday, February 7 at Joseph Poon Chinese Kitchen in Chinatown, where the group will celebrate the Chinese New Year with a multi-course feast. Seating is at 7:30 p.m. For more information about the club or plans for the dinner, e-mail reader Adriana Z.

Finally this week, I wanted to let people know that registration for Camp Celiac in Rhode Island opens on Tuesday, February 1; the camp will run this summer from August 7-12. For parents interested in a Jewish sleepaway camp, several New Jersey Y Camps in the Poconos will have a separate gluten-free kitchen beginning this summer, according to a recent article in the New Jersey Jewish News (thanks to Gluten Free Fun blogger Erin for tweeting this story). In fact, registration is now open for the camps' two-night Celiac Family Weekend on June 10-12. If the sample schedule is any indication, lots of fun activities are planned. The cost is $250 per adult; kids under 18 are free.

Have a great weekend!

Welcome to the Machine

There's been a movement across the country of late to replace the junk food dispensed from vending machines with healthier fare. In Philadelphia, Meg Widholm aims to take this one step further. Her company, Snack Like a Local, plans as early as February to offer a diverse selection of snacks and drinks - including gluten-free ones - made in the tri-state area.

A computer programmer by trade, Widholm wanted to continue that work while helping local businesses flourish. "I was literally seeking a way to balance these and I saw a vending machine at the right moment and the concept struck me," she says.

No M&Ms, Cokes and Lay's potato chips here. Widholm intends to carry gluten-free items such as YC Chocolate confections, Fulton's Dairy lemonade, and products from The Greenwood Kitchen. The machines will include a "suggestion box" so that people can provide input and feedback on the snacks. Widholm is scouting locations now - salons, clothing outlets and furniture stores are possibilities - with plans to roll out as many as five machines at the start. The spots will be posted on the company's website and Facebook page.

News & Notes: January 14, 2011

It took a mid-week snowstorm to prompt me, but I finally created a Gluten Free Philly page on Facebook. Just "like" the page and join in the discussion. You can share your thoughts on area restaurants and favorite products, post topics in the forum, and more.

On Tuesday, I shared word of the new Asian dumplings from Feel Good Foods. The dumplings will be making their way to area markets shortly, but can be ordered as soon as next week from the Gluten-Free Mall.

In Center City, new Southwestern and tapas spot Kokopelli (1904 Chestnut Street, 215-557-7510) maintains a menu annotated with gluten-free items, ranging from soups and salads to seafood and sides. Just ask for the menu when checking in at the restaurant.

Giovanni's in Quakertown (224 North West End Boulevard, 215-538-2120) offers gluten-free pizza in a 10" size.

New reader John L. writes that Zinc Cafe, a New American BYOB in Medford (679 Stokes Road, 609-953-9462) is gluten-free-friendly.

Maize, a New American BYO in Perkasie (519 West Walnut Street, 215-257-2264) can accommodate gluten-free dietary requests. Thanks to reader Kathy W. for the tip.

Cafe Monterosso has relocated from Yardley to Fairless Hills (530 Lincoln Highway, 215-295-1311, near the Langhorne Ski Shop. The restaurant still offers gluten-free pizza, pasta and dessert.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries has opened new locations in Conshohocken (200 West Ridge Pike, 610-825-5557) and in Center City Philadelphia (1109 Walnut Street, 215-238-9955).

P.F. Chang's China Bistro has continued its Warrior Card program into the new year, offering holders 10 percent off their guest checks. To sign up for the card, go to the Warrior Card page of the restaurant's web site.

Reader Manisha A. let me know about two Hockessin, Delaware coffee shops that have gluten-free sweets: Bishops Coffee Shop (6949 Lancaster Pike, 302-239-7579) and Over Coffee Cafe (144 Lantana Drive, 302-239-5353).

To celebrate its first birthday, Sweet Freedom Bakery will be giving away mini cupcakes to the first 100 customers tomorrow, beginning at noon. Also find free samples from the bakery at Rescue Rittenhouse Spa on Saturdays throughout January.

The Handcrafted Cookie Company in Phoenixville, which bakes gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, will be closing February 28. On the bakery's Facebook page, the owners cite family priorities as the reason.

Reader Jackie P. wrote in to tell me that Post's Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles cereals have new packaging that trumpets their gluten free status. In addition, Post has introduced 90-calorie Pebbles-branded marshmallow treats that are gluten free.

You're probably not thinking about eating Italian ices at this time of year, but there are Rita's locations open year-round at area malls. The company's newly available Cheesecake Cream Ice is gluten free.

Kikkoman's new gluten-free soy sauce is a Tamari-style soy sauce brewed with rice instead of wheat. Take note, though, that the sodium content (960 mg per one-tablespoon serving) is high compared with reduced-sodium, gluten-free soy sauces produced by San-J, La Choy and Kari-Out. 

Ever imagine eating M&Ms without the candy shell? Hershey's has introduced new chocolate candies called Drops that, through the means of modern science, can help you attain that previously unachievable goal. Both the Milk Chocolate and - more significantly - the Cookies 'n' Creme flavors are gluten free.

HomeFree has just re-launched its soft-baked oatmeal cookies and mini oatmeal chip cookies as gluten free, using gluten-free oats. The company says it uses care in its facility to prevent cross-contamination, tests random batches, and utilizes a certified gluten-free facility. You can use the store-finder feature on Home Free's website or order directly from the company.

Adding to its seasonal varieties, gluten-free bakery Kinnikinnick Foods now has cinnamon-apple donuts. The treat is made with apple puree and cinnamon, topped with a cinnamon glaze and hot-pink cinnamon icing. The donuts are available until February 28 and can be ordered online or by phone at 1-877-503-4466.

The Viking Cooking School's "Gluten-Free Gourmet" class in Bryn Mawr next Tuesday is sold out, but there's a similar course at the Atlantic City location on Thursday, March 17.

The Cape May County Library will host a gluten-free cooking demonstration by chef James Harris on Saturday, January 29. Chef Harris, of Harrah's Resorts in Atlantic City, will prepare a menu consisting of gluten-free pizzas, wraps and pasta dishes. The event will begin at 1 p.m. at the main branch of the library, 30 Mechanic Street in Cape May Court House. Registration and a valid library card are required to attend. Register online or by calling 609-463-6350.

Also on January 29, local vendors and natural-foods companies will be sampling gluten-free products at Weavers Way Co-op in Chestnut Hill. The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness will be there to answer questions and give out information. This event is open to the public and will run from noon to 4 p.m.

Finally this week, I wanted to give thanks to Amy Ratner, the associate editor of Gluten-Free Living magazine. Her recent blog post about the maturation of her daughter, who has celiac disease, really struck a chord with me and my wife. Even if you don't have kids on a gluten-free diet, it's a good read.

Have a great weekend!