Restaurants

Aux Petits Delices

Finally, the time has come: my first bakery review! As a fellow gluten-free foodie, you know as well as I do that bakeries contain all the wheat flour filled goodies that we are deprived of. Is this a gluten-free bakery? Sadly no. But it has many gluten-free treats for us to munch on along side with our friends!

This fine French bakery is well known for its pastries, chocolates, and cakes. Located in the heart of Wayne, PA, its one of the “Main Line’s” best bakeries. You absolutely must try the handmade chocolates. Simply ask which ones are not contaminated with gluten. My favorites include the Louvre, a white chocolate with the center of marinated raspberries, and the Hazelnut Diamond, a milk chocolate filled with hazelnut cream and fresh hazelnut. They are simply divine!

You may be thinking, okay, I’ve got to try some fancy chocolates, but any baked goods? Well, of course! The French bakery offers a specialty gluten-free cake menu. I have ordered one of these cakes (made of almond flour and potato starch) almost every year when my birthday rolls around. My two favorites are Citronelle which is an almond cake with lemon filling, and Delice which is a chocolate mousse with hazelnut crunch. I have yet to try all five year-round gluten-free options. And I’ve heard the macaroons (gluten-free) are just scrumptious!*

Cheers,

Anika

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* I finally got around to trying the macaroons and would definitely vouch for them! The vanilla bean and raspberry ones are my favorite.

Chima

For a celebratory Mother’s Day dinner in the city, I dined at Chima in Philadelphia. Now don’t confuse Chima, a Brazilian steakhouse, for Chifa, a restaurant I previously blogged about having a Chinese Peruvian fusion cuisine. Chima is a chain restaurant that has locations along the East Coast. Now, if you have never been to a Brazilian steakhouse, you must try it! If you have been to one, like Fogo de Chao, Chima follows a similar concept. You are presented with three courses: a self-serve salad bar, meats that are brought to your table with the flip of a card, and of course, the much awaited dessert. The waiter was kind enough to ask the manager to print out a gluten-free menu for my convenience. He also offered to make originally glutinous meats without the pre-made seasoning that contained gluten. They were flexible and ready to make accommodations, but the service was rather slow.

The salad bar, personally my favorite course, was laid out in a self-serve buffet style. I had a delicious Endives Salad with blue cheese and pecans as well as a hearty vegetable soup that I would recommend to all. Following the salads, cold cuts, cheeses, and soups, I flipped my card over to the green-colored side(indicating I was ready for some meat!). Waiters came over with chicken wrapped in juicy bacon, a salmon accompanied by a passionfruit sauce. I was in for a treat! After flipping my card from red to green and feasting on the cheese balls and polenta that were complementary to the table, I enjoyed the final course:dessert. Although I was slightly limited in my choices, I settled on a refreshing palette cleanser, raspberry sorbet. Although the trek to the city can be time consuming, the unique Brazilian cuisine, is worth your time and taste!

Cheers,

Anika

The Melting Pot

This past weekend I celebrated my birthday with some friends at The Melting Pot. I honestly couldn’t recommend a better place for a leisurely sit down lunch for those with a real appetite!

We had three courses: the cheese fondue, salad, and chocolate fondue. And YES, there were gluten-free options for all courses, so I enjoyed all the food! Since we went in a rather large group, we ordered three different kinds of cheese fondue: Fiesta, Spinach Artichoke, and Traditional Swiss. My personal favorite is dipping broccoli into the Spinach Artichoke. As for the salad, everyone was given Caesar Salads (it was a pre-planned luncheon- more details on that later). The crusted pine nuts were definitely the highlight of the salad. And the best for last, the chocolate fondues! We did three chocolate fondues: the Flaming Turtle, Cookies N’ Cream Marshmallow Dream, and Yin & Yang. Now, you may be thinking well Cookies N’ Cream doesn’t sound gluten-free, and you’re right, it isn’t. I decided for everyone’s convenience that I would stick to one chocolate fondue, so the others could put their glutinous dippers into the chocolate. So, I might be slightly biased when I say the Flaming Turtle was my favorite!

Now, that I have your mouths watering (hopefully!), here’s the behind the scenes. If you’re just looking for a nice lunch or dinner with the family or a few friends, you can walk on in, ask for a table with two burners (so their dippers don’t contaminate your fondue) and start selecting from the gluten-free menu. It’s that easy! If you’re looking to organize a bigger party with gluten-free accommodations, make sure that you call when you book the party to inform them if the whole party is gluten-free or just one person. Then you get to decide whether you want everyone to pour the fondue on their dippers, or if you are going to select one or two fondues that are going to be gluten-free dippers only. The staff was great, the fondue was delicious, and I would recommend The Melting Pot any day!

Cheers!

Anika

White Dog Cafe

Meal #1

After an early morning crew practice, I was treated out to a brunch at the White Dog Café in Philadelphia. I had previously been to the branch in the suburbs, but this was my first time going to the original White Dog! I loved the city location and atmosphere, but one of the greatest highlights was the convenience in terms of gluten-free options. Their select brunch menu clearly labeled all gluten-free options. I had a spinach salad with gilled chicken, honey-glazed almonds, golden raisins, and vinaigrette. I also ordered a hot-spiced chai tea, which was perfect for the weather. Overall, a great restaurant with unique options that I am glad to be able to try!

Meal #2

When dining at White Dog on a Saturday night, I was treated to some new dishes that I had not tried before! As the weather is getting warmer, I went for my usual spinach salad with White Dog’s iced tea (I would recommend it—it comes in a Mason Jar!). But after my main meal was the real treat. I tried two incredible ice cream flavors, and a strangely appetizing sorbet. The maple walnut ice cream was delicious, but I favored the honey ice cream. As for the sorbet, I had avocado sorbet! It was unlike anything I had tasted before. For those who are adventurous in their food choices, but typically held back when its not gluten-free, I strongly recommend these desserts on warm day!

Cheers!

Anika

Gluten-free bread rolls now served at the White Dog in Wayne

Legal Sea Foods

This is by far my favorite seafood restaurant in town, when it comes to gluten free options. They have a wonderful gluten-free menu (the menus are all online, by location) packed with many originally wheat-filled options!

I would even consider some of my favorites as my comfort foods. From the Hot Lump Crap Dip to the Crispy Montauk Calamari, their selection never disappoints! Additionally, they have excellent gluten-free poppy seed rolls that your server will bring out along with the wheat rolls to start you off. After my meal, I usually order a dozen of these buns to take home because they are so great! Although most of their dishes never fail to please, I would not recommend the Lite Clam Chowder if you are expecting a creamy, thick, New England-style chowder. When they say “lite”, they mean it. This is a thin, almost watery soup. Overall though, it’s one of my regulars, for sure.

Chifa

Those who are looking for an exotic twist on some delicious gluten-free dishes in Philadelphia, Chifa is the place to be. My family and I discovered this Peruvian and Cantonese restaurant about two years ago, and it’s most definitely a family favorite! The waiters were a great help in identifying gluten-free options.

My personal favorite was something I usually miss out on: the rolls! Whether it be Olive Garden or Bertucci’s the fresh rolls with olive oil are something we must skip. But in Chifa, they have complimentary yucca-flour manchego cheese rolls that come with a tangy guava dipping sauce on the side. These gluten-free rolls are incredible and arguably the best part of the meal! They were so good that we had the chef pack half a dozen rolls to go!

P.F. Chang’s

P.F. Chang’s has been a family favorite for years as it brings back fond memories. Every time my cousins visit Philly or we fly down south, we always manage to find time to have one meal at this restaurant. It’s the place where we tried to teach my left-handed cousin how to eat with chopsticks and where I celebrated my 12th (or was it 13th?) birthday with a couple of gals. It’s the wonderful memories and experiences that keep us coming back.

Anyways, to what you’re really interested in, “what’s in it for me? gluten-free?” Well, they have an excellent gluten-free menu (check it out!), which they do update as they discover new gluten-free dishes. And the servers are very well informed. And sometimes when it’s a large party, they serve the gluten-free foods on black-trimmed plates with the P.F. Chang’s trademark, so it’s easily distinguishable which is a nice touch.

From much past experience, I can say the GF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps are my go-to appetizer, and the GF Philip’s Better Lemon Chicken and GF Chang’s Spicy Chicken are entrees that never disappoint. I have heard that the GF Chang’s Spicy Chicken is comparable to the glutinous General Tso’s Chicken that one can order at nearly any Chinese takeout restaurant. The taste and texture of PF Chang’s GF chicken is as close as it gets to the flavors of the breaded favorite. At least that’s what my brother claims.

Now to dessert, I don’t even glance at the menu for this course! The GF Flourless Chocolate Dome is rich and chocolately in taste. It is heavenly with a raspberry sauce drizzled along the side. I would highly recommend it, but remember to save room!

Cheers,

Anika