The Pizza Studio (on Figueroa @ USC)

*Update*  I'm afraid I was "glutened" by cross-contamination.  I'm a little bummed out because there aren't really any GF options near USC.  Now I get to look forward to a weekend of discomfort :(

Pizza was good...not quite on par with Fresh Brothers, but I will definitely be returning. Here is a list of my GF observations:

Pros:

1. Employee said there was a separate machine for prepping GF dough.

2. All three employees on the line automatically changed gloves without me asking.

3. The last employee to touch my pizza before it went in the oven asked me if I had an allergy (I assume to communicate it to whoever else would touch it?)

4. Employee at register pulled my ticket up and immediately said "Allergy!". Assured me pizza wouldn't touch the cutting surface that everyone else's pizzas did. (I was keeping an eye on what I thought was my pizza and I could tell she could sense my anxiety.)

5. Unlimited toppings! (with a $2.00 extra for GF)

Warning:

1. Tomato Basil sauce ladle makes contact with all crusts and then is put back in the sauce. Employee said no other option for the red sauce, so I had to use basil pesto which was not applied with a ladle. (this was a bummer...I was craving a red saucy pizza!)

2. No color coding system to separate GF pizzas. It was very hard to keep an eye on my pizza to make sure they didn't use the regular pizza roller or place it on the surface that all other crusts touch. They need to use a different pan/different color for the GF crust. Being so busy and essentially an assembly-line, I can imagine how it would be very easy to forget or overlook which is GF. Although the girl at the register assured me different utensils would be used, the one moment I took my eyes away from the pizza it was cut and boxed. I didn't get to watch...so I have to trust them BUT again, there was no color coding on any of the utensils so had I been watching, there was no way for me to confirm that the utensils/surface was GF :/

Cutting Station concerns:

- Pans (Do they reuse them before washing?)

- Tongs (Not color-coded; does not appear to be labeling)

- Cutting service/board (Same as above)

- Pizza roller (Same as above)

- Brush used to wipe [olive oil?] on pizza crust after cooked (Same as above)

- Container with [olive oil?] (Same as above...needs to be separate container)

3. Ingredients/sauces not labeled as GF...so make sure to double check everything right down to the pepperoni!

4. Nothing on the menu that talks about GF prep procedures. Luckily, the employees seemed knowledgeable; but, I think they could attract more of us GF-ers with a mention on the menu. It would help us understand their procedures and help us individually determine whether we can eat their pizza safely, depending on our sensitivity levels.

5. The GF crust is pretty bland--but it is edible, unlike some other GF crusts. They should really think about adding some herbs and garlic to the dough. I have a feeling the composition is mainly rice flour; but, there is no ingredient list.

Margarita Monday!

Bear with me, I'm using the blogger app for the first time.

Today I made a trip to Sprouts, with a recent Whole Foods receipt in hand, to try to find my gluten free staples at a lower price. And, it was a successful trip. For one, I stocked up on Glutino crackers for $2 less per box then at Whole Foods. While I was there, I was inspired to have a taco night.

We had tequila in the freezer and, luckily, I bought enough limes to make margaritas! Our spontaneous gluten free margaritas included fresh lime juice, OJ, light agave and milagro tequila. We adjusted the ratios to taste, added some salt to the rim and, voile! Margarita Monday was born!

For our tacos, I found a tasty, authentic, gluten free corn tortilla (see image below.)

The Good Cookies (Torrance, CA)

We went to the Studio City Farmer's Market this weekend and sampled a few items from The Good Cookies in Torrance, CA.   The bakery is gluten free and has many vegan items as well.

Zucchini Muffin:  Oh. My. God.  This was FANTASTIC!  It was moist and tastey and I cannot wait to get another one next weekend!

*Update:  May not be the correct name for the cookie.  Ingredients included raisins, peanut butter, cocunut and possibly oatmeal*  "The Choc-o-holic" cookie:  Yummy!  I always appreciate when gluten free bakery items don't crumble all over the place while eating them.  We bought a pack of six and ate them all within 8 hours of getting home.  From what I remember, this cookie stayed intact.  If you like chewy cookies, this cookie is a little on the dryer/crunchier side.

We also sampled a coconut and almond cookie.  It wasn't as memorable as the choc-o-holic, but it was still good!

Link:  http://www.thegoodcookies.com/

Best GF Pizza: Fresh Brothers

I am always craving pizza.   Always.   I kept hearing about Fresh Brothers and their gluten free crust and eventually I had to try it, and boy is it amazing!  Plus, they have great GF boneless buffalo wings.  We've added Fresh Brothers to our gluten free repertoire and eat there about once a week!  The one downside is that while they deliver, they don't deliver to our home, despite being only 3 miles away :( 

Fresh Brothers is also a "GREAT" kitchen.  Here is the statement from their menu:

"Fresh Brothers has prepared this suggested list of menu options based on the most up-to-date ingredient information from our food suppliers & their stated absence of gluten/wheat gluten protein within these items. Please be aware that during normal kitchen operations, the possibility exists for food items to come into contact with wheat/gluten proteins. This restaurant is a GREAT kitchen, educated to serve customers on a gluten-free diet. GREAT is a training program of the National Foundation of Celiac Awareness."

Here's the link to the GF menu:  http://www.freshbrothers.com/menu.html#GFMenu

The Melting Pot!

The Melting Pot has the most GF options of any menu that I've seen so far.  For the most part, the items are identical to the regular menu, with some substitutions to the dipping items. 

Here is what the menu says:

"This menu and the information on it is provided by The Melting Pot, in cooperation with the Gluten Intolerance Group® (GIG®), as a service to our guests. The Melting Pot and GIG® assume no responsibility for its use and information which has not been verified by The Melting Pot. Guests are encouraged, to their own satisfaction, to consider this information in light of their individual requirements and needs. Updated 8/20/2012."

I don't know anything about the Gluten Intolerance Group, or what their requirements are.  I plan to do a little research this afternoon to see what their standards are as far as kitchen prep, etc.

The waiter seemed knowledgeable about the gluten-free menu.  He knew which items to substitute and pointed out that I should avoid the Teriyaki-marinated sirloin because it had gluten (bonus points for the soy sauce knowledge!)  He asked me if I had a gluten intolerance and he said that he has never served someone with an actual intolerance or allergy, but only those who are going GF to "diet."  (To which I rolled my eyes because the cheese fondue alone is probably 500+ calories even without the bread!)

My only concern is that not once did he mention or ask about Celiac, nor did the menu refer to Celiac.  The combination of the disclaimer on the menu and the lack of mention made me question whether the menu was really geared towards those who are only "gluten intolerant" and not to Celiacs.  This also led me to question whether the wait staff/kitchen staff is educated on cross-contamination issues.  One specific concern of mine was the cheese used in the fondue.  The waiter brought a bowl of shredded cheese to prepare the cheese fondue.   I don't know if the kitchen shredded the cheese or they order it pre-shredded; but, it was perfectly shredded, like Kraft Cheese at the grocery store.  I almost asked, but didn't since I am still ridding my body of gluten from that barley-containing yogi tea :( I'm not sure how picky the Gluten Intolerance Group is, or if they allow for negligible amounts of gluten (i.e. flour/product used to keep the cheese from sticking together.)  Again, I will do a little more research on this later this afternoon. 

We ordered the "Four Course Classic" ($90 for 2, $45 for each additional person).  These were our selections:

(1) Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue w/apples, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and corn tortilla chips instead of bread.  While the cheese fondue itself was very tasty, cheese fondue is just not the same without bread :( The Melting Pot should really consider bringing in some GF bread!

(2) The Melting Pot House Salad w/no croutons, no onions, dressing on side

(3) "Mojo" Cooking Style Fondue w/Angus sirloin, Memphis-style BBQ pork tenderloin, white shrimp, herb-crusted chicken.  (We doubled the sirloin to substitute out the Teriyaki-marinated sirloin.) 

(4) Pure Chocolate Fondue w/dark chocolate.   It came with strawberries, bananas, marshmallows.  The menu said that pineapples were to be included, but they forgot ours :(  Normally, the fondue comes with: strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, Rice Krispie Treats, marshmallows, pound cake and brownies.  You can't go wrong with chocolate fondue!

I also ordered the "Yin & Yang" specialty drink, which was also on the GF menu.

Chipotle is GF! But...

**Update!**

I went to Chipotle for dinner after discovering that everything (supposedly) was GF except the flour tortillas.  While the individual items may be gluten free, there is a definite cross-contamination issue.

Warnings if you are sensitive to cross-contamination:

1.  The first employee in the line touches flour tortillas.  I noticed that she also touched the inside of the bowls and the handles of the salad tongs, which happened to fall into the lettuce each time.  Solution?  Ask the employee to change gloves and do not order a salad (unless they can bring out a new container of lettuce.)

2.  The employee that adds the salsa, lettuce, sour cream, etc. touches flour tortillas and the lettuce and cheese.  This person rolls the burritos but also grabs the lettuce and cheese with his/her hand, therefore contaminating the lettuce and cheese.  Solution?  Skip the lettuce and cheese!

Original Post:

I've been skeptical about eating at Chipotle since going GF.  However, according to Chipotle's website, everything except the flour tortillas are gluten free!  Here's what they have to say:

"Gluten Intolerance/Celiac Disease

Most people wanting to avoid gluten can eat anything we serve except for our large and small flour tortillas. Everything else is fine to eat for most people wanting to avoid gluten, including our crispy corn tacos and our corn chips. However, you should know that it's possible our corn may have a small amount of gluten from potentially co-mingling with gluten-containing grains in the field. If you are highly sensitive and would like us to change our gloves, we would be happy to do that at your request. Additionally, because our folks work with wheat tortillas all day long, there may be the possibility of cross-contact in our restaurants. We encourage you to carefully consider your dining choices."

You can find this information (and other allergen info) from: http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/special_diet_information/special_diet_information.aspx

Breakaway Bakery (Los Angeles, CA)

Yesterday, I made a trip to Breakaway Bakery on my way home.   Traffic was awful and I almost decided not to make the stop and just get home.  But I am so glad that I didn't!

According to their website, the bakery's products contain "no gluten, wheat, dairy, casein, peanuts, gums, soy*, treanuts*, or preservatives."  If I can recall correctly, everything is gluten-free, but not everything is vegan.  (I apologize if I am incorrect on that!)

I was blown away with all of the options--cookies, brownies, bars, cakes, cupcakes, buns, breads, bagels, donuts...you name it.  I purchased a "Figaroll" with orange, a couple oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, mini vegan chocolate donuts, mint brownie dippers and a loaf of bread.  I've tried everything but the bread so far.  The mint brownie dippers are my favorite.  The Figaroll was great and it would be perfect with tea or coffee.  I am eating the vegan donut as I type and surprisingly, it actually does not taste "vegan."  I've had a few different donuts from Babycakes NYC and I have mixed feelings about those.   I think that Breakaway does a better job with the frosting and compensating for no dairy.  Plus, I'm pretty sure I purchased double the amount of goods from Breakaway than I do at Babycakes.

Another note:  The woman at the bakery told me that they bake their breads on Tuesdays.  On Thursdays, they bake Challah bread, which can also be ordered in bagel-form.  You can custom order any of their breads and add things such as jalapenos, etc.

The only downside is that the neighborhood is not so nice, but nevertheless, I will definitely return!  

Address:  
5264 W. Pico Blvd. LA, CA 90019 
Phone: (310) 968-9380 

 http://breakawaybakery.com/