Category: Restaurants

The Oak Barrel

Valley View

I much enjoyed lunch yesterday at The Oak Barrel.  They have an extensive gluten free menu and the server was very knowledgeable and made several trips to the kitchen confirming french fries were gluten free, but the house made blue corn chips were not made in a dedicated fryer.  They do not have GF bread, so you would have to byob (bring your own bun) for a burger.  I had the Yucatan BBQ Pork taco, sans shell, and the tender well-flavored pork was served platter style with a bowl of tasty slaw.  I did not miss the shell.  I also tried the Chef’s Garden Pickled Vegetables and was treated to a nice selection of pickled radish, carrot and rutabaga slices in addition to the expected cucumber.  There are a number of vegetarian friendly menu items.  The server said the restaurant would soon announce a Sunday brunch menu and promised it would have gluten free options.

5975 Canal Rd.
Valley View, Ohio 44125
216.520.3640

Gluten Free items are listed on the menu.

D’Agnese’s Trattoria and Cafe

Akron

Eileen shares:

D’Agnese’s Trattoria and Cafe at White pond is extremely gluten free
friendly. It is a very pretty restaurant with white table cloths.  They
offer gluten free pasta and will guide you to dishes that are or can be made
GF. They are very careful to ask if bread can even be put on your table.
Last time I was there I was offered two choices of GF cake for dessert. A
waiter came over to our table to rave about one of the Gf cakes and said he
would bet me that I would never know it was GF unless they told me and he
was right.

D’Agnese’s Trattoria and Cafe
566 White Pond Road, Akron
234-678-3612

Soho Kitchen and Bar

Ohio City

Gay says:

We stopped at Soho Kitchen and Bar (1889 W 25th) last Thursday evening (around 9 pm so they were not busy) and I was pleasantly shocked to discover they have taken one of their regular menus and marked the GF options on it.  There are several items in each category of appetizers, salads & soups, and entrees + they have one GF beer (Omission) – which I did not try.  It was not busy so the waitress had the opportunity to chat with me and said the chef is very happy to modify items that are not “naturally” gf.  I had the deviled eggs (wonderful) and the “Carolina Peanut” soup – also very good. This place serves “southern style” foods such as deep fried chicken on waffles –  and those items were not GF.  But, if you are with people going there, you can find a number of things to eat.

2/11/2013 update from Gay:

I returned to Soho Kitchen in the Ohio City neighborhood last week and tried another of their gluten-free dishes.  This time I ordered their shrimp, andouille  sausage and grits entree. I am not  fond of grits but this dish may have made me a believer.  It is divine. Soho Kitchen, 1889 W 25th St., Cleveland 216-298-9090.

 

Has anyone else tried it?  What was your experience?  Please comment below.

GF in Chicago – Restaurant Reviews

Chicago

Judy reports on her recent trip to Chicago:

We had a fabulous time in Chicago.  We went to the German restaurant and Roses Bakery.  Also, a restaurant/bakery called OMG! It’s Gluten Free, which is a gluten free facility.  They had the best chicken fingers.  They specialize in gf lasagna and chicken parmesan.  MaryLou and I both got frozen dinners to take home. They screwed up our order at the table so they gave both of us a free pound of choc chip cookie dough for home baking.  The place is in Frankfort.  But the absolute best of all was the French Cafe that did crepes.  OMG!!!!!  This was the best we have ever had of any gf restaurant!  We went to dinner Wed. night and loved it so much that we did breakfast there too on Thur. It’s a tiny place with 8 small tables and french ambiance with french music.  This french chef (he is literally French Morrocan trained in France) developed his own recipes for gf crepes.  He does savory, dessert, and breakfast crepes. All of the items on the menu can be made gf and he also does dairy free, soy free, corn free,  —  any allergy.  The place is called La France and is located in Lombard.  If you are in the Chicago area, this is an absolute must go.  The chef was so tickled that we would put his restaurant on our website that he kissed my hand.  Yikes!!

Here’s a list of the restaurants:

1) Bavaria Hof Restaurant in Schaumburg, IL – Gluten Free German food and beer Large gluten free menu

2) Rose’s Bakery & Cafe, Central St., Evanston IL. Worth the drive, lunch menu and bakery! GF Pita bread for wraps
Update: Closed.

3) OMG..It’s Gluten Free, Bakery & Café, Frankfort IL

4) La France, Lombard IL,  Gluten Free Crepes!

Wish we had these restaurants in Cleveland.  I might need to take a road trip.

Have you eaten at any of these restaurants?  Feel free to add your favorites to the list.

Dinner at Pura Vida

Pura Vida hosted another GF dinner earlier this week and Mariann shared her experience.

The menu:

1st course:  Shrimp and Grits with Roasted Kale and Barbecue Sauce

2nd course:  Black Quinoa, Seared Scallops with Herb Oil and Mache

3rd course:  Duck Confit, Cassoulet with Lemon Drizzled Spinach
champagne palate soother


4th course:  Vanilla Whipped Cream with Blonde Cranberry Nut Brownie – Topped with a scoop of Pumpkin Ginger Ice Cream and G-F Ginger Snap Cookie

Our meal was divine, each dish perfectly prepared, plated and served!

The wine selections were great too!

 

Check here for details about the GF dinner at Pura Vida last April.

Have you eaten at Pura Vida?  Please share your experience by commenting on this post.