Gluten Freebird

I like to fixate on things. Whether it be tart frozen yogurt, that awful country song about turnip greens or my awesome new green sandals, I make sure to get my fill of what I like.

So when I decided that I liked a little cucumber salad from Proof, I had to have it again. I went running back just three days later for a second helping. When Gluteneer asked what he could make me as a special Friday night dinner, I didn’t hesitate to tell him that I wanted this salad.

The salad was a symphony of flavors and textures. Crisp thinly shaved slices of cucumber, cherry tomatoes that burst with each bite, creamy avocado, the salt and give of bacon (like the best bacon bites you’ll ever try) and the herbal saltiness of green goddess dressing. What more could it possibly need?

Using basil and cucumbers from a friend’s garden, tarragon and a heap of chives from my own crop, Gluteneer managed to one-up the salad with broiled scallops (seasoned with a bit of bacon grease). Simply put, it was the best dinner I could’ve hoped for.

There will be oodles of leftover dressing. Bottle it up and love it. [Read more →]

Everything is colorful, juicy and ripe right now. It’s all I can do not to squeeze or taste every offering at the farmers markets.

Needless to say, the real pain is felt in my wallet, but I am not complaining. I couldn’t care less about bread or croutons or dough when there’s so much bounty about.

Sunday’s visit to the Dupont farmers market yielded tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, garlic and more nectarines. We put it to use in a heat-free dinner.
The vampire-conquering garlic touted itself in a pesto of regular and Thai basil, while the tomatoes flashed their ruby goodness in a makeshift caprese using McEvoy Ranch olive oil.

Put it all outside and you’ve got the makings for a song. I was thinking something along the lines of “whoa-oa those suh-hummer ni-hights.” Stupid Grease is always stealing my ideas (racing cars through ravines, piercing ears at slumber parties and so on).

I stumbled across the Omnivore’s Hundred on a few different food blogs over the weekend. It’s a wild, international list of 100 items that Brit blogger Andrew Wheeler of Very Good Taste thinks every omnivore (or food-lover) should sample

I post my list below. I’m pretty pleased with it. I’ve tried 88 items and am missing things like crocodile, road kill and snake. The items I’ve eaten are in bold.

My favorites have a ♥; the things I love, but cannot eat due to gluten are marked with ♣.

Want to play along? Here’s what to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment on Very Good Taste linking to your results.

Gluten Freebird version of The Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros (With corn tortillas, sunny-side up and fresh guac) ♥ [Read more →]

I am happily involved with nectarines. The perfect balance of sweet, juicy and slightly tart, this year’s crop is outstanding and I’ve escalated the courtship to a full-blown affair.

My favorite nectarines are the white nectarines at Quaker Valley Orchards, a stand you can find at Mt Pleasant, Foggy Bottom and Dupont Circle. It’s all I can do to keep from filling a whole basket with their nectarines each week.

I went a bit overboard last week at the market. (I like to think of my purchases as supporting local industry.) Combine that haul with the brown bag o’ peaches from our CSA and I had fixings for a pie and thensome.

I love to bake pies, but wounded my pride with the failed blueberry pie of last month. So I decided to put myself in the hands of the Gluten-Free Pantry with their Perfect Pie Crust mix.

Part of the problem with gluten-free crusts is that there’s no gluten to hold it as a binding agent. It was nearly impossible for me to stretch the dough to make a lattice, but a bit of patchwork mostly tended to the problem. And the pie? Delicious. It’s probably best out of the fridge than freshly baked because the crust can use the congealed juices (it’s not gross, I promise) to bind it a bit. The gluten-free crust just doesn’t hold together as well, but that’s ok. It’s a summer pie. [Read more →]

I’ve been curious about Lilit Café for quite a while. The Bethesda restaurant functions as a deli, pizzeria, gelateria and beer/wine store. They also very prominently feature a gluten-free menu.

The menu isn’t anything extremely complex, but that’s what I was hoping for. They serve gluten-free crab cakes, grilled cheese, deli sandwiches, and pizza.

The gluten awareness extends throughout the space, with what seems to be the area’s best array of gluten-free beers and a freezer and refrigerator of desserts from Sweet Sin Bakery. (Note: Pay close attention to expiration dates on anything you grab from the bakery - I noticed a few things past their date.)

To continue my unending quest for the best gluten-free pizza, I decided to go ahead and order a pie. The menu includes cheese, veggie, pepperoni, margarita and chicken, but I went for the day’s special of spinach and feta. And how’d it rate? [Read more →]

Restaurant Week is back. In years past, it was a week of $20-something lunches with $30-something dinners. Nowadays, the week is often 2 weeks or even a month and that dinner has become $35.08 rather than the expected $30.08. I’ve gone to more than my fair share of restaurant week meals (it was a part of my old job), so I’ve been around the resto-week block a few times. It’s still a good deal, but you have to strategize …

Here are a few nuggets of advice.

If you have an allergy (gluten or otherwise), it’s probably not the best time to hit up a restaurant, especially for the first time. Restaurants are often operating beyond capacity, rushing patrons in and out, cooking at above-peak levels. Now is not the time to trust that a kitchen will be able to keep your food gluten-, nut-, dairy-, or allergy-free. They’re too focused on getting food out the door.

If you do decide to go, plan to get the most for your money. Try somewhere new and make sure that the tab ($70.16 plus tax, tip, liquor, and any supplemental fees) is actually a deal. Note: To me, this would likely weed out places like Casa Oaxaca, Oyamel, Ulah Bistro, Café Trope, and Rumberos.

Don’t be afraid to go at an off time. Go right at 5:30 and get your choice of items before the menu becomes totally picked over. If you go at the end of the night, relish that you won’t be rushed out like patrons in the prime times.

Be patient and generous with your servers. Summer is always slow in D.C. restaurants, but the economy has made this summer a turtle’s pace. So these servers are going from leisure to mayhem and making significantly less than a regular tab. Tip well.

So, without further ado, my favorite Restaurant Week choices: [Read more →]

When our farmers market okra died a bit sooner than anticipated (RIP, little green friends), we made an impromptu visit to Al Crostino for dinner last night.

Gluteneer and I loved that place when it first opened. We could order a few apps and split the arugula-topped ribeye. So, we decided to hit it up again and discovered that much of the magic is gone, though there is a bit of hope.

We sat upstairs and ordered wine from Southern Italy. When the server stopped by, I told her about my gluten allergy and she grimaced before responding that there wasn’t much they could do for me. The steak and the insalata mista would be fine, she told me.

My first thought was to get up and leave. I know that it’s an Italian restaurant, but how could they be so limited in their offerings?

Luckily, she kept talking. [Read more →]