The last stop on our trip was beautiful San Francisco. We spent only two days in the chilly city, so we had to cram in as many sites as we could. Shortly after arriving in San Fran (and after spending a significant amount of time looking for parking) we went to Mariposa Baking Co. for gluten-free eats. Mariposa had so many gluten-free options that I rarely get to enjoy. I decided on the ham and cheese puff pastry. I am not kidding when I say it brought tears to my eyes. It was so delicious; buttery, flaky crust with a warm ham and cheese inside. Pure heaven I tell ya!
While in San Fran we visited Lombard Street, the San Fransisco Bridge, the Embarcadero Center and did plenty of walking through the city. We were really hoping to ride a trolley, but after waiting on line for almost an hour a trolley broke down just as our turn came up. Luckily, a nice person standing next to us told us that we were holding metro passes that could be used on all public transportation. After asking several people for directions we finally found a bus to take us to the bridge. I am so happy we got to walk across the San Fran Bridge, but we definitely could have used jackets. I definitely recommend packing layers for San Fran because the weather was much cooler than I was prepared for.
For dinner we stopped at Jamber Wine Pub which had a cool vibe and outdoor seating. Many of the menu options were gluten-free, although they were not marked on the menu. Our waitress was very helpful in pointing out which items I would be able to order. We shared spicy buffalo cauliflower as an appetizer. It was a bit too spicy for me, but I liked that it was not dipped buffalo sauce and was coated in a dry rub instead. For dinner I ordered a salad, which was on the small size, and Mike enjoyed a delicious burger.
This is the last of post of my California Gluten-Free Guide. I hope you have enjoyed my posts and picked up a few new restaurants to try.
After arriving in San Diego late in the evening, partially jet lagged and hungry, we decided to venture out into the city to make the most of our first night. I stumbled on Craft and Commerce while searching the Yelp app. It seemed like a unique bar, which appealed to my boyfriend and its small menu included a few salads, which appealed to this gluten-free foodie. This spot was without a doubt our favorite find of the entire trip. We actually ended every night in San Diego with Craft and Commerce. They offer a small bar menu with some kick@$$ specialty cocktails. Mike and I shared the Very Berry Salad. His drink of choice was the Sadaharu Oh.
On our first morning in Sand Diego we stopped at The Mission for breakfast because they offer a gluten-free menu. I could tell right away that it was going to be a good spot because there was a line before 9am. The Mission did not disappoint; generous portion sizes and a lot of choices. I ordered the Chicken Apple Sausage with Scrambled Eggs and Grilled Gluten-Free Rosemary Bread (notice the bread is grilled, not toasted to help prevent contamination). This was such a delicious breakfast. The gluten-free rosemary bread was so thick and tasty. I’m still wishing I could find it locally. If you’re in San Diego, you should definitely make it a point to eat at The Mission.
I cannot say enough about PrepKitchen, Little Italy! We had a lot of great meals on this vacation, but our waiter, Steve, at PrepKitchen really made our experience that much more enjoyable. He made great drink and meal suggestions along with giving us some must see places in San Diego. Based on his recommendation we went to Sunset Cliffs which had beautiful views. I decided to veer away from my usual wine and try a mixed drink, the Oaxacan O.F. Man, did I order wrong! I did not realize this would be a tequila style old fashion, but like I said the waitstaff here is great and our waiter took this off our bill and recommended the Todo Bien.
Although PrepKitchen does not have a separate gluten-free menu they do an excellent job accommodating food allergies. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu which make me feel comfortable ordering the Pan Roasted Salmon – which was unbelievably good. It was cooked just right and the top had a perfect seared, crisp to it. Mike took a walk on the wild side and ordered the quail dish. He also loved his dinner and was happy to cross a meal off his “bucket list.”
Mike loves craft beer, so we stop at as many breweries as possible. Karl Strauss was a great stop for my gluten loving boyfriend, but not so great for me. When I have to eat at a restaurant that is not gluten-free friendly I will order a salad with no chicken or meat to avoid as much contamination as possible. At Karl Strauss I notified my waiter of my allergy and ordered the Tabouli and Melon salad without the tabouli. I also asked for oil and vinegar instead of the raspberry-hazelnut vinaigrette. Unfortunately, when my salad was served the vinaigrette was all over. Luckily before I started eating a manager stopped at our table, so I asked about the vinaigrette and explained my allergy again. The manager suggested that I not eat the salad and brought over a small card with gluten-free options. Although Karl Strauss does not offer true gluten-free options they did their best to accommodate me and remade my salad. I will give them credit for providing me with some extra attention, but I would recommend skipping this restaurant if you are looking for stress free dining.
Our last dinner in San Diego was at Bencotto and I could not have been happier with my meal. When I made my reservation I told the hostess I have a gluten allergy and asked if they could accommodate me. Luckily, I was told food allergies of are not a problem at Bencotto. When we arrived for dinner the hostess thanked me for notifying them of my allergy ahead of time because their waiters appreciate the heads-up. Personally, it’s a huge plus in my book when waitstaff is this caring and attentive. I ordered the gluten-free pasta with pesto sauce; one of my favorites. I ate every last bite (our hotel didn’t have a fridge, so I figured I shouldn’t let anything go to waste). For dessert Mike and I shared the flour-less chocolate cake. Be sure to make a reservation here next time you are in San Diego!
In New York, I don’t usually worry much about eating at games because Citi Field, Yankee Stadium, Met Life Stadium, the Barclay’s Center and MSG all have gluten-free stations. I had a really hard time finding out if Petco Park had any gluten-free options. Originally, I thought there was a spot at the park called Melissa’s with gluten-free options, but that was not the case. However, there is an area called Cardiff’s Seaside Market that is actually really impressive. The Seaside Market offers healthy organic and gluten-free options. The menu includes gluten-free hot dogs, pizza, sushi and pre-made salads. They even offer fresh fruit and juices. My stomach did not feel the best that night so I decided to get a kale and quinoa salad which was really good and just what I needed. Food aside, Petco Park is really an awesome baseball stadium and I am happy we were able to go to a game. To top it off we were able to sit about 10 rows away from the field. If you’re a baseball fan, highly recommend catching a game.
Adventure and Sightseeing
We explored as much of the San Diego as possible during our stay. We chose to stay at the Wyndham San Diego Bayside because it had pretty view of the harbor from room. It was nice to sit on the patio with our morning coffee and before bed too. From our hotel we walked around most of the city, but some areas such as Petco Park are a really far walk. We were up for it, but that amount of walking may not be for everyone. In addition to seeing a Padres’ game, we spent a morning walking around the publicly access areas of the stadium.
We rented a car from the start of our trip, so we were able to drive to Sunset Cliffs, the Del Mar Racetrack, Coronado Island and La Jolla. The USS Midway Museum was easy walking distance from our hotel. I definitely recommend checking out each of these places. The parking on Coronado Island was a bit tricky. We parked pretty far from the beach it and it was extremely hot out that day. Regardless, we were happy once we got to the beach. In La Jolla, we went on a Kayaking tour of the La Jolla cove were we were able to see sea lions up close. It was a really cool experience that I would love to do again if I am every back in San Diego.
When I began my gluten free journey, I was a little worried about what vacations would look like for me. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my trips that way I had in the past. With my fifth trip to “The Happy Island,” approaching, I was really looking forward to some delicious dinners. In the months leading up to my vacation I was constantly researching gluten free restaurants in Aruba. I found TripAdviser and other blogs to be very helpful, but emailing a restaurant prior to my trip had the best outcomes. To my surprise, many restaurants in Aruba were more than willing to accommodate my food allergy. When I made a dinner reservation for my family, I would also mention my allergy. When we arrived at dinner, I also always spoke with our waitstaff directly. Unfortunately, gluten free beer has not made its way down to Aruba, but the grocery stores offer many gluten free items. In this blog post I am sharing the restaurants I dined on my most recent trip to Aruba.
My family ate here on the first night and I was amazed by the staff’s knowledge of gluten. Our waitress completely understood my gluten allergy and arranged for a chef to show me around the salad bar. For those of you who have never been to Texas de Brazil I will explain the serving style of the dinner. First, guests visit the salad/appetizer bar for the first course. Next, you sit down at your table flip your card to green (“yes, I would like more food!”) and servers come around with a variety of meats that are carved right onto your plate. The chef walked me around the salad bar and told me all of the dishes and dressings that contained gluten. He also reminded me of which meats I would not be able to eat for dinner. For my entire dinner our waitress kept an eye on me and reminded me of which meats I could not sample. She even knew to avoid vodka in my drinks! I highly recommend going to Texas de Brazil while you’re in Aruba gluten free or not! Our dinner was awesome.
In the past this restaurant has been one of my favorites while in Aruba. The ribs here are amazing! My family ate here twice during our trip. Unfortunately (and not to my surprise) the ribs are not gluten free. The first night my waiter did not understand my allergy; he actually thought I said I was allergic to glue, so he brought the manager over. I ordered plain grilled chicken on a salad with oil and vinegar dressing. Although the salad was not nearly as satisfying as the rib would have been, I enjoyed my salad and did not get sick. The second night our waitress told me the dry-rub ribs did not contain gluten ingredients, so I decided to give them a try. After watching my family devour delicious saucy ribs early in the week I was green with envy. Although the dry-rub wasn’t as good as the saucy BBQ ribs I had years ago, they were still tasty. Afterwards, I did have a bit of an upset stomach, but nothing too terrible. In the future I would just stick to the salad and suggest others do the same, especially if you have Celiacs.
One night my family decided to order in, so I picked up a gluten free pizza with peppers from Linda’s. I was definitely one of the best GF pizzas I’ve had. One of my cousins even said he thought it tasted just like regular pizza. Unfortunately, I got a stomach ache pretty quickly. Although several other blogs raved about Linda’s gluten free dutch pancakes I was too hesitant to go back after trying the pizza. The rest of my family stopped at Linda’s for breakfast one morning and loved it.
Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! Yemanja is the only restaurant I found with an actual gluten free menu. Most of their dishes are gluten free to begin with so I was able to choose from the same dishes as my family. They even brought me fresh, fluffy and delicious gluten free bread. This night I had grilled mahi-mahi and was able to eat the family style side dishes that were put on the table. I highly recommend dinning here if you have a gluten allergy or not. My entire family loved this dinner. It’s definitely somewhere we are looking forward to visiting again on future trips.
Definitely put Gianni’s restaurant on your list if you are looking for excellent Italian food. Although they do not have a gluten free menu, they do offer gluten free pasta and knowledgeable staff. All but two pasta sauces were gluten free. We actually ate here twice because the food is so good and they could accommodate my allergy. The first night I had gluten free penne with carbonara sauce. It was so good I had it the next time as well, but the gluten free pasta of the night was fusilli. Both nights my waiters took great care in noting my gluten allergy.
When my cousin made our dinner reservation this night he actually spoke directly to the chef. The chef informed him that many of the restaurant’s dishes did not contain gluten and he would be more than willing to accommodate my food allergy. I had the delicious filet mignon special with spinach, mushrooms and a baked potato. This was yet another delicious family dinner that we all enjoyed.
At the end of my trip I ate lunch at the Marriott’s Aruba Ocean Club when my waitress told me I could have asked the front desk to make note of my allergy in the computer. She said all of the restaurants on the grounds would be able to see my food allergy in the computer when processing our meals. I will definitely remember this for next time. I hope this helps all of you gluten free readers who may be traveling to Aruba!
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