Vancouver - Gluten-Free Restaurants!

I always thought Toronto (my hometown) was the gluten-free capital of Canada.

That is, until my recent visit to Vancouver.  I checked out a few websites online that list gluten-free options and I enlisted the help of Robyn and Andrea from Gluten Free Vancouver to steer me toward some of their favourite places to eat and favourite bakeries as well.  I also put out a call on my Facebook Page for your suggestions of places I couldn't miss out on.

I was in Vancouver with my mom for 5 nights and got to visit with my brother who lives there.  In that time I got to check out a number of great restaurants!

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White Spot
Multiple Locations

After a 5+ hour flight, we were hungry.  The pamphlet at the Vancouver Airport indicated White Spot as having gluten-free options. We headed on our way to grab some lunch.

To my surprise they had a separate menu listing gluten-free options!  Sadly, the only options that were vegetarian were some salads and two choices of pasta.

I went for the Caesar salad and Alfredo pasta.  Yum!  Very large portions meant that I couldn't finish both, despite being really hungry.

Flash forward to Saturday evening... after a failed attempt at checking out a different restaurant, I found myself back at White Spot (different location... this time Granville Street).  I ordered the pasta with Marinara Sauce.  Quite good, though not my favourite and not really anything too special.  Still nice to have the assurance of ordering from a separate gluten-free menu.

White Spot is a fairly cheap and casual chain restaurant in the Vancouver area.  While the food was pretty good and I was thankful to have this option around for those times where I was really hungry, I likely wouldn't go out of my way to visit again.

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Havana
1212 Commercial Drive, Vancouver ("The Drive")

My brother had a gift certificate for this place so it was an easy decision to visit on my first evening in Vancouver.  Looking over the menu online and seeing the "mazina tortillas" (tortillas made of wheat and corn flour) I thought I was in for a dinner of plain ol' salad.  Boy, was I wrong!  They had an entire gluten-free menu!

Unfortunately this menu is not available online.  Most of the menu items involved meat in some fashion so I decided on the 7 layer dip, which was served with tostones (fried plantain, cut lengthwise).

I really enjoyed the layer dip and would likely order the same dish again if I returned.

This restaurant is also where I got my first taste of the beer that is available in Vancouver!  (I will have an upcoming blog post featuring all of the gluten-free beer I saw in Vancouver.)

First up in Vancouver was Estrella Damm Daura gluten-free beer.  Not bad!  My brother (not Celiac) also took a sip and said this beer tasted like regular beer, which, as many of you know, is quite the compliment!

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The Naam
2724 West 4h Avenue, Vancouver (Kitsilano)

This vegetarian restaurant is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  It is located in Kitsilano, which is a great shopping area and also very close to the beach.  When I inquired about gluten-free options, the server informed me that the tortillas and tortilla chips were just made with corn, plus they have gluten-free bread so there were plenty of options I could choose from.  This was a real treat!  I am so used to skimming over a menu and immediately cutting out 50-80% of the options because they contain meat and here I was looking at a menu that was completely vegetarian, with many gluten-free options.

Amazing selection of food!  Huge portions!  I can't say enough about this restaurant.  We ordered the Chilaquiles Enchilada and Tuscan Nachos.

There was no way the two of us were going to finish all of the food.  It was actually fun to watch and see what other people were ordering at tables around us.  Everything looked amazing! I would have loved to come back to this restaurant but I didn't end up having time to visit Kitsilano again.

While service here was a little slow, the large portion sizes made up for the lack of service.

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Milestones
(Multiple Locations)

This chain restaurant is also in Ontario and they offer a gluten-free menu at all locations.  I have always enjoyed the gluten-free spaghettini from a Toronto location.  I was still full from my lunch earlier in the day so I decided on a light dinner and ordered the California Spring Salad.

Yup, I'm one of those strange people who enjoys eating salad ;) especially if there's strawberries in it!

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Sandbar
1535 Johnston Street, Creekhouse #102, Granville Island, Vancouver

Located on Granville Island, I visited Sandbar on the Friday of my visit, a really wet and rainy day.  I think the only vegetarian and gluten-free option was this pizza.  Granted, I couldn't really ask for anything more since this WAS a fish restaurant.  Heck, they even had a whole fish menu indicating which fish was available that day!

Anyway, back to the pizza.  The toppings were very fresh and tasty but I felt like the crust was a little bit "old school" gluten-free.  It tasted very ricey to me and was not crispy enough.

They do offer gluten-free pasta as well but I didn't have a chance to try that out.

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Nuba
(Multiple locations)

I was quite disappointed with my visit to Nuba.  First of all, I showed up at the Yaletown location at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and stood around for over 10 minutes waiting for the girl inside to open the door.  She finally came over and informed me (through the door) that they open at 12.  When I told her the website said they open at 11:30 she repeated that they open at 12 and walked away.  Whoa.  So... I walked around the block to see what else was around and returned to Nuba at 12. (They have since updated the website, thankfully.)

I knew before I arrived that I was ordering the falafel plate.  I have a soft spot for falafel and will take every opportunity to test out falafel in a restaurant if it is gluten-free.

Everything looked amazing!  The falafel balls were really good but that's about where my satisfaction ended.  The rice was very hard and needed 5-10 more minutes of cooking, the salad was DRIPPING with oil and I'm pretty sure they gave me the stalks of lettuce to dip in the hummus. Well, one bad meal in 5 days isn't so bad...

Moving on...

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Chipotle
818 Howe Street, Vancouver

On my last full day in Vancouver, I remembered that I had seen a sign for Chipotle while walking around downtown.  I had previously been to Chipotle in Buffalo and loved the food.  I visited a location in Toronto (Yonge and Dundas) but didn't enjoy my meal there.  The quality of the food at this location in Vancouver has restored my faith in the chain!

Your order is made in an assembly line to speed the process and you can tell them exactly which ingredients you want.  The good thing about Chipotle is that ALL of the ingredients used are gluten-free, except the flour tortillas (used for burritos).  I ordered the vegetarian tacos, which includes 3 tacos for 8.95.

I'm sorry that the above picture does not capture how yummy the tacos actually are!  It's really difficult to photograph tacos like this.  Fantastic tacos!  I plan to give Chipotle in Toronto another shot and hopefully will be pleasantly surprised.

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Cravings
8808 Osler Avenue (behind the Coast Hotel), Vancouver

I had been in contact with Cravings over twitter before visiting Vancouver.  I knew this restaurant would be a gem so I added it to my "must visit" list.  I saved the best for last!  On my way to the airport, my mom and I met up with my brother one last time for lunch.

I felt like I needed something a little healthier this day after eating a lot of not-so-healthy meals earlier in my trip.  I settled on the Caesar salad and stir fry.  The manager/owner(?) came out from the back and asked if I eat eggs.  I said yes and she informed me she would be making croutons from their own gluten-free bread (which contains eggs).  Wow, what a treat!  Fresh croutons!  (Pre-Celiac, I enjoyed snacking on croutons on their own, that's how much I love them!)  Yummy!


I can't remember the last time I got to enjoy a Caesar salad with croutons.  The stir fry was also very fresh. This colourful and healthy kick was just what I needed to end my trip!

I really enjoyed flipping through an official menu listing the gluten-free options!  Plenty of yummy and healthy options to choose from :)

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It seemed like everywhere I turned there were gluten-free options!  And if there weren't options, the wait staff and other employees at least understood what gluten-free meant.

Overall, I am extremely impressed with the gluten-free offerings in Vancouver.  Pair that with the mountains, fresh air, ocean views and friendly streets, Vancouver is a great place for anyone looking to explore other areas of Canada.

Better4U Pizza Giveaway!

Better4U Gluten-Free Pizza is big in the US and is slowly making its way to stores near you in Ontario.

They have been touring Costco and have had great feedback about their gluten-free pizzas.  They are hoping the chain of stores will pick up their pizzas to be sold regularly at all Ontario locations in the future.

I got a chance to sample one of each of their five gluten-free pizzas (minus the pepperoni, since I am a vegetarian).  My favourite was the Mediterranean Pizza! (Pictured above.)  It is topped with olives, broccoli, feta (mmm!), roasted red peppers and spinach.  The crust was a little thicker than I normally like but tasted very good overall.

You will notice that the pizza box does have a warning that they are not from a dedicated gluten-free facility.  When I inquired about how they keep the pizza separate and ensure there is no cross-contamination, this is the response I got:
  
We completely clean and swab the equipment line prior to running the Gluten-Free products.  We schedule our Gluten-Free production for the 1st run immediately after the production lines have been sanitized and swabbed.  We swab all of our equipment and test for all allergies and we send a sample of the product out to an outside independent lab which tests for any traces of gluten.
 
Also, we break down all of our equipment when we sanitize and clean, to ensure every part of the equipment and production line is clear

We are a Certified Gluten Facility, certified by the GFCO (Gluten Free Certification Organization).  We also have routine inspections by outside, independent labs that test for Gluten, and as of last month, our latest inspection, the result was that “they could not identify any parts per million” of any Gluten.  The GFCO mandate in order to be a Gluten-Free Certified Facility is that your facility can not have more than 10 parts per million. Better4U Foods has clearly taken the steps to ensure that our Gluten-Free products are always safe, and always Gluten-Free.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Better4U Pizza!

If you would like to request for your local store to carry Better4U Gluten-Free Pizza, you can print a product request form and give it to the owner or manager.

Check out the full line up of products! (Plus the Mediterranean above)

Or better yet, why don't you sign up below to win some of your very own pizza from Better4U!

One winner will receive three pizzas of their choice!
 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wonderland - Gluten-Free Food Options

This post is part of a series of posts about gluten-free food options at a range of tourist/family attractions across Ontario.


Exciting!!

Check out this email response from Wonderland regarding gluten-free options at Wonderland for 2012.  Please keep in mind that she ensured that I point out that this is not a permanent list and options may change!

     Thank you for contacting Guest Services at Canada’s Wonderland. I can provide you with a list of gluten-free items which are available at the park; however these items are subject to change as we do change our food items regularly and is not to be considered a permanent list of gluten free items at the park. If you do post these items on your blog please outline that it is not to be considered a reliable list for the whole season.
     Current gluten-free items include; Gluten Free Pizza with select toppings (Backlot), Naked Burrito (Make sure you ask for this special at Backlot), Ask for a gluten free bun at Backlot Café and Coasters Grill for your fresh grilled burger, steam rice, Stir Fry Veg and Items from Teriyaki Experience without the Sauce, ICEE, Cotton Candy, Popcorn, Chippery Chips (plain), Frozen Fries, Fresh Fries, and Gelato. Also gluten free cookies and snack cakes at some of our carts and Backlot Café.
     Please advise your readers to visit Guest Services to receive an accurate list of food items on the day of their visit. Most security guards can also inform you of establishments which sell gluten-free food.

Have a great day!

Please note that food and drinks MAY NOT be brought into the park. Plastic bottled water is permitted. Thank you for your cooperation.

Woohoo!  Sounds like some great options are available at Wonderland :)

Thoughts on Domino's (Not Quite) Gluten-Free Pizza

Alright, since everyone seems to be up in arms about Domino's disclaimer that their gluten-free pizza crust is not meant for those with Celiac Disease because they can't guarantee no cross-contamination, I figured I'd put in my two cents.

My first thought is...

     Duh.

You think a chain with thousands of locations can make a guarantee there will be no chance of cross-contamination? And that all employees will follow the proper procedures 100% of the time?  Of course not.  That's just asking for trouble...

In the sue happy world we live in, making a guarantee would mean people can sue for getting sick.  Or for not getting sick.  What's the chain gonna do, ask to see a biopsy slide showing damage?  If someone sued the chain, they would likely give in, settling out of court, so they don't get bad publicity.

I, for one, am happy they have this disclaimer.  They leave the choice of whether or not to risk the chance up to the consumer rather than making a false guarantee.

I think just about any restaurant offering gluten-free items will have a warning that there is a chance of cross-contamination.  If they don't, I think they are setting themselves up for problems.  Even the most experienced chef can't make a guarantee.

I've even read comments online about those with Celiac Disease saying they themselves have made mistakes in their home with gluten eaters and have glutened themselves.  If it can happen in your own home, it can happen anywhere.

In conclusion, I think people need to realize that any restaurant without a dedicated gluten-free kitchen is going to have a disclaimer that gluten may contaminate the food.  There's just no way around it... unless of course, you expect them to outfit all Domino's with a special gluten-free kitchen with separate ventilation to eliminate any possible risk of flour settling on your food.

:)

Boston Pizza - Why Gluten-Free Menu was Pulled

Last week, I announced that Boston Pizza had just introduced a new gluten-free menu for all locations.

Just a week later, I found out that this menu was no longer available.

Shocked, I quickly got in touch with the nice people at Boston Pizza to find out why.  Surely the menu was popular with gluten-free customers who appreciate more options.  I needed to know why this happened.

Here is the response I received from Perry, the Director of Communications at Boston Pizza:

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Hello Jax,

Thank you for your inquiry regarding our gluten free menu offerings.

Recently an inspector from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) visited one of our locations in Ontario and deemed that items on the recently launched Gluten Free menu did not sufficiently meet their standards for classifying an item as ‘gluten free’. While we are confident that all of the items on this menu, including our wings, are gluten free, and that we have taken the appropriate measures to develop and provide rigorous handling and training procedures to our stores, we have decided to pull this menu.

As you know, we have been offering Guests a gluten free pizza option for close to two years with great success and with little, if any, reports of cross-contamination.  We believe we have industry leading procedures in place for the handling and preparation of this menu item, and as such, we will continue to offer it to our Guests at this time. Despite our best efforts and sound handling procedures, due to the nature of our business, we cannot guarantee the absence of specific allergens in our menu items.

At this time, we are working with the CFIA as well as Canadian Restaurant and Foodservice Association (CRFA) to review our approach to providing guests with a range of gluten free options at our restaurants in the future.  We know that Guests are looking for these options and we are committed to providing our guests with gluten friendly choices that adhere to industry best practices.

Sincerely,
Perry

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I also spoke with Perry on the phone earlier today to further discuss this issue.  He informed me that it is because the kitchen is not a gluten-free environment, the CFIA will not allow them to claim they have a gluten-free menu.  This is because of the chance of cross-contamination, no matter the extent of the precautionary measures taken to prevent gluten exposure.  

This could potentially happen to any restaurant that offers a gluten-free menu. 

That would put the entire Gluten-Free Ontario website and research into jeopardy!  Imagine not having ANY gluten-free options out there?  I'd rather not have that as my reality... I have worked hard to bring you guys the list of restaurants offering gluten-free options.

I know for myself, the only guarantee of a gluten-free meal is one made in my own gluten-free kitchen.  Any time I dine in a restaurant, there is always a risk of cross-contamination.  I don't need to CFIA taking away the few options that I have left.

If restaurants are forced to remove their gluten-free menus, those with Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance will be forced to take more chances by ordering blindly from menus and hoping the server and cook knows what gluten-free means.

I believe restaurants should be allowed to offer a gluten-free menu as long as there is a disclaimer that there is gluten in the same kitchen.

Event - VILLA Restaurant - February 2012

On Wednesday February 22, Gluten-Free Ontario had its first ever event.

The event took place at VILLA Restaurant on Bloor West Village (between Runnymede and Jane) and the total attendance was 20 people.  Not bad, for a first event. I had met some people in person before, others I had been in contact with online and there were some who I had never talked to before.

When I arrived, there was a pretty Prix Fixe menu with my logo on it!  I had chosen the menu a few days prior but I had no idea the menu would be tailored so perfectly for the event... take a look!

We had the choice between soup and salad to start and then an entree of either pasta or pizza.

Prix Fixe Menu

Mixed Greens Salad

Mushroom Leek Soup

Fusilli Alfredo with Grilled Chicken

Fusilli Primavera

Wild Mushroom Pizza

Special thanks to my friend Lat from The Experimental Cupcake for taking the above pictures!!

The last of the four entree choices was Margherita Pizza but I don't recall seeing anyone with that one.  I ordered the Primavera since I had never tried it before but the Margherita Pizza was second choice in my mind.

Conversation just seemed to flow between tables, discussing Celiac-related topics and beyond.  I tried my best to spread my time between tables, making sure I got a chance to meet everyone.

I would be lying if I said the planning of this event was a piece of cake.  There were hiccups along the way.  First, I had a guest list of 38 people, which suddenly dwindled to 30 just a couple days before the dinner and then only 23 people arrived.... and 20 people stayed for dinner.  I wish everyone who had RSVP'd had made it to the dinner but I know sometimes things pop up last minute.

Feedback from the event has been extremely positive!  Everyone seems to be asking for monthly events (what are they trying to do... make me crazy?!)  Give me a few weeks and I'll see what I can do.

I would also like to send a special thank you to PatsyPie for sending yummy cookies, biscotti and pie crusts to me to hand out as door prizes at the end of the dinner.  I can't wait to see what kinds of pies you guys come up with!!

PatsyPie goodies

 I know I mentioned this before but I will say it again...

If you would like to plan an event in your city, please set up a Facebook event with all of the details (you will be responsible for confirming details and reservations with the restaurant)

and I will be happy to repost the event to help spread the word.

NEW! Astoria Mills Review, Pictures and Giveaway!

As many of you know by now I really like food.

And I don't think being gluten-free should stop me from enjoying all of life's yummy pleasures.

Just recently, I had a fun-filled day baking tons of gluten-free creations, including crackers, croissants, chocolate croissants, bread, pasta, pizza and donuts - wow!  How, you ask?  Well, let me tell you...

I feel priveleged.  Trina of Astoria Mills came to MY kitchen for a whole day of baking!  
(Okay, it was my parents' kitchen... mine is too small.)

Trina has created a fantastic baking system, comprised of 6 mixes that can make just about anything your heart desires. Don't believe me?  Check out the new Astoria Mills website to see what each mix makes, plus you can order online, too.

Astoria Mills Set of Mixes

The mixes are free from the following:

• gluten
• wheat
• milk, lactose and casein
• soy
• bean and pea
• sesame
• tree nuts
• peanuts
• sulphites. 

The mixes do contain corn, which is non-GMO.  They do process soy, but chances of contamination are low with the pharmaceutical grade blending process.

The manufacturing facility is dedicated gluten-free.  Astoria Mills mixes are tested regularly and certified to contain less than 5ppm of gluten, which is the lowest detectable amount. Bonus - the mixes are also fortified and contain lots of nutrients to keep you in good health!

I got to meet Trina when I was in Buffalo back in September for Gluten Freedom Day and we have formed a friendship and kept in touch since.

Trina (left) and Jax at Buffalo Gluten Freedom Day

I was really excited to get started... and immediately asked if we could make croissants and donuts, two of the gluteny items that I have missed and just haven't found suitable substitutes for yet.  Trina told me yes, when you purchase the mixes you get a free online e-cookbook with hundreds of recipes that use the baking system, including my coveted croissants and donuts!

mmm so let's get started!

Gluten-Free Baking Day with 

Trina from Astoria Mills

So much baking in one day!  I'm not sure how she does it!

Whisking eggs

Dough rising

Cutting out the crackers

Healthy crackers

Rolling dough and adding butter

Trina mixing

Mixing dough

Cutting croissants

Croissant

Yum, flaky croissant!

Pizza

Trina (left) and Jax

Frying donuts

Donuts - like Tim Bits!

Crusty bread

Making REAL pasta!

Bow tie pasta

Everything turned out amazing and it was really easy to follow the instructions in the e-cookbook.

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Contest!

Tell me about your gluten-free journey.

(How long have you been gluten-free, how did you discover you couldn't eat gluten, what are your favourite meals or products... and anything else that make YOU and your story unique!)

• Post your entry in a comment below before 11:59 EST on Sunday, February 19, 2012 and you will be entered to win a set of six Astoria Mills (as shown in the picture at the top of thos blog post)
• Please include your name (as it appears on Facebook) or your Twitter handle in your comment so I am able to contact you when/if you win!  If you do not have Facebook or Twitter, please ensure I have a way to contact you.
• If you enter more than once (please don't) only your first comment will be considered.

This contest is open to Ontario residents only! (This is Gluten-Free Ontario, after all) The winner will be chosen by Trina of Astoria Mills and I will post the winner's name by Wednesday, February 22, 2012 on Facebook, Twitter and on this page.

Comments on this blog require approval - please only post once and I will approve them at a later time.

WINNER: Sam Melsom