This weekend the DH and I went on an excursion to San Carlos, California in the hopes of buying the dear Toddler Yum a play kitchen that we found on Craig’s List. There are so many little towns here in the Bay Area that I can’t keep them all straight, and I’d never had any particular reason to go to San Carlos, which is near Redwood City. We acquired our little play kitchen and stuffed it in the trunk of our car, at which point I decided I was STARVING. I did a random search on the DH’s Iphone for “gluten-free San Carlos, Ca” and I found myself coming up against all these references to a gluten-free bakery called “Zest”. What? A gluten-free bakery in my neck of the woods that I had not visited? You’ve got to be kidding. I’d dragged the DH to Oakland, California, which is a heck of a drive from Sunnyvale for countless nutmeal cookie and pizza runs- but there was one half as far getting great reviews on Yelp? How did I miss this one?

The DH and I parked in the little downtown in San Carlos, which is absolutely adorable and full of excellent shopping opportunities. I only wish Toddler Yum had been with us, although then I couldn’t have scampered down the street as quickly in my quest for gluten free goodies.

We went down the side street to Zest Bakery and I found myself facing a bright, modern and cozy deli that would put any gluten establishments to shame. The sunny yellow walls and bright logo welcomed me, and the server was smilingly patient when I, completely overwhelmed by the variety on the entirely gluten-free and cross contamination free menu, waffled when placing my order. I think they get that a lot.

To my delight, rather than just offering sweet baked goods, they function as a deli and offer a wide variety of gluten-free sandwiches on their sandwich rolls. I felt like such a rock star, being able to choose from so many sandwich options and even customize my vegetarian roasted vegetable sandwich with a slice of cheese and house made pesto spread. They also make their own pickles and mayonnaise, in case you weren’t jealous enough already. The only mild bummer was that they don’t have pizza… yet. Patrick, the super-nice and welcoming gluten-free owner tells me that they’ve started producing pizza crusts that they are selling faster than they can make them, and he has plans to shop at local farmer’s markets to make local, seasonal hot pizza slices for the deli soon. Be still my heart! But being able to watch the server get out my bread and whip together the sandwich right before my eyes just like at (completely inferior) Subways made my day, and I’m happy to wait for pizza. The sandwich is pictured above with their pesto, pickles, and delish grilled veggies. I don’t always like grilled squash, but they did it right, and the grilled carrot was unconventional and completely delicious. Arugula topped off one of the best simple veggie sandwiches I’ve had in a restaurant, and made my taste buds sing.

Because I am a greedy girl, we tried a bunch of things. The DH got a wonderful peach-mint lemonade that reminded him of international trips and that I absolutely loved! He also insisted on trying a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting and a blueberry garnish. It was a fine chocolate cupcake. If only I liked chocolate cake! I know, I’m a freak. However, in the interest of fairness I got their chocolate chip cookie-based ice cream sandwich. It was lovely! I didn’t try the chocolate chip cookie by itself, but it seemed quite tasty. I think more taste-testing is warranted. I’ll get right on that.

I asked the server what her favorite treats were, and she recommended the triple berry muffin. I don’t usually get that excited about muffins, but this muffin was wrapped in fancy paper, sparkled on top in that “sprinkled with turbinado sugar” way, and had a gorgeous assortment of berries peeking through a golden muffin exterior. I was digging this muffin before I even tried it. And when I did… well, I haven’t often found a muffin that I thought was worth an artisan’s bakery price tag (in this case $3) but this muffin was worth every penny. Gorgeous, delicious and fun. Baby Yum approved as well. I carefully fed her a bite sans red-berry in case they had strawberries, and she gobbled it up. The DH also gave it a thumbs up, although I only gave him a bite because I am stingy with my yummies like that.

The other recommended treat was an almond cake. Not only did the server recommend it, but a visiting family with a toddler ordered them and said their daughter enjoyed them. I thought that they were perfectly delicious. They were light with a faintly crunchy exterior and had a gorgeous almond-infused flavor without being too strong or too sweet. Perfect! I would buy these again, anytime.

I didn’t need any urging to snap up their gorgeous french apple cakes in an individual serving size. Just one look at that apple cake dusted with powdered sugar had me at hello. I bought two and the DH and I fought over them. Another winner that I would buy again.

When we went out on that sunny Saturday morning I had no idea that I was going to stumble onto a wonderful gluten-free bakery. Finding it truly made my afternoon! I was also delighted to meet the husband-and-wife owners Patrick and master baker Charissa and chat with them about their vision for the future of the bakery. I really appreciated Patrick’s interest in local, farmer’s market fresh ingredients and Charissa’s clear passion and talent evident in their wonderful baked goods. Charissa runs their lovely blog, which caught my eye during the recent Ratio Rally when she contributed the internationally-inspired Koshi An Filled Cream Puffs. Not only that, but they are genuine, friendly and nice people that I would love to hang out with sometime with a gluten-free beer or Chardonnay! How often can you say that about people you have just met? I wish them the very best and I think their bakery has great things ahead.

Business seemed to be booming and it reminded me of the early days of Mariposa when the buzz was still catching on. I can’t wait to see how things develop. If they get in a toaster oven or other heating device, I would just about swoon over the option to get hot, toasted, or grilled bread for a sandwich. I’m big on hot food from a deli. And I’ll be first in line for a slice of their hot pizza! They also have high quality locally-sourced gourmet coffee and espresso beverages if you need a little pick-me-up, so you might skip picking up a cup of joe on the way to the bakery until you see their offerings.

If you find yourself anywhere near San Carlos, which is between San Mateo, Foster City, Belmont and Redwood City, you owe it to yourself to check this place out. It is on your way from the San Francisco International Airport to the South Bay (Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, San Jose). You can’t get more convenient than that!

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*The AntiCupcake Company also makes and sells delicious gluten-free mini-cheesecakes through Zest Bakery. I have to try one next time!

Other Reviews:
Get Allergy Wise Reviews Zest

*I didn’t bring my camera, so the sandwich and interior photo were taken on the DH’s Iphone. Handy, but not so great for photos. I’ll have to bring my camera next time to really do the place justice. I took the almond cake, berry muffin photos at home with my regular camera.

Review:
I love finding a new, local restaurant with a well-developed gluten-free menu, and I love finding vegetarian restaurants that have food that I can eat. Finding them both in one place is a rare and exciting event. When I discovered Dharma’s gluten-free friendly, vegetarian restaurant in Capitola, California through an online search, I was thrilled. Dharma’s Vegetarian Restaurant is a very large, almost cafeteria style restaurant with a warm and cozy family dining atmosphere. You place your order at the counter, since it isn’t a traditional sit down and place your order type of place. To tell the truth, this kind of ordering situation always makes me twitchy because I find it hard to make a decision standing staring at a menu above me. It is even harder with a toddler in tow. Baby Yum got a little hyper so the DH carted her off to a table with some of the resident dinosaur toys and left me to pick food for all of us.

As soon as I saw it on their online gluten-free menu, I knew that I wanted the Indian curry, which you can get with gluten-free bread if you order it specially. But I didn’t think Baby Yum would be too thrilled with all the “spice, spice” as she refers to anything with seasoning. So. when I saw the daily special was a dish with quinoa, sweet potato and soup, I had to order it… for the DH to share with Baby Yum. Then I felt bad later, because it really wasn’t the kind of thing he would order for himself. What can I say, I don’t order well under pressure.

The Indian Curry, though, that was right up my alley and exactly what I would order if I could choose anything in the world. When I saw that curry I just about swooned. Lots of fresh veggies married to a creamy, coconut-rich sauce and sprinkled with cashews- yum! The brown rice was fine, the yogurt sauce was tangy, the chutney was sweet, but the curry, now that was a real treat. I would give it a 4 out of 4 stars. It was served with a bit of what I think was Kinnikinnick bread. I don’t know how they manage their toasters, so I still didn’t eat it. I didn’t need it, even with giving Baby Yum some of my plain rice.

Because it was Mother’s Day weekend I ordered the raw foods strawberry cheesecake, too. I have decided that cheesecake is my favorite raw foods dessert. How can you not love that creamy, nut-based goodness that seems so naughty but is full of good things? This was a lovely, silky smooth and delicate raw foods cheesecake with a tangy hint of lime. Even the DH approved.

The quinoa sweet-potato special really got my attention because the specials menu mentioned a tahini sauce. I don’t care what you drizzle it on, tahini makes everything yummy. Between thinking of my quinoa-loving Baby Yum and drooling over the tahini, I couldn’t resist. I selected a potato leek soup that was recommended by the guy at the counter, and it was a nice soup but looked so very plain when it came out of the kitchen that I felt quite bad about having ordered it for the DH. On the up side, Baby Yum gobbled down the rice and quinoa we gave her from our two plates. On the down side, this meal just didn’t look sexy or very hard to make at home. Teach me to order the bargain lunch special!

I can’t tell you how exciting it was for me to find a gluten-free friendly vegetarian restaurant on our little road trip. The first restaurant I ever really enjoyed was a little place called the Creative Vegetarian Cafe in Boulder, which closed a few years later. I loved the international take on vegetarian dining, and I’ve missed having the experience of eating good, thoughtful vegetarian recipes out. Here in Silicon Valley it seems the only vegetarian restaurants are based on Chinese/ Taiwanese Vegetarian cuisine, which is so full of wheat-based soy sauce, wheat flour and wheat gluten that it is completely off limits. Or, they are based in Indian cuisine, which I love but often has mystery spice mixes or cross contamination issues. Finding a place that gives me the international dishes I crave but has gone to the effort to have a gluten-free menu was the best Mother’s Day present ever! If you happen to find yourself in Santa Cruz and take an excursion towards Capitola, definitely check out Dharma’s Vegetarian Restaurant and their fantastic gluten-free menu!

*Please note, they do prepare gluten dishes in their kitchen, so you may want to ask questions about preparation and cross-contamination issues.

How we found the restaurant:

I have a crush on Santa Cruz. I’ll admit it. Santa Cruz is the home of New Leaf Health Food Stores, my favorite REAL natural food store in California, and also the home of Love Apple Farm, an organic farm that produces gorgeous produce for a local gourmet restaurant while also cultivating and selling amazing heirloom tomatoes. Love Apple Farm has become increasingly involved in education, providing classes on topics from backyard chicken-keeping to preserving to summer or winter organic gardening. Ever since we bought our first house with a yard, the DH and I have been burning to start a garden. And, shortly before Mother’s Day, we attended a class at Love Apple Farm to get an education on organic gardening. At that class, we learned about the Mother’s Day Plant Sale at the Cabrillo College Horticulture Center where you can buy beautiful organic heirloom plants the likes of which would never be found at Lowe’s or Home Depot. This is how I found myself in Capitola, California on Mother’s Day Weekend with a car full of gorgeous plants including purple tomatillos, quinoa, and a rainbow of lettuce. I had all this potential food in the car, and yet- I was hungry! Luckily the DH has an Iphone, and so we did a search and I found a vegetarian restaurant in the area with a gluten-free menu. Yippee! I knew I liked the Santa Cruz area.

They now have more vegan gluten-free breads than ever! These breads are dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, and soy-free:
- rustic long baguette
- 2pk baguettes
- sandwich bread
- cinnamon raisin bread
- 6pk dinner rolls

The little kid in me loves their “Polar Bear”, a cream filled counterpart to the Twinkie. Don’t laugh! I was diagnosed at three and don’t remember ever having a Twinkie- these lightly orange flavored cupcakes may be very bad for me, but they taste so good! Those who miss Ho-Ho’s or Ding Dong’s will love their Penguino, a chocolate cupcake filled with cream that my DH says tastes just like its gluten counterpart. He loves them! (I don’t care for chocolate cake, but I’m weird like that.)

The grown-up in me adores Patti for developing a gluten-free veggie burger option with their new beetloaf sandwich. I’ve never had a beet-based veggie “burger” before! Paired with their amazing sandwich rolls, and with a side of cabbage salad, this burger made my mouth very happy. Baby Yum even got in on the action! The burger contains egg so is not vegan, but it is dairy and nut free. Next time I must also try their panini, but my stomach is only so big. If only Mariposa were closer!

Other standout savory options at their bakery include a cheese quiche, cheese or butternut squash ravioli, and gnocchi. And thank goodness they still have their nutmeal cookies, which I am personally obsessed with. Every time I go, I pick up at least five, and jealously hoard them from my husband. They also have new gluten-free pop tarts that are truly a thing of beauty. The flavor of the crust somehow didn’t appeal to me, but the texture was excellent and the novelty of it kept me entertained. I still am kicking myself for not trying their gorgeous apple galette, but I had already racked up quite a bill and had a hard time justifying the purchase. What’s your favorite Mariposa gluten-free product?

The bakers at this little bakery are baking their hearts out for their gluten-free clientele and it makes me so happy to see what a huge success they’ve become. At our last visit, almost every table was full. A college student was sitting studying and enjoying coffee and gluten-free food, girlfriends were gabbing and sharing yummy gluten-free sweets, a gluten-free grandmother was sharing food with her family, and we sat at a table with Baby Yum in a highchair and fed her bites of Mommy’s veggie burger. I looked around the room and thought that this was the perfect place to spend a Saturday afternoon. It can’t get much better than this warm, comfortable place with safe food where gluten-free folks can come and relax with their family and enjoy a delicious lunch just like any other family on a Saturday afternoon.

*If you can’t make it to Oakland, Mariposa has a permanent booth at the Ferry Building in downtown San Francisco as well as a new booth at the Palo Alto Farmer’s Market on California Avenue or at their booth at the San Rafael Farmer’s Market- both on Sundays.

Another recent review of Mariposa Bakery

Scream Sorbet
5030 Telegraph Ave,
Oakland
Tuesday through Sunday, 12pm – 9pm
(510) 394-5030

While I know it is hard to avoid absolutely stuffing yourself at Mariposa (maybe this is just my problem), I would like to recommend that you save a little room in your stomach for the absolutely best dairy-free sorbet I’ve ever had in my life. Scream Sorbet began offering their divine flavors at local Bay Area Farmer’s Markets some time ago. I became completely obsessed with them when I was on my every-allergen-free diet for breastfeeding. When I couldn’t have much else, I could still indulge in some farmer’s market fresh flavors of sorbet. A few flavors contain dairy, and some flavors contain nuts. There are plenty of vegetable or fruit-based flavors that should be gluten-free and allergen-free!

Their mission statement:
“Each week, we walk our 27 farmers’ markets in search of the best local, organic, and seasonal produce available, head back to our lab to experiment, and then finish by making our sorbet one quart at a time the evening before every market. We want our sorbet to taste exactly like the fantastic ingredients that go into it.”

Their sorbet really does taste just like the fresh ingredients they use, in the most unexpected ways. I was especially excited when they had one of their dairy-free chocolate flavors like coconut milk-chocolate. Mint-lime sorbet or one of the fresh fruit flavors are fabulous as well. If you can tolerate nuts, their macadamia vanilla or pistachio are probably my hands down favorite flavors. In fact, I like pretty much all of their flavors for their creativity. If you’ve always wanted to try snap pea sorbet, chipotle chocolate sorbet, popcorn sorbet, coconut thai basil or coconut kale sorbet, this is the place for you. Some of their more outrageous flavors may be a bit much, but they are all fun to try and you may be surprised at how palatable an unexpected combination of ingredients can be.

When I planned a trip to Oakland to visit Mariposa, I knew I had to visit the new Scream Sorbet storefront, which is just down the street from Mariposa. Literally. Look at the address! It was fun to see their dreams of a retail shop finally come to fruition, and I loved the cool, friendly coffeehouse vibe of the place. I never thought I liked sorbet until I had Scream Sorbet, and now I can’t get enough of the stuff! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. What is your favorite Scream Sorbet flavor? Mine changes almost every week!

If you can’t make it to Oakland, you can enjoy Scream Sorbet at Bay Area Farmer’s Markets including the Mountain View Farmer’s Market, Palo Alto Farmer’s Market, and the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmer’s Market.

Other fun gluten-free friendly destinations in the Oakland/Berkeley area include the Berkeley Bowl Health Food Store, as well as Cafe Gratitude in Berkeley. What are your favorite Gluten-free spots in the Oakland/ Berkeley area?

You can also find Locations in California (51), Texas (20), Arizona (6), Florida (6), Nevada (4), Colorado (4), Oregon (2), Ohio (2), Oklahoma (2) Washington (2), Indiana (1), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (1), and possibly Lahaina Hawaii (with a limited menu).

The DH came back from a business trip to Israel and found himself in sunny California jet-lagged, starving, and awake on a certain Saturday morning. We decided the best course of action would be to take ourselves to a restaurant, post haste. But where to go? I have mentioned several times that a good friend of mine from our Gluten-free Support Group recently wrote an article recommending her favorite gluten-free pizza joints. One of her absolute favorites was the pizza at BJ Brewhouse. This is ironic. I’ve lived in Sunnyvale for several years and passed the BJ Brewhouse in Cupertino countless times and snubbed it. A microbrewery with a food menu? Those places usually have, at best, a salad or two that MIGHT be adaptable for a gluten-free vegetarian. Might, if they don’t coat the lettuce greens in breadcrumbs just so they match the rest of the menu. Every time the DH made noises about how it might be nice to stop and get a beer, I was less than enthused, so we’d always end up going to the nearby Outback Steakhouse, where at least I could get a Gluten-free Chocolate Thunder from Down Under and a hearty baked potato, not in that order but ordered by preference. But then my friend tells me, while our Gluten-free toddlers are toddling along on a playdate, that BJ Brewhouse has a fantastic gluten-free pizza baked on a Venice Bakery Crust. Who knew! They do, in fact, have a full gluten-free menu which includes salads, soups, omelettes (brunch menu) and protein bits in addition to pizza. The only thing they don’t have is a thrilling gluten-free dessert, unless root beer floats float your boat.

The atmosphere is a combination between a cleaner microbrewery and upscale family-style restaurant. The designers of the Cupertino location really like diverse lighting, as you will see if you just look up. Tract lighting, chandeliers, everyday lamps and hanging bistro lights add ambiance, as do the brewing vats behind glass in the corner. Ordering at BJ Brewhouse is remarkably painless. If you want just a pizza, the gluten-free option is listed on their regular menu. Otherwise you need to ask for their gluten-free menu. The first time we went we had a pizza with fresh basil and artichoke hearts. Excellent! The second time, I went with roasted red pepper and, yes, fresh basil. What can I say, I’m a basil girl. I also tried their highly tasty tomato soup, their California Omelet (which does not seem to include their gluten-containing potatoes), and most recently their Italian Market Salad. Everything has been good, and satisfying. And, while it isn’t exactly fine dining, the prices are quite decent. While I love going to unique family-owned restaurants, sometimes I really, really like the security of dining gluten-free with a chain; this is especially the case when they have gluten-free down to a science as they seem to at BJ Brewhouse.

The pizza has turned out to be my favorite, locally available pizza. I like Jina’s idea to order it with extra sauce, although we haven’t done so yet, and the pizza has been appropriately crispy both times I ordered it. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed their Italian Market Salad, ordered without salami to make it vegetarian. It had several kinds of lettuce, fresh mozzarella, parmesan, basil, artichoke hearts, olives, roasted red pepper, garbanzo beans, cucumbers, and more. Basically all my favorite things, in something that felt way too hearty to be a salad. Perfect!

BJ Brewhouse is a great place to go with Baby Yum. She loves the pizza, and the booths are very handy for babies and toddlers. She has tried and seemed to enjoy everything we ordered. And for our part, the DH and I are happy to have found another option where we can all eat safely and enjoy ourselves, without going bankrupt. I would definitely recommend BJ Brewhouse to others. I haven’t had so much as a tummy rumble after eating there, and that speaks for itself. Unless of course it was a tummy rumble for MORE PIZZA!

Have you eaten at BJ’s Brewhouse? What is your favorite thing on their gluten-free menu? Tell me in the comments!

The company responsible for these lovely ravioli packs is based in Benecia, California and called Pasta Prima. They have NO INFO about this awesome pasta on their web site, and I couldn’t find any articles about it, but it is labeled gluten-free in big print on the front. According to company representatives, “Pasta Prima Gluten Free Five Cheese Ravioli meets all of the requirements of the Gluten Free Certification Organization.” Yay! On a personal note, our family and my friend’s family tried it and didn’t have any reactions. I love that! This pasta was extremely yummy, and an amazingly good price for gluten-free pasta, so if you live in California you might check your local Costco refrigerator case. It was in the middle of all the other refrigerated ravioli and I almost missed it because I am so used to ignoring that section. Luckily my husband has sharp eyes!

I hope you are able to find it and enjoy it as much as we did. They are very easy to make- all you do is boil them in water for four minutes and add a sauce of choice. 18 month old Baby Yum thought it was the tastiest thing ever. And yes, in this photo, she is eating little squares of it with a fork. How she has grown! My husband said it tasted just like gluten ravioli. Unfortunately, and probably of no surprise to any of you, it does contain dairy and egg. I have yet to find any vegan ravioli that is not homemade, alas. This post was an impulsive last-minute thing, so I apologize for the lack of pretty pictures.

Funny story- My friend posted a picture of their baby enjoying this ravioli on Facebook. I thought it would be fun to take a picture of Baby Yum enjoying it for my personal Facebook page as well. Anyway, when she saw this picture on the computer, Baby Yum said “nom nom nom”, hopped down, climbed up in her booster seat, grabbed her bib and tried to put it on while saying “more, more.” How could I argue with that? The girl got another ravioli.

Other favorite gluten-free finds at my local Costco’s:
4 pound bags of TruRoots gluten-free quinoa
Tasty Bite Madras Lentils
Large packs of my favorite Chaokoh Coconut Milk (sans guar gum)
Lovely large containers of McCormick’s Turmeric, Coriander, and Sesame Seeds

Yes, our Costco has a certain international flair. I’m just excited that they are offering these gluten-free ravioli, and by publicizing them, I hope that they may decide to keep stocking them. You know you want some!

Breaking news: A Pasta Prima designer (bless her) shared in the comments that this pasta is available in ALL Northern California Costco locations. If you live somewhere else, request it from your local Costco and hopefully they will pick up this great product.

Note: 99.9% of the photos I use on my blog are mine. However, the above photo is a professional photo supplied by Pasta Prima. (The shame of not having a photo was too much for me, so I emailed them asking for it!)

PS I apologize that this post may not apply to my food-sensitive readers. As you may have noticed, we have expanded our diets to include dairy and eggs as Baby Yum has become able to tolerate them. It has been a huge relief that she did not develop allergies despite the severe case of allergic colitis that she had as an infant, and makes me feel very happy that I stuck it out and continued breastfeeding her. However, I promise that you will still find vegan and allergen-sensitive recipes on the Book of Yum in the future, so please bear with me!

Breaking News 6/27/2011:
Some Costco’s may not be currently carrying the Gluten-free Pasta Prima ravioli. However, it has been picked up Raley’s , Lucky, and Albertson’s stores in our area, so check to see if any of those stores are carrying it.

Pica Pica Maize Kitchen is a delightful find for anyone on a gluten-free diet or who has developed an addiction to corn-based Venezuelan cuisine. I am almost embarrassed that in the over five years that I’ve lived in the Bay Area, I’ve never made it to their San Francisco location. Luckily, my gluten-free friends at BlogHer food were more motivated and planned a lunch there which I was very happy to attend. The entire menu is gluten-free. Those who can’t have corn will be out of luck, as pretty much everything contains corn. However, you can easily eat vegetarian or even vegan, and rice isn’t even on the menu if you are rice intolerant! Soy also can be avoided, although PAN, the base for their arepas, may be manufactured on lines with soy. If you thought you’d never eat a sandwich out again or have this much selection if you did, this place will prove you wrong and make you happy in the process. If you are like me, you’ll be a little overwhelmed by all the options, so let me tell you about the vegetarian dishes I tried. The most obvious vegetarian arepa choice is of course La Vegetariana Arepa with tofu, avocado, plantains, black beans and sauce. The ingredients sound perfect, but somehow it is just a bit bland for my taste, to be honest. I had it twice- once at the Napa location some time back, and both times I wasn’t all that excited. I love tofu, but this is quite a big, fairly plain slab of the stuff.
I didn’t order the Morena, or black bean, Empanada myself, but Ali of Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen did and generously shared some with me. Usually empanadas are made out of wheat flour, so it is a rare treat to find some that are made out of corn. These are light, flaky, probably deep fried, and have a delicious bean filling. I would definitely order them next time. Yummy! And I loved the spicy sauce with them. De-lish! The Queso Fresco empanada sounds good, too, but it would be hard to beat the savory bean filling.

Deep fried gluten-free goodies are always tempting, as it can be very hard to find them without cross contamination issues from a shared fryer. Pica Pica has two deep fried sides that are both good, but very different. One is a plantain chip. They are soft and sweet, with a thin, lightly fried exterior. If you are expecting intense crunch, this may not be the dish for you, but I like them because you can eat a bunch and not feel terribly guilty. If you’re in the camp that wants your fried food to taste like true deep fried goodness, then I recommend the Yucca fries. These amazingly crispy fries will satisfy all your Southern dreams and then some. I would want to share them with a friend because they are so rich and decadent. Bet you can’t eat just one!


I also tried their hot chocolate, but I am a picky-picky girl when it comes to my hot chocolate and I like it dark, rich, and thick. I wouldn’t order it again for myself but I bet my DH would enjoy it.

Of course the best thing about eating out is usually the company. I shared my meal with a wonderful group of gluten-free bloggers, most of whom I mentioned in this post about our gluten-free meal together at The Plant. *Link to blogs included for New friends not previously listed*

Shirley of Gluten-free Easily was a charming table companion, and we shared a batch of plantain fries. I just love her.

Counter-clockwise: Tia from Gluten Gluten-free, Alisa of Go Dairy Free, Diane from The Whole Gang, and just the eyes of Wendy of Celiacs in the House

Clockwise: Ellen of I am Gluten Free, GF Veg of Wheatless and Meatless, Kim of Cook it Allergy Free, Tom and Ali of Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen

And guess what? My friends wrote reviews of Pica Pica, too!
Wendy’s review and Arepas recipe
Diane’s review of Pica Pica and other gluten-free dining in San Francisco
GF Veg’s review of Pica Pica and photo slideshow
Alisa’s Dairy-free Review of Pica Pica Maize Kitchen
Know of any other Pica Pica blog reviews? Share in the comments and I’ll add them to the list!

Want to make your own version of arepas?
My recipe for green chili cheese arepas
Cheese Arepas and Perico Scramble Recipe

Some time ago I heard about an amazing Oaxacan restaurant in Palo Alto that offered a wide variety of naturally gluten-free fare, with only a few gluten dishes. How rare is that? Some local Bay area Celiacs had discovered this restaurant and were very impressed by the owners’ careful attention to detail and ingredients. They enjoyed the freshly made corn tortillas, made from their most basic components with no wheat tortillas on the premesis, and wonderful naturally gluten-free chocolate dessert. The DH and I wanted to go check it out as soon as we heard about it, but they have rather specific hours and open days (being closed on Saturdays for lunch and Sunday and Monday for both lunch and dinner) and we didn’t manage to make it in at the right time.

However, this Thursday was my birthday. I had initially thought of going to the vegetarian restaurant Millennium in San Francisco, but as a work weekday, it wasn’t a good time for the DH. I got the idea that maybe this would be a good day to check out the Oaxacan Kitchen, and when I checked their website I found that they were back from vacation and open for business. We walked into a cozy, warm place painted cheerfully with a good number of customers without being excessively crowded. When you first walk in, you can see the tortillas being shaped right there- and I was nervous when I noticed white powder on the trays. My Celiac contacts had said the tortillas were safe, but what could that substance be besides flour? I was nervous, but stuck around to ask the waitress about it and other gluten-free offerings. Happily, it turned out the white powder was cal, a mineral used to make corn more digestible, so those luscious tortillas were completely safe.

Our meal started with lightly seasoned pumpkin seeds, toasted with salt and citrus zest. While ordinarily I’m not a huge fan of pulpy pumpkin seeds, these were refreshing and tasty and I gobbled them up.

On our server’s recommendation, I ordered Memelas – Vegetariana. On the menu they are described as “two thick handmade soft corn tortillas, crispy on the bottom and then topped with black beans, mole negro, queso fresco, cabbage, guacamole, and salsa.” These small, round disks of corn reminded me of a cross between tortillas and arepas, but instead of being filled, they were topped like a tostada. The corn base was a little dry but the topping was tasty and I enjoyed them.

Next I had to order their unusual Empanadas Con Champiñones, described as “two fresh corn tortillas folded and stuffed with mole amarillo, quesillo, and epazote, with sautéed mushrooms with garlic.” It is very rare that empanadas be made from a gluten-free base, and I was very excited to try them. Unfortunately, although their fresh corn tortillas were soft and flavorful, the mushroom filling was somehow not terribly appealing to me- and I couldn’t really taste the garlic. This dish was probably my least favorite of the things I ordered and I wouldn’t order it again. Another filling might be more appealing, but I believe mushroom was the only vegetarian option.

Finally, on the DH’s request, I ordered Quesadillas Vegetariana, described as “Two fresh corn tortilla folded and stuffed with quesillo, and epazote.” I hadn’t really heard of quesillo before, but apparently it is a special salted cheese used in the region for dishes like quesadillas. The tortillas were soft and heavenly, with a distinctive and unique flavor of minerals and corn that comes with a truly fresh and traditionally made tortilla- a world away from those nasty preservative laden things in the grocery store. The cheese melted in the mouth and was pleasant, but the overall flavor of the dish was very mild and needed the accompanying salsa. This was probably the DH’s favorite dish. I enjoyed it but might have liked the oomph of more ingredients in the filling.
Finally, for his dish the DH ordered a pescatarian non-vegetarian dish, Camarones con chipotle, described as “pan-seared fresh Gulf shrimp with spicy chipotle sauce. Served with rice, black beans and market fresh vegetable of the day.” As you may know, I occasionally venture into pescatarianism, and so I did try a bite of the shrimp. One thing I enjoyed about this restaurant was the purity of the ingredients. Most restaurants make me very uneasy when I’m eating their food for the first time because there are so many odd flavors and ingredients that could contain gluten- but the food here all tasted pure and fresh, and I felt like I could taste each and every ingredient and it was made with real food. That being said- the shrimp wasn’t very exciting in flavor, so I left it to the DH. However, the traditional black beans on the side were prepared perfectly and melted in the mouth like butter. The real star was the fresh vegetable of the day- which turned out to be lightly seasoned caramelized sweet veggies including carrots and I believe parsnips. There was a faint flavor of cinnamon and some other spices I couldn’t identify- but whatever they were seasoned with, they were just perfect and I’m afraid I stole quite a few from the DH’s plate. If only I could order a whole plate of them! Yummy.

We closed the meal with a delicious cup of traditional hot chocolate and Oaxacan coffee. The latter was just okay, but the hot chocolate was wonderful with a unique corn flavor that really grew on us. Do be careful though as some Oaxacan hot chocolates can be made with gluten grains- luckily this restaurant’s was safe and absolutely delightful. After eating so many savory dishes, we had no room for more dessert, but I have heard reports that their chocolate experience 3 part dessert may be gluten-free. Please confirm with staff and/or owner before ordering.

This meal was a lovely birthday treat. Once I quizzed the wait staff I felt very comfortable about the gluten-free status of their dishes and I enjoyed the purity of ingredients and flavors. While I may not have identified my favorite dishes to order the first time around, there are so many options that I’m sure I’ll be able to find things that are perfect for my palate over subsequent visits.

I think it is wonderful that this very specialized international restaurant has started catering to the gluten-free community. According to the owners’ educational web page, they will even be offering a class on “Mexican Fiesta -Gluten-free Dinner on September 28, 2009 6:30 – 8:30 PM.” It would be great to see more local restaurants turning their attention to gluten-free diners. Let’s make sure to respond to the efforts at the Oaxacan Kitchen with our business!

Just so you know…
Service is somewhat slow and relaxed. Prepare for a relaxing dining experience and not fast food.
Prices are a bit high thanks no doubt to Palo Alto rents. I hear their farmer’s market offerings are tasty and inexpensive (but haven’t researched their gluten-free status yet).
We didn’t find it a problem on a Thursday night, but they are reported to be busy and crowded some nights.
Gluten churros are fried in the oil so deep fried dishes are out. Chilies rellanos are also said to contain gluten.

Review of more Oaxacan Kitchen dishes and article on their presence at the Sunnyvale farmer’s market – Sep 2009