Book of Yum

One of my favorite gluten-free California destinations is the Farmer’s Kitchen Cafe in Davis, California. I’d heard that change was afoot over at the Farmer’s Kitchen Cafe from one of my message boards. Apparently they’d been expanding their offerings to include frozen, sealed packages of many of their specialty items. Half of the Farmer’s Kitchen Cafe has always been an herb and supplement store, but it was exciting to hear that they had frozen foods as well as more gluten-free mixes. I was very intrigued and couldn’t wait to see the changes. So, one recent Saturday DH and I hopped in our car, put in a book on CD and made the long drive to Davis, California from Mountain View. I was happy to see the cafe buzzing when we got there. It’s always fun to read the menu, both the print version and the daily specials written on the board. That day, green beans in Rellano batter and heirloom apricot gallette sounded intriguing, but it was too hard to pass up the main dish items. Rose Anne told us that they had developed a new gluten-free panko bread coating for new dishes like Tonkatsu (a popular Japanese dish where pork is covered in panko crumbs and deep fried) and their crab cakes. I wish there had been a vegetarian version of the tonkatsu, because I always wondered what it was like. Tofu tonkatsu, anyone? DH was intrigued by the crab cake sandwich, and ordered it. Photo of GF Crab Cake sandwich, non-veg Meanwhile, I wanted to try the Local Organic Soup au Pistou, a hearty all-organic veggie soup with basil pistou sauce. For my main dish I chose the CF Local Organic Green Garlic Ravioli w/ Organic Marinara Sauce. We would have liked to get the blackberry or apricot gallette for dessert but we were just too full after all our food, unfortunately. If only I’d thought of getting a slice to go!

But how was the food? I love the basil pistou sauce- it melts in the mouth and has just the right balance of flavors. I also love that everything in it is organic. Granted, some of the veggies involved are not my favorite, but still, it was a very tasty soup. I also enjoyed the green garlic ravioli with marinara sauce. The ravioli pasta was tasty (although slightly watery) and I thought the chunky marinara sauce was excellent and well flavored. If I were to buy the ravioli myself, I’d probably serve it in a flavorful garlic olive oil sauce or even better, a strong green pesto with nuts and carefully steamed broccoli because somehow its “green” flavor cries out for a green accompaniment. DH thought the garlic was a little strong, but it was fine for me. I think I would order something different next time, but you know, I think I might have to take some of that tasty marinara home for some plain, non-ravioli pasta. And the DH? Well, let’s just say he was not inclined to share that crabcake sandwich! Apparently it was made with their new panko breadcrumbs and it was a HUGE hit. I tried just one bite, and just about swooned over the delicious, creamy, basil infused sauce- it was the perfect accompaniment, and their gluten-free sourdough bread worked well. I can see that the DH has a new favorite on the menu- he said he’d give it a 9/10, and I have to agree. Rose Anne’s chef has created a flavorful masterpiece with that sandwich, and I hope they’re able to keep it on the menu full time. YUM!

While we were waiting for our food, I wandered around the shop side of the site with my little red camera in tow. Rose Anne had put in brightly lit refrigerator and freezer cases in the back of the store, and it looked fantastic. Apparently there are more changes to come, so stay tuned! I know many gluten-free folks say they would love to do all their gluten-free shopping at the same place where they can get a restaurant meal or fresh baked goods, and Farmer’s Kitchen Cafe seems to be headed in that direction. You can buy all kinds of their frozen meals, including pizza, ravioli, tamale (including vegan), and even baked goods. Personally, I was eying the yummy pizzas, both CF and vegetarian, as well as those vegan tamales. They just all looked so good!

There were changes in other parts of the store as well. Farmer’s Kitchen Cafe is now carrying Namaste and Authentic Foods mixes, as well as boxes of their own gluten-free cookies (chocolate chip and sugar cookie), along with packages of their in-house gluten-free pasta. The check-out area had an extensive selection of snack bars. However, the most popular area seemed to be their fresh baked gluten-free food bin, which only had (delicious) gluten-free brownies and their very reasonably priced and popular rosemary hamburger buns (not vegetarian due to gelatin) that other customers were snapping up like [gluten-free] hotcakes.

DH and I tried a few of the gluten-free samples on a table between the restaurant and the shop, paid our bill, and waddled off into the sunset secure in the knowledge that we’d celebrated the joys of organic, local dining. Not only that, but we got to prowl around the adorable college town of Davis, visit a few open houses, and did a little clothes shopping for the perpetually shopping-reluctant DH. Sometimes it’s just good to get away from our own sphere and enjoy a new place, along with some new and delicious food. So, the next time your gluten-free life in the Bay area (or Sacramento… or anywhere for that matter) is getting you down, why not try a holiday to Davis and sit down for a meal at Rose Anne’s organic bistro? Times are tight right now for everyone, including our favorite gluten-free entrepreneurs, and if we don’t show our support now, we may all lose out in the end..

Interested in my other posts about the Farmer’s Kitchen Cafe?

Read about my visit in June 27th, 2007 (pescatarian photo)
April 2, 2007 (all veg photos)

Can’t make it to Davis? Order Farmer’s Kitchen Cafe baked goods online, or try some of their recipes.

Some time back I was reading Brendon’s blog over at Something in Season and came across an announcement for the Something in Season Dinner he proposed to host at the Farmer’s Kitchen Cafe in Davis, California. I’ve enjoyed his blog and its fresh, seasonal approach to food as well as its wit (lawnmower grass clippings saute, anyone?) for some time now, and my last visit to Davis and the Farmer’s Kitchen Cafe was so much fun I couldn’t resist. DH and I made the drive to Davis and enjoyed the company of our fellow food bloggers, including Elise of Simply Recipes and of course, Brendon of Something in Season. The company was delightful and the food and wine thoughtfully provided by Brendon was absolutely scrumptious. Because of the intimate size of the gathering, we ended up all ordering off the menu, which means that should you find yourself in front of Rose Anne ’s establishment in Davis, California you too can experience the exact same culinary experience, without needing to get together a group of your fellow bloggers. The food is more fun in the company of foodies, however.

We began the meal with some guacamole and seasonal vegetables, accompanied by individual servings of olives and pickled peppers. (Please say five times fast.) When Rose Anne told us about the gluten free onion rings on the day’s menu, there was no question but that we must have two orders of them- I don’t know about you but it was my first time ever finding gluten free onion rings anywhere but homemade on my own kitchen counter. We also pretty much unanimously ordered the Bio-Regional Salad, something I had considered at our previous visit but hadn’t ordered. This amazing salad is made of the most delicious local, organic produce available that day- ours had Local Organic Mixed Greens, Local Organic Arugula, Local Rainier Cherries, Local Strawberries, Local Organic Carrots, Local Green Beans, Local Organic Grapefruit, Local Organic Sweet Onions, Local Organic Pickled Beets, and Feta with Local Walnuts. (Or so my slightly fuzzy memory would have me believe- but if you order it, your salad will be slightly different, anyway.) I chose the soy ginger dressing, and it was absolutely fabulous. I might even say, I don’t know when I’ve ever had a better salad. The only slightly sour note was the grapefruit. I’m not the best of friends with grapefruit, and it seemed to clash with the other flavors of the salad and dressing. Luckily there were so many ingredients to choose from, I just let the grapefruit linger unloved on the plate with no hard feelings. Brendon ordered the squash soup of the day, and we all had a taste- it was beautifully seasoned and seemed to have a rich coconut milk base that made even humble squash seem exotic and flavorful.

For the entree, again we almost unanimously ordered the Shrimp Scampi w/ Local Organic Parsley and Homemade Fettucine. After all, how many opportunities do you get for gluten free homemade pasta not produced in your own mixer? DH asked me to select something for him, so I chose the enticing Homemade Local Organic Green Garlic Ravioli w/ Organic Marinara Sauce. When the shrimp scampi arrived, it was not only absolutely gorgeous, but had an amazing garlic infused sauce, paired with a generous serving of large shrimp. DH’s Ravioli was also appetizing, with charming half moon shaped ravioli unlike the square ravioli I tend to make. It was covered in a thick, sweet, organic tomato marinara. Everything had been such generous portions that I have to admit, by the time our main entrees arrived we could only sample it, but they were so wonderful I really wished I had still been hungry. The shrimp scampi was exactly to my taste, with roasted garlic flavor throughout that perfectly accented the sweet, robust shrimp. DH was slightly less enamored with his ravioli, saying that the sauce was a little sweet for his taste, but it was otherwise quite good. Personally I enjoyed the chunky texture of the sauce, but did find that the savory garlic sauce more perfectly suited my own palate. Also, the green ravioli filling was slightly overshadowed by the sauce. Actually, I would have loved to try the ravioli without the marinara, perhaps in a light garlic sauce. Nevertheless, the texture of the gluten free pasta at the Farmer’s Cafe is absolutely amazing, and the luxury of having real homemade pasta that you didn’t make yourself, and in such generous quantity, can’t be beat. You can also purchase their homemade pasta, and apparently Rose Anne has some clients who buy the pasta that aren’t even gluten free. As our non gluten free diners at the table agreed, it really is indistinguishable from gluten pasta, which fits in with Rose Anne’s food philosophy. As she put it, while all the food is gluten free with very few exceptions (such as a gluten bread option), the point is that it is all the food is made from local, organic, seasonal ingredients that tastes as good if not better than their gluten counterpart. She doesn’t advertise it as a gluten free restaurant per say, and thus non gluten free clients come in and are wowed not because it’s weird, gluten free food, but are wowed because it tastes great and is good for you. It is difficult for a restaurant to survive on the patronage of gluten free customers alone, and I think this is why Rose Anne’s cafe has been such a success over the years- because it’s not just good gluten free food, it’s good, healthy food.

Personally, I can’t wait to go back. I almost appreciated my leftover pasta more after the fact, as I ate it at my own table at home. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as eating a delicious “home cooked” meal with fresh pasta that I didn’t lift a finger to make! The next time you are longing for the holy grails of gluten free dining such as homemade pasta and onion rings, why not take a little trip to Davis California? Your taste buds will thank you- and when you’re done, you can enjoy wandering around the charming college environment of the city of Davis.