This week we went on an epic road trip with our new gypsy van and stopped at many great gluten-free and gluten-free friendly places in California and Oregon. Over the next week or so I’ll be reporting on some new finds and some changes to some old favorites. I’ll begin with our first stop at Farmer’s Kitchen Cafe in Davis, California for dinner. I always enjoy visiting this place for its fresh, local produce and interesting gluten-free dishes. The economy has been hitting this little place pretty hard, so if you get a chance, definitely come by and lend your support to this little gem in Davis, California. The good news is that in the last month or so, the cafe has come up with a gluten-free french bread recipe good enough to please even regular glutenoids and so no longer offers any gluten products in the cafe whatsoever. (And- I’ve tried this bread- it is truly divine and even beats my favorite Bette Hagman’s french bread recipe!) The only downside is that for strict vegetarians, this bread (As well as their sandwich bun/rolls) does contain gelatin and so is not vegetarian. Vegetarians (and even vegans) can take heart, however. Although I would be happy to see more vegetarian dishes on the menu as there is definitely a preponderance of non-veg options, vegetarians can enjoy the salads, roasted vegetable dishes, soups (check on stock), a few veggie sandwich or tacos (note bread gelatin for those that are strict veggies), a veggie/casein free ravioli dish or pizza, and a rice curry dish or two. This time I had my heart set on gluten-free ravioli and was intrigued by the promise of shitake mushroom ravioli, but a sudden rush of customers meant they were out. Instead I had the butternut squash ravioli in a melted clarified butter sauce with garlic. (Marinara was also a sauce option.) I do enjoy their ravioli, but there was an awful lot of the butter/oil sauce (as well as a generous amount of garlic, but no other herbs) so next time I think I’ll go with a marinara sauce. The DH who is neither gluten free nor vegetarian in any sense of the word ordered the chicken salad sandwich with homemade pickles. (I had the pickles and let me tell you, those were some FINE and tasty pickles. I wonder if it is possible to order them with the veggie sandwiches…) He was extremely pleased with his sandwich and proclaimed the GF bread EXCELLENT. I was intrigued by the extensive dessert menu (those darned pregnancy cravings for sweets!) and ordered a strawberry lemon tart. Unfortunately there was an order mix-up and we very nearly lost our shot at the pie, but they were able to get together a last? piece of the pie for us that while not beautiful, was very, very tasty. Their gluten-free pie crust is a little thick but the filling was superb and exactly what I was hoping for with fresh strawberry slices and swirls of strawberry on a tangy-sweet lemon base.

Since we were going to be on the road for a week and I wanted to make sandwiches (and the DH couldn’t stop raving about the bread), I purchased a beautiful loaf of their gluten-free french bread, swallowing my guilt about certain non-veg ingredients that will remain nameless as well as one of their buns and a gluten-free, casein-free chocolate brownie. I have no excuse for the latter except that I have no defense against chocolate these days. The owner also kindly gave me a trial package of their newest gluten-free panko crumbs to try at home. The DH very much enjoyed these panko crumbs on the crab cake sandwich he had last time. They are made from their gluten-free breads so do contain you-know-what, but how could I possibly resist gluten-free panko crumbs?

If you are close to home or have a great ice chest, you can stock up on frozen gluten-free goods including genuinely vegetarian pizzas (some casein-free), ravioli, blueberry muffins, and more. They have a wide variety of (room temperature) dried homemade pastas that I should probably purchase- but due to the time consuming nature of pasta, they are a bit pricey for my budget at $12/lb. I’m sure they’re worth every penny, but since I can and do occasionally make my own (and I’m usually feeling guilty about how much I’ve spent on other things) I haven’t tried them yet.

Previous Posts about Farmer’s Kitchen:
Review from my first visit in April 2nd, 2007
Review from my visit in June 17th, 2008

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.

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.

Although it was really difficult to pick from all the choices, I ended up going with a personal veggie pizza (veggies, pesto sauce, mozzarella and feta), the Portobello Mushroom Sandwich du Jour, and (we were planning to take this to go) a Torte de Blette with chard and apples. I always like to compare gluten free pizza crusts looking for the best one, and GF sandwiches I actually want to eat (being GF AND veggie) are few and far between. Also, I’d read on their web site forum that the pastry for the torte was quite good, so I couldn’t resist. I did feel more than a minor twinge over the prices- and when you order the sandwich gluten free, you can’t downsize to a “small,” which is what I had originally planned to do. Nevertheless, I went with my plan. I was very, very tempted by the ravioli, but the price made me hesitate. And, I decided that I could make soup anytime, so best to test them with their bread based stuff and see how they compared to homemade.

It is worth noting that on their website they warn that because everything is made from scratch, it takes time. This is not the place for snappy, quick fast food (or commercial restaurant) service. But the two women working there were both sweet, and genuinely tried to make sure that their customers were happy with the food. They apologized for any slowness or mistakes with the order, and were very pleasant. Since we knew from the start that the food would take a little time, we settled into our chairs with some magazines, and took a few tours of the health food store while we were waiting.

First, the pizza came. DH was quite surprised to see cabbage, shredded carrots and broccoli on the pizza, but I was intrigued. After all, I like my veggies. The only slight disappointment was that they brought it with the marinara sauce instead of the pesto that I had ordered- but since it took so long, I didn’t really want to delay the order by sending it back. Besides, DH prefers marinara to pesto anyway. The crust was white and somehow both slightly dense and spongy at the same time. It was also faintly sweet. I enjoyed the fresh vegetables with the red sauce, and felt like it was definitely healthier than the average pizza. I enjoyed it very much, although I still think I prefer Carol Fenster’s recipe for pizza crust that I make at home. The fun of it though, is that I was eating pizza IN A RESTAURANT made IN A DEDICATED GF KITCHEN. Safe, delicious, and the whole point is that it is different than the pizza I make at home. DH enjoyed it as well.

Next, my portabella mushroom sandwich came, dripping with gorgeous green pesto. There wasn’t a lot of feta in it- but it was very, very good, and there was absolutely no skimping on the mushrooms. Yummy! The bread was their gluten free sourdough loaf that they sell for around nine dollars for a huge loaf. It was good, and faintly sweet. Definitely better than store bought bread. If it had been cheaper, I might have picked up a loaf to take home.

And last, the Torte de Blette arrived. It was considerably larger than I expected, but then again, it was a main course dish and wasn’t cheap. The crust was flaky and floury, without excessive butter. It was probably made from white flours like white rice and tapioca starch, although I can’t confirm this. I had made a very similar dish for Thanksgiving, although I used cheese and pine nuts. Both versions were tasty but not entirely my thing, so I probably would have been better off ordering something else. But, if you like a light, refreshing tart made with greens and apples that you didn’t have to slave over a counter to create- it’s definitely worth a taste.

It’s always hard to decide what to order when (for a change) we can eat every darned thing on the menu. I heard rave reviews of the chicken pot pie, and one woman sitting near us ordered it and seemed really happy with it. (It looked great!) Although I don’t eat chicken, maybe DH will have that next time- it looked fantastic! The salads also looked great- and although I am somewhat dismayed by the high price of a tofu addition- I suppose that is the price of eating organic and local foods. I think next time, I would probably try one of the lovely soups with garlic rosemary toast, or the curry vegetables which I’ve heard very good things about.

Tour the Store

One more plus about stopping at the Farmer’s Kitchen was that I could pick up a few things for the rest of the trip, notably a fresh baked, shiny bagel and a scrumptious looking bun with rosemary and onion seasoning. I saved the bagel for breakfast the next morning, but I think it was probably even better the day it was baked. The rosemary onion bun was perfect, even the next day, with great flavor and amazing soft, fluffy texture. I meant to have a taste, and ended up eating the whole thing in the car with butter, one yummy slice after another. (DH helped me out- a little…) Both were around $2.50 each, and were worth every penny. I’d order a batch of those buns, if I could!

Peruse the Baked Goods

Although Davis is a bit far, the Farmer’s Kitchen made a terrific stop on our road trip to Lake Tahoe and Reno. They are closed on Sundays, so I’m glad we were able to stop over on Saturday. After we enjoyed the pizza, half of our sandwich, and a few bites of the torte (we saved the rest for later), we went for a walk around the cute downtown area, which is obviously geared towards college students. There was a terrific used/ new book store called Bogey’s Books with quirky literature and a great cookbook section. We also stopped at a perfect local cafe called Mishka’s Cafe and had a cozy cup of coffee. If you have time and happen to be heading towards Sacramento from the Bay area, I’d definitely make Davis a stop on the way. It ended up being one of our favorite stops on our trip, and not just because of the great GF food!