Book of Yum

Natural Food Works
Farmer’s Kitchen Cafe
624 4th Street
Davis, CA, 95616
(530) 756 1862
Monday-Sat 11am-8pm

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.

Corbett Coffee Plant
5911 SW Corbett
Portland, Or
Next Door to Corbett Fish House!!!
503-293-3280
Open Sun 8 - 4; Mon 7 - 6
Tue - Sat 7 - 9 serving dinner!

In the process of researching gluten free restaurants in Portland, Oregon I happened upon a review of a coffee shop next door to the Corbett Fish House. Reportedly this place had begun serving gluten free baked goods along with their coffee some time back, and they even had a dedicated kitchen. I was intrigued, and thought that since we were going to Corbett Fish House anyway we could pick up snacks for the road from them. I was hopeful, but I’d been disappointed before by lackluster “gluten free” coffee shops. Spica in Mountain View comes to mind. But when we walked up to this charming, neighborhood coffee shop and saw the adorable sign out front with “Gluten Free” written inside a heart, I had a good feeling about this place. I never know sometimes how gluten free a place really is until I get there. Often we’re lucky to have a shelf set aside for special baked goods, and sometimes those goods are simply pre-packaged things. In this case, the more I looked around and asked questions, the more excited I became. First off, there was a menu by the cash register with the following things available that day:

Sample Menu:
Sandwiches: Veggie- cheese, mustard, carrot, red pepper, tomato and greens
Turkey- Cheddar, Turkey, Tomato, Mustard, and Greens
Ham and Swiss- Ham, Swiss Cheese, Mustard

Quiche: Feta, Calamata Olives, Pine Nuts, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Carrots (note: sells out early in the day)

As you can imagine, I was thrilled by the quiche, but alas, it had already sold out that day. Doh. But the menu listed sandwiches. Really? Sandwiches? “Are they gluten free?” I asked nervously. “Oh yes, everything baked here is gluten free,” the barista said calmly, no doubt used to the incredulity of giddy gluten free shoppers. I wanted to interrogate the poor guy more, but instead gazed dizzily around. The sandwiches were neatly tucked away inside a refrigerator case, just like “Real” sandwiches. Since we were planning to drive all the way home to Mountain View that night, a packed sandwich to go sounded perfect. And best of all, they had a veggie sandwich. I am always depressed by places that offer tons of gluten free meat dishes and no savory vegetarian offerings. I looked around the shop. There was a shelf with packaged gluten free snacks- bumblebee bars, ener-g pretzels, that sort of thing. By the register there was also a lovely little glass display of GF baked goods with a blueberry coffee cake, apple scone, apple coffee cake, and rich chocolate cookies. YUM, YUM, YUM. Because I have no willpower, I bought one of each to try! (Not to eat all at once, silly. I planned to take them home to Mountain View.)

DH lovingly set up my purchases in the dimly lit coffee shop for a photo. So sweet! So badly lit! Oh well. Hopefully you can feel the warm, groovy coffee shop vibe in the photo. From left, the edge of a pumpkin pie. I didn’t take a very good photo of it, but it ended up being my least favorite treat, so I suppose it’s all right. I found the crust to be too thick, and it was the only thing that tasted “gluten free” to my scrupulous taste buds. I do love that they offered a seasonal pie, though, as I know first hand what a pain gluten free pie crust can be. Front and center you can see a huge, chocolate cookie. Poor little cookie never stood a chance. It got gobbled before we were even fully out of Portland. All I can say is YUM, YUM, and SUPER YUM! Congrats to the brillig baker at Coffee Plant for single handedly creating the PERFECT chocolate chip cookie. Can I give a 10/10 again? Is that bad? It was a darned tasty cookie. To the right, the only “oops” of my purchase- an apple crumble scone/cake that looked super delish but turned out to be topped with gluten-free oats. I’m sure it was fab. but because I didn’t really want to test out oats for the first time while on the road (or even just back from a road trip), I ended up exchanging it for the blueberry coffee cake that was topped with almonds. Did I mention that the barista at Coffee plant was really nice? And when I called them on the phone to ask a few additional questions before writing this post, they were really nice again. Gosh, I love people in Portland. Anyway, just one more reason to give them your business. (Products topped with oats are not labeled, so ask if you don’t want something with oats.) Note the beautiful latte in the background, decorated with a lovely leaf squiggle. *sigh* It was darned fine coffee as well as pretty coffee, being made from Portland’s own pride and joy Stumptown Coffee, a local company that hand roasts its coffee in small batches.

I think I mentioned the veggie sandwich already, right? I loved the fact that they even had a veggie sandwich, much less one with cheese, mustard, grated carrot, red pepper, tomato and greens on perfectly sliced bread and wrapped in tidy saran wrap for the Celiac on the go. I’ve had a few veggie sandwiches in my time- Spica has a processed cheese melt, and The Farmer’s Cafe has a portobello sandwich with pesto that is pretty tasty. But this sandwich blew them all away. First off, the bread looked so good I was honestly afraid there had been a mistake and it contained gluten. Eating bread that I didn’t make is always a bit intimidating, especially without a label of ingredients to read and read again. But, with the assurances of the cafe barista ringing in my ears, I braved it and took a bite. That was one DELICIOUS sandwich. I offered DH a bite, saying anxiously, “Gluten free, right?” He took a bite and paused. “Um, I don’t know,” he said. Yes, you heard it right. The glutenoid COULD NOT TELL it was a gluten free sandwich. And, if you’re worried- it WAS! I felt no ill effects after gobbling the whole thing down as my dinner later. The smokey cheese, mustard, plentiful veggies- awesome bread… It may be the best sandwich I ever had, even including my homemade creations. That puppy was made by someone who 1) understands gluten free baking 2) understands vegetarian flavors and 3) made my tummy happy! Sorry, couldn’t resist the last bit. Yum. I want another, please. I immediately wanted to know what flours they used. Bean flour? Sorghum?? I called the cafe later and asked about flours, and was told they use a combo of rice flour, tapioca, and potato starch. Awesome. I think the secret to their bread may be that they bake their products every day. Good gluten free bread is generally palatable un-toasted the first day it is baked- and this bread was Very, Very palatable. Mmm. 10/10 for the best gluten-free veggie sandwich EVER, thank you very much.

Later I enjoyed some blueberry coffee cake at home, and I was impressed with the spongy texture, delicious apples baked into the batter, and the excellent flavor. I’m not that huge on cake, actually, so I would give it an entirely subjective 7.5/10 but if you love apple coffee cake you will love this cake!

And last, but definitely not least, was the absolutely scrumptious apple scone that I enjoyed. I don’t know how much butter/ oil/yum making ingredient was in there, and I don’t think I want to know- but it was darned tasty, and exactly how I imagined a scone could be. And… hold on to your hats here- it was better than any scone I’ve made at home. Shocking, I’m sure, but there you have it. A billion kudos and kisses thrown to the master baker at the Coffee Plant. She (?) has surpassed the baked goods sold at many gluten free bakeries, and certainly surpassed most packaged products. I hope they hang on to her for dear life, ’cause her gluten free creations are simply brilliant. And I can’t wait to be back to have another sandwich and… fingers crossed… try that oh so yum sounding quiche. Ah yes, and a 9.5/10 for the scone. I would give it a 10, but took off half a point for the caloric guilt I felt after consuming it. Gotta be stingy with those tens or they might lose all meaning…

So what are you waiting for? Clearly Portland is THE Gluten-Free Destination of the Northwest. If you haven’t been there lately, you haven’t been there- ’cause according to reports the Coffee Plant just keeps getting better and better. Oh, one word to the wise- the Corbett location is the only one offering all these fab. GF items. You will be sad, sad, sad and hungry at the downtown branch of the Coffee Plant- I believe they do not carry any gluten-free goodies, so you’ll have to console yourself with a tasty latte if you go there. I’m already planning my return, so…See you in Portland!

Portland Metro GIG List of Restaurants
Article from 52perfectdays.com Portland’s Gluten-Free Scene

While you’re in Portland, check out the Gluten Free Restaurant Grolla featuring Pacific Northwest/Mediterranean Cuisine!
Here is a recent review by the Celiac Chicks