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?

Mariposa gluten-free Rye Round $4.95 (as of June ‘09)- This new product immediately piqued my interest with its lovely artisan shape and promising caraway flavoring. When I asked the bakers at mariposa which of the new loaves they recommended, they mentioned that the un-rye bread had been selling very well. It was also quite reasonably priced, for a bakery-made artisan loaf. But how did it taste? The first day I found it had nice texture and was great sliced with butter, and then after that I enjoyed it toasted in small sandwiches with baba ghanoush, tahini sauce and arugula. Of all the breads I’ve tried at Mariposa, this is definitely my favorite, and one I would purchase again.

I swooned when I saw this gorgeous lemon poppyseed muffin in the case. It was fluffy and light and seemed to defy gravity with its lovely top. The white icing added just the right delicate and lovely touch, and I was sold. I took it home and hoarded it for a day or so before finally trying it. I found the texture to be excellent, and I enjoyed the delicate flavors. The poppyseeds really popped- and the lemon was interesting without being cloying. I did find it to be sweet- and I tend not to eat sweet muffins very often, so I don’t know how often I would buy it, but I did enjoy it.

When I saw the beautiful White Cake Layer slices for $4.50 in the refrigerator case at Mariposa, I knew I had to have one. The sign advertised cream cheese frosting with raspberry filling, and the cake was also garnished generously with sliced, toasted almonds. Gorgeous! The DH and I shared a piece right there in the bakery. Our estimation? The cake texture was good, and the flavor was nice as well. The cream cheese frosting was thick, and a bit too sweet for my taste buds, and I wasn’t wild about the almonds in combination, but it was everything a white layer cake should be. I don’t think I would try that flavor again (although I confess a strong curiosity about the chocolate) but it was a satisfying and pleasant cake experience. Love that they are offering them in slices now!

I’ve raved about these nutmeal raisin cookies before, and my opinion hasn’t changed. This time I was able to snag about four to take home with me… which I kept in the bag and treasured for days. Of all the cookies at Mariposa (Chocolate chip and sugar cookie) I like the texture and flavor of the nutmeal raisin the best, and they are the only ones I buy regularly. Delicious!

I’d heard that changes were afoot at Mariposa, including some un-rye bread, new freezer cases, and of course gluten-free ravioli. When we got there I noticed immediately that they had expanded the non-Mariposa offerings into a small gluten-free grocery selection. They are now carrying DeBoles pasta, Tinkyada Pasta, Glutino snack bars (yuck), Mesa Sunrise, Bakery on Main, and Amazon Corn Flakes, and Pamela’s mixes, among many other things.

The freezer case was especially impressive, with offerings including bagels, cheese ravioli, butternut squash ravioli (GF DF NF), multi-grain bread, scones, baguettes, quiche in a pastry crust, rosemary rolls, and of course, pizza. I made sure to snag some of the gluten free cheese ravioli right away, although the price (10 pieces for $9) did give me serious pause. I know it is time intensive (trust me, or I’d make it more) but that is a pretty steep price for something I can make myself. But- luckily this blog gave me an excuse to try it at least once. I also bought the cheese quiche because I can’t resist a tasty looking crust that I didn’t have to make myself. And- last but not least, their poppyseed challah also went home with me. The DH and I of course had to have a slice of their gluten-free pizza, which in the past I’ve referred to as the best pizza on the West Coast.

I always love Mariposa’s all-vegetarian pizza, and it’s one of the things that brings me back time after time. They have an excellent crust and toppings are generally very creative and tasty. I have to admit, this time I was slightly disappointed. The crust was underdone, so it wasn’t as gorgeous and crispy as usual, and the toppings were… not quite as inspired as usual, being just cheese, tomato, peppers, and herbs. I hope that they can keep their creative juices flowing and impressing us with their fun toppings that set them apart from the rest- and also, make sure that the crust is baked long enough to really do it justice. I’ll order their pizza again, of course, but it was a little bit of a bummer this time around.

I took one of these quiche home and had it with a lovely arugula salad for dinner one night. Actually, it made several meals (but two of them were more like snacks). The crust was gorgeously browned and golden, but I found it slightly flat in flavor. I don’t know exactly what the ingredients are, but I don’t think it contains butter, and I miss that a little bit. The egg-cheese filling was pleasant, but I did want to add some kind of flavor element- I wish it had a vegetable, herb, or even more seasonings of salt and/or pepper. I loved being able to take the quiche home and bake it, and it is a very smart offering, in my opinion, that made this savory girl very happy. However, I probably wouldn’t get it again unless there was an option with the pow of additional (vegetarian) ingredients. You should definitely try it for yourself, though, and see what you think.

The challah at Mariposa ($6.50) is a thing of absolute beauty. I have never seen a gluten-free challah with gorgeous, glistening braids like this one. The poppy seed topping is also fantastic (and they have them without if you prefer). The challah came frozen, so I left it in the freezer for a few days and then took it out for breakfast. I cut off a piece of the loaf and microwaved it…. and then it was time for a taste test. I think because the bread is based in brown rice flour, it has a distinctive “brown” bread flavor, with a sweet, almost fruity element. I tried the first piece with butter. The texture was pleasant, and the flavor wasn’t bad, but for me the real strength of the bread is its beauty. It makes me proud to see where gluten-free bread has come since my diagnosis. However, I do have to say that I wasn’t wild about the flavor and found it rather sweet and bland. I tried it with cream cheese, and it was also pleasant, but I don’t think the flavor of this particular bread is my thing.
2/18/09 Update

*photos taken from experience in February- I just didn’t get around to posting about our trip, but this seemed like a good time to tell you about it!

I was delighted when I heard about Mariposa’s special gluten-free doughnut day celebrating Valentines Day. They don’t normally offer doughnuts, so it sounded really fun and different. Their pretty cake-style (not fried) doughnuts looked enticing and I went a little crazy, buying a whole box full. Unfortunately, when we actually tried them, both the DH and I were not that crazy about them. They were pretty heavy, not all that sweet, and tasted pretty firmly gluten-free. They didn’t pass the glutenoid taste test, and the DH stopped eating after the first bite or so. I nibbled at a few, but to tell you the truth, most ended up sitting in our refrigerator uneaten and finally ended up in the trash. I hate to say this, but I much prefer the mass marketed donuts produced by kinnikinnick. These aren’t a regular offering at Mariposa. If they are offered again, perhaps the recipe will be tweaked a bit. I don’t think we’ll be making it to doughnut day anytime soon, though.

Starting on Valentine’s Day (or perhaps prior to), Mariposa began offering chocolate, vanilla, black bottom, carrot cake & seasonal cupcakes made by Miglet’s Gluten-Free Cakery. ($2 each) For Valentine’s Day they had red velvet cupcakes that were bewitchingly sweet and as appealing to look at as they were to eat. I bought one carrot cake cupcake and one red velvet cupcake- in the interest of science, you understand. Both were tasty, but the cream cheese and other frosting was a bit sweet for my taste. They would be perfect for anyone with a strong sweet tooth, though- and I’ve never seen a cuter gluten-free cupcake. How great would it be to be able to bring home a box for a newly diagnosed child or family member? Now that they have a lovely refrigerated case, these cupcakes appear to be offered year round, and are a wonderful addition to the offerings at Mariposa.

I have to say, though, that my absolute favorite Valentine’s Day treat was the Valentine’s Day flourless chocolate cake. The DH bought it for me, but if I remember correctly it was either just under or over $10.00. It sounds like a lot- but it was a beautiful, toothsome looking creation. When I cut into it, I found it was my idea of a perfect, fudge-like cake without any heavy bread or cake bits to get in the way of my enjoyment of the cake. The ganache-type coating was delightful, and I’d definitely order it again.

To conclude- Since my last Mariposa report, there have been lots of additions to Mariposa’s gluten-free baked good lineup lately. On our last Sunday afternoon visit, I was very pleased to see a great deal of foot traffic into the bakery. I noticed visitors often picked up some gluten-free cereal or other groceries along with their gluten-free cookies or cake- and in this tough market, anything that contributes to the bakery’s success is a good thing. I think Mariposa has been very smart with their gradual expansion of bakery offerings, and I’m thrilled to see them offering more savory items to the Bay Area like ravioli and quiche. I look forward to seeing what they make next, and hope you will all consider visiting their location and supporting their efforts for the gluten-free community.

The sophisticated peach and spinach topped pizza toppings won my heart, and I also thoroughly loved the simpler marguerita style tomato and basil pizza. I probably gobbled more than my fair share (cough cough) but it’s just so hard to hold back when faced with the best gluten-free pizza in California! I also thought the chocolate chip cookie bites were absolutely divine- I’m not sure, but they seemed a slightly different formula than I remembered from before. At any rate, the chocolate chips were big, chocolaty and melty and they were worth any amount of guilt. The other baked offerings were tasty, but I already have my favorites (not on sample, alas). I just can’t resist their nut-meal cookies (drool, almond slices and plump raisins- they taste too good to be bad for you!). And don’t even get me started on the completely addicting dairy-free lemon-coconut bars. I bought four nut-meal cookies and four lemon-coconut bars. Turns out the lemon bars are from a family recipe that Patti converted to be gluten-free. Yummy! I also bought one of each of the frozen, topped pizzas. At $12 they are not inexpensive, but worth every penny and a world away from commercially available gluten-free frozen pizzas like Amy’s Rice Crust pizza.

Haven’t made it to Cafe Mariposa’s Gluten-free Bakery yet? Here’s their vital stats:
5427 Telegraph Ave, Unit D3,
Oakland, CA 94609
tel: 510.595.0955
fax: 510.595.0966
info@mariposabaking.com
Don’t forget, you can also order their products online!
Hours:
Monday – Friday 9am – 6pm
Saturday – Sunday 10am – 4pm

My First Review of Cafe Mariposa
My Second Review of Cafe Mariposa

But there were even more gluten-free delights available besides the regular baked goods. During the party, Mariposa’s neighboring business The Wine Mine had a $1 gluten-free beer tasting in his awesome wine shop between 12-2pm. Apparently this booming local business has found it advantageous to stock some of the more exotic gluten-free beers, as well as a wide selection of tasty wines. For a mere $1, we were offered samples not only of the mainstream Redbridge and increasingly well-known New Grist, but also Green’s Belgian beer in three styles.

Here’s my entirely subjective Review of Gluten-Free Beers:

Anheuser-Busch’s Redbridge beer is becoming a classic in the gluten-free community. Some drinkers compare it to a mass-market beer like Coors. It’s fairly easy to drink, but does have a slight bitter aftertaste thanks to the sorghum base.

New Grist is my latest gluten-free beer discovery, and I find it an extremely drinkable light-tasting beer without much of an aftertaste. According to their web site, “New Grist is the first beer brewed without malted barley or any gluten-containing products to be recognized as beer by the U.S. Government.”

Green’s Belgian Discovery Gluten-Free Amber beer was an extremely pleasant surprise. It’s tasty and beer-like without a nasty aftertaste and has a complex, golden body. My fellow gluten-free taste tester with a taste for beer liked it the best of Green’s beers, and I had to agree. Well worth the effort to hunt this beer down! i liked it so much I bought one to take home.

On the other hand, Green’s Belgian Endeavour Gluten-Free Dubbel might appeal to those who like a dark beer, and it certainly had a strong, distinctive taste. However, to my taste buds it tasted unpleasantly medicinal, and my fellow taster thought that it was weirdly “sweet.” After the first dainty sip, I literally could not drink any more, but it’s important to remember that tastes vary and you might enjoy it, so it’s definitely worth a try.

Green’s Belgian Quest Gluten-Free Tripel Blonde Ale is quite fizzy and somewhat sweet. It’s easy to drink, and pleasant with an almost perfume-like flavor. It had a slightly bitter aftertaste. I bought one to take home, but more for the sake of comparison than anything- I couldn’t see myself drinking it regularly.

Have you tried these gluten-free beers? I’m just working on developing a palate for beer, so you might have a much different impression of them. Please tell me what you think of them in the comments!

For now, I’ll leave you with the recipe for Patti’s delicious and easy tomato bruschetta. Hopefully I’ve whetted your appetite for Mariposa’s tasty gluten-free baked goods. Remember, I don’t have any affiliation with these folks- just an appreciation for some quality gluten-free goods. In fact… I might just have to bake one of those gluten-free pizzas for dinner tonight. :)

Did you go to the Mariposa Cafe One Year Anniversary party? Tell me about it in the comments!

Mariposa Tomato Bruschetta Recipe Side Dish  Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  Italian

Ingredients Topping: 1 container Trader Joe’s refrigerated Bruschetta Sauce lots of finely diced Roma tomatoes olive oil to taste a dash of sea salt and white pepper a smile while it was being prepared. (Food always tastes better when made with a smile! :-)) *Sea’s note: a little fresh basil would be tasty, too! Base: 1 Gluten-free baguette (Mariposa’s or your favorite homemade baguette recipe- I often make Bette Hagman’s rapid-rise french bread, but Mariposa’s baguettes are more nutritious), sliced and toasted (if bread is not fresh out of the oven) A Directions Combine topping ingredients in a medium or large bowl, tasting as you go to adjust seasonings. When it tastes perfect let it sit for a few minutes (or half an hour) to let flavors marry and then serve on toasted baguette slices OR let guests spoon their topping onto fresh slices to taste. Notes A simple and fun party appetizer!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Mariposa Gluten-Free Bakery culinary goddess. Do not replicate anywhere without my and Mariposa’s permission. :) Recipe ID:  1294 Added:  September 16, 2008 Last Modified:  September 16, 2008

Monday – Wednesday 8am – 4pm
Thursday – Friday 8am – 6pm
Saturday 10am – 4pm
*starting May 18 Sunday: 10am-4pm* (Updated)
(Until May 18 Mariposa will be CLOSED Sunday)

Mariposa Menu (prices current in March, 2008)
A Slice of the Vegetarian Pizza of the Day- 1 slice $3.75 (12-3 pm daily)
10″ frozen pizza crust $4.50
10″ frozen topped veggie pizza
10″ frozen cheese pizza $10
10″ hot topped pizza $14

Toasted bagel with cream cheese $2.25
Toasted bagel and butter $2
Toasted bagel and jam $2.25

I first heard about the Mariposa bakeshop a little over a year ago when they opened a cafe location in Oakland, California to serve freshly baked goods to accompany the fresh baked biscotti and brownies they had been selling nation-wide. I blogged about my first visit in june and reviewed their offerings at the time, but they promised to expand their menu, and I was thrilled to hear this Spring that they had added pizza and bagels to the menu. DH and I decided to go on a local gluten-free adventure and drove down to check it out.

This visit, I was thrilled to find that not only did they have a delicious vegetarian pizza available daily, but that they had fresh baked bagels and sugar cookies in addition to muffins, lemon bars, and their killer brownies. The prices were generally reasonable, although given the price of food lately, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some price increases in the future. They offered a variety of muffins, brownies, bread, and coffee cake. The muffins were $1.50 and the bagels were $1.25, and the cookies were a dollar each, and I couldn’t resist getting some to take home. The star of the show, though, was the amazing pizza. The crust managed to be crunchy and bread-y at the same time, and I loved the toppings. The daily special had a spinach, zucchini, onion, and roasted potato with mozzarella cheese topping. The roasted potato added surprising sweetness, and the zucchini was refreshing- and to think, I used to think I didn’t like zucchini! This was no overcooked, mushy, watery zucchini- this was zucchini in its best manifestation- roasted to sweet, fresh flavor and marrying perfectly with the green spinach and caramelized onions. Most gluten free pizzas underwhelm, either because of their toppings or a mediocre crust- but this pizza was wonderful on all counts. If you’re worried about the cheese, never fear. If you call ahead of time, they will make you a dairy free pizza! I think they use a soy cheese, but I’m not sure- you’d have to verify that with the owner.

Being me I couldn’t just have a slice of pizza (although that was really the reason we came all the way from Mountain View!), but had to order a toasted bagel with cream cheese. Honestly, can you imagine how cool it was, after years of ignoring bagels in shops like they were laced with rat poison, to actually order my own, safe, delicious-looking gluten-free bagel in a cafe? It was cool. The bagel didn’t disappoint, either, with a glossy exterior studded with poppy seeds and a bready interior that was satisfyingly dense without venturing into gluten-free hockey puck territory. The cream cheese was just as creamy and cheesy as it should be, and I thoroughly enjoyed my delicious little snack. The sweet butterfly-shaped gluten-free sugar cookie we had for dessert just topped off the meal. I actually only barely managed to score myself a cookie- as we were waiting for our pizza, a loyal customer came in and was about to buy ALL Of the cookies. I managed to wheedle him out of one cookie. There was no cookie auctioning involved, happily. I just mentioned to the nice man that I had been going to buy one and he said to go ahead. Yay! Let’s hear it for nice fellow gluten-free folk! And in case you’re wondering how many stomachs I have… the answer is TWO. DH and I shared everything, although I greedily ordered the whole rest of the veggie gluten-free pizza to take home. It was that good. And, since I was so impressed with the crust, I picked one up to take home. You can see my haul that I took home at the bottom of this post.

I also found that Mariposa (now?) offers gluten-free cakes made to order by Kapcakes, so they are the perfect place to order a gluten-free cake for any birthdays coming up! According to their April newsletter, “for Passover this year we offer[ed] Torta Regina cakes. Fragranced with cirtus zest, these 8″ cakes are a wonderful blend of chocolate, almonds and hazelnuts. Made by Hanna at Kapcakes, the Torta Regina is suitable for Passover as well as gluten-free and dairy-free with no added fats or oils. Yum! Also from Kapcakes, we offer[ed] a variety of cookies, including nut macaroons, which are also suitable for Passover.” It seems like a wonderful collaboration that will benefit everybody involved, including their happy customers!

Altogether, we had a great experience over at Mariposa Bakery in Oakland. There are so many fun things to do in the area it’s a great place to make a day trip, but of course, the gluten-free bakery was the highlight of our trip! Here’s my entirely subjective review of the products I sampled. I was going to give numbers like I usually do, but it got too hard, so I’m listing them in order of preference with descriptive awards. Hope it helps when you’re deciding how many dozens to order! ;)

Vegetarian Gluten-Free Pizza- Almost perfection! I suppose there COULD be a better pizza, but I haven’t had it yet, and that’s saying a lot after 28 years of living gluten-free! And the fact that it is made in an entirely gluten-free environment… PRICELESS.
Gluten-Free Lemon Bars- Addictive DF Heaven in bar form!I love, love, love these lemon bars. Chocolate doesn’t always agree with me, and I’m not always sure about dairy, and I can’t BELIEVE there is no dairy in these puppies. They are sooo sweet (sometimes half of one is plenty) and so… coconutty… and soooo good. I put them in the freezer when I stock up (last time they were 3/$5) and they vanish embarrassingly quickly.
Gluten-free Brownies- An awesome Death by Chocolate! I’ve raved about these brownies before as the perfect, fudgy brownie, just like I like ‘em. I have one in my freezer right now… hmmm…. They have the added bonus of being sold in some Bay area stores like Whole Foods. They have some markup, but are worth it. Love this treat in all its permutations.
Gluten-Free Bagels- best of the savory breads, after the pizza crust! (You got the gist above, I assume.) Love them!
Gluten-Free Coffeecake, Pumpkin Muffins- Tasty Treat! Let me just say I’m not a huge coffee cake person. But, both the coffee cake and muffins were good and I love that they offer it.
Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies- Lovely for the novelty! The best part? Not having to roll out the dough and make them myself. I do have my own favorite recipes, so I’m not sure I’d buy them again. They were fun, although slightly dry.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies- Good and dairy-free! I love being able to buy them and they are worlds better than processed GF cookies like Ians. (I won’t eat Ians, for the record, but I did enjoy this cookie.) But, both DH and I thought they tasted a little “gluten-free” and have our own favorite recipe at home. However, Mr. Cookie buying man bought them all up, so they definitely have their fans! And, they are dairy free as well, which is definitely a plus.
Gluten-Free Bread - Better than many processed breads. This is always unfair, because I make some gluten-free breads that I love and I’ve tried many great recipes. This bread was good, but a little “gluten-free.” Not my favorite of their products. But so handy to be able to buy it, yes? Love that!

Can I just say that after crushing disappointment at other facilities (like, say, Sunny Valley Wheat Free in Seattle that didn’t serve pizza on the weekends, or at Da Vinci where they didn’t have any vegetarian pizza that day) it was such a joy to be able to order a delicious vegetarian pizza that was… dare I say it and leave my ego intact… better than I can make at home. If I could go every week, I would. It’s just a darned shame we live such an inconvenient drive away. So please, I beg you, let’s help support this wonderful gluten-free company that just keeps getting better and better! If you live in the area, you absolutely MUST run, not walk, to try this gluten-free pizza of legends that I personally think is the BEST GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA IN THE BAY. ,In fact, consider it your mission, as of now, to try it and then come back over to the Book of Yum and tell me all about it in the comments! I’d love to hear about your favorite gluten-free products at Mariposa, or about your experience in general.

*Oh, by the way, I have no connection to this business or its owner. I just like her product! There were no shady deals involving envelopes under apartment doors or anything like that, although that sounds highly entertaining. Maybe next time I’ll pretend there was one so I can “tell you” about it. haha*

Another beauty shot...

Check out a photo from Joe’s recent visit, taken the day after I posted. (Yay!)

As I mentioned, this weekend we went on an epic gluten free quest to not one but three gluten free destinations. The first was Cafe Gratitude, the all gluten free, all vegan, and mostly raw restaurant in Berkeley, California. The second stop was a recently opened gluten free cafe and bakery called Cafe Mariposa in Oakland, California. I first heard of the Mariposa brand when I saw their packaged biscotti in my local Whole Foods. I was interested, but the biscotti was a little pricey, being Whole Foods, and I generally make my own following Bette Hagman’s recipes. So, I hadn’t actually tried their products when I heard on the local CeliacBayarea group on yahoo that Patti, the owner, was opening a retail gluten free cafe and bakery. DH and I immediately made it a point to make a Saturday trip down to the bakery. The cafe is housed in a charming, historic red brick building next to a wine shop.Look for a sign pointing to the parking lot- you can’t see the storefront from the road. There were no clear windows into the cafe, just an opaque frosted glass window, but there was a sign saying open on the door so we went right in. Inside, it is a simple warehouse with two tables, an attractive wooden counter, and a bookshelf in the dining area, with extensive baking facilities in the back. I was happy to see an espresso machine and coffee, with a nice gluten free beverage menu on the wall. There were also several muffin sets and a plate of day old goods, if regular gluten free prices make you hesitate. There was a good sampler of their various biscotti flavors on the counter, and the opportunity to buy their attractively packaged biscotti sets. However, I was most interested in the baked goods not available in stores. At the time I visited, there were * chocolate chip cookies (GF, DF) * coconut lemon squares (GF, DF) * morning muffins (GF, DF) * blueberry muffins (GF)* brownies (GF) * biscotti (GF, DF) * blueberry tea loaf (GF) and a * yogurt, berry and biscotti parfait (GF). I tried a sample of the coconut lemon squares and was impressed- they were like pecan pie, minus the pecans, in a bar form. Really delicious and unique. I would give them a 9/10. Although they did make me thirsty, they were a really yummy treat. In store, we also tried the day old bundt cake (a bargain at $2 rather than the fresh cake at $4) and a day old chocolate chip cookie. The bundt cake was a big hit with both of us. I love the idea of an individually sized cake, and the flavor was good, with powdered sugar adding additional interest and sweetness. I would give it an 8 or 9, and DH (who is not GF) would give it a 8- only because, as he explained, it was good, but would be even better with a frosting/glaze. Boys! What can you do.. It was nice to try a chocolate chip cookie I hadn’t made myself, but I think we cheated ourselves by trying the day old cookie, as it was a little dry. Also, it’s really hard for any pre-made cookie to compete with our favorite homemade chocolate chip recipe and all its bad for you ingredients. Nevertheless, who can beat a gluten free chocolate chip cookie with a latte? No one, that’s who. I also ordered chai, which was unfortunately made from powder. It’s probably my Seattle/Northwest roots, but I was introduced to Chai in Portland, Oregon with the Oregon Chai company and can’t help but feel that the best coffeehouse chai is made from liquid chai. [According to the company as of 6-13-07 all of their products (with the possible exception of one) are gluten free! The only iffy one is the Vanilla dry Mix, which may contain some gluten in the flavoring, so they are still researching this drink.] Of course, authentic chai in India is made with spices and tea from the cook’s home recipe that can’t be beat- but if that is not an option, liquid chai is my personal favorite. I later tried the breakfast muffins, a dark grained muffin with carrots, apples, and raisins- it was tasty but through no fault of my own is not my favorite kind of muffin. I also tried and enjoyed the blueberry muffins, which somehow captured my heart by looking so cute in their little cupcake wrapping. Probably the hand down star of the show had to be those coconut lemon bars that I described in such detail above. They were perfect because they were really decadent tasting desserts, I’d never had anything like them, and I wouldn’t know really how to make them myself. *I just tried the triple chocolate truffle brownie and I may have to revise my above statement. That brownie was the best I’d ever had! In general I’m not a huge brownie fan because I don’t like cake-like, heavy brownies but the Mariposa brownie is wonderfully chocolately and fudgey. I’d give it the coveted 10/10 and will be looking for those brownies in my local whole foods- hope they carry them!!! *One difficulty with visiting many gluten free bakeries is that I bake so often at home that for me to buy it on a regular basis, the product has to be something unique that I feel that I can’t or don’t want to make at home for whatever reason. The coconut lemon bars had the highest “wow” factor, and really seemed like something special. Our experience at the Mariposa bakery was quite good, and we had a pleasant outing. Perhaps because it has newly opened, there were some snags- it took a lot of time for beverages to be made and baked goods to be handed out to their respective recipients. Some customers ended up leaving without getting anything, possibly with the intention of coming back when it was less busy.We wondered if maybe ringing customers up, handing them their baked goods to keep them busy, and then having a second person (if available) make the beverage as time allows might help keep customers in the store. Having samples out for visitors is a great idea- those little bites of lemon coconut bar definitely inspired me to buy some, and they’re addicting. All in all, I would say that our gluten free options in the Berkeley, Oakland area just keep getting better! Because Oakland is a bit far for me, I probably won’t go to Cafe Mariposa very frequently, but (hint hint) I bet I could be enticed back if they do develop a savory/sandwich menu as currently planned. For those more local, I envy you and hope that you take advantage of this new wonderful gluten free option in your neighborhood! Congratulations on a beautiful new site to Patti and her family!