Surviving In A Gluten Filled World: restaurant

restaurant

NoOodle Zero Calorie Noodles

Monday, June 25, 2012

Groupon Pic

NOOOO!!!!!!!!

Saw a deal for these noodles on Groupon and I knew I had to immediately warn you about them!

Just run!

Don't click "buy," click "delete!"

Okay, well I should say this opinion comes from Crosby and me. And we can sometimes be a bit overdramatic. But, we like good food, so we may be worth listening to. :)

Here's the deal on NoOodle Noodles. They sound fabulous. Angel-hair noodles that are free from gluten, carbs and calories. They had me at the "angel-hair." But, then I was suspicious at the no carbs and calories. Totally one of those, "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is." Turns out these noodles are made from yam flour and water. Hmm...never heard of that before.

We were skeptics, but I was excited to go out to a nice italian restaurant, so a few months ago we tried these things (not quite sure how to refer to them?). We were in Santa Barbara enjoying a nice weekend away when I happened upon a cute italian place, Palazzio, that advertised offering gluten free noodles! Score! We called up where we were insured that not only did they have the gluten free noodles, but that they were these NoOodle noodles and guests seemed to enjoy them. We figured, why not.

Oh man! We had no idea what we were getting into.

Granted, I need to first say that the atmosphere and ALL the other food was exceptional! This place is really quaint (dark, romantic, wine vats to choose from around the restaurant). Best part, at 10pm everyone stops to sing "That's Amore" and drink wine!

For the food, we started with an amazing salad and bread (that I just smelled, but Crosby said it was heavenly, for all you non-Celiacs). I ended with a delicious decaf latte and rice pudding! Oh man, was that good!

The entree, however, was a bit different. Like I said, we ordered a pasta dish with NoOodle gluten free noodles. The dish came with chicken and sun dried tomatos, which we devoured. The pasta, however, not so much. It was really stringy with an odd taste and texture. We found that after trying to muster down a few bites (did I mention we had a MASSIVE serving sitting between us!), we both found ourselves gagging so we had to stop. Yes, it totally made us gag. We continued with eating a bit more of the chicken and tomatoes around the pasta and then had it packed up to go. I know, why get it to go? We felt bad. After a million questions from us, and then ordering a heaping serving, the least we could do was order it to go and then throw it away around the corner.

Can any of you relate? Or are we the only ones that have done that?

Anywho, all this to say, those NoOodle noodles were not our thing. I can't think of any other time in the past year or more that eating something has caused me to gag. Not even the funky green veggie juices I've been trying lately.

But then, that could just be us. I'm sure if they're selling, others must be eating them ok...just not us. :)

dessert

Gluten Free Ice Cream Bakersfield

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

news

PF Chang's-7 New Gluten Free Menu Items

Thursday, March 29, 2012

fast food

New Asian Box Restaurant Opens TODAY

Friday, March 02, 2012

I just HAD to share this press release I just recieved!

It features an Asian restaurant that's "fast casual" AND completely gluten free!!!!!! Can you believe it? Is your excitement as high as mine? I know the release is a bit long, but I wanted to include the whole thing because it really captures, and explains the concept behind and how the resaurant works. Just reading it has made my mouth water! Enjoy! And PLEASE, please let us know if you eat there and what you think! :)

Asian Box - 855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto

Just look at this place...I can't wait to take a trip over to Palo Alto and try it! (Hint...hint hubby! *wink)

PRESS RELEASE: New Asian Box Concept Opens March 2, 2012 in Palo Alto, CA Featuring Gluten-Free Kitchen and Menu

San Francisco Bay Area’s FK Restaurants & Hospitality Opens Fast-casual Asian Box on Friday, March 2, 2012 with Slanted Door Alumna

New Concept Joins ShopHouse and Pei Wei in the Growing Asian Fast-Casual Segment and is the First Completely Gluten-Free Dining Destination of its Kind

Asian Box Videos: Conversation with the Owners; Good Food; Eat Different

San Francisco, CA (March 1, 2012) – Guests will soon know the answer to the question “What’s in Your Box?™” when San Francisco’s FK Restaurants & Hospitality debuts its innovative Asian Box™ concept in Palo Alto, CA, on Friday, March 2, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. Inspired by Asian street food carts, Asian Box will showcase traditional cooking methods and recipes made with fresh and local ingredients. Under the direction of Executive Chef Grace Nguyen—formerly of Charles Phan’s acclaimed Slanted Door and Out The Door—Asian Box effortlessly fuses Western locavore cuisine with the colorful, flavorful foods found throughout Southeast Asia. Setting a new bar within the quickly growing fast-casual category of restaurants, Asian Box’s menu and facility are completely gluten-free, fulfilling CEO Frank Klein’s desire to offer guests an authentic dining experience that is fun, exciting, healthy, and quickly dtam sang, or made to order. Klein and his partners will open two additional Asian Box locations in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2012.

“I love Asian cuisine but have always found it challenging to find places offering fresh and authentic menus, especially in the fast-casual sector,” Klein says. “Asian Box evolved from the idea of the kind of restaurant I’d want to eat at and introduce to my family and friends.”

Asian Box’s approach is summed up in its playful tagline: “What’s in Your Box?” These four words refer not only to the compostable packaging in which the cuisine is served, but also reference the importance of knowing how the food gets to the plate. “It doesn’t matter if you are in a fine-dining restaurant or a grab-and-go shop,” Klein says. “More and more, people want to know where their food comes from and how it’s being prepared.” Asian Box is not only completely gluten-free; it is also a green restaurant using compostable materials and energy efficient practices. “It’s people-healthy and earth-friendly,” says Klein.

Bringing influences from her Vietnamese heritage to the table, Nguyen has worked with FK Restaurants & Hospitality’s Culinary Director Chad Newton to craft a menu that focuses on flavor and fresh ingredients with fast execution. “Quickly served food remains in high demand, but there has been a shift in diner preferences. They want food that’s raised responsibly, sourced locally and prepared fresh,” Nguyen notes. Authenticity is also an important aspect for Nguyen, who learned traditional cooking methods and recipes from her Vietnamese grandmother.

Asian Box’s exciting menu offers a variety of tasty options that feature items guests might find at a street cart, while simplifying the ordering process. With menu items starting at $6.95, Asian Box allows guests to create their own “boxes” by selecting from a number of ingredients. Diners are invited to choose from Asian Vegetable Salad, Rice Noodles with Mushroom Broth, Brown Rice or White Rice and add main events such as Lemongrass Marinated Pork, Garlic and Soy Glazed Beef, and Coconut Curry Tofu, for example. A selection of wok steamed or wok spiced vegetables, crispy shallots, fresh jalapeno, caramel eggs, and more than a dozen additional toppers allow guests to create a box based on their preferences and experience a different combination every time they visit. Housemade sauces include Miss Jones’ Sriracha, Asian Box Tamarind Vinaigrette, and Asian Street Dust™ ($.25), a top secret blend of exotic herbs and spices. The crown jewel of housemade sauces for Asian Box is the HotBoxIt™ sauce ($.75), made from California-grown Asian peppers. Nguyen’s explosive wok blend of peppers, peppercorns, and chili oils, HotBoxIt sauce is not for the timid and is guaranteed to add some fire to the dish. These sauces, along with Asian Street Dust, will be bottled and available in-store, online, and at local retailers.

For guests who want to expand on the traditional boxes, specialty sides include the Shrimp or Tofu Spring Rolls with sweet and sour or peanut dipping sauce ($3.25) and Jungle Jerky ($2.75). Asian Box will also offer a selection of housemade artisanal beverages such as Lemon Lime Marmalade, VC Iced Tea, and Vietnamese Iced Coffee ($2.95). In late 2012, guests will be able to imbibe from a special menu of wines and Asian beers, all of which will be gluten-free.

Located in Palo Alto’s Town & Country Village, Asian Box appeals to a broad demographic of diners from students at nearby Stanford University to corporations and medical centers. “The partners chose Palo Alto as the first location for many reasons,” says Klein. “The interest by Venture Capitalists in the concept showed that we had struck a chord. The fast-casual segment is on fire and we felt that Palo Alto, the birthplace of so many creative concepts and the center for education and technology, was the right environment in which to change the way people think about Asian food in the U.S.”

Designed in partnership with San Francisco’s Rubber Design, Asian Box combines the inviting atmosphere of a neighborhood dining spot with the exciting, visual touches of a food cart in a bustling metropolis. The restaurant’s interior is both fun and energetic while comfortable and welcoming. This balance of elements is also reflected in the materials used in construction and design. The dining area is juxtaposed with recycled steel elements, vintage Asian light fixtures, and pressed bamboo along the counters. Guests can get the feel for eating at a street cart by enjoying Asian Box items at a stand-up communal table or at 25 outdoor seats while listening to the sound of Asian pop music playing in the background. A variety of other cultural elements are utilized throughout the space, including Vietnamese food-related slogans on the walls.

Asian Box in Palo Alto is currently pursuing green restaurant certification from the Green Restaurant Association. For more information, please visit http://www.asianboxpaloalto.com/, www.facebook.com/AsianBoxEats, www.youtube.com/AsianBoxPaloAlto, or follow @AsianBox on Twitter.

About Asian Box:

A fast-casual dining destination, Asian Box features authentic Asian street food created with sustainable and local ingredients using traditional methods and recipes under the direction of Executive Chef Grace Nguyen. The first location debuted in the heart of Silicon Valley in Palo Alto, CA, at 855 El Camino Real, #21, in Town & Country Village. Asian Box is open daily for lunch and dinner from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and offers extensive catering services for private and corporate events. For more information, please visit http://www.asianboxpaloalto.com/ or call 650.391.9305.

About FK Restaurants & Hospitality:

Founded by Frank Klein, FK Restaurants & Hospitality is a full-service consultancy specializing in the restaurant, food-service, and hospitality industries. Klein has worked with clients as diverse as Stanford University, The District of Columbia Public Schools, concessionaires in National Park Service properties, as well as with many fast-casual and fine dining entrepreneurs from around the globe. In addition to opening Asian Box, which has plans for expansion in 2012, FK Restaurants & Hospitality is developing a specialty foods division meant to showcase some of the excellent hand-crafted products made by Bay Area chefs. For more information, please visit http://www.fkrestaurants.com/.

news

Gluten Free Resource for Restaurants

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

news

Gluten-Free: What's Hot in 2012

Monday, January 16, 2012

Bakersfield

Gluten Free Date Night Ends At The Hospital

Monday, October 10, 2011

Date night, aka I love my spouse and we don't feel like cooking night, is a wonderful and regular occurrence in our house.

My husband and I love spending time together (yes, we're kinda "that" couple!) and we enjoy taking a break from cooking. It's so nice to get out and relax, while knowing someone else is doing the cooking, and most importantly the cleaning!! Ahh!!

However, this great escape can easily turn into a real headache for Celiac's (and their significant other) when trying to figure out where to go. In fact, this can be even more difficult for the non-Celiac who is trying to plan an evening for their gluten free spouse.

I (Crosby) feel that the most important thing is having fun. So often going out can feel like a chore, but finding out what the restaurant carries beforehand makes everything so easy.

So we went to Moo Creamery, and surprisingly enough, wasn't too busy for a Friday night!

It was yummy, as always!

Rachel loves their turkey tostada things and I always grab a burger.

But this date night was something different; we ended up in the hospital.

While Rachel and I were walking around Target getting a gift for someone, she started complaining of pains in her stomach. (Ya know, typical celiac after eating anything not from home feeling.)

So we didn't think much of it until we got home. Rachel started complaining of stomach cramps, headaches, backaches, hot flashes, swelling feet, smelling tomatoes, seeing unicorns... hahahah ya know the works.

So she goes to the bathroom and she says she found some blood in her urine, and like a good husband, I rush onto WebMD to find out she has cancer.

Then I do a better search of more educated and informative sites to discover we probably should go to the hospital.

At this point it's 10:30 p.m. and we get to the emergency room.

Rachel had to do some urine samples and was not too happy about being in the emergency room so late.

So we had to sit and wait to be called in. I never understood why we have to sit and wait at an Emergency Room... it just kind of confuses me a bit, but oh well.

So at this point Rachel and I are staring at people in the waiting room trying to figure out why they're there.

There was a kid who had ripped off the bottom of his foot. His dad's feet were covered in blood and his mom was having a nervous panic attack. His dad was trying to cheer him up with phrases like, "don't worry son, if they have to cut your leg off, maybe they can attach a machine gun to it..." or, "Scars are cool... maybe they'll only have to amputate a little bit..." his mom didn't think it was funny. We never found out the reason why, but we think he was there because he was being stupid! hahaha :)

There were two guys that got wheeled in that looked like they had been in a bar fight. They were with a woman who had a puke stain down her shirt. (Milk chugging contest?)

Everyone else was pregnant... Seriously, at least 8 women there were pregnant.

So by this point it's midnight and we finally get called in.

We're walked around the emergency room and sat on a gurney outside the Trauma room.

The whole room was about 40°F and I think I was able to see my breath.

So someone comes by and checks on us and gives Rachel a blanket.

We hear screaming coming out of one of the rooms and two police officers come walking in.

The two dudes that we thought got in a bar fight, apparently one of them had been shot in the hand and the cops were coming to talk with them.

Maybe a "drunken gun fight show to express their love for their one true milk chugging maiden?"

So it's about 1 a.m. and the doctor comes by and checks on Rachel. He says that all the tests came back fine and that it was probably a kidney stone that she was passing. My wife is a trooper!

So he said he doesn't really want to do a CT scan because it's about the equivalent of 300 X-rays and just prescribed some pain medicine for Rachel.

So now it's 2 a.m. and we finally get to go home.

Rachel and I spent the rest of the weekend catching up on sleep and watching movies!

So date night, turned in to a long date weekend :).