A few weeks ago, Jo Burley from El’s Gluten-Free Snack contacted me about sampling some of their new snack products, Bagel Snaps, and Medleys Snack Mix.  I hadn’t heard of El’s before and wanted to know more about them.   El’s Kitchen began in 1998 selling seasoning rubs and decided to use their knack for flavor to season some gluten-free snacks.  Pretty interesting, right?

I received the samples this past weekend and immediately tore open the box, ran into the bedroom where my husband was lounging on our bed and dug in.  The first thing I noticed though, wasn’t the snacks themselves, it was the packaging.  The resealable pouch is a nice natural looking tan and thick, making me think it was recycled.  The colors used are earthy greens and oranges.  Even before I read that these snacks were natural, I knew, because of the packaging.

I decided to try the bagel snaps first.  I think I was expecting them to taste just like the gluten-filled bagel chips of my gluten-filled yester-year.  They didn’t.  They had a nice crunch and definitely lived up to their name.  That was where the similarity between glutenous bagel chips and these end.  These chips have a seriously unique flavor.  They are slightly sweet at first but as you chew, the dull spice kicks in.  I checked the ingredients, it must be the chili powder.  Even so, the flavor isn’t overwhelming and so they are great for toppings and dipping.  I made a bagel snap and prosciutto mini sandwich and it was awesome. However, these chips were great for straight up snacking . I felt the flavor was a little too subtle.

Then, I tried the Medleys.  Wow.  What a flavor powerhouse!  Medleys includes the bagel chips, potato chips, corn kernels, pretzels, and corn chips.   It was an interesting combination of crunchy textures and a great combination of flavors.  Different from the bagel chips, the medley of snacks is salty and spicy and therefore for me, more snack-able.  I could eat these all day.

I was really impressed by El’s snacks.  Their interesting flavors set them apart from other more generic “salty” flavored snack and  in addition to being gluten-free, they are nut-free, dairy -free, and egg-free.  Please check them at at www.elskitchen.com. 

I spent this past weekend in Washington, DC to visit my sister, Madeline, who is a senior at George Washington University (also my alma mater) and my friend, Sarah, who happened to be in town for a conference.  Having spent four years living in the District, making the trip always feels a little bit like going home, where you can expect to see the same people and do the same things.  This time, however, I had two missions: see the cherry blossoms and eat a Sprinkles cupcake.

Washington, DC, while only 230 miles south of New York City, is about one full month ahead of us seasonally.  Springtime comes earlier and so do the cherry blossoms.  My visit coincided perfectly with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which commemorates the 1912 gift of 3000 Cherry Trees from Japan to the United States.  Madeline and Sarah had never been, and I had only been once.  Here are some glamour shots.

Post Cherry Blossom ooing and ahhing, we headed to Georgetown for some shopping and eats, specifically, cupcakes from the newly opened cupcakery Sprinkles.  Sprinkles was started in Beverly Hills as the “original cupcake bakery” and is credited for started the cupcake craze that has swept the nation and is alive and well in New York City.  And while the other cupcake shops in Georgetown, Baked and Wired, and Georgetown Cupcake (which unfortunately stars in the Food Network show DC Cupcake) do offer gluten-free options, I was on a mission to taste-test the cupcake that would soon be arriving in the Big Apple (May).

Sprinkles feels very much like Pinkberry, modern, bright, clean, but in an appealing way that makes you want to sit and enjoy your purchase.  However, on a Saturday afternoon in busy Georgetown, the line was out the door and the space didn’t allow to relaxed seating and crazy lines.  As I approached the woman to place my order, I was nervous because I didn’t see any gluten-free cupcakes in the case.  There were, however, about 10 other flavors ranging from vanilla to peanut butter banana.  I inquired about gluten-free, and indeed it was available, but only in red velvet. Each cupcake is marked by the signature concentric candy circles to indicate flavor, and my gluten-free cupcake was marked with a red candy G.  It was cute and practical.

Even though I saw folks enjoying their Sprinkles cupcakes with wooden forks and knives, I decided to forgo this option for the traditional cupcake eating method and took a huge bite.  What I got, was a big mouthful of cream-cheese frosting.  It was delicious, but where was the cake?  I had to resort to cutting it in half with a fork, because without it, the frosting heavy cupcake would fall over.  That being said, I really, really enjoyed my cupcake.  The red velvet was moist and rich.  The depth of flavor was impressive for a cupcake; it actually tasted like chocolate devil’s food cake (which is what red velvet is, dyed red).  It passed my gluten-free baked goods test: no xanthan gum aftertaste, no crumbling when manipulated, and NOT DRY!

I left DC satisfied.  I had spent time with important people in my life, played tourist for a bit, and discovered a new, delicious, gluten-free treat that I can enjoy in NYC as well!

Alex and I took advantage of the long weekend to make a trip to Rochester and get some wedding planning done.  While we spend quality time with our photographer, florist, and picked out some linens, the main event of the weekend was our menu tasting.  When choosing our venue, I was always upfront about celiac disease and what that meant for our event.  While most venues were receptive, Oak Hill, our chosen venue, was especially accommodating which gave me confidence and helped them edge out the competition.  When it was time to taste, I was happy to hear that everything would be gluten-free.

We were allowed to try five entrees from a list of about 40 so I was actually relived that my choices were limited because of my gluten-aversion.  In the end we chose what we thought was a good range of dishes.

We were also allowed to bring four other guests, so we brought Alex’s father for his food and wine sophistication, and Alex’s cousins (my future cousins-in-law) that were married last year for their wedding-planning know-how.  Their presence proved very valuable and helped us to get different perspectives other than our own taste-buds’.  For example, Alex’s father had the good sense to ask if the wine glasses we were drinking out of, would be used for the wedding.  The answer was no, which prompted us to get better glasses since larger glasses improve a wine’s flavor, while smaller glasses either mute it or make it worse.

For the review, let me start out by saying that we are having a plated dinner, not a buffet, with cocktail hour for appetizers, and dinner consisting of a salad and an entree.  I expected the food to be good, but not mind blowing.  This isn’t Blue Hill at  Stone Barns.  Besides, how can 150 plates of 3 different entrées be mind blowing?

I went into the tasting with my mind made us that I wanted the lamb chops.  However, the meager chops presented didn’t stand a chance next to the prime rib which was spilling off the plate.  I don’t want to seem stereotypically American with my fixation on the size of the dish, but whether you are in the wedding and haven’t eaten much all day, or a guest and maybe over did it on the cocktail hour, bigger is better.  The other crowd favorite was the fish.  It was perfectly pan-seared, with a “crust” I wish I could replicated in my own kitchen.  I actually loved the short ribs, because I love fatty, tender meat, but appropriate for a summer wedding?  Maybe not.  The least favorite of the group was the chicken, because, well, it’s chicken.  BO-RING.  All five entrées were served with delicately placed asparagus on top of ribboned mash potatoes.  Pretty, tasty, and generic enough.

Can you guess what we decided on?

Prime rib and fish were easy choices, but we had real trouble with the third option.  In the end, we went with the chicken because there are people out there that are perfectly happy with chicken and on yeah, it’s cheap.

Stephanie, Alex’s recently meat-eating, wheat loving turned gluten-free vegetarian sister is visiting from Vienna, which has afforded me the opportunity to eat out at gluten-free friendly establishments.  The first night, we went to Caracas where they specialize in arepas, masa based pita-like  sandwiches, which are naturally gluten-free.   Alex, an arepa virgin, was so enamoured with them, that he established a weekly Caracas night.

Our second meal was spent at Angelica Kitchen, a vegan restaurant in the East Village.  It’s no secret that Alex is a self-proclaimed meat-etarian and his willingness to eat at such a place is a testament to how happy he is to be spending time with Stephanie (aww).   I, on the other hand, was thrilled to try out the well-established restaurant, because of their famed gluten-free friendly food and staff.

Angelica Kithcen is BYOB without a corkage fee, so I recommend venturing a block away to pick up some wine before dining.  Despite the long line of hopeful customers, we were seated right away.  The menu is large and slightly confusing like a diner menu, so I asked the server about the gluten-free options and she responded by bringing me the staff’s ingredient list.   While the presentation was lacking, it clearly laid out what was ok for me to eat.  Unfortunately, there were only three gluten-free entrees available although many of the appetizers and the dragon bowls were gluten-free.  After much pondering and some more questioning, I finally decided on the special, “Spirited Tempeh” with a cup of creamy butternut soup.   Since the creative, yet ambiguous title leaves one wondering, here is the description from the menu:

“Aromatic charmoula grilled tempeh with lemon, paprika, coriander, cumin & cayenne pepper; topped with kalamata olive-caramelized onion tapenade accented with orange zest; served with harissa spiced pita chips (which I replaced with brown rice crackers) & roasted root vegetable paté including turnips, parsnips & rutabagas. Accompanied by broccoli & pickled cucumber spears; garnished with watercress.”

The soup came first.  It was as advertised, creamy (although not real cream-y) and rich.  The parsley garnish provided a nice crisp contrast to the otherwise smooth and savory soup.  Once it cooled, I gobbled it down.  Then, my Spirited Tempeh.  I honestly had no idea what to expect.   There were so many different ingredients in this dish that I was confused when what emerged from the kitchen was two slabs of tempeh, a healthy mass of veggie pate speared with crackers, and a side of picked vegetables as an afterthought.  I tried the veggie pate first.  It was flavorful, nutty and earthy.  I happily dipped my pickled vegetables into it until they were no more.  The tempeh with the olive-onion tapenade, on the other hand was both flavorless and too salty.  However, I welcomed the firm texture after overdoing it on the pate.  I didn’t make it very far until I became incredibly full.  I’m not sure whether it was the wine, the soup, or the heartyness of the entree, but there was no way I was cleaning my plate.  Despite this, I asked for the dessert menu, hoping for a gltuen-free sweet.  My only option was Kanten, a Japanese fruit compote, and I did not want another course of a formless food.

Yes, the butternut soup was great.  Yes, I enjoyed the root vegetable pate.  And yes, it’s BYOB.   But if Angelica Kitchen is supposed to be the vegan Mecca in Manhattan, I was disappointed.  I was not a fan of the predominance of amorphous food or the copious ingredients in each dish, but mostly I think it was that these dishes strayed too far from what I consider a complete and satisfying meal in terms of both texture and flavor.  Next time, if I’m craving a meal free of animal products (which is rare), I’ll make the trek to Cafe Blossom on the Upper West Side.

I have new favorite gluten-free cookies, “My Dad’s Cookies.”  I found them, surprisingly, at Mozzarelli’s, which I recently visited.  One wall of the pizza joint is littered with boxes of gluten-free cookies.  While waiting for my pizza, I had nothing better to do but stare at the 10+ different varieties, wondering what each would taste like.  Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long to find out as the cashier offered me three (!) samples, baiting me to go for their 3 for $15 promotion.  Although I would normally scoff at a $5 box of cookies (even Girl Scouts don’t charge that much), these were good.

I picked out my three varieties: black & white, to pay homage to the New York city treat; chocolate fudge because, it reminded me of those magical Keebler Elf cookies; and linzer,because its origins are Austrian and so are my fiance’s.  Each was delectable in their own way, having different textures and flavors.  My favorite was the raspberry linzer, whose gooey fruity filling paired perfectly with the light crunchy sugar cookie.  The most telling judgement came from Alex later that evening, who asked me with concern, “Are you sure these are gluten-free?”

I’ve only seen My Dad’s Cookies sold at Mozzarelli’s but you can order them online, which I recommend you do, like, now.