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Review: Next Door’s “Living Gluten Free”

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Whatever expectations I had for last night’s “Living Gluten Free” dinner by Next Door were exceeded.  From start to finish, I felt special.  The event took place in the Test Kitchen, a private dining space and when we arrived for the reception,  Alex and I were each given a glass of prosecco.  While sipping on prosecco, we noticed that Danny and Stenzy Wegman were amongst the guests.  It certainly upped the “special” factor but also was a great example of how involved Wegmans is in the community it serves.  For the amuse-bouche, we were served a butternut squash soup shooter which set the standard for the deliciousness that was ahead of us, then we were ushered to the tables.

The 18 guests were seated at two long tables, dressed elegantly and lit with candles, creating a warm and intimate ambiance.  Executive Chef, Chris Brandt opened the dinner by talking about how easy it actually is to accommodate gluten free diners, since there are so many foods that are naturally gluten free, and that Next Door regularly caters to dietary restrictions.  I was generally aware of this, as a frequent Next Door diner, but it was reassuring to hear from the Chef, himself.  Then, the food service began with Wegmans own freshly baked gluten free multigrain and white breads.  Out of the eight people at our table, only three were celiac/gluten-intolerant, but every was quite happy with the flavor and moist texture of the bread.  Interestingly, only Alex and I were Rochester residents, one guest came all the way from Auburn to take part in this special evening.

nextdoorThe first course was the Raw Winter Vegetable Salad.  Shaved cauliflower, beets, radish, and winter truffle were tossed with microgreens and dressed with a truffle-yuzu dressing.  For added crunch, the chef prepared a chia seed cracker, which was my favorite surprise gluten free treat.  This was Alex’s favorite dish because of its uniqueness.  I could smell the second course of scallops being prepared in the test kitchen, which was just feet away from us, and when it arrived, my taste buds were ready!  The scallops were served with a vanilla-fennel-pear sauce and cranberries.  This was my favorite dish because the scallops were cooked perfectly and I loved the vanilla-cranberry flavor combination with a savory dish.

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Waiting for our main course of colorado lamb, we were once again teased with delicious smells that wafted from the kitchen.  The lamb was prepared as roasted chops and a braised foreshank, seasoned with rosemary.  It was served with baby carrots, goat cheese potato puree, and a zucchini-mint sauce.  Both cuts of meat were incredibly flavorful, but slightly fatty.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed this dish thoroughly.  The portion size of the dishes was relatively generous, so after our main course, we were all feeling quite satisfied.

 

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However, any feeling of fullness was ignored as the waiters presented us with dessert: molten chocolate cake with house-made cherry-vanilla ice cream, cherry sauce, and a chocolate wafer.  The cake was in one word, decadent.  The cake-y outside gave way to a ganache on the inside.  The ice cream helped tone down the chocolate and the cherry sauce was so good I could have licked it off my plate.  Chef Brandt shared with us that he used Cup4Cup as a replacement for wheat flour in the cake and recommended it generally as a good all-purpose GF flour.

When we’d finished our last course, there were murmurs of delight and approval in reflection of the experience we had all just shared.  No one missed the gluten.

As we left the Test Kitchen, I stopped to thank the Chef and saw a plate of leftover chia seed crackers. After I mentioned how much I enjoyed the crunch and flavor of the crackers, Chef Brandt offered them to me to take home.  See? Special from start to finish.

Brunch at Brown Hound Bistro

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Last weekend, we took advantage of the fresh snow and went to Bristol Mountain for a day of skiing.  This was only my second time at Bristol Mountain as a new Rochesterian.  I was impressed by the accessibility of the mountain and the amount of runs they had for a small mountain in western New York.  We did a half day, getting in as many runs as possible to keep our bodies moving and warm.  By the end of the day, we were all much more exhausted than we had anticipated and spent the rest of the evening at a friends’ house on Canandaigua Lake by the fire, drinking wine.

The next morning, re-energized, we woke up early (for a weekend) and had breakfast at the Brown Hound Bistro.  The Brown Hound Bistro is near the southwestern part of Canandaigua Lake in South Bristol.  It is in a charming 100-year-old house and seats only 20.  It defines cozy.

Brown Hound Bistro only serves Brunch on Sundays and only from 8-2, so if you want a table, you are strongly encouraged to make a reservation.  For someone with a non-restricted diet, the menu has a wide array of options.  From French toast to German pancakes, NYC inspired bagel sandwich with salmon (entitled the Oh My Gawd!) to a Greek inspired lamb wrap, the Brown Hound has something for every palate.  But for a celiac like me, I felt limited to the eggs and salads especially since there weren’t any labels or disclaimers for special diets.  So, I ordered the Wild Bills Hangover, an omelette with cheddar, banana peppers, onion and bacon.

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I must admit, I didn’t disclose the fact that I was gluten free, until I specified no toast.  At that point, the waitress said, “I think we may have some gluten free bread left.”  Am I glad they did!  Yes, the omelet was delicious, but the gluten free bread was hands down the best gluten free bread I have every had.  It was sliced thick-Texas style, flavorful  and the texture was spot-on: chewy, but not tough.  I made everyone at the table sample it and they agreed it was really good.  Alas, bread that good, gluten free or not, could only be homemade and indeed it was.  I shamelessly asked the waitress for the recipe but she said it was a secret.

The Brown Hound Bistro makes good food and is quite charming- but I can get good food and charm at a lot of places.  What makes this small restaurant stand out is its baked goods, made on-site.  Although I would suggest they beef up their labeling practices on their menu and advertise that they accommodate gluten free diners, I would make the trek from Rochester on a weeknight to enjoy the freshly baked gluten free bread and I suggest you do too.

Nick’s Gluten-Free Fish Fry August 16

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Nick’s already serves a variety of prepared gluten-free Italian dishes like meatballs, chicken parmesan, and pasta as well as sells gluten-free Italian breads.  Now, they plan on having a monthly gluten-free fish fry after a successful event in June.  The next fish fry is Thursday, August 16 from 5:00-8:00 pm.  Call ahead to make reservations and specify that you are attending the fish fry.

For more information on Nick’s gluten-free options: http://www.nicksdeliandpizza.com/Gluten.html

Park Avenue Festival: Good Smoke BBQ

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Yesterday, Alex and I attended our first Park Avenue Festival.  We hadn’t eaten anything all day long, and were on a mission for tasty treats from the food vendors.  A typical Rochesterian, Alex got a white-hot.  Even though these delicious dogs are gluten-free, I was looking for something different.  After walking for blocks I came upon a the Good Smoke BBQ stand.  I hit the jackpot.  One of the owners is a celiac as well, and assured me that everything was gluten-free except the buns.  In fact, most of their dishes at their restaurant are gluten-free and they are looking into providing sandwiches for gluten-free folks made with Udi’s bread.  I ended up ordering the pork fries- fries topped with pulled pork, bacon bits, cheese, and jalapenos, all smothered in barbecue sauce.  The spicy jalapenos balanced out the sweet sauce nicely and the pork was tender.  It was comfort food at its best.

 

 

Park Avenue Festival is open today until 5 pm. Check it out, and stop by the Good Smoke BBQ stand for a real gluten-free treat.

Simply Crêpes gets Complicated

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Alex and I are living in a hotel while we are looking for a more permanent residence which has given me ample opportunity to dine out and sample the culinary creations that Rochester has to offer.  Last weekend, we ate brunch in Canandaigua before spending the day at the lake.  We were hoping to hit up Patty’s Place, the classic breakfast joint, but it closes at noon and we were not early risers that day.  With two dogs in tow, the ideal locale would have outdoor seating.  The ideal locale appeared a block away: Simply Crêpes.

Simply Crepes has two locations, Pittsford and Canandaigua.  I am no stranger to their Pittsford location and had even considered it to be the destination for our post-wedding brunch.  However, it was my first time at the Canandaigua location and I was pleasantly surprised when our host led us to an outdoor patio in the back where the dogs could dine with us.  I can’t attest to the interior decor, but on a sunny weekend morning at the lake, the outdoor patio is delightful.

Our server flattered us immediately by complementing our attire, but soon his familiarity with us became a little insulting and seemed to test the relationship between diner and server.  He finally crossed the line when one of our friends brought in an outside beverage and he not so nicely told him to get rid of it.  Additionally, the food took forever.  We waited an hour for it to arrive, which is simply too long when it’s the first meal of the day. We were wondering if these crepes were actually more complicated than the restaurant’s name led on.  However, we were brought complimentary snacks while waiting and a forgotten dish was given to us on the house.

I like Simply Crêpes menu because items are clearly labeled gluten-free.  They make a traditional French buckwheat crepe called a “galette de sarrasin” in place of their regular ones to accomodate their gluten-free diners.  Because of this, you have a lot of options for entrees.  Appetizers, however, are slim pickings.  We chose the “Crêpes-adillas” for our appetizer because it could be made gluten-free, but something was lost in translation and we ended up with the non-GF version.  I ordered the scrambled egg and grilled vegetable crêpe while others ordered lunch-style crêpes.  I appreciated that there was no time limit for ordering breakfast.  Like I said earlier, it took an hour for our main courses to arrive.  In that meantime, while we did receive a complimentary snack, it wasn’t gluten-free, which was inconsiderate because I made my dietary restrictions clear.  When my food finally arrived it was lukewarm and the plate was hot, indicating it had been reheated.  It wasn’t well seasoned, and the two sauces: pesto and roasted-red pepper provided the only flavor on the plate.  The crepe had good texture and was sturdy enough to hold the immense amount of vegetables inside.

The food was certainly edible and I ate a significant amount because of my hunger.  Others were pleased with their dishes, but the verdict was generally disappointment by the time we left because of the server’s odd behavior and the wait time.  I won’t give up on Simply Crêpes because it is a great gluten-free dining option, but I might stick to the Pittsford location.