Michigan Reviewer: Sharen
May 23, 2013
The pizza here is amazing.... Rating:
Massachusetts Reviewer: Kelley
May 23, 2013
We loved our experience here!... Rating:
Central America Reviewer: Monica
May 23, 2013
Delicious gourmet GLUTEN FREE meals... Rating:
Pennsylvania Reviewer: Jeremy
May 23, 2013
Great little burger and hot... Rating:
Tennessee Reviewer: aamontgomery
May 22, 2013
Gluten free menu. Delicious sweet... Rating:
Farallon restaurant in Union Square, San Francisco is a beautiful
destination. The question is, would I have a gluten free and
dairy free meal that would leave me wanting more. Well the
answer is yes, I would definitely go back. I actually enjoyed it
so much, I purchased their cookbook.
Farallon is designed to look like an underwater fantasy complete
with jelly fish swimming from the ceiling. It really is beautiful.
The menu consists mostly of coastal cuisine, which I love, with
two meat entrees. If you are a vegetarian there were quite a
few appetizers that would work and they are happy to make an
entree for you. According to their menu, Farallon supports
organic farming, responsible animal husbandry and sustainable
fishing practices.
This was my first night in San Francisco. I traveled there for
the BlogHer Food Conference. A fellow gluten-free blogger and I
had plans that evening to eat at The Cliff House but our hotel
doorman suggested we would enjoy Farallon a great deal more
on this foggy evening, and it was very close to the hotel where
we were staying. He told us this as we were getting into the
taxi. So we made a quick decision to take his advice and off we
went.
As soon as I was in the car, I jumped on my iPhone to Open
Table and canceled our reservation at The Cliff House and made
one at Farallon. We would arrive a little early, 40 minutes, but
hopefully the reservation went through in the 5 minute taxi
ride. When we arrived I gave my name and said we were early
but could they seat us and they were happy to. I love
technology.
Our meal started off with a tomato gazpacho as our amuse
bouche. It was served in a small demitasse cup and it was
delicious. I was so hungry I didn’t even stop to take a picture.
Evidently my friend and I like a lot of the same things because
we ordered the same meal. We started with Half a Dungeness
Crab. It usually is served a dipping sauce that contained gluten
so they made a special sauce just for us. It was delicious. They
served the crab on crushed ice with an aioli. It was a great start
to our meal.
Our entree was a beautiful piece of wild salmon topped with
bacon and frisee on top of green beans, and served with roasted
heirloom tomatoes with garlic and a pesto sauce. The salmon
was cooked exactly the way I like and the tomatoes melted in
your mouth. Allen, our server, did a great job of suggesting
wines to go with each course. I considered my second glass of
wine my dessert but my friend held to one glass of wine and
indulged on a sundae that looked great. Sometimes I do miss
dairy. So thanks to quick thinking on our doorman’s part and
technology, we were able to dine at Farallon. I am so glad we
did and would definitely Go Back!
Originally published by Diane Elbin (a.k.a. The GF Food Critic) on
The W.H.O.L.E. Gang website (http://www.thewholegang.org)
and submitted to GlutenFreeTravelSite with permission.
Tropisueño is a taqueria by day and a full service restaurant at
night that serves traditional Mexican food. My quest as always,
to have a gluten free and dairy free meal that tastes good and
causes me no problems. I love Mexican food, especially when it’s
all prepared from scratch and they can tell you every ingredient
and the process they used to make it. With Tropisueño I hit the
Jackpot!
While out touring the area around our hotel in San Francisco,
my friend and I walked by here and stopped in to see what was
on their lunch menu. It was lunch and the taqueira was in full
swing. It looked good so we thought we would return for a
meal. As luck would have it three wonderful bloggers were
hosting a BlogHer Food Conference After Party there. It was an
amazing party.
Tropisueño did not stop the entire time we were there, with
passing plates of mini portions of their food. With every plate
that came out we could ask our server if it contained gluten or
dairy and if they didn’t know for sure, they went and
immediately found out. At one point they were serving chicken
mole on flat bread. The chicken mole would have been fine, but
of course not the flat bread. They went back into the kitchen
and made a plate of chicken mole on tortilla chips just for us.
The service and the food during the party was so top notch that
some friends and I and I decided to go back for dinner our last
night in San Francisco. Our server Felica really knew her menu
and ingredients. If she was unsure of anything she double-
checked with the kitchen. You could tell she knew what gluten
free really meant. You can always tell by what a server says to
you and the questions they ask. When servers can talk the
gluten free language, ask questions and talk with the kitchen, it
makes me feel more comfortable eating at their restaurant.
This comes down to training. Tropisueño obviously does a great
job training their staff.
This being our last night, I knew I couldn’t have lots of leftovers.
I was getting on a plane at noon and wouldn’t have much time
to nibble. I however was going to have a big problem.
Tropisueño has a great menu. On one side were Mariscos-
Seafood and Antojitos – Starters and the other Entradas-
Entrees. There wasn’t anything on there I couldn’t eat either
as is or with a few modification and the cheese left out.
Decisions, decisions. I ordered guacamole first to go along with
the chips and salsa being served. *Always check that the chips
are not fried in the same oil as flour tortillas. The guacamole
was great but I already knew this since I had some at the party.
I decided to order Scallops de Hacha a la Plancha. Seared sea
scallops on a plaintain-chorizo hash with an avocado-tomatillo
salsa. Melt in your mouth deliciousness. The scallops were
perfectly cooked and the hash was amazing.
For my main course I ordered Albondigas Guisadas. This is a
traditional stew with meatballs, potatoes and carrots. This
stew was amazing. The meatballs were very tender and
flavorful with sausage, rice, cilantro and maybe a little mint.
They swam in the most amazing broth that had a deep rich
flavor. There were layers and layers of flavor with ingredients
that I was trying to pick out. I think I figured out a few but I’m
not sure. I wish they would share this recipe with me. I could
live on this Albondigas Guisadas.
The only problem was I couldn’t finish it all. I was getting full
from all of the other delicious food I was eating. So they sent
me home with the leftover soup but didn’t put too much of the
broth so I could take it to the airport with me. I hated to give
up that broth but I did want to eat those leftovers. Better than
anything I would get anywhere in the airport.
Beto and Noe did a great job of making delicious food that was
gluten free and dairy free for me. Chef Antelmo Faria has put
together a wonderful menu. There is a lot of variety and the
prices are right. But most importantly, the execution of the
food and service was top notch. Now there were only two
starters and one entree that were vegetarian, but they could
adjust a few more of their menu items to accommodate. If I
lived in San Francisco, I would be a regular at this restaurant
and if I travel back to the city, I will definitely Go Back!
Originally published by Diane Elbin (a.k.a. The GF Food Critic) on
The W.H.O.L.E. Gang website (http://www.thewholegang.org)
and submitted to GlutenFreeTravelSite with permission.
I would put this upscale, moderne brasserie in the top 10,
maybe top 5 of the restaurants in the city. We had the best
meal I have had in years and it was gluten free and dairy free.
This meal rivaled my meal at Citronelle in my pre-gluten free
days. Chef Robert Weland has created a wonderful menu. He is
committed to organic and sustainable food and boy can you
taste the difference that makes. He is also committed to your
entire experience.
The restaurant is located in the Hotel Monaco. You enter the
restaurant through a historic carriageway portal. The
restaurant is actually located in the original sorting room of the
1841 General Post Office. They have 16 foot cast-iron ceilings
and skylights that were restored from the original post office.
It’s very beautiful and the virtual tour shows you a glimpse of
your surroundings. I apologize for my iphone photos. They do
not do this restaurant or the food justice, so please look at their
website, or better yet make yourself a reservation.
The evening started with our server, Javier, sharing his
incredible knowledge on the wines they carried. This extensive
knowledge went right down to how the vineyards choose the
grapes for one particular bottle of wine. He was not reciting
something he just memorized, he was sharing knowledge. We
couldn’t make up our minds so he gaves a taste of 3 different
wines. We settled on a bottle of Claret. It was nice to have
that option to taste before buying the whole bottle.
He also guided us through the menu around the gluten free and
dairy free options. He not only knew what was on the menu,
he knew the ingredients and how it was prepared. I’ve never
had a server who was more aware of food and the diners
experience before. Poste is doing an amazing job, not of
training their staff but educating their staff. They are seen as
an extension of the kitchen. Bravo Chef Weland.
I started with the Tête De Veau and my husband had the
Charcuterie. I can still taste it as I am writing this now. The
Tête De Veau had intense flavors. This is a dish that takes four
to seven hours to make and contains ingredients that are not
easily found. I’m guessing you would be hard pressed to find it
anywhere else in the city. The terrine of veal cheeks were
served with a sunny side up quail egg, frisee and fresh black
truffles. It is usually served with slices of french bread but I of
course did not have any bread.
Scott’s Charcuterie Board was all house made and included
rabbit terrine, fennel salami, bresaola beef, and a coppa with
pistachios. He said it was delicious and the rabbit terrine was
his favorite.
For the main course I had Beef Bourguignon and my husband
had Sea Scallops. If you’ve read my recipe blog, The W.H.O.L.E.
Gang, you’ll find I like to take traditional recipes and make them
gluten and dairy free. I’ve made this dish but in no way shape
or form was it anywhere as amazing as what I ate at Poste. I’ll
keep working on that. The meat was cooked for 72 hours. The
sauce was delicious, the vegetables and lardons tasty and the
meat just fell apart. No need for a knife. The beef was ribs and
cheek with the roasted fingerling potatoes, carrots and
mushrooms. The placement of the food in the bowl was artistic
and at the same time very practical. Using organic farm fresh
carrots makes for a wonderful flavor. I could have licked the
bowl.
The Sea Scallops were prepared with a rutabaga puree, smoked
cremini mushrooms, cipollini onions, and sage. They left off the
crispy pigs tail because of the gluten. Javier at the table said
right away that they would leave that off and in it’s place add
another Sea Scallop. I love when offering gluten free options
they add instead of taking things away.
We both finished the meal with Concord Grape Sorbet. It was
sweet but not extremely sweet. It was wonderful. The whole
experience was wonderful. Javier did a nice job recommending
a wine that would go with both of our meals and then corked it
for us to bring home. Drinking the rest of the wine was a nice
way to remember our meal.
I can’t wait to Go Back and try some other items on the menu.
I’m sure they will be changing with the seasons and I can’t wait
to work my way through all four seasons.
Originally published by Diane Elbin (a.k.a. The GF Food Critic) on
The W.H.O.L.E. Gang website (http://www.thewholegang.org)
and submitted to GlutenFreeTravelSite with permission.
Oyamel Cocina Mexicana is a Mexican restaurant in Northwest
Washington, D.C. When you arrive the first thing you notice
are the deep orange walls and the Oaxacan art scattered all
around the restaurant. I find it spectacular. It states right up
front you’re in for a Mexican treat.
Oyamel serves mostly Antojitos or little dishes from the streets.
I love going to restaurants that serve little dishes. It gives you
an opportunity to try many different dishes and while having
more control on how much food you want to eat. Oyamel is
owned by Jose Andres’ Thinkfood group of restaurants.
Jose Andres creates imaginative menus that use whole
ingredients and layers of flavors. This makes it easier to have
items cooked both gluten and dairy free. Oyamel has a gluten
free menu and a dairy free menu. This means they list all of
their dishes that are gluten or dairy free as prepared but on
separate menus. I wish they would also create a menu that
shows what is both gluten and dairy free. I always print the
menu before I go to the restaurant and check things that I am
interested in. When they give me both menus I then note on
the menu I brought which is gluten free and then which is dairy
free. Then I find the items that have both notations and I
choose from there. Jose, if you are reading this please make a
combo menu, please! But please don’t change up the great job
your restaurants do at feeding me wonderful food that is safe
for me to eat.
The first thing we ordered upon sitting down, was their
signature Margarita. I asked for salt and when it arrived I was
perplexed. Our waitress Ivana promised there was salt. I took
a sip and she was right. The foam on top was salty. These
Margaritas were so good I had two. Can’t even remember the
last time I thought a Margarita was good enough to have
another. Warning, this may give you the nerve to try cactus,
beef tongue tacos and grasshopper tacos. Read on to see which
ones we tried.
We then received a bowl of their smoky chipotle salsa but since
they cook their tortilla chips in oil where gluten containing food
is cooked, they brought us their fresh made corn tortillas. This
would be my second request for the restaurant. Even if they
made a batch of chips in the oven for us it would be nice to
have the crunch with the salsa. However, the tortillas were
delicious.
We both started with ceviches:
Ceviche De Huachinango-Red snapper with avocado in salsa
mexicana of tomato, sweet onion, cilantro and lime juice.
Ceviche Verde “El Bajio”-Wahoo with avocado, green olives and
jalapeño chilies.
Next came an assortment of antojitos, vegetables and tacos.
They are served as soon as they were ready from the kitchen.
It’s like a party just for you and they bring it right to your table.
We ordered the following:
Codorniz con sikil p’ak – Grilled quail with a traditional Mayan
sauce of toasted pumpkin seeds, cilantro, tomato and habanero
chile, and filled with a cactus salad.
Tamal Verde- Tamal with green sauce of tomatillo, shredded
chicken breast, chili, garlic and cilantro.
Mejillones al tequila con chipotle - Steamed mussels with
tequila, sauteed garlic and chipotle sauce.
Tacos de Cochinita pibil con cebolla en escabeche – Yucatan-
style pit-barbecued pork with pickled red onion and Mexican sour
orange.
Taco de Tinga poblana- Stew of shredded chicken with potatoes,
chorizo, and chipotle, topped with white onion.
Tacos de Lengua Guisada – Braised beef tongue with radishes
and a sauce of roasted pasilla chili, tomatoes, onion and garlic.
Nopal asado con Salsa Molcajete – Grilled fresh cactus paddles
served with a salsa molcajete of grilled tomatoes, tomatillos,
green onions, cilantro and green onions.
Arroz de Huitlacoche con queso fresco – Rice sauteed with black
Mexican corn truffles, queso fersco cheese and epazote herb oil.
My favorite dishes were the ceviches, pork tacos and tamal. The
beef tongue taco was very tender and flavorful and I enjoyed
that much more than I thought I would. I’ve watched Guy Fieri
eat beef tongue on his show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives so
often and he always had a strange look on his face but then
would say how flavorful and tender it was. So this was Guy’s
fault that I tried it. Glad I did. Not sure if I’ll try the
grasshopper tacos but you never know.
There were still many items on the menu I wanted to try (how
often do you get to say that about eating out gluten and dairy
free) but I couldn’t eat another bite. We were stuffed. This of
course means we will need to go back.
Originally published by Diane Elbin (a.k.a. The GF Food Critic) on
The W.H.O.L.E. Gang website (http://www.thewholegang.org)
and submitted to GlutenFreeTravelSite with permission.
Jaleo is a Spanish Tapas Bar and Restaurant. I heard their
menu noted gluten free and dairy free choices so I was excited
to go. Before we went I downloaded their menu so I could
review it and have an idea of what they served. I looked for
items that I thought would be gluten free and sounded good to
me. When we arrived I asked for the gluten free and dairy free
menu. They brought out two menus…one with the gluten free
items and the other with the dairy free items. I’m not sure why
they couldn’t make these notes on one menu.
So I took the menu I had downloaded, printed and brought with
me and started making notes. I marked which items were
gluten free and which were dairy free. When one had both, I
circled it. Now I could see what my choices really were. I
picked Shrimp with Garlic, Spanish Omelet with Potatoes and
Onions and a Homemade Pork Sausage with sauteed White
Beans.
When the Shrimp arrived it looked like and smelled like they had
used butter. I asked and was assured there was no butter.
Well it didn’t have butter but it tasted like it. The combination
of oils and brandy made it taste like butter. I could have eaten
4 more plates of that. My husband ordered the Mushrooms
with Garlic. They were to die for. I couldn’t get enough and
kept stealing his meal.
So this restaurant was a big hit and I can’t wait to go back.
Their menu has 67 items. It is full of vegetables, seafood, and
meats. Some are gluten free, some are dairy free and some are
both. There are more Jaleo restaurants in Bethesda and Crystal
City.
Jaleo is under the direction of Chef Jose Andres and the Jose
Andres Think Food Group. They also own Cafe Atlantico,
minibar by Jose Andres, Zaytinya, and Oyamel.
Originally published by Diane Elbin (a.k.a. The GF Food Critic) on
the W.H.O.L.E. Gang website -- and submitted with permission
to GlutenFreeTravelSite. http://www.thewholegang.org
Seafood restaurant with lots of gluten-free options in San Francisco 
