Sette Osteria in Dupont Circle

My sweetie emailed me today asking if I was interested in seeing friends for an impromptu dinner after work. Sure I said...and then learned it was at an Italian restaurant.

Great.

I'm sure there are some who recognize that sinking feeling: oh no, what am I going to eat? This is yet more dicey for those of us who are not carne nor pesce-inclined...

So my post is to report that I was very pleasantly surprised that Sette offered a gluten free pasta substitution for a nominal fee. Despair turned to hope turned to a bunch of cheezy peppery pasta in a bowl in front of me. Yum.

That was preceded by a simple buffalo mozarella salad, very tender and also yum.

Sorry no photos on this one. So, here is one Italian eatery where us GF's have some options!

www.setteosteria.com

Gluten Free Travels: Madison, WI

I'm back from a family weekend in the land of the cheese curd. Although as any celiac knows, travel away from the comforts of home and your own GF friendly kitchen can have its perils. Not so on this particular trip!

My boyfriend's rellies in Madison hit the bonanza of gluten free items for the home pantry. In fact, his sister Megan made a veritable shrine to GF delights in a corner of her kitchen:


The Silly Yak Bakery of Madison was where she picked up the bread pictured above (a rice flour based loaf) and also a vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting (eaten before depicted). I grilled the bread in a pan and ate it for breakfast with eggs. As GF bread goes, it was on the better end of what I've had, definitely. The bakery apparently dedicates itself to GF delights on Tuesdays and Saturdays. In getting home and looking at the website, seems like they will ship to you! Megan said there are many more items in the bakery, like cakes, doughs, pizza, and more. Good find if you are in that part of the country.

As to the cupcake, described but not depicted...it was enjoyed and eaten in short order. I haven't eaten that much of a sweet in I don't know how long! Need I say more??

Megan planned a fun family outing (and with 12 in our party, yes this was really a major culinary expedition) of a delicious dinner of middle eastern cuisine at LuLu's Deli & Restaurant. We feasted on stuffed grape leaves, seasoned feta and olives, hummus, baba ghanoush; I ate amazing tart lemony lentil soup:

and Fool, a vegetarian dish of tomatoes, fava beans, chickpeas and rice:

I also ate a bite of her eggplant moussaka, which was deeply seasoned and tender. Mmm. Delicious food and and many vegetarian and gluten-friendly options. The server was great about checking with the kitchen, but it appeared that the main source of gluten was the pita bread (which everyone else quite enjoyed). We feasted at LuLu's until we burst, seated at the "low table" which suited me fine but not Megan's 6'6" fiance...

So if you find yourself in the land of the cheese curd, do not fear there are many friendly GF options (including of course cheese curds themselves, which I did eat and enjoy. Squeaky!).

Sushi from Thai Chef

Home late on a weeknight when my sweetie had other dinner plans, I decided to get some of my favorite veggie sushi...the fabulous garden roll from Thai Chef on Connecticut Avenue in DC. Crunchy, savory, sweet...a unique blend of veggies with the unexpected snap of pear!

So hungry I perched my dinner atop the laptop!

www.thaichefsushibardc.com

Favorite fast dinner

I love this dish. It may be only me that loves this dish, but that is OK. I will go on loving it, and making it, for a long time to come. It is especially good when you are so hungry you are willing to put just about anything in your mouth, because it is very FAST to make.

Here is what you do:

• Cook some frozen peas, maybe 1/2 to 3/4 cup (I love peas)
• Take some leftover grain, such as rice or quinoa - both work well - add it to the peas.
• Add some nuts, which could be plain roasted peanuts, or slivered almonds, or almonds, or whatever you like.
• If you have legumes sitting around, such as the fabulous always-ready lentils from Trader Joe's, you can add some too. Always good.
• Cook (see methods below) until hot and season with butter, salt and pepper, or, my personal favorite-can't-be-without, Penzey's Lemon Pepper Seasoning.
• On the stove, I first cook the peas and then add in the leftover grain and nuts. In a microwave, start the peas first in a large bowl, then add the grain and nuts and zap again.
• Fancy add-ins - a little grated parmesan cheese, or maybe some dried cranberries, etc.
  
• Put in a bowl and eat it up.
  

Sorry my picture is a little blurry - I was hungry and wanted to eat and was maybe a little too close to the food!

Welcome to the blog

Other American cities have a strong GF presence in the blogosphere. I am trying to do the part for Washington, DC where I live and work (and eat!).

I will be posting various GF related adventures in the city and listing useful sites for celiacs, their family, friends and fellow diners.

Enjoy!

Queen of Sheba

We love Queen of Sheba, finding it a ready oasis for hungry city denizens at virtually any time, even on a Friday or Saturday night. QoS is on 9th and P Sts NW and has an unassuming store front. It is a little further away from "Little Ethiopia" up the street, but quite worth the trek.
We find it to be tastier (spicier) and more flavorful than some of the other places in town. Plus it is in the hood so location can't be beat. Prices are reasonable too.

First things first though, I have to talk about the injera, which is a spongy bread served alongside the dishes. Now, my friend Martha, who hails from Ethiopia herself, says that in country, the injera is made only from teff, which is a GF friendly grain. However, we started inquiring at a number of Ethiopian restaurants in DC, and found that their injera is typically made from a combination of teff and wheat. So, that puts it out of the running for us GF types. Bummer. But, here is what we do at Queen of Sheba...

I order the 7 veggie special and ask for them to serve it to me on a plate with brown rice and no injera. Be patient. You may need to explain this a few times. It is sometimes confusing to the servers there. But, bottom line, they really want you to enjoy the food and delicious it is. And eventually they get it. Ask for a fork, they will bring you that, and you can dig in to the mound of veggie delights with gusto.

Oh - you can eat all the veggie options except for the salad which also has injera in it. There are 8 options, so it is easy, just say Veggie 7 with all but that one salad.

In the photo above you see my food joy, and in the background, my companions' "normal" order, which was that night another veggie 7 plus beef tibs I think.

www.queenofshebadc.com

Rustico

My former office mate, who also has a friend who is celiac, told me about Rustico in Alexandria, VA a little while ago. My erstwhile GF-friendly BF accompanied me down out of town to check it out.

Rustico has a chickpea crust pizza that is fairly crispy, thick, and quite filling (even at my hungriest, no way I can eat more than half a pizza!). You can get a variety of toppings. What is even more fun, is that there are also gluten free beers so you can munch and sip and approximate ye olden days before your diagnosis...there are even several suggestions for the beers and the one I had was quite decent!

It is a fun destination for a mixed-company group (GF and non GF) as the ample menu has many other pizza options, plus burgers, a large beer selection, and a friendly, convivial atmosphere.

www.rusticorestaurant.com