Last night I enjoyed my first dinner at Westside’s newest burger joint, Yeah! Burger.  As I mentioned previously, this causal spot offers gluten-free buns, made in a gluten-free facility so there is no worry about contamination.  All of the burgers are cooked in a separate area of the grill from the glutenous buns and they use separate utensils.  The cooks have also received instruction from gluten-free expert, Jennifer Harris, on contamination and how to be ‘safe’ in the kitchen.

I have been eager to try out this new restaurant since I learned about Shaun Doty’s new restaurant months ago.  My inaugural visit to Yeah! Burger last night did not disappoint!  The atmosphere at Yeah is very casual and not as fancy as some of the other trendy burger boutiques in the area.  You order at the counter and they bring your meal to your table.  Beverage options include “help yourself” fountain soda and an assortment of beer, wine and cocktails.  Envision nicer, fresher, fast food with a much cooler vibe.

You can choose from, beef burger, bison, turkey and grilled chicken.  (There’s a veggie burger too but I’m not sure if it’s gluten-free.)  Upon the recommendation of my friend, Meredith, I ordered the bison burger.  Sometimes bison can be really dry, since it’s a lower fat meat, but this burger was very juicy and perfectly cooked.  I added American cheese, tomatoes, grilled onions and lettuce to my bison patty.  (They were out of cheddar at 6:30 on Sunday so I’m guessing they had more business than anticipated this weekend…the American cheese option was pretty darn good too.)  It was a delicious combination, especially the grilled onions.  Besides the cheese, those particular options were free.  You can also add ‘special’ toppings for an added cost, such as chili and avocado.

While there’s an extra charge for the GF bun, this bun is totally worth the cost.  The bun is not too thick and you don’t need copious amounts of water to wash it down.  The folks at Yeah toast the buns in a toaster dedicated to cooking just the gluten-free buns.  If you don’t feel like paying extra for a GF bun, you can get a lettuce wrap instead.

Of course there’s nothing better when enjoying a gluten-free burger in one hand to munch on French fries in the other.  The GF fries at Yeah! Burger are hand-cut and made in a special, gluten-free fryer. The fries taste very similar to Boardwalk fries if you’ve ever tried those.  Fresh, delicious and nicely salted.  So good.

There was some confusion among the management regarding the sauces that Yeah offers.  You get one sauce free with your order of a burger and they all sounded interesting.  Initially the woman taking my order told me that none of the sauces were gluten-free.  (Side note: I would always rather someone tell me that nothing’s gluten-free at a restaurant than say, “Oh, I’m sure it’s fine.”)  I did inquire further with the manager and he thought none of the sauces were gluten-free either, but when I asked about the honey mustard, he pulled out the list of ingredients and all of the ingredients were GF, so I ordered some.  (I enjoyed the honey mustard, but there was definitely a spicy kick to it.)  It would be great to have a little clarification on which sauces are gluten-free or if they do recommend staying away from them entirely.

It’s clear that Yeah, Burger is still working out some kinks, but I thoroughly enjoyed my delicious meal.  While I likeWestside’s other fancy burger spot, Flip Burger, a lot, these two places are pretty different.  Yeah, Burger is a little bit cheaper, more casual and family friendly.  Yeah, Burger focuses on the ‘build your burger’ idea whereas Flip emphasizes the unique versions of burgers created by the chefs (i.e. lamb, venison, etc.) Flip is one of my favorite neighborhood spots but the music is so loud there (Yes, I know I sound like an old woman.)   I don’t have to have a GF bun when I eat a burger, but the GF fries put Yeah, Burger ahead in the burger boutique competition for me.

I have a feeling that I’ll be enjoying quite a few more summer meals at Yeah.  Let me know what you’ve tried and enjoyed at Yeah, Burger.

Yeah, Burger – 1168 Howell Mill Rd. – Atlanta, GA 30318

Yeah, Burger is opening up on the Westside this week on June 10^th.  Yeah, it’s another fancy burger place but those of you who are gluten free should be extra excited about this new spot.  Located in the White Provisions building on Howell Mill Road, Shaun Doty’s new restaurant will be serving gluten-free buns as well as using a GF dedicated fryer so we can enjoy French fries!

There is a $1 additional charge for GF buns.

I’m out of town this week but will definitely be venturing to Yeah, Burger as soon as I get back to ATL next week.  If you get there before I do, let me know what you think.

Yeah, Burger – 1168 Howell Mill Rd @ 14^th Street- Atlanta, GA 30318

This weekend I’m heading back to Washington, D.C. and Annapolis, Maryland for my friend, Becky’s, bachelorette party and wedding shower.   The final trip in a month full of busy travel.  Yes, I was just up in the Northern Virginia area a month ago saying goodbye to my brother, Rob, and his family before they moved to Japan.  While I was in NOVA in late February, not only did I get to hang out with my adorable nephew, but I went to one of my favorite bakeries, Buzz Bakery and enjoyed an amazing gluten-free cupcake.

Doesn’t it look delicious?  Not only is Buzz’s icing plentiful and oh, so buttery and creamy, but the cake part of the GF cupcake actually tastes like cake.  Of course I love the bee on top, as a reminder that spring might get here some day. (Note: bee is not edible.)  And if this yummy goodness that you see in the photo isn’t enough, when I dove into the cupcake with my fork (yes, I eat my cupcakes with a fork because I want to savor every bite), I found chocolate filling in the middle.  Basically an added bonus of icing.  Amazing.

I’m so glad I showed up at Buzz when I did because I got the sole, remaining GF cupcake for that Saturday.  (My apologies to folks who came after me looking for the same gluten-free treat.)  Buzz makes gluten-free brownies too, but while still yummy, the brownie’s just not the same as getting a cupcake.  The gluten-free gods looked out for me that day.  If there were no gluten-free cupcakes awaiting me in the glass case at Buzz, I would have felt a little bit like Clark Griswold in National Lampoons Vacation, driving across the country to Wally World, only to find Wally World closed.

This weekend I headed north to the Washington, D.C. area for a visit.  It was my first time back since we moved in early August and it was great to see everyone, catch up with students, family and friends.  Of course I didn’t miss the opportunity to go to some of my favorite restaurants and bakeries to get my fill of all my gluten-free favorites in the nation’s capital.  While many others on my flight were up here to run the Marine Corps Marathon, I was here to visit and eat!

Gluten Freedom’s Northern VA/DC Area Favorites (Click on the links to check out previous posts I wrote about these yummy places.):

Evening Star: My all time favorite restaurant in northern Virginia, they just created a new fall menu and I enjoyed the pork tenderloin with creamy polenta, walnuts and mushroom gravy.  All naturally gluten-free of course!  The waiters are great at Evening Star and I always feel well taken care of at this great restaurant in Del Ray.

Buzz Bakery: I got my birthday cake here this year and I love their gluten-free baked goods.  On this visit I got the chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting and a brownie for the plane ride home (well, I ate most of it before I left town actually)

Tortilla Coast: I called ahead and they made me a batch of tortilla chips before the fryer oil got contaminated with glutenous items; chicken fajitas with corn tortillas

Cake Love: A great spot in Shirlington to get baked goods to go.  I ordered the yellow cake with vanilla butter cream frosting and enjoyed my treats at home with mom and dad on Sunday afternoon.

Thai Shirlington: Of course I had to get the panang perfect!

What a great weekend!  I came back to Atlanta well fed after a fun weekend with family and friends.  I miss them already.

Last week I had the opportunity to sample some delicious gluten-free baked goodies made by Tully’s Bakery.  Tully is an up and coming young female chef in New York City, originally from Memphis, TN, so she’s a gluten-free southern girl at heart.  Diagnosed with celiac disease in 2008 and a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Austin, TX Tully’s made it her goal to create yummy gluten-free cookies and brownies that actually taste like cookies and brownies.  I love seeing young women out there, making their celiac diagnosis into a positive life change.  Tully has combined her culinary gift with a desire to serve and bring quality food to others with celiac and gluten allergies and intolerances.

Not only are Tully’s cookies and brownies delicious, but I love Tully’s logo, website and the wrapping that she uses for her products.  I got to taste Tully’s dark chocolate brownies and both varieties of her cookies, chocolate chip and oatmeal, cranberry, white and semi-sweet chocolate.  All of her products shipped well and tasted fresh upon arrival.

David and I enjoyed and savored all three varieties, but could not come to a consensus on our favorite.  He said that Tully’s brownies were the best gluten-free brownies he’d ever tried and I agree.  I’m definitely biased about my favorite Tully’s product though, and prefer the oatmeal, cranberry, chocolate chip cookie.  I love a ‘trail mix’ combination of ingredients in a sweet treat.  I’m always trying to put gluten-free oats into my food so I applaud Tully for doing just that.  Part of what makes Tully’s cookies so good is that she bakes with milk and egg products and she doesn’t shy away from quality baking ingredients, as long as their gluten-free.  She doesn’t try to fit every dietary need into one cookie and I’m confident Tully’s way makes for a much better cookie.

So now that you’re salivating just thinking about these baked goodies, you may be wondering, “Where do I get Tully’s treats?”  Well, sadly for us Georgians, the only locations Tully sells her products are coffee shops and bakeries in New York, but you can order them online at her website.  Tully’s prices are very reasonable for a made from scratch baked good.  I’m hoping to get Tully’s into some Atlanta stores in the future, so I’ll keep you posted.

On Tully’s website, she writes, “Eating gluten-free allows you to explore grains, seeds and starches you may never have tried before.”  That’s what I’m talking about!  It’s so much better to embrace the foods that we can eat as opposed to focusing on what we can’t have.  Thank you, Tully, for contributing to the gluten-free community, creating delicious, flavorful sweets.  (Also, I froze one of Tully’s cookies last week so I’m looking forward to enjoying my last Tully’s cookie sometime soon!)

Imagine rooms filled with cookies, cakes, chicken fingers, bread, pies, beer and pizza.  Sounds like a food court, right?  Even better, though, it’s all gluten free!  This weekend I attended the Gluten Free Vendor Fair in Roswell, Georgia with David and my gluten-free buddy, Anne, and I got to sample (for free!) all of the gluten-free food I could ever imagine.

Organized by the Atlanta Metro Celiacs and Jennifer Harris of the Examiner, this event brought in national and local businesses, that are all trying to offer us gluten-free eaters, more delicious food.  While I felt a bit overwhelmed when I first walked into the Doubletree, I gradually made my way through the crowds (there were over 900 people in attendance!) and found many yummy, new foods to sample.

What a great way to spend a morning, eating food (and not having to worry about contamination!) and talking to people who understand what gluten-free is and who are passionate about making it taste good.  One of the highlights of the day for me was meeting Lee Tobin, the founder of Whole Foods’ Gluten Free Bakehouse. Lee was diagnosed with celiac in 1996 and has created a delicious line of baked goods; my personal favorites are the pie crust (which I sampled on Saturday with a mushroom quiche) and the apple pie.

I thought I’d give you some of my personal favorites from the day.  Now this list does not include everyone that I loved sampling.  There wasn’t a bad taste in the place and even David enjoyed all of the food and he’s a gluten eater.

Favorite Cookie: The Connor Cookie Company

The owner of this company, June, bakes these absolutely delicious cookies because her granddaughter, Connor, has celiac.  She makes brownies, chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies and they are so good.  David says they’re some of the best cookies he’s ever had, including those with gluten!  I bought a package of June’s chocolate chip cookies but it was a tough decision because the brownies and peanut butter cookies are so good too.  You can freeze them also so you don’t feel like you need to eat them all at once.  After all of the cookies I ate on Saturday morning, I did not think that I would be dying to buy more cookies, but June’s were just that good.

I don’t believe June has a website, but you can email June at juniesweets@gmail.com or call 404.323.1427

Favorite All Around Fried Food (and Most Creative T-shirt): Roswell’s Outback Steakhouse

The folks from the Roswell Outback came totally prepared for the Vendor Fair.  This particular Outback has been incredibly supportive of the Atlanta Celiac Group and works hard to make their restaurant gluten-free friendly.  The Outback crew made awesome “Our Buns are Gluten Free” (see above) t-shirts and were so enthusiastic.  They had gluten-free bloomin’ onion samples, as well as gluten-free beer AND gluten-free doughnut balls.  They don’t sell these doughnuts in their restaurant, but I hope they will soon.  They were absolutely delicious.

(770) 998-5630
655 Crossville Rd.
Roswell, GA 30075

Favorite Pizza: Bella Monica

This restaurant in Raleigh, NC has made a delicious gluten-free pizza that they sell as a frozen pizza in stores.  I could not believe that Bella Monica’s pizza was gluten free.  I particularly enjoyed the mushroom, spinach and tomato pizza but the classic cheese pizza was delicious too.  I talked to Bella Monica’s founder, Trevor Chambers, and he was enthusiastic about gluten-free eating and that we should be able to eat good food.  Trevor has successfully made a pizza that does just that!  It tastes like a restaurant pizza but you don’t have to go to a restaurant to find it.

Best (and most creative) Cakes: A Bountiful Harvest

I must say that I was very impressed by this Chattanooga based bakery and the impressive cakes they had.  A Bountiful Harvest was serving samples of their ‘Uga’ cake and even though I’m not a huge fondant fan, the cakes itself was absolutely yummy and so were their other icings.  This would be a perfect place to order a cake for an event.  They also have all kinds of cakes and pies as well and they use a dedicated gluten-free bakery, which I love!

To order cakes online: www.abountifulharvest.com

Check out some of their many cakes they’ve made: www.customcouturecakes.com

Best Chicken Fingers: Allergy Free Foods

While these chicken fingers aren’t yet in stores, they were so good.  Allergy Free Foods’ chicken fingers tasted fresh, crunchy and like a chicken tender you would get at a restaurant.  Not soggy or mushy.  I can’t wait until they start to have these chicken fingers in stores.  These folks also serve all the allergy friendly food at Disney World.  The people I talked to at their booth also were really committed to and passionate about making delicious, allergy-friendly food.

Many of the products that were served at the GF Vendor Fair can be found at Return to Eden, which was one of the sponsors of the event.

My only regret from the day is that I was so busy talking to vendors that I didn’t get the opportunity to talk to other celiacs like me.  I hope everyone enjoyed the day and I would love to hear from people what their favorites were!  Thanks to everyone who made the event happen.

Here are some cool things going on around Atlanta and in the GF world during October:

Third Annual Gluten Free Vendor Fair:

When: Saturday, October 17^th from 9:00 am-1:00 p.m.

Where: Double Tree Hotel

1075 Holcomb Bridge Rd.

Roswell, GA 30076

What it is: Free admission and you get to try samples from over 70 gluten-free product vendors. There will be local and national businesses.  I’ll definitely be here!   Click here for more information about the different vendors and products.

Georgia Flood Relief at Rosebud Restaurant: Dine Out Week for Flood Relief: Dine at Rosebud this week and 15% of the proceeds go to Georgia Flood Relief.  This is a great way to eat at a delicious restaurant AND support our local farmers.  Thank you, Rosebud, for hosting this!

Cake in the Box Bakery: Check out this allergy-friendly bakery that recently opened for pick up orders on September 28^th.  Hurray for more local companies that help us satisfy our gluten-free sweet tooth!

Check out their gallery to see some of the cool cakes Cake in the Box has made.

Liz Lovely Cookies: Gluten-Free Sale on their gluten-free cookies during the month of October.

Let me know of other events happening in the area!  I love knowing what’s going on.

Last week I had the opportunity to leave the Atlanta rains and humidity behind and go to New England for two family trips.  The weather was beautiful, cool and sunny and I did not get any gluten contamination during the entire 8 days of my trip.  As you know, travel (and especially weddings) can be very scary for those of us with dietary restrictions.

During the first part of my trip, I got to spend a few days in Newport, Rhode Island visiting my brother, sister-in-law, and new nephew, Chip.  We had a great time, shared many delicious meals and wandered around Newport.  It was the perfect vacation.  (I’ll write more about our meals and kitchen creations later.)

For any of you that spend time in Newport or are going to Newport, you must go to ‘A Market.’ This cute store has one of the largest variety of gluten-free products I’ve ever seen.  I wandered in because I was looking for the makings for our dinner, but got distracted by the abundance of gluten-free items.  After two years of eating gluten free, I feel like I know about most GF goodies, but their cereal, cracker, and cookie aisle gave me many new ideas and options.  A Market also serves coffee in the mornings and it looked like they had yummy pre-made foods as well that you could order.

While I try not to make impulse buys and just stick to the grocery list, I could not resist buying Liz Lovely cookies.  I had never heard of these giant cookies but the employee at the store told me they were delicious!  Liz Lovely makes GF and non-GF cookies.  I purchased her GF Snickerdoodle cookies and chocolate chip.  I also bought the non-GF chocolate chip cookies for my brother, Rob who loves cookies.  These cookies are big so they’re perfect for sharing.  Alden, Rob and I all preferred the GF Snickerdoodle but I thought the GF chocolate chip were delicious too.  We made Rob do a blind taste test of the two chocolate chip varieties and while he could pick out which was gluten free, he continued to eat more of the GF cookies which is a good sign to me!

Not only does Liz Lovely make gluten-free cookies in many varieties, including German chocolate cake, chocolate fudge and ginger molasses, but you can also go online and read about how they test them for gluten and make their gluten-free products on different days from non-GF cookies.  I have not tried Liz Lovely’s small GF cookies but I’ll sample them as soon as I get my hands on some.  Liz Lovely’s cookies are certified vegan, making them egg free and dairy free as well so when entertaining others with food allergies, these treats will be my go-to dessert.  (Side note: I usually don’t like sweets that are also egg free and dairy free, but these cookies are delicious!!)

Liz Lovely is a Vermont company but the good news is that you can order these cookies online at their website.  They also have a store locator on the website where I found they sell these cookies at four Atlanta area locations: Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe, Return to Eden, Life Grocery (Marietta) and Six Beans (Marietta).

David and I’ve gotten to partake in some great trips together this summer and shared many delicious meals. Once David finished the Bar Exam in July, we decided to meet up for a few days in Charlottesville, Virginia. Both graduates of UVA, David and I love Charlottesville. For those of you that have been to Charlottesville, you know that unfortunately many of the places we loved so much in college are based around bread…Bel Air sandwiches, Bodos’ bagels, and Take it Away bread ends with house dressing are just a few of the places I can no longer go…well, I still go there and just watch David eat our old favorites!

Needless to say, we’ve had to explore new options when we go to Charlottesville now. While it was tricky at first, we’ve found some yummy, gluten free alternatives and rediscovered old places with our new gluten free perspective. Sadly, I don’t think Bodo’s will ever be gluten free!

So I arrived in Charlottesville, eager to meet up with David who is coming from Roanoke where he took the Bar. For dinner that night, we decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants from our college days, Duner’s Restaurant. Located on Route 250, five miles west of Charlottesville, Duner’s is small and does not take reservations, but it is totally worth the potential wait.

I was amazed at what a large menu they had and the wait staff was extremely friendly and encouraged me to decide what I wanted to order. I made my selections and the waitress told me that the chef would definitely be able to produce gluten free versions of my choices. Not only did she ensure that my meal would be gluten free, but she also said they could make David’s gluten free as well. For those gluten free eaters out there you know what a treat it is to be able to eat off of someone else’s plate at a restaurant!

The meal was absolutely delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed everything I ordered as well as David’s! We shared grilled sea scallops for our appetizer that were prepared with a summer squash salsa on top. For my main course I chose rack of lamb with sun dried tomato pesto. The menu listed the rack of lamb as ‘parmesan crusted’ so the chef just left off the crust and sprinkled some parmesan on top. It was perfectly prepared and the sun dried tomato pesto went perfectly with the lamb. David ordered the grilled ribeye steak and it too was perfectly flavored. The chef put the sauce for the ribeye (which was not gluten free) on the side for him so I could try it. I personally think I out ordered David but both meals were unique, flavor and delicious! The wait staff was very knowledgeable about gluten and definitely willing to accommodate their gluten free customer.

The next morning David and I ventured out for our morning coffee. Since being diagnosed with celiac disease, I’ve discovered a Charlottesville bakery called Baker’s Palate that makes gluten free muffins. My personal favorite are their pumpkin muffins, but they also make banana muffins. Located close to the Downtown Mall, we stopped in to stock up. They keep their gluten free muffins in the freezer, so they’re not freshly baked each day but they’re still delicious. I would suggest heating them up before you dive in. The owner pointed out to me that she makes the gluten free pumpkin muffins with raisins. Note: if you are ever at Baker’s Palate and they serve you a pumpkin muffin without raisins, it’s NOT gluten free. Just a heads up!

Baker’s Palate also sells their gluten free muffins at Java Java coffee shop on the Downtown Mall (421 E. Main St.), but sometimes they’re sold out and they never have more than a few. In the past I’ve gotten a bunch of muffins at Baker’s Palate and stuck them in the freezer. They freeze really well; just reheat them in the oven.

As any good vacation goes, by the time you finish coffee and breakfast, you’re thinking about your next meal. Lunch is tough in Charlottesville with no more Bel Air or Take it Away, but we’ve discovered (thanks to Gluten Free Bird), The Flat Creperie on the Downtown Mall. At The Flat you can order buckwheat crepes that are gluten free. They serve both sweet and savory crepes at this crepe stand.

While delicious and filling, The Flat is not a fine dining experience. It’s often very busy and the only potential seating can be found on benches outside. Being that there are cramped quarters in the kitchen, I do worry about contamination but they wipe down the crepe makers before they make a buckwheat crepe and all of their ingredients you can get inside the crepes are gluten free. I’m very sensitive to gluten, but in the three times I’ve eaten at the Flat, I’ve never gotten sick. My personal favorite is a buckwheat crepe with chicken, spinach, cheddar and tomatoes. Yummy! Once I get my crepe I like to take my food and sit on the Downtown Mall. The Flat tends to be quite hot a crowded in their front yard eating area.

Now I’ve saved the best news for last about our trip to Charlottesville. Arch’s, the popular frozen yogurt spot, is gluten free!! Hooray! I indulged in this dessert twice while on our three day stay. Sadly, you must stay away from all of the toppings (major cross contamination with all of the serving utensils and open area where the mix ins are located) so you can’t get an Archer. I brought my own M&Ms and homemade granola to add to my peanut butter and chocolate swirl frozen treat.

Another fun afternoon treat in Charlottesville are the many vineyards nearby. Our personal favorite is King Family Vineyards, located off of 250 in Crozet. The grounds are beautiful and the UVA polo team plays on the fields on the property. There is plenty of seating outside and they don’t mind at all if you bring your own food. The vineyard also sells cheeses on the premises but you’ll want to bring your own gluten free crackers.

So even though I’ll no longer have a Zazu’s wrap or a Bel Air picnic at Beaver Creek, David and I have found many gluten free alternatives in Charlottesville as we stayed well fed during our Charlottesville visit.

As you know, I’m new to town, but Cecilia’s Bakeshop was featured on Daily Candy recently. They are by appointment only but they have all kinds of cakes, pies, and cookie doughs that are gluten free and vegan. You can also order cupcakes.

The rich chocolate cake and carrot cake look particularly appetizing to me! Prices are listed on the website and while a bit pricey ($28-$36 for a 6 inch cake), it’s a great deal in the gluten free world. I always want to support local people making gluten free food!

Cecilia’s Bakeshop
678-643-9502 (By Appointment Only)

Cecilia’s Bakeshop Website