The Hour Glass

183 Cedar St.
Sudbury, Ontario
705-674-5277

Description:  Every item on the menu can be made gluten free?  Somebody here must be celiac.  And indeed, the owner is.  But this means that the whole gamut of appetizers, pastas, and main dishes (from steaks to fish to burgers) is available.  And that makes this a rare restaurant, not least of all because this is Sudbury, not Toronto.  The menu is perhaps a little broader than is theoretically optimal for quality and freshness, but I'm not the one trying to make an income from a restaurant in Sudbury.  As a minor note, there is an additional charge for some items to be rendered gluten-free and charges to add garnishes to some other items.  Knowing the prices of gluten-free items, I don't object, although there is always the risk of seeming to nickel and dime the customer.

This cheesecake is gluten-free, as is the whole menu.

And the food?  Only one of our party had the house salad, which was very good.  All three of us had the fish and chips, this being so rare an option for the GF diner.  And....?  Excellent.  The fries were very good, thin and crispy.  The haddock was fresh, the breading crisp, and none of it was oily.  And mmmmmm, battered fish in tartar sauce.  Being unoriginal, we also all had the cheesecake.  This was obviously made on site, and tasted as fresh as such.  The crust was delicious, the filing rich, and the the portions healthy. 

Service was friendly and efficient, with generous water refills.  The setting was comfortable, with black linens that offered a touch of upscale without feeling overly formal.

In sum?  There is no question that a restaurant with a full GF menu will evoke positive feelings in a celiac diner.  That said, the food was wonderful, and our non-celiac diner agreed that this was an excellent restaurant.  I very much hope to return. 

Prairie Bistro

at The Enjoy Centre
101 Riel Drive, St. Albert
Alberta
780 651-7361

Description:  I typically think of cosmopolitan urban restaurants when I think of gluten-free foods.  But why shouldn't wholesome, natural, gluten-free food sprout up in outer suburbia?  Such is St. Albert, and this is the home of Prairie Bistro.  As part of the still developing Enjoy Centre, the bistro sits in part of a large, open, nursery complex.  Sitting at one end of a tall greenhouse structure, it is light, airy, casual, and contemporary in design.  It would be a delight to visit any time of year.  (Okay, anything outside of a tornado, as there is a lot of glass.)

A light and airy atmosphere.

The menu is not extensive, but uses products from the greenhouse and local farms.  Sitting comfortably with an infant (again, the setting is casual), we went through three lunch courses.  To start, we had a salad of beets, goat cheese, candied pecans, and greens, which was fresh and delicious. My comrade-in-forks took on the cheese crepe with arugula, tomato, artichokes, and pesto.  I was informed it ranked about 6/10 as a result of undue complexity.  My pork with apples, cabbage, and a vinaigrette was a very nice lunch dish, although too light for what I would want for an evening meal.  For dessert, there were two GF options, a flourless chocolate cake and--cue the happy dance--a gluten-free carrot cake made with pecan flour.  We ordered two of the latter and I ate 1.5 of them, having to come to the aid of my companion.  The cake was very good, being not too sweet and having a delicious cream cheese icing. 

Gluten-free carrot cake.  Oh.  Yes.

Service was friendly and prompt.  As already noted, the space is a delight.  As an added frill, our drink menu came in a 1937 edition of Maclean's magazine.  We were utterly engrossed in the update on cancer care, on the $1200 (!) cost of a flight from London to Johannesburg, and on the challenges of Jewish emigration to Palestine.  Plus ca change. 

While being a little out of the way, Prairie Bistro was a very pleasant visit, and I wouldn't mind a bit if my travels led me back.

On a side note, there is a grocery store downstairs called Amaranth which was well-stocked with gluten-free goods, including baked goods from a local place called La Crema Caffe.  Trying one of La Crema's quiches, I found them to be tasty, light and to have a nice crust, which isn't easy with GF ingredients.

Hillside Music Festival

Guelph Lake Conservation Area
Guelph, Ontario

Okay, Hillside is not really about the food, but I look forward to the food every year. This festival is granola crunchy in tenor but the music ranges from rock to hip-hop to country and folk. Every year, I am introduced to new bands, and typically a couple of CD's leave the festival with me (this year, Kim Churchill and Adverteyes, both great). Online ticket sales are typically brisk, so don't wait around if you are considering a weekend pass.

What about the food? Well happily, there is real gluten-free variety.  This is one of the rare events where I don't need to pack food, and I love that.  Bye-bye, Popeye lunch pail!  So prepare for African peanut stew and gluten-free cookies from Green Table Foods, enjoy pure teff injera from Laza Catering, gobble down gluten-free sausages and grilled corn from Sausage Brothers, and snack on yummy home-made chips from Studs N Spuds (though verify no co-fried contaminants with each visit).  Dessert?  How about all-corn tortillas and chocolate from Chocosol?  Pass me no napkin; I'm gonna lick these fingers.

So, yep, hanging out all weekend and listening to tunes is nothing to complain about.  But doing it while feasting on delicious gluten-free food?  Fabulous!  Check it out each July.

Amsterdam Beer

Okay, it's not all from Amsterdam, but that's where I encountered it.  Given the challenges of finding gluten-free grog, I take it when I can get it.  I tried three o' the fellas.

Yummiest, yummier, and yum.

The first, Mongozo Premium Pilsener, brewed in Belgium for a Dutch company, is the closest thing to 'real' beer I shall likely encounter.  It tasted like real beer, so much so that I thought "Molson?"  But I was told by a current real beer swiller that it was more of a Heineken, and as it has been a while since I have partaken of the real stuff, I must defer.  But here is why it might taste that way:  it contains barley malt.  I can tell you it took me a bit of surfing before I had the confidence to drink it.  The brewery indicates that they have a process which removes the offending protein, and they have it tested by an independent lab.  They even provided a pdf from said lab to another web denizen.  They have won kudos from at least one actual organization and have a GF seal with a registration number.  All of it could be bunk, but I chose faith and really enjoyed it.  I don't obviously react (in the short term) to gluten, and did not react negatively to this drink.  I would probably drink this all the time were it available, but I would also actually invest in a test kit to set my mind at ease.  The fear is just too ingrained at this point.

The second, a Riedenburger Gluten Free from Germany, I found to be very similar to the sorghum-based brew of New Grist, although it is actually millet based.  It had a nice malty flavour, a good presence, without an unpleasant aftertase.

Finally, St. Peter's Gluten Free Beer from the UK, gets a few points for having a nifty old bottle. It certainly wasn't a bad pint, with a pleasant bitterness and just a slight but not prolonged aftertaste. I wouldn't say no to another although I'd prefer either of the first.

Bottoms up!

Proeverij 274

Prinsengracht 274
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 4211848

Description:  The is a great little restaurant, and we actually returned to it on a second occasion rather than risk disappointment at another establishment.  The menu lists a moderate number of dishes and local fair is used.  The dishes are just off the traditional track, but stop well before reaching too trendy.  The wait staff was exceptionally friendly, and well tolerant of a 6 month old, although we are always careful not to disturb fellow patrons.   

We were thus able to try a handful of dishes.  A starter of white asparagus with chive sauce and poached egg was excellent the first night, as we caught the tail end of the local season.  The second night I had a delightful herring with beets and a vodka jelly, while my comrade-in-forks was exceptionally pleased with the cold lentil soup, which was a new take on gazpacho with a little island of diced tomato and cucumber topped with raita floating in the centre.  For the main, I reprised a variation on beef, which was done to tender perfection and accompanied by tasty vegetables on both occasions.  My fellow diner had a succulent guinea fowl with raison-wine sauce and a creative but not off the wall poppy-seed croquette accompaniment.  Dessert for me was a delicious chocolate mousse, while the rhubarb cake was good. 

As noted, the staff were patient regarding gluten inquiries, and they were wonderfully friendly without being overly intrusive.  The restaurant itself is in an old building (an unremarkable fact in Amsterdam) with plenty of beautiful wood and a warm, homey, intimate feel.  We debated whether this restaurant was 'just' excellent or was outstanding, but the consensus was that anything short of outstanding would be unfair.  If you are in Amsterdam, eat at Proeverij 274.

Amsterdam

We have had the great fortune to visit this lovely city in the Netherlands, as well as some nearby cities on day trips.  It is a great place, although it is not as good as others in terms of gluten-free dining.  The prevalence of celiac disease is lower here, although underdiagnosis likely contributes to this.  In fact, the whole darn country seems slim and fit, so maybe they all have it.  At any rate, gluten awareness, while not terrible, does not match my Canadian, American, or other experiences.  I encountered no gluten-free bakery, although others have reported fresh products at one chain. 

Keizersgracht, Amsterdam.  If only home were this pretty.

Conversely, English is almost universal, so communication is easy.  Furthermore, several health food stores, as well as the ubiquitous Albert Heijn, have excellent GF supplies.  The latter also has a clear GF symbol on its GF products, which I much appreciated.  In addition, more than one restaurant had a GF list they would consult on inquiry. 

Words to watch out for? Tarwe, rogger, and gerst are wheat, rye, and barley. I did get burned on malt on one occasion. If you are reading labels, beware barely malt, gerstemout. Finally, haver is oats.

Don't worry, all Dutch cheese is fat free. 

You won't suffer for food, however.  The selection of Dutch cheeses is excellent.  The olives are the good ones the Europeans don't export to us North Americans, and the wine is a wee spot better priced than that of the LCBO.  Our typical lunch (left) also included fresh little red currents, which I have rarely encountered in my Golden Horseshoe shopping.

Kalendar

546 College Street
Toronto, Ontario
416.923.4138

Type of cuisine: Brunch
Date of Review: October, 2010

Overall Quality Ranking: Good

Cost: Moderate
Gluten-Free Menu Options: Reasonable
Gluten Free Diner Comfort ranking: Comfortable

Description:  Fortunately there was no line-up for this pre-matinee brunch visit.  A seat was available and our server was with us quickly.  The menu was typical for brunch, with omelettes, French toast, and so forth, but also included some salads, wraps and naan bread open sandwiches.  We started with fresh orange juice, a nice sunny start.  This morning three of us had omelettes, with two having the delicious (if a bit salty) smoked salmon.  The chevre and snow pea omelette was also very good.  Each came with delicious, GF-friendly, herbed home fries and fruit (with toast for those so inclined).  The French toast was very good, with good fresh bread, although the side of ham was declared quite tasteless by two diners. 

Service was zippy and friendly.  The restaurant itself is quaint, with lots of wood, old chandeliers, and ornamental flourishes in the plasterwork.  By one popular measure, it has been declared the most romantic place for a first date, and some of that may be attributable to the decor.

This was a tasty bite, and I'm curious to check out dinner when the opportunity presents itself.