Takito Kitchen

2013 West Division Street Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 687-9620

Description:  Takito Kitchen offers a simple menu of appetizers, shared dishes, and tacos in a casual setting.  As the menu indicates, many items are gluten free.  As ever, you must be wary and willing to ask questions.  The listed rice crackers option were noted by our server to NOT be gluten free and the crackers brought with the delicious crab cerviche also contained gluten, although we had to ask to bring this to light.

That said, Takito offers a good agave-based drink menu, mixed and straight up.  The crab cerviche was fresh and delicious.  Both the fish and beef tacos were flavourful, and the gluten-free corn chips and salsas were addictive.  We were able to eat on the patio in what appears to be a dynamic neighbourhood of Chicago, Wicker Park.  Indeed, there was a street festival underway during our visit. 

In sum, the food was good, the service was friendly, the price was quite reasonable, and I wouldn’t hesitate to return. 

The Daily Grind

601 Somerset St.
Ottawa
613-233-2233

Description:  Sniff sniff.  What's that smell?  Ah, the fair nose of baking xanthum gum and tapioca flour.  Yes, The Daily Grind is an informal, cafe/restaurant that serves decent food from a completely gluten-free menu.  Now, they don't go overboard splashing gluten-free all over their website.  Like some other GF establishments, they emphasize their quality and good taste first, so as not to scare away the gluten-loving.

The food itself is good.  We opened with the nachos, which were simple and fine.  Meat was optional, and we skipped it, but I wouldn't mind a few more vegetables or any beans.  I had the Creole shrimp special, and it was a healthy mix of vegetables and rice and had a nice little zip.  My dinner mates had the blackened salmon and the BBQ swordfish.  The salmon had a nice jerk spice while the swordfish really made me think (happily) of spare ribs.  Such a meaty fish, that sword guy.   As a side note, I had a very nice Bard's beer with my dish, but non-GF beers are also available (and are the only non-GF items in the house).

For dessert, I had a yummy Sweet Marie bar.  The cross table exchange program yielded a very good macaroon and chocolate mint cookie.  The chocolate cupcake was also very good, but frankly could have used some dairy.  The Daily Grind does have a number of vegan baked goods.  This will make many happy, but I favour dairy fat over substitutes, and am occasionally frustrated that GF products are grouped with other dietary limitations.  However, that did not stop me from bringing home a small pile of other baked goods--I mean, it's not like I'm that picky.  

Service here is casual but friendly.  One generally orders at the counter. The Daily Grind has the comfortable appearance of a relaxed, non-corporate cafe, with mismatched furniture and walls lined with local art.  

If I were to review this as a non-celiac, I would consider it a decent, inexpensive local place but not a destination restaurant.  However, as a celiac, I am emphatically appreciative of what they do, and of how comfortable I am eating there.  Thanks, guys.  I plan to be back.  

Bard's

Ah, the great Bard.  Well, I don't know what iambic pentameter is supposed to taste like, but this was poetry enough for me.  Don't let the 'sorghum malt beer' throw you off.  The contents are exclusively water, sorghum, and hops--none of that nasty gluten stuff.  It is perhaps most like New Grist, although perhaps a little darker and slightly sweeter.  It was very good, and kudos to the Daily Grind for stocking it.

Custom House Tavern

500 South Dearborn Street

Chicago, IL 

(312) 523-0200

Type of cuisine: Bistro

Date of Review: June, 2012

Description:  When I think of a tavern, I sometimes think about a dark place with a few glass brick windows, lots of old wood, and mediocre food.  Well, this ain't that.  This is a yummy, upscale establishment which aims to create fresh American cuisine.  The menu is neither short nor epic, but there is a good selection for both the GF eater or the gluten-inclined.  The exception would have to be dessert, where the options on this particular evening were ice cream or cheese.

The waiters are helpful and the fresh nature of the menu seems to lend itself to a comfortable gluten-free meal.  This was my second occasion to visit, the previous experience also being great.  To their credit, the restaurant had a small, warm gluten-free corn muffin in lieu of bread.  With salted butter, it was a real treat.  As an appetizer, I started with grilled octopus with fresh orange and an aioli, which was a surprisingly fresh combination.  For a main, I had the duck with a rhubarb compote.  It was cooked perfectly and was simple enough to enjoy the duck flavour, although the non-GF version typically comes with a peppercorn and breadcrumb crust.  I think I  preferred it as I received it.  As a side--one orders vegetables separately here--I had a scrumptious pistachio-topped asparagus in a garlicky oil.  No kissing after this dish!  Dessert, as noted, was ice cream, in this case a single fennel cardamom scoop which was quite interesting (and expensive).  I had a pinot noir followed by a Cote de Rhone, both reasonably suited to the duck with fresh fruit.

The service was excellent and nicely paced (for a North American).  Water refills were plentiful and the gluten issue was handled adroitly.  The decor is clean and bright, and the little booths are both comfortable and noise dampening, so that conversation was easy.

The Custom House makes great food.  They are arguably a five out of five egg institution, being knocked down only for the dessert limitation.

Green's Amber Ale

It takes a trip south of the border to meet a new friend.  Well, a fermented friend in a little brown bottle, at least.  Hello, Green's Amber Ale.  This little number is a blend of millet, buckwheat, rice, sorghum, hops, and yeast.  It is smooth, substantial, and has a pleasantly short bitter ending.  I might just be feeling expansive, but I wonder if there is a note of honey in there--though I should be clear it isn't sweet.  This GF beer is very good.  So would I drink another?  Yes.  Then another?  No, but only because I'm a lightweight.

Redbridge Beer

While rice has long served as the obvious gluten-free grain, Redbridge is another reminder of why rice should play a subordinate role in prepared foods.  A mixture of sorghum, corn syrup, hops, and yeast, Redbridge is very similar to New Grist, although the latter also uses rice.  Redbridge is clean and easy to drink, having subtle complexity but none of the unpleasant aftertaste that a rice-only product can produce.  It is surprising that Redbridge is made by Anheuser-Busch, who also brought us Budweiser, an unquestionably vile product.  (We once made beer-bread with Budweiser, thinking cheap was fine.  Wrong. Very wrong.)  Redbridge is a very respectable GF beer.  It is available in the USA, but presently not in Ontario.

Kashmir

279 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 536-1695




Description:  Indian food is generally celiac friendly, and that was true of Kashmir as well.  The menu is quite varied, and although the waitress knew nothing of gluten free dining, she was happy to inquire about issues.  Of note, the papadums are deep fried in shared oil, and they are not a GF option.

For this meal, we stayed fairly traditional and ordered a lamb dish (Gosht Vindaloo), some saag paneer, and chicken tikka.  The lamb was good but too salty and the paneer was less lively than others I've had.  The chicken tikka was creamy and delicious, although the sauce was far more plentiful than the chicken.  For dessert we had the rasmalai, which was fragrant and delicious.  The food, overall, was respectable but in no way outstanding.

Service was friendly and quick, and water refills were frequent.  The decor was pleasant, with nice size windows despite the basement location.  My bench was not entirely comfortable on account of oddly slopped padding.

Kashmir is a decent place and likely a safe option for the gluten free diner, but you can do better in Boston with a little planning.