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.