Tuesday, February 28, 2012

SXSW Gluten-Free

The time has come for techies, musicians, artists, actors and all of their fans to rain down upon Austin for the 2012 SXSW Festival. I have been in Austin for almost 10 years now and am shocked at how huge it has actually gotten over time. With almost three weeks of events it is nothing short of a phenomenon.

I am well-aware that eating gluten-free and traveling aren't the most friendly mix. So...I wanted to put my mapping tool front and center for all of our visitors so no one will miss out on the amazing food that Austin has to offer for those of us who are normally don't get to be excited about food.

My goal in collecting the menus from these locations was not just to tell you that they are "gluten-free friendly" but show you what you can actually order. Each pinpoint has got the contact information as well as a link to my blog post that highlights that restaurant and it's menu items.

In addition, here is a link to the food carts and trailers that have gluten-free menu items. I don't have specific information for each one but they are always accommodating!
http://g-freeinthecity.blogspot.com/2011/07/gluten-free-options-at-austin-food.html

Please enjoy the food, music and fun!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Off the Menu: G'Raj Mahal

Not only do I have the joy of working with Sidney at G'Raj Mahal for an entrepreneurship project, but was also able to sit down with her and find out which of their menu items are gluten-free. Luckily for all of us they don't skimp on ingredients or the cooking process so most of the dishes are naturally gluten-free and free of thickeners and preservatives.  Of course, always tell them that you are eating gluten-free so they can be sure to take care with the process.

Their goal is to provide authentic Indian food, enjoy!

Starters:
- Pakoras
- Tamatar
- Papri Chat - ask for without naan crisps

Breads:
- Crispy Lentil Papadam

Non-Creamy Sauces Curry:
- Classic Curry
- Madrasi
- Vindaloo
- Jalfrezi

Cream Sauces:
- Saag
- Makhani
- Tikka Masala
- Korma
- Kashmiri
- Rogan Josh
- Malabar

Biryani:
- Vegetable/chicken/beef/lamb/shrimp

Strictly Vegetarian Dishes:
- Aloo Gobi
- Baingan Bartha
- Malai Kofta
- Mushroom and Peas
- Mushroom Masala
- Chana Masala
- Dahl Makhani

Tandoor/Kebabs:
- Chicken
- Fish or Shrimp
- Lamb Rack

Goan Specials:
- Coconut curry
- Rechaad Masala
- Sorpotel

Desserts:
- Kheer
- Kulfi

Thursday, February 16, 2012

G-Free and the Austin Marathon



This weekend marks the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon for 2012! Last year I decided to take on the half marathon to raise money for a local charity, Colin's Hope. Although I love their cause and wanted to run with them again this year, my MBA distracted me from fundraising and volunteering so I'm on my own. Many told me that after I ran a half for the first time (last year) that I would be driven to run the full 26.2 next...that did not happen. So, I plan on embarking this weekend on 13.1 miles with a fresh new playlist.

They tell you to carbo-load the evening before (okay maybe just eat a healthy meal full of vitamins/minerals but I prefer the excuse to have carbs) so my plan is to venture over to Brick Oven on 35th to have some of their fantastic gluten-free pasta, a Caesar salad and maybe a glass of wine if I'm feeling confident in the amount of water I'd forced down beforehand. After getting nice and full of energy I'll get a good night's sleep and wake up bright and early.

Gu is the preferred brand of energy snack for runners, and I've found that 24 of their items are gluten-free (almost all!). You can find the gluten-free items here. I have some Gu Chomps ready and waiting for me. If I'm lucky I'll then be able to find a group of runners to join me for lunch and a mimosa to celebrate our success! I wish everyone good luck and am determined to finish in less than 2.5 hours :)

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Dell Social Innovation Challenge: Support Me!

So I've decided to enter my project (G-Free in the City) in the Dell Social Innovation Challenge. It's goal to support social innovation in various categories across the globe. I'm competing in the health and food categories with my idea to make life easier for all of us who have to handle a gluten-free special diet on a daily basis. Check it out!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Off the Menu: Whip In - Namaste Ya'll!!

Today when exploring the menu for Whip In, a friend of mine made sure to tell me that they have gluten-free menu items. While I haven't tried it yet I wanted to share the good news with you all - with a slogan that combines two of my favorite things (yoga and Texas) what is there not to like? The location is at I35 and Oltorf and from what I hear it's basically a convenience store turned restaurant, market, etc. Let me know what you think if you give it a try, I know I'm going to make it a priority!

RICE BOWLS
served on a bed of spiced basmati rice
EVERYDAY YUMMYNESSES:
~the following rice bowl selection are vegan & gluten free~
$6-7 each:
~Zambian-style organic corn & pepper masala in spicy coconut curry
~Masoor dal with spinach
~Chana dal with seasonal squash
~Chana masala with organic garbanzos & organic carrots
~Organic black beans & peppers in spicy red curry
~Organic white beans with mushrooms & fenugreek in a creamy coconut curry

Friday, February 3, 2012

G-Free in the City Expansion

Friends, family and followers...I've decided to expand my restaurant and community contacts outside of the city of Austin and will start soon reaching out and researching menus. There are a few reasons why I want to expand. First, as part of my MBA program I am required to do a summer internship so I could end up at a company outside of Austin (most likely actually), secondly I'm working on my official website (www.gfreeinthecity.com) that will have a nationwide mapping feature hopefully within the next 6 months or so, and finally I want to start helping others everywhere! I know that there are cities that seem to have a better grasp on gluten-free than others, these include Chicago, New York, San Francisco and San Diego so I'll hit these up later on down the line. The goal for the current list is to aim for cities where it's a little more challenging...

Please feel free to provide suggestions on other cities that you'd like to see, or send me a message if you know of restaurants that would be a good addition to the site. My goal includes at least 20 unique restaurants in the following cities:

- Seattle, WA
- Denver, CO
- Minneapolis, MN
- Columbus, OH
- Atlanta, GA
- Tampa, FL
- Phoenix, AZ
- Knoxville, TN
- Charleston, SC
- Pittsburgh, PA

Wish me luck and again feel free to send any menu pics, suggestions or lists to jaime.sutton@gmail.com!