Off the Menu: ATX Cocina

This weekend my husband and I had a great staycation here in Austin, and one of the highlights was our dinner at ATX Cocina - a 100% gluten-free kitchen!

We've been eyeing this new downtown Austin hot spot, but needed a night away from the kiddo to really enjoy it (read: multiple margaritas). Upon entry you find a beautiful open space that feels a little more chic than we're used to seeing in our ever evolving city. There is ample seating and the atmosphere is light and airy.

Our waitstaff was fantastic and verified that everything but the beer was gluten-free...heaven! We munched on happy hour tacos, enjoyed the salsa sampler + queso fundido and capped it off with some esquites. We were so full from our snacks and drinks that we didn't go for a full dinner, but plan on returning soon.

Menu:

Hours

Happy hour daily from 4:30-6:30 PMDinner seating begins at 5 PMSunday 5 – 9 PMMonday- Thursday 5 – 10 PMFriday Lunch 11:30AM – 3PMFriday Dinner 5-11PMSaturday 5 – 11 PM

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!

Gluten-Free in...Australia?!

Received this great email from my friends Brett and Alea who visited Australia and just recently returned...looks like I have my new vacation spot!

See the attached pics...

Part of our trip in Australia was up into the rain forest. From the town we were staying in, Cairns, we took a 90 minute train up into the hills and deep into the rain forest. We arrived in a small village called Kuranda. They had a cafe and were advertising Gluten Free food.

Jaime, please add the Kuranda village as a Gluten Free dining alternative to your list. :)

Thanks,
Brett

Favorite G-Free Video Clips!

Okay, so you come across some interesting clips on the internet...YouTube, Facebook, who knows. So, I wanted to share some of my favorite gluten-free video clips, both serious and silly. Enjoy!

Reading Gluten-Free Labels:

First gluten-free commercial I've ever seen in mass media, go General Mills!

Adam Carolla Rant on Dieting and Gluten-Free:

Top 5 Tips for Gluten-Free Kids:

Haha...Sex and the Celiac:

Thanksgiving Dinner Success @Maggiano's

First off, bravo Maggiano's for not only making so many of your dishes naturally gluten-free but for making my family Thanksgiving fantastic and full of options. I cannot tell you how impressed I was with their staff cooperation and my meal.

The Thanksgiving menu was family style and I could eat multiple things from almost every course (minus dessert and bruschetta). Here's a quick snapshot of the menu:

I made a reservation through Open Table and put in the notes that we had a gluten-free diner. After that I proceeded to call them and talk to a sous chef who walked me through the Thanksgiving menu and made sure that I felt comfortable with their knowledge of gluten-free dining, I was surprised to find out that I had options beyond just the gluten-free pasta, whoo!

First course was salad and I could have both the Caesar and Italian salads with just the croutons removed. Since the family style allows you to choose two from each portion of the menu we got the Caesar with croutons on the side for me and the glutenous eaters got the Chopped salad.

Next course was the full-on Thanksgiving style meal, yes even Italian restaurants do it traditionally! The options for meats were turkey with gravy and stuffing, ham with mashed potatoes and tilapia. When the sous chef came out to talk me through it (awesome!!) he said that I could have both the ham and turkey meats and that they would simply make me a small plate of plain without the stuffing and gravy so there wouldn't be any cross-contamination. It came out on a HUGE plate and I even have some turkey leftovers. The family also got the tilapia which was breaded so that was out, but I was happy. In addition we got to choose two sides and two pastas. I could have the following: creamed corn, creamed spinach, mashed sweet potatoes and garlic mashed potatoes - we chose the creamed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes, yum! For the pastas they allowed my family to choose two and made me my own side of the gluten-free spaghetti and meat sauce. I could've also gotten gluten-free versions of the rigatoni, ziti or gnocchi.

I was so full by this point I wasn't even disappointed that I couldn't have the huge piece of chocolate cake or pumpkin cheesecake. My whole family was impressed with the food and it worked out so well that I could have a full meal and they could have their traditional Turkey Day food. So, bravo Maggiano's you did great!! I would definitely come back for Thanksgiving in the future and suggest it to all of my blog readers :)

Off the Menu: The Steeping Room

The Steeping Room is located at the Domain and highly recommended. Easy to just stop in while you are shopping or sit outside with a snack! Find the location here: http://thesteepingroom.com/default.asp?contentID=686


The following items can be made gluten-free just ask the waitstaff!

Breakfast

The Morning Meal
two eggs scrambled or fried, side of bacon or
veggie soysage, wheat or white toast, jam
and your choice of fruit or balsamic dressed
mixed greens (GF)
sub a scone for toast add $1.50
sub rice or spelt toast add $.50

Breakfast Bowl
black beans, potatoes, and your choice of sour
cream or vegan cashew sauce with balsamic
dressed mixed greens (V, GF)
add an over easy egg for $1.50

Mushroom Tarragon Omelet > $6.95
two egg omelet with goat cheese, mushrooms
and tarragon. Served with wheat or white toast,
jam and your choice of fruit or balsamic
dressed greens (GF)
add ham to your omelet for $1.50

Seasonal Scramble > $6.95
two eggs or organic tofu scrambled with potato,
caramelized onion and basil. Served with wheat
or white toast, jam and your choice of fruit or
mixed greens (V, GF)
add our mix of cheddar and gruyère cheese
to the scramble for $1.00
to sub a scone for toast add $1.50
to sub rice or spelt toast add $.50

Chilaquiles Frittata > $8.95
a baked egg dish with corn tortillas, tomatoes,
onion, roasted jalapeños and queso fresco.
Served with a roasted tomato salsa and choice
of fruit or salad (GF)

Breakfast Sandwich> $3.50
scrambled egg topped with white Vermont
cheddar. Choice of spicy or regular on
wheat or white bread (GF)
add ham, bacon or soysage $1.50
add tomato $.50
sub rice or spelt bread add $.50

Vegan Breakfast Sandwich > $3.50
baked tofu with hummus, cilantro and spicy
sriracha. Choice of wheat or white bread (V, GF)
sub rice or spelt bread add $.50
sub soysage for tofu add $1.00
add tomato $.50
Kid's Breakfast > $3.75
one scrambled egg, one piece of wheat
or white toast, jam and kid’s fruit (GF)
sub rice or spelt toast add $.25

Lunch & Dinner

Napa Rolls > $6.95
two soft spring rolls filled with your choice of tofu or natural chicken, napa cabbage, julienned carrots, and a blend of fresh mint, basil, cilantro and scallions. Served with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce (V, GF)

Cheese Plate > $13.95
three cheeses from Antonelli’s cheese shop,
fruit, rosemary honey and crackers. Ask your
server for today’s selections (GF)

Mediterranean Plate > $8.95
dolmas, olives, hummus, feta, and flatbread (V,GF)

Soups of the Day (V, GF)
cup > $3.25  bowl and to go > $5.25

Soup and Scone Combo (V, GF)
cup > $5.50
bowl and to go combo > $7.50

Soup and Salad Combo (V, GF)
cup > $5.75
bowl and to go combo > $7.75
soup and a side salad of mixed greens
cashew caesar or tao of green add $1.50

Soup and Tea Sandwich Combo (V, GF)
cup > $7.25
bowl and to go combo > $9.25
soup and a half order of tea sandwiches
add $1 for jasmine gravlax
Seasonal Fruit Cup (V, GF) > $4.75
add organic White Mountain Bulgarian
yogurt > $1

Chilaquiles Frittata > $8.95
a baked egg dish with corn tortillas, tomatoes, onion, roasted jalapeños and queso fresco. Served with a roasted tomato salsa and a mixed green salad (GF)

Curry Bowl > $ market price
today’s curry dish served with our grain
of the day (GF, often V) 


Buddha Bowl > $10.95
today’s grain, bean, sautéed greens, sweet
potato and baked tofu. Choose one sauce:
peanut sauce, cashew sauce, honey orange sauce,  sesame tamari vinaigrette, balsamic
vinaigrette, sesame lime or EVOO (V, GF)
sub chicken for tofu add $1

Tea House Bowl > $9.95
tea braised natural chicken salad, tao of
green salad and our grain of the day (V, GF)
vegan sub tofu


Honey Orange Jicama > $8.95 
organic mesclun greens tossed in a honey orange dressing with jicama, green apple, orange supremes, red onion and toasted walnuts (V, GF)

Tao of Green > $9.75
shredded napa, purple and green cabbage, carrots, daikon, peanuts, cilantro and scallions tossed with a sesame dressing. Entrée salad includes natural chicken or tofu (V, GF)

Cashew Caesar > $7.95
a fresh and delightful take on the old standard - young romaine hearts tossed in a tangy
cashew dressing, garnished with garlic croutons, cracked pepper and toasted cashews
GF sub rice crackers for croutons
The Crescent > $9.75
organic mixed greens and romaine tossed with balsamic dressing and and topped with feta, kalamata olives, red onion, tomato, walnuts and dolmas (V, GF)
vegan sub hummus for feta

The following are tea sandwiches - rice or spelt bread can be substituted

Lapsang Souchong Chicken Salad > $9.25
tender tea braised natural chicken mixed with
celery, green apples and scallions and
dressed in our lapsang vinaigrette (GF)

Lemon Edamame > $8.50
a light and lemony edamame spread
finished with scallion and cucumber (V, GF)

Pork Tenderloin > $9.25
a Malaysian inspired marinated pork
tenderloin finished with cilantro, scallions
and chili mayo (GF)

Goat Cheese > $8.75
with olive tapenade and arugula (GF)


Roast Beef > $9.25
natural roast beef with caramelized
onions, roasted red peppers and
basil mayo (GF)

Jasmine Gravlax* > $9.95
jasmine tea-cured Atlantic salmon
with cream cheese and thinly sliced
cucumber (GF)

BAT > $8.95
bacon, arugula and tomato with basil mayo
(V, GF)
vegan sub tempeh bacon and basil veganaise

Cream Cheese and Cucumber > $7.95
the classic (GF)


TBLT > $8.95
natural turkey, bacon, lettuce and tomato
with basil mayo (GF)

Roast Beef with Chili Lime Tomatoes > $9.50
natural roast beef, feta spread, arugula,
sauteed chili lime tomatoes and caramelized onions (GF)

Grilled Vegetable > $9.75
your choice of tofu or eggplant with zucchini, roasted red pepper, caramelized onions, walnut arugula pesto and goat cheese, served warm
(V, GF)
vegan sub hummus

Baked Tofu Sandwich > $8.75
choose one:
a) Ginger Tofu with cucumber, carrot,
pickled onion, tomato, and hummus (V, GF)
b) TTLT with tofu, tempeh bacon, lettuce, tomato and basil veganaise (V, GF)


Grilled Cheese > $7.50
white Vermont cheddar, sundried tomato
paste, and fresh basil grilled on sliced
wheat or white bread (GF)
Croque Monsieur > $9.95
our version of the classic French ham and
cheese sandwich. Broiled open faced with
scallion aioli and tomato (GF)
veg sub tofu 

Kid's Choice > $4.25
served on white or wheat bread
with kid’s fruit (V, GF)
sub spelt or rice bread add $.50
choose one sandwich from the list below:
• turkey or ham (choose 2: lettuce, tomato
or cheese)
• apple OR cucumber slices with cream cheese
• PB & J sub organic almond butter $.50
• plain grilled cheese
• hummus with carrot and cucumber


Enjoy! They also have brunch :)

Off the Menu: Texican Cafe

Hey all, first off, THANK YOU for reading my blog! I hope it helps you all as much as it helps me while learning how to cope with a gluten-free lifestyle.


Please find the Texican Cafe locations here: addition to the map coming soon! As always make sure to tell your server that you are gluten-free to ensure they won't add anything incorrectly.


Appetizers:

Botana Platter     

Four stuffed jalapenos, four chicken taquitos, a guacamole slad and chile con queso. Served with sour cream.

Nachos:

“Texican Nachos”

A pile of chips with your choice of ground beef or shredded chicken, smothered with black beans, chile con queso, lettuce, pico de gallo, jalapenos and sour cream.

Nachos al Carbon

Tostada chips covered with your choice of beef or chicken fajita with refried beans, white cheese, topped with lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream.

Nachos Supreme

Nachos wth a twist! Refried beans and ground beef with cheddar cheese or shredden chicken with white cheese, topped with lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole and sour cream.

Bean & Cheese Nachos

Tostada chips with refried beans and melted cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.

Soups, Salads y Mas

Tortilla Soup

Best in town! A zesty spicy chicken soup. Served with rice, white cheese, fresh homemade tortilla strips and lime.

Add avocado slices – 1.50

Shrimp Soup Cozumel

Large tomato based shrimp soup topped with cilantro. Served with fresh homemade tortilla strips and lime.    (made to order)

House Salad

Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and tortilla strips.

Grilled or Crispy Chicken Salad

A large House Salad with grilled chicken breast strips or fried chicken strips.

Grilled Specialties:

Steak Juana Maria (10 oz.)

Tender rib-eye steak in a citrus marinade with grilled bell peppers, onion and tomatoes. Served with homemade fries, charro beans, guacamole and pico de gallo.

Steak Tampiquena (10 oz.)

The Owner’s Favorite! Juicy succulent rib-eye steak in a citrus marinade with one cheese “El Paso” enchilada and a side of ranchero sauce, refried beans, guacamole and pico de gallo.

Steak Fabian (10 oz.)

Tender rib-eye steak strips in a citrus marinade with whole Serrano peppers and onions. Served with Mexican rice, charro beans, guacamole and pico de gallo.

Golla’s Pollo

Grilled chicken breast smothered in white cheese and topped with sauteed tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, bell peppers and whole Serrano peppers. Served with Mexican rice, charro beans, guacamole and pico de gallo.

Pork Chop Platter

Two tender pork chops grilled to perfection with onions, tomatoes and whole Serrano peppers. Served with Mexican rice, charro beans, guacamole and pico de gallo.

Seafood:

Fish Tacos

Two corn or flour tilapia fillet tacos, grilled with bell peppers, onions and roasted tomatillo salsa, lettuce and tomatoes. Served with Mexican rice, black beans, guacamole and pico de gallo.

Tilapia Oscar

Tilapia fillet and shrimp topped with a rich creamy sauce. Served with Mexican rice, black beans, guacamole and pico de gallo.

Tilapia Cozumel

Grilled tilapia fillet with onions, bell peppers, whole Serrano peppers and tomatoes with one “Shrimp Enchilada Cozumel.” Served with Mexican rice, black beans, guacamole and pico de gallo.

Shrimp Enchiladas Cozumel

Two enchiladas stuffed with shrimp, topped with Cozumel (a buttery red tomatillo) sauce and white cheese. Served with Mexican rice, black beans and pico de gallo.

Shrimp Flautas

Two red chile corn tortillas stuffed with grilled shrimp and white cheese and fried crisp. Served with Mexican rice, black beans, guacamole, pico de gallo and Ancho Mayo sauce.

Traditional Plates:

Carne Chile Colorado

Traditional Mexican pork tips cooked in our New Mexico chile sauce. Served with pico de gallo.

Flautas

Two corn tortillas filled with your choice of ground beef or shredded chicken, rolled and fried crisp, topped with guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream.

Plato de Tamales

Two shredded pork tamales with red chile sauce and white cheese. Served with pico de gallo.

Carne Guisada

Tender beef tips in a brown gravy. Served with pico de gallo.

Enchiladas

Sour Cream Enchiladas

House Specialty! Two shredded chicken enchiladas with our homemade sour cream sauce

Santa Fe Enchiladas

Three flat stacked enchiladas with ground beef, shredded chicken or cheese with a smokey red chile sauce.

Chef suggests adding two eggs on top – 1.50

San Antonio Enchiladas

Two cheese enchiladas topped with carne guisada and creamy chile con queso.

Chef suggests adding red chile sauce – 1.00

Spinach Enchiladas

Sauteed onions, mushrooms and spinach rolled in two corn tortillas and topped with a cream cheese cilantro sauce. Served with black beans.

Shrimp Enchiladas Cozumel

Two shrimp enchiladas topped with Cozumel (a buttery red tomatillo) sauce. Served with black beans.

Enchiladas Rancheras

Two corn tortillas with your choice of ground beef or shredded chicken topped with our spicy ranchero sauce. Served with chile con queso.

Migas:

Migas with Cheese

Not just for breakfast anymore! Scrambled eggs with salsa, tortilla strips and cheddar cheese. Served with ranchero sauce.

San Antonio Migas

Migas with a twist! Scrambled eggs with tortillas strips, topped with carne guisada and chile con queso!

Monterey Migas

Scrambled eggs with tortillas strips, topped with chile colorado and chile con queso!