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!

Please Help: G-Free in the City Mobile App

Hi friends! For those of you who eat gluten-free, know someone who eats gluten-free or are pondering the lifestyle, I'm reaching out for some help. I got accepted as part of an amazing program through my MBA called 3 Day Startup.

A group of lawyers, engineers, software developers and those of us who are business minding gather to pitch entrepreneurial ideas and decide what companies we want to start in 3 days. Of the 40 original ideas, a G-Free in the City mobile and web application is one of the 4 remaining. That being said the final hurdle is proving that there is a need and desire for this to be out there.

If you follow me you know that I work hard with local restaurants to tweak their menus to be gluten-free and help them dig a little deeper to get some actual items together for me to share with others. That model can be replicated and made available in a format much easier to use than my blog.

What I need from you is to help me validate this by signing up for an email update for when the BETA version goes live if you are affected or know someone who would need this tool!! Please visit my landing page here: www.gfreeinthecity.com as soon as you can. We present to venture capitalists and local entrepreneurs on Sunday night so as much support as I can get before them is much appreciated.

Thank you and let's keep growing this community!

At Home Food-Testing Kits

At the GFAF Expo and a few times before that I had come across these testing kits that allow someone to test their food for gluten. The idea is great, but it needs a lot of work before it will become mainstream at all. From what I learned the two companies who are developing this technology mainly work with manufacturers and consumer packaged goods companies for help with their product adjustments, etc.

The two brands that I learned about (and spoke to at the Expo) are GlutenTox Home and EZ Gluten. Thus far I don't find a whole lot of advantage to the kits in the way that they are currently functioning, unless you really feel like you must send it with your child for a meal at a friend's house or when you MUST eat out and there is no way of ensuring gluten-free food otherwise.

In my opinion, the main problems with the tests are the price and the complication. I am aware that the steps are easy to follow but there are SO many steps and it takes approximately 10 minutes for the test to process. For example, if I have some cake that a friend says they made gluten-free I would take a piece and put it into a test tube, add liquid, shake it, let it sit and then stick the testing strip in to see if it's over 10ppm (the average for these tests). By the time I've completed all of this everyone else will have eaten, as much as I love good food I would rather stick with something I know is safe and be done with it.

The second current roadblock is the price. We all know that prices of pharm products get better with time and I have no doubt that will be the case here too. Right now though it's approximately $10-$15/test. For one use that is a LOT in my opinion. I've been really trying to come up with use cases that would warrant these costs and honestly I could verify it only with a traveling situation where the waitstaff didn't speak English and I could NOT get sick (hotel far away, on a bus, etc.).

Despite these drawbacks I love what they are trying to do. The fact that something like this even exists is a move in the right direction for gluten-free food testing and piece of mind for Celiacs. I will be sure to continue following the developments of these companies and others who are working to make life easier for us!

G-Free Texas/OU Weekend

This weekend was the big Texas vs. Oklahoma football game in Dallas, and it is one of my very favorite weekends of every year. This year, however, was the first for which I had to remain gluten-free (for this very reason I took last year off). It was mildly successful...

As always I brought some food with me for the hotel room just in case I couldn't find anything else. Unfortunately the Hilton Anatole didn't have a microwave or refrigerator (just for those expensive snacks) in the room so my frozen dishes that I brought went bad, but I was able to substitute some hunger with the carrots and hummus that I brought. On a side note, we got totally hooked up with everything at the Anatole thanks to Pam and Katherine Frolow!

So, when we arrived around 1pm on Friday we were definitely hungry so I spoke to the concierge and he let me know that the Media Grill could accommodate my gluten-free diet so we ventured that way. This experience wasn't very good though. The waiter was clueless and VERY insensitive to my dietary needs. He wasn't provided any information, and didn't seem willing or caring enough to work with me to speak with the chef and figure out what I could eat. Finally, I ended up asking to speak to the chef directly and got a side Mediterranean salad, green beans steamed and a cheese burger with no bun. To top it off, I had a small reaction and was pretty uncomfortable for the next couple of hours. I think it probably had something to do with the preparation technique which I didn't go into with the chef because I was already so frustrated...let's just say that the rest of the weekend I was extra careful.

Dinner Friday night was awesome. We made reservations at State & Allen Lounge in Uptown who I had also called to ask about menu adjustments. When we were ready to order our waiter got the manager and she worked with me on everything, and even let me read some labels and ask a ton of questions. My order was the Love Love Chicken Bowl (risotto, chicken, butter and hot sauce, vegetables) and it was so good, I finished it off AND didn't get sick, thank you S&A!

The rest of the night was a blast, we hit up the Londoner pub in Uptown with the rest of our fellow MBAs and then got a good night's rest for the fair and football game the next day. Knowing darn well that the fair was full of fried food and beer I ordered three scrambled eggs and orange juice from room service in the hopes that it would keep me full until about 5pm. At the fair I was able to buy a bag of Fritos and a bag of Lays and then on top of that we had packed some pecans just in case so I could snack, but I was SO jealous of everyone who was able to eat Fletcher's corndogs, fried mac 'n' cheese and fried mashed potatoes!

For dinner we had reservations with all of the girls at Sambuca, who I had worked with beforehand as well (and subsequently forced everyone to go to ;)). Their knowledge and willingness to work with me on the menu was great, but the meal was just o.k. I ordered the chicken parmesean with grilled chicken but the chef didn't feel comfortable putting cheese on it so it was basically grilled chicken with marinara sauce...good but not what I expected. I also got a huge side of green beans which were awesome, well seasoned and cooked. I think I could have ordered a little better and been very happy.

Sunday we headed for Austin, got some Starbucks on the way, and made great time despite some heavy rains and traffic around Waco. Upon arrival I do admit to ordering P.F. Changs to-go for a nice big, yummy lunch/dinner. Overall the food situation was o.k. could have been a little better, but considering it's a hugely hectic weekend full of food and drink it was a success.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out and were flexible with my needs, especially Ashley, Christina and Katherine!! Hook 'Em!

Gluten/Allergen Free Expo Recap

Last weekend I made the trip to Dallas for the GFAF Expo - and it was AMAZING! I have to say too that I haven't been that full in awhile, you can't not try every single gluten-free food on display. For the first time since I was diagnosed I felt totally comfortable talking about Celiac Disease. Being around people who live with it, understand it and care about it was so nice.

I want to thank Kim Koeller (GlutenFree Passport) and Joel Warady (Enjoy Life Foods) especially for sitting down with me to chat about how they got involved in the gluten-free industry and where they think the growth and needs are going. Both have done so much for the industry and I feel very lucky to have met them. I cannot wait to finish school and start working in it myself.

There were so many highlights. I was impressed by many of the foods, especially some of the local items. What does seem to be a trend is that there are many bakeries/bread items as substitutes and not as much in the form of meals. I was able to find the best bread so far from Local Oven that is located in the Dallas area:

Thank goodness that Subway was there as well because I've been so curious about their gluten-free test. Of course I was wondering how they were training the sandwich artists, handling cross contamination, etc. and the head of the effort, Micki Winterburn, was more than willing to chat about it. So far they are in only a couple of markets, including Dallas, and we all cannot wait for a nation-wide release so I'm hoping the test is successful:

Finally, one of the biggest highlights was just talking to so many people about their experiences, symptoms, diagnosis stories and the ways they handle their gluten-free diet. I actually felt lucky because I was one of a few who only has a gluten problem, many others have eggs, soy, nuts and more in addition to being gluten-free. I cannot wait to go next year!