Juice and Java Express - Restaurant Review

 

I was delighted to find this little cafe right in the heart of Farmer's Market in Downtown Pleasanton on W. Angela St. Not only do they serve organic coffee and tea in a quaint and cozy atmosphere but they have a whole menu of juice blends and smoothies with exotic names like Dragonfly, Green Isle, Love Birds, Beet Me Up (my personal favorite) and Fresh As A Cucumber. Their wide selection of fruits and vegetables are organic, when possible, and they offer several non-dairy boosts (flax seed, pumpkin seed and vit C) as well as a nice selection of organic non-dairy milks (almond, coconut, soy and rice).

Beet Me Up - beets, carrots, apple, orange and ginger root (I asked them to add spinach)

They also serve a small selection of light breakfast and snack items. Their oatmeal, unfortunately, is not gluten free but they usually have a few gluten free granola type bars in the case. They also had these gluten free cookies (below) by Liz Lovely that I've never seen before.

I bought the GF vegan German Chocolate Cake cookie. It was very good. It had a "raw" type texture to it though which I'm not crazy about but I did enjoy the taste and it was very moist. I wouldn't mind trying the other varieties as well. Juice and Java Express has become one of my favorite places to stop on Saturday mornings after shopping the farmer's market. The staff is friendly and it's fun to sit on one of their outdoor tables and people watch. This new little gem gets a "thumbs up."

Restaurant Review - Romano's Macaroni Grill

Romano's Macaroni Grill in Dublin

Prior to going gluten and dairy free, I used to love Romano’s Macaroni Grill. I went quite often with business colleagues. Of course, after going GFCF, I crossed it off my list of dining options. I was very intrigued to learn they now have an “allergen menu” which includes gluten and dairy free options. I took my son there last week for lunch and we had a lovely time. They have a very interesting allergy menu that took a few minutes to figure out but then turned out very informative.

Sammy's children's pomodoro pasta

I love the fact that they have a children’s menu which makes it very affordable to take kids. Sammy wanted the pasta pomodoro. It was very good but I felt it needed a little bit more sauce. I like the marinara sauce at Frankie, Johnnie and Luigi’s Too (a restaurant in Dublin) better but the sauce at Macaroni Grill was not quite as spicy so it was better for Sammy. The gluten free penne pasta is a rice blend with no corn (as reported by the waiter). You can also order a children’s dish with a combo of chicken and GF pasta (and broccollini).

Greens Salad with grilled chicken

I decided to order the greens salad for myself with one of the two gluten/dairy free dressings they offer. I added grilled chicken breast. The chicken was very fresh and tender, cooked to perfection. The greens and vegetables in the salad were simple but very fresh. I enjoyed it.

We were able to top off our meal with dairy free white peach sorbet. It was a nice finish.

Here are the things I love about Romano’s Macaroni Grill:

 The atmosphere.  It’s fun and entertaining.

The Italian recordings in the restroom are a nice touch.

A water bottle at your table. I drink a lot of water and am often left

with an empty glass in restaurants.

The waiter’s name written on our table so I can easily request him/her if needed.

That fact that they paid attention to our being gluten free and did not even come near our table with bread. Anyone who’s had to wrestle a bread roll out of their GFCF child’s hand can relate to this.

Sammy’s favorite part was that he could color on the table cover.

This entertained him the entire time we were waiting for the food. Nice!

A GFCF dessert option!

The pasta must have been good because it’s all gone!

We give this new GFCF dining option a thumbs up!!

Restaurant Review - Eddie Papa's

Eddie Papa's in Pleasanton, California

Wow, what a lovely experience. I was initially reluctant to try Eddie Papa's in Pleasanton after finding out that they now offer gluten free options on the menu. I had been there prior to going GFCF and was not thrilled. Well, my opinion has now changed.  I was impressed immediately when I informed the waiter at Eddie Papa's that we are gluten and dairy free and he actually knew what to do. He went over the menu with us clearly educated on the menu’s gluten free options and knew exactly how to handle our table. The only question he could not answer was if the hot dogs on the menu were gluten and dairy free. Within five minutes the owner came over to the table with the package in hand to review the ingredient list with us. We discovered together that the hot dogs are gluten and nitrate free but are not casein (dairy) free.  Darn. Casein is milk protein.

The waiter immediately brought my son, Sammy, a plate of gluten free rice Chex and raisins to snack on while waiting for our food. He did mention that they normally melt cheese over the Chex so always be sure to mention to the waiter that you are dairy free. He also brought waxy twist sticks for Sammy to play with while we waited for our food. Clever!

I am very impressed with their gluten free options. They offer gluten free chicken tenders made with a tempura type batter. Sammy loved them and was elated to actually eat chicken tenders in a restaurant. The French fries are also gluten free, fried, upon request, in clean fresh oil uncontaminated with gluten. Sammy let me try one and I have to admit, they were very good. They serve Udi’s bread for a gluten free sandwich option. All their salad dressings are gluten free and they have gluten free breadcrumbs and soy sauce. For breakfast, they also make gluten free pancakes and waffles. They even serve Red Bridge gluten free beer.

Another thing that impressed me at Eddie Papa's was that they focus on local produce and products. They buy from Terra Bella Farms in Pleasanton, Lone Oak, Olivina Ranch in Livermore, Cloverdale Dairy, Humboldt Creamery and Numi Organic tea in Oakland. I love this!

I ordered the strawberry salad with balsamic type dressing. It was pretty tasty. Sammy loved the chicken tenders saying they were, “awesome!” Currently, Eddie Papa's does not offer any GF or CF desserts. The waiter did say that they may add some dessert options on the spring menu. The owner said he’s considering Udi’s gluten free hamburger and hot dog buns for the spring as well. I think it may be worth a trip back in the spring to check and see if they have them yet!

Another nice touch at Eddie Papa's is the cotton candy they bring with your check. It is GFCF but is full of sugar and color dye. We took one small bite and left it on the table. Cute idea though. I'm glad to add this restaurant option to our GFCF places to dine. What a treat!