Gluten Free at Shoo Mama's near West Chester PA

It seems as if our options just keep piling up!  I don't care if it's the result of trendiness or people looking for a new diet fad, or the fact that more and more people are being diagnosed with Celiac Disease; the proliferation of gluten free products and restaurants offering GF options is simply awesome!

It's never been easier to live gluten free than it is right now.  These days, when people hear about my dietary restrictions they often say things like, "That must be so hard for you" or "I can't imagine being so limited" or "How do you even find something to eat?"  To which I reply, "Nope, it's not hard, I'm not that limited, and it's actually very easy to find good food to eat" :)

Case in point, Shoo Mama's Farm Fresh Cafe in West Chester PA.  I'm a professor at West Chester University, so having Shoo Mama's as a near-by lunch destination is sweet!  Shoo Mama's specializes in farm fresh, local, organic foods.  They also offer a variety of gluten free options including soups, salads, and Panini sandwiches.  If you're in the area, I highly recommend you stop by and get a bite to eat.  Their GF options are local, organic and delicious! Pictured is a gluten free panini sandwich with sweet potato chips fried in a separate GF designated fryer:)

Here's their website: http://shoomamascafe.com/

Shoo Mama's Far Fresh Cafe
66 E. Street Rd.
West Chester, PA 19382
(484) 315-8431

Gluten Free Soup Options at Fabio & Danny's Station Cafe: Media PA

As I'm writing this entry, I'm sitting at a wooden table within the Wayne, PA train station.  Within this rennovated station operates a little coffee shop offering baked goods, fresh sandwiches and soups.  Fabio & Danny's always has a few gluten free soup options to choose from.  Today's options are Clam Chowder and Lentil Soup.  I chose the Chowder and couldn't be happier!  It's thick and creamy, and is loaded with potato chuncks and sand-free clams. Yum! 

Although there isn't too many GF options on their menu, the staff at Fabio & Danny's are always willing to modify their food options for their GF clients.  For instance, they can easily omit the bun on their Angus Cheese Burgers, and if you bring in your own GF bread, they'd be happy to use it to make their signature sandwiches.

Fabio & Danny's also transforms into a BYOB every Friday night, when live music is offered for free. If you're ever in Wayne, stop by for an expresso and a bowl of gluten free soup. You'll be happy you did:)

Fabio & Danny's Station Cafe
135 North Wayne Avenue
Wayne, PA 19087

Gluten Free Beer Review: New Planet

 The last few years have been good to us gluten free beer drinkers.  I'll be perfectly honest, I miss the ability to drink a freshly poured Guinness stout at the local pub. I miss it each and every time I sip on any gluten free beer anywhere I am.  It sucks that my options for beer drinking pleasure are severely limited.  But it would suck even more if I couldn't drink beer at all.  Thankfully, there are a growing number of breweries that are cooking up some fine GF brewski.

Take New Planet Gluten Free Beers for example.  I stopped by Pinocchio's Beer Garden in Media PA. I heard that they had a pretty good GF beer selection.  And they did.  They even have a separate cooler just for gluten free beers and ciders!  I immediately noticed two new GF beer brands; New Planet and Dogfish Head (which I'll get to later).  New Planet had three options: Raspberry Ale, Off Grid Pale Ale, and Tread Lightly Ale.  I picked them all up.  Let me start with the Raspberry Ale...

The Raspberry Ale was interesting. Made with sorghum and corn, it was like a Redbridge without the syrupy sweetness, with the additional tarty tang of a raspberry aftertaste.  It wasn't bad, but I don't think I'll be stocking my fridge with it.

On to Off Grid Pale Ale...

New Planet's Off Grid Pale Ale is made with sorghum and brown rice.  It has a complex taste yet went down smoothly.  A bit darker than the Tread Lightly Ale, I found this beer to full bodied and satisfying.

The Tread Lightly Ale was my favorite of the three; very light and refreshing. Like the Raspberry Ale, it was made from sorghum and corn.  I really enjoyed this beer! I can see myself loading up a cooler of this brew; kicking back in the summertime, relaxing next to water skipping stones...  Yeah, that'll be nice.