This time, there were two vendors with gluten free products. First up was savory taro fritters from Noshables. I was a bit hesitant at first because I wasn’t a fan of poi or taro when I went to Hawaii, but I decided to give it a go.

It’s greasy, chewy, and unique tasting. Basically it’s ground or shredded taro, mixed with tapioca starch, sugar, and water – then rolled into balls and deep fried. A recipe for them can be found here.

I ate that while I walked around looking for something sweet, which I found at Whisking Through Life in the form of gluten free carrot cake.

Honestly I went against my better judgement in trying this cake because they had the samples of the carrot cake right on top of the regular samples, which indicates to me that the baker isn’t exactly stringent about cross contamination. But it looked so good, and the cake itself was separate from the other things, so I got a slice (and thankfully didn’t come to regret it).

That’s after I ate half of it. It was really good! Full of grated carrots, coconut, and raisins. And the slice was so big it took me three days to finish.

Next time hopefully my friend from Kate Bakes can get a spot at the Grey Market and up the representation of gluten free vendors!

1. Tasti D-Lite just opened in Columbia Heights

Now, in addition to the one in Dupont Circle, there is a Tasti D-Lite in Columbia Heights. Tasti D-Lite clearly marks their flavors as gluten free on their website. Nutella, Brownie Batter, PB caramel, and Rocky Road sound right up my alley!

2. Less than a month until the DC gluten free expo!

June 15th at the Four Points Sheraton there will be 70 vendors sharing delicious gluten free treats! Tickets are only $15 and you can buy them here! (All proceeds from the event will benefit the patients and families of the Celiac Disease Program at Children’s National Medical Center).

3. Roti has gluten free pita bread

I’ll file this one under “WTF”. How have I not known that Roti has gluten free pita bread until now? It’s $2.00 extra, but still awesome! With locations all across the district (including one coming to Union Station this summer), I’ll be heading there ASAP for lunch.

4. Macaron Bee opens in Georgetown

Macaroons are naturally gluten free, so I’m assuming that at least most of the flavors on the list at Macaron Bee will be as well. I haven’t checked it out myself, but exciting to have a macaroon place in the district to help balance out the millions of cupcakeries.

Exciting stuff! Anything else going on that I should know about?

I’ve had some great brunches in DC. But I’m declaring right here and now that Ardeo Bardeo in Cleveland Park is the best brunch in the city. It just is. Don’t even try to argue.

Why?

1. Two courses and unlimited mimosas for $25 - most places in DC are $15 entrees without unlimited mimosas, or they’re $25-$30 for unlimited mimosas, but they only give you one (usually kind of crummy) entree. Ardeo Bardeo gives you two delicious courses, plus they keep the champagne flowing!
2. They are knowledgeable and friendly about making their dishes gluten free – I have had the nicest servers at Ardeo Bardeo, and they are always really accommodating. They check with the kitchen if they have questions, and know exactly what to do if you tell them you need your meal to be gluten free.
3. I don’t have to eat eggs – About 90% of the time when I got to brunch I end up getting an omelette. While that’s all well and good, Ardeo Bardeo has a ton of other gluten free options. From salads and soups to salmon and risotto.

For my first course I always get this salad because it’s freakin’ amazing. Spinach salad with braised fennel and mushrooms with truffle vinaigrette.

Second course:

I’ve gotten the Scottish salmon a few times because it’s also just perfect. Crispy skin, perfectly cooked, with brussel sprouts, fennel puree, golden raisins, and lemon yogurt.

And last time I switched it up and got the rock shrimp and grits with arugula, lemon, and lobster emulsion. Yeah, lobster emulsion…that just happened.

I don’t know why more people don’t know about this brunch spot. People line up for an hour outside of Open City, but there are always tables open here.

Go! I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Ardeo Bardeo
Cleveland Park
3311 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20008
http://ardeobardeo.com

Since the line at Shake Shack in New York City was always about a mile long, I actually never went to it, even though it was right around the corner from my office in the Flatiron District. Luckily, like everything in DC, the Shake Shack in Dupont here doesn’t have a fraction of the customers as the NYC version.

Shake Shack provides a great gluten free menu on their website, and explains thoroughly how each food is prepared. They notify customers that they use separate friers for their fries, but that their oil is filtered through the same equipment at night. I’m guessing that this is the case with most restaurants, but nice to see that they come clean about it.

Loved every last one of these greasy little suckers. And yes, I dipped them in mayonnaise and ketchup. Don’t judge.

Next time I’m for sure getting one of their frozen custards with sprinkles!

Another totally addicting food? Fresh crab boil drenched in Old Bay Seasoning, plus corn on the cob.

And, if you were wondering, yes – Old Bay is naturally gluten free.

When in Maryland, you must eat crabs. A lot of crabs. All you can eat crabs from Captain Chris’ Crab Shack in North East, MD.

Other things you should eat in Maryland – Herr’s Old Bay potato chips. Along with most of the chips from Herr’s, they are gluten free. Although I just saw that they have MSG in them, which is yucky.

Looking for other places to get gluten free fries in DC? Try Science Club in Dupont, Ripple in Cleveland Park, or the National Zoo!

And go eat some crabs, they’ll make you happy.

This time I went with my heart set on gelato. Since the gelato stand is right in the front of the market, I picked up a cup of white mint chip to take with me as I walked around.

But then, as I was walking by the dessert stand, I realized that Eataly had totally stepped up its game when it comes to gluten free dessert. There were easily 15 different mini desserts that were gluten free. I think last time I went last month there were two. The other ones may just not have been labeled gluten free, but my jaw dropped when I saw all of the options.

There was an almond cookie, a torte with chocolate ganache, and a flourless chocolate cake.

There was panna cotta and a three-tiered chocolate mousse cake.

There was sponge cake with almond mousse and fruit.

And there were three different kinds of gluten free tiramisu.

I went with the peanut caramel tiramisu on the recommendation of the nice Italian man working behind the counter.

Best of all, the people who work at Eataly are very knowledgeable about food allergies, and they even have these signs all over encouraging patrons to let them know if you have a food allergy so they can  be sure to accommodate.

They also have a dedicated stand with Schar products like pasta, cookies, and rolls.

If you visit New York City, going to Eataly is a must. It’s always at the top of my list of places I tell people to go while they’re there, and now there are even more gluten free  options!

Sadly, I find my brain is often in a fog. Case and point: I opened my kitchen cupboard yesterday morning to get out a coffee cup and I find this scene.

Yep. That’s the half & half that I used in my coffee the morning before. I put it in the cupboard instead of the refrigerator.

This happens all the time. Not just with the half & half, but I’ve found peanut butter in the freezer. I’ve inexplicably lost one flip flop somewhere in my apartment. I’ve looked for 30 minutes for my phone before remembering that I plugged it into the charger.

It’s like I’m 90 years old – my brain just misfires and it will just do things that make no sense while caught up in the fog.

So, what causes this annoying lack of mental clarity? Gluten, of course. Among other things.

The top three gluten related causes of brain fog are:

1. Nutrient deficiencies – especially B vitamins and zinc. Due to malabsorption of these and other vitamins/minerals, the body and brain can start not functioning properly.
2. Milk and dairy. Studies have shown that for many celiacs, eliminating gluten isn’t enough to completely lift mental side effects from the disease. Only when dairy and gluten were eliminated did their condition improve noticeably.
3. Sinus congestion/pressure. Gluten can cause inflammation of the sinuses, which places pressure on parts of the brain and increases histamine levels.

With the elimination of every trace of gluten, and in some cases dairy, conditions in people with brain fog have been shown to improve, especially in children. In one study, a group of children who eliminated gluten from their diet raised their grade point averages from 2.5 to 3.9!

Of course, this is just more evidence that I really need to give up dairy in my diet. It’s something I’ve tried and something I dread actually having to do, but maybe it will help me stop putting my half & half in the cupboard

Pizza from Homemade Pizza Co.!

I know, I know. It’s cheaper to make it yourself. BUT this pizza is good. Like really good. If my cooking ego wasn’t so big I’d probably admit that the crust is the best I’ve ever tried.

Plus you just stick it in the oven and it’s finished! No dishes and no risk of spilling sauce all over yourself when you open the jar. Not like I’ve done that or anything…

Another perk of Homemade Pizza Co. is that they have unique ingredients like blue cheese, poblano peppers, and caramelized onions on their menu. Plus since there are so few places that you can get ready-made non-frozen gluten free pizza, it’s a great novelty to be able to go to a store, grab one and go!

For more gluten free pizza pics/reviews see:

Rubirosa NYC
Pala Pizza NYC
Open City DC
Ella’s Pizza DC
Namaste Foods Pizza Crust Mix

I’ve never had a gluten free soft pretzel, so that was a must. In sections 105 and 319 you can get them at Curly W Pretzels.

No words are really needed. Feel free to lick your screen.

Covered in butter and salt. Soft, warm, just like I remembered.

I also got a Redbridge at the pretzel stand. For $8.

I walked around feelin’ like a regular old Joe Baseball Fan with my pretzel and beer in hand.

Then I stumbled upon this place in section 105 with an explosion of gluten free options.

On the menu:

• Redbridge ($.50 at this stand)
• Hot dog
• Chili dog
• Nacho
• Loaded nacho
• Olive and sweet potato chips
• Carmel and caramel popcorn mix
• Organic spicy pumpkin seeds
• Organic wild berry mix
• Larabar
• Dark chocolate free bar
• Skittles
• Gummie bears

So great to see so many options! Next time I’ll go to this stand to get my beer since it’s $1.50 cheaper.

For more information on gluten free options at other MLB stadiums, check out this great list from Gluten Free Philly.

Or you can read about my trip to Citi Field here.

Play ball!

Boulder Granola says that “Our granola is 100% organic and filled with nutritious ingredients AND only 2 grams of “sugar” per serving. We use organic Vermont maples syrup and not too much!! The sweetness comes from the organic almonds and seeds, etc.”

The company’s owner started up Boulder Granola using her mom’s recipe after becoming an empty-nester a few years ago. Any lady with that kind of gumption, who still says things like “I can dig” is someone I fully support!

Their slogan, “unleash your inner hippie,” really appealed to me, seeing as I recently unleashed my inner hippie in Hawaii when I lived in this Volkswagen bus on a lava flow. Groovy, huh? (Sidenote: why is there no granola-themed food truck? I need to get on that.)

I should say that I was a bit surprised when I opened the package because it’s a very fine granola, made of lots of sesame and sunflower seeds and gluten free oats that are in tiny pieces.

There were a few chunks of almonds and clusters of granola, but I think that’s because it’s way lower in sugar than most granolas that are covered in honey or brown sugar to make it clump. Boulder Granola has over three times less sugar than the Bakery on Main stuff – win!

I tried it on top of oatmeal, in cereal, sprinkled on top of apples dipped in peanut butter, and with a big bowl of greek yogurt.

Thanks to the people at Boulder Granola for the sample – I hope they keep expanding and get into more stores soon!

You can find it in stores in the Boulder, Colorado area, or you can buy it online for $7 for a big bag and $3 for a small bag.

You can also learn more:

On their website: http://www.bouldergranola.com
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/BoulderGranola
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoulderGranola

I looked at them two days later and they were looking pretty droopy, when I realized that…yeah, I forgot to put the water in.

Sometimes I feel like I’m losing my mind. My short term memory is almost non-existent – and it can be so frustrating.

I’ve been reading up a bit on Celiac disease and memory loss, and it’s pretty fascinating (slash terrifying).  It serves as a reminder that Celiac disease isn’t an upset tummy – it’s an autoimmune disorder and can cause some major damage to the body and brain.

The Gluten Effect has a whole chapter on gluten and memory loss that describes two studies finding correlations between gluten intolerance and memory loss (along with other related symptoms like trouble with calculations).

Gluten can affect the memory in two main ways:

1. The same antibodies that your body makes that attack your intestines when gluten is in your system can also attack brain tissue.
2. Decreased levels of Vitamin B-12 due to malabsorption can also affect the memory.

File this under “learn something new every day” – for every one patient with celiac disease who presents with gastrointestinal complaints, there are seven patients with celiac disease who have no GI symptoms.

Yowza. The most common symptoms that people associate with Celiacs disease are definitely the GI ones – poor nutrient absorption, diarrhea, bloating. But there is also a whole slew of neurological damage that can be caused by the disease that, to me, is way scarier than the GI damage. It’s been linked to bipolar disorder, ADD, and even schizophrenia.

Moral of the story is that this disease has the power to affect more than our bellies. It’s also a reminder to me that I need to be all the more careful about cross contamination and what I eat to make sure that I’m taking care of my brilliant, brilliant brain