Petunia's Pies and Pastries

Valentine's Day.
I wanted cake, dammit, and I didn't want to get sick. Plus, it had been a very rough previous 6+ weeks (my dad became very ill then passed away) so this was an especially big treat.

We entered the beautiful shop and studied the menu. 

Grilled cheese sandwiches? I know this is a 100% GF place, but cheese? Is it vegan or not?

I asked the girl at the counter about the cheese. She said, "Yes, it's grilled 'cheese,'" giving me air quotes with the word "cheese." Ahh, THAT kind of cheese. Okay. This place is 100% GF and 100% vegan That means no dairy. 

Yay! I don't have to think, and every single thing on the menu is safe. 

It's very hard, being both GF and DF. Once I find out what the GF options are, I have to further narrow them down to find the DF choices within my limited options. When it comes to dessert, this usually means I get nothing. Even at fully GF places like Ground Breaker, there are no dairy free dessert options. 

So. I got the Champagne Cake. As expected, it was heavier than traditional cake, and a little beany, but the frosting made up for the bean flavor of the cake. It was pretty good, considering it was GF.

Dave got the chocolate cake. Again, it was very dense. The chocolate flavor masked the bean taste, but we both agreed it could have used a little more sugar. He ate about 6 bites and said I can have the rest. It's not his thing. 

We spent about $29 for two slices of cake plus a mocha and a latte, and a tip for the very helpful girls at the counter. I was a little disappointed that so-so cake was $7.99 for a slice. Yes, I realize that GF ingredients cost more, but for that price I'd expect cake that didn't have so much bean flavor. ( I can make a GF cake without so much sorghum or other bean flavored flours, but maybe keeping the eggs out makes other flours more difficult to use?) Anyway, it was just okay. It was cake. I'm impressed by the bakery, not so much by the cake.

Maybe someday we might return for cupcakes or other bakery, but we're not in any rush to do so.

Here is Petunia's Pies & Pastry's menu. It is very easy to order GFDF here.

El Nutri-Taco

While on a late night date night stroll down NE Alberta, Dave and I came across this joint. The menu looks good. Must try it sometime when it's warmer outside.

Killer Burger - Hollywood

Elvis has no buns at Killer Burger.

Yes, I ordered Elvis for dinner without his buns.

That's fun to think about...
A Bunless Elvis.

This is my bunless, fork and knife burger and fries in the foreground.

It was tasty, although the bacon was a little overdone. Hold the cheese, double the attitude, and the music volume didn't make me cringe so I can't be THAT old.

Dave (the pair of hands with the cool watch) ordered The Barnyard. He happily eats gluten and dairy and is proud of it.

I didn't get sick, I'll be back, the bathroom was amusing. 

 

That's all I have to say about that.

Here's the menu at Killer Burger. I don't know if they have a dedicated fryer but rather doubt it. (I didn't ask.) It was easy to order a bunless burger without cheese, but I'd probably stay away if I was worried about cross contamination.

The Sudra

This is a vegan Indian restaurant with a decent GFDF dessert on the menu.

Dave and I had been out and were looking for a decent place to get a nice dessert.

We ended up meandering around NE and ended up at 24th and Glisan, where there is a neat food pod of micro-restaurants in a brick and mortar setting.

We first ventured into The Pie Spot, and I really wanted pie, but their GF pies still had butter in the crust, so that was a no go. Dave got pie, and I wandered around to see what other restaurants were on the block. 

That's when I discovered The Sudra, and ordered their vegan payasam (kind of like an apple crisp) with coconut bliss ice cream.

This food pod has community seating shared by all the restaurants, under a neat covered wagon tent made out or red vinyl.

Nice desserts, nice atmosphere, (nice prices), and a very nice evening.

Pretty cool.

Amy's GF DF Burrito

It's vegan, but quite tasty. 

Not so spicy my wimpy mouth can't eat it.

Looks like hell, but who cares. I liked it.

I'd buy it again. 

  

BOLD GFDF Pizza

Not bad, considering it's a frozen GF crust and the cheese is soy.

Looks close enough to the picture on the box. 

Wasn't bad. I'd buy it again.

Bought it at Natural Grocers.

North Atlantic Tofu

This was pointed out and giggled at one night when we went out to eat.

I can just imagine the little white block of tofu happily swimming in the cold north Atlantic waters, dodging sharks and swordfish until it unknowingly swims into the net of an ambitious tofurman and hauled onto the deck of his boat. 

Poor little tofu.

I hope the tofurman treated it humanely, so PETT* doesn't get upset.

*People for the Ethical Treatment of Tofu

The Slide Inn

Hands down, the most tasty burger (patty) I've ever had.
The bun, however, disintegrated. It was dry and dense and crumbly and had no flavor.

I scraped the bun crumbles off my burger and ate the rest with a fork. Our waitress said the buns are hit or miss. Some batches are good, others not so good. This one was definitely not so good.

The Slide Inn menu is well-marked to make it easy to order GF, but takes some conversation and back and forth from the kitchen to make sure the bun and other things are dairy free.

We spent $37 including tip for two burgers, a coke, and a hard cider.

Service was really really slow on the evening we were there. On the other hand, we were there to hear a Dave's friend Jardima sing, and the place was completely packed and the staff was running like crazy.

Overall, the burger (patty) was excellent, and I'd like to go back there again to see if I can get a bun from a good batch.

White Owl Social Club

Very tasty bacon (cheeseless) burger with the GF bun, fries, and a Smith & Forge hard cider.

Warning! The ketchup has sriracha mixed in, and it's a bit spicy.

Been there thrice, loved the burger all three times, didn't get sick.

We spent $34 including tip for two burgers, a coke, and a hard cider. 

Here's the White Owl Social Club menu. I'm not sure if there's dairy in the GF bun. I didn't ask, even though I know I should have. I'm also not sure about a dedicated fryer. 

Ordering is not always easy here. Each time I have been there, I've ordered the same thing: a bacon cheese burger, hold the cheese, on a GF bun. One time I had to send it back because there was cheese on it, and my replacement had no cheese but also no bacon. No matter where I am, if I have to send back food to have it remade correctly, I get very nervous about increased risk of getting gluten or dairy in my remake. 

Bottom line, I like this place. The food is good and I don't get sick afterwards.

That's kind of a sad endorsement, isn't it? "The food didn't make me sick, so I'll be back."

Welcome to the life of someone who has food sensitivities.

MOD Pizza

Their GF crust is tasty and chewy. Sounds odd for a pizza, but it's delicious.

I like to substitute artichoke hearts for the cheese - it's a nice sub for the tangy and kind of adds a similar texture.

I don't trust any of the processed meats so usually get chicken.

When the mood hits, I'll get my pizza toppings on a salad instead. The viniagrette is GFDF and not too vinegary for my taste.

Plus, it's budget dining - $7 for a single pie with unlimited toppings.

Here's the MOD Pizza menu.

When I told Dave I don't have any pictures from our visits here, he winked and said, "Oh gee, darn. We'll have to go back and get some pizza so you can take pictures."

What a guy, volunteering to help like that.
(Tee hee)