Laguna Cafe

Yesterday, Evan and I celebrated our first anniversary. Since we went to Hawaii in May, we didn't do anything extravagant. However, we did treat ourselves to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II in IMAX 3D, which was beyond epic, along with an amazingly delicious dinner at the Laguna Cafe.

Prior to our experience last night, we had been to Laguna Cafe a few times, always with friends. Upon our first visit, I admittedly was not expecting much, since the reviews generally stated that the food was overpriced for what you get.

They were wrong.

The prices (I think) are quite reasonable, especially for a locally owned and operated venue that uses local, fresh ingredients. They are very comparable to other dinner restaurants. And of course, they serve up some delightful dishes, many of which are gluten free. Their burgers are divine, and their seafood is top notch. Their steaks are infinitely hard to forget.

Last night, we began with a light seafood crustini, a creamy mix of crab, shrimp and white fish (3rd picture). Normally, it is served on a crisp crustini, which is a type of cracker, but we requested some gluten free dippers. We were pleasantly surprised when we were served with a plate of tortilla chips, along with cold, fresh red bell peppers, avocado and cucumber. The vegetables paired wonderfully with the seafood mixture, and it was the perfect way to open our meal.

Next, we were served our entrees. Both of our meals were preceded by a light spinach salad. Still, with weak resolve, I ordered the portobello mushroom ravioli with sweet red pepper alfredo. Obviously, nothing about this dish was gluten free, except the aged parmesean cheese that topped it. Evan's entree, however, was obviously gluten free and is probably of much more interest to you as a reader.

Evan ordered the coho salmon, which was served with a fresh mango salsa, Laguna's signature rosemary potatoes and fresh vegetables (2nd picture). The salmon was seasoned and cooked to perfection, while the salsa added a summery touch. Also, I normally think of potatoes as "filler" when they are included with a meal. However, the roasted rosemary potatoes served by Laguna Cafe are a wonderful compliment to any entree. Evan drank a glass of Old Vine Zinfandel (recommended by our waiter) which enhanced the flavors of his meal.

Finally, we arrived at dessert (3rd picture). Now, one of Laguna's downfalls is that they do not have many gluten free dessert options. However, the one they do have is to die for. It is an apple pie sundae, composed of apples prepared as they would be for a pie, top notch vanilla ice cream, warm Ghirardelli caramel and whipped cream. Upon a simple description of this dessert, we knew we had to order one. We could not have been more satisfied with this choice. The sumptuous flavor of this dessert enveloped our tongues from the very first bite. Our waiter also provided us with a tasting glass of a sweet madiera wine which rounded out this delectable treat.

Laguna Cafe is a wonderful stop for anyone looking for a relaxed, upscale yet affordable dinner with a friendly waitstaff and great atmosphere. The restaurant does not have a website, however you can purchase gift certificates on Restaurant.com to make your dining experience even more budget friendly.

Website: http://www.restaurant.com/rdc/laguna-cafe-spokane-american-restaurant-rid=352040?&mcn=00055092

Adaptation for Pancakes

Quite some time ago, I posted a recipe for gluten free banana pancakes. If you've tried them, you know they are delicious. However, there is a small adaptation you can make if you are out of bananas, or simply don't like them. Instead of using a banana to bind the pancakes together, you can substitute a teaspoon of tapioca flour. When you make this switch, the pancakes are still totally gluten free, but they don't take on their own flavor. This is ideal if you're looking to add your own ingredients, like strawberries, blueberries or chocolate chips.

I hope you'll use this adaptation to create your own favorite pancake type!

Thai Bamboo

Thai food. Just writing the words makes me think of rich flavors, diverse seasonings and delightful desserts. Last night, Evan and I enjoyed a lovely dinner at Thai Bamboo's new restaurant location. They recently moved a few blocks north of their original location, to 5406 N Division St and an entirely new building. We watched the building go up over the course of almost a year, and though the outside looks a little goofy, the inside is just wonderful. They have a banquet room, a lounge and patio seating. Their main dining area is adorned with "bamboo" chandeliers with birds gracing the branches. The ceiling is embedded with hundreds of fiber optic cables to imitate the night sky when you look into your granite topped table. Also, the ceiling is lit in such a way that it changes color. It goes from pink to purple to green in about a minute. All this makes for a wonderful dining atmosphere.

Now onto the food, which I'm sure is why you're even reading this post. The menu boasts of 14 different categories, including drinks and desserts. Though the curry list is small, they make up for it in their diverse noodle, noodle soup and rice options. Plus, they have several house specials which never fail to please.

On this particular visit, I ordered rahd nah, a kind of stir fry consisting of wide rice noodles, carrots, pineapple, broccoli, cabbage and zucchini cooked in the chef's special sauce. I chose to have mine with chicken, but you can also have it with beef, pork or prawns (an extra $2 is added to the bill for this option). Upon being served the dish, I immediately dug in. The noodles had been cooked to perfection. They wonderfully tender and had absorbed the flavor of the sauce very well. The veggies and the pineapple all added a great flavor, though I would have appreciated more pineapple in this dish because it was complemented well by the sweetness of this particular sauce. That being said, I should have ordered the dish with at least two stars of spiciness because it was almost too sweet.

Evan ordered the chicken cashew nut, which, according to the menu is very popular. This was a delectable dish of chicken, cashews, bell peppers, green beans and onions sauteed in a sweet chili sauce. The chicken had picked up the flavor of the sauce and had a great texture. The cashews added a nice crunch, while the onions and the bell peppers added a distinct flavor that I can't quite put my finger on. Overall, I thought Evan's dish was a bit tastier than mine, but it was an entirely different concept.

We did not order an appetizer or a dessert, though we have in the past. For a delicious gluten free dessert at Thai Bamboo, I recommend the mango white sticky rice. The combination of warm and sweet sticky rice with coconut milk, toasted sesame seeds, palm sugar and mango is unparalleled. The black sticky rice pudding is also good. Stay away from fried banana. The banana is wrapped in a spring roll wrapper, which is definitely not gluten free. As for appetizers, the satay skewers are always a delicious and safely gluten free choice.

All in all, I have very much enjoyed my experiences with Thai Bamboo, though this was my first visit to their new location. They have always had a very friendly wait staff, quick service and great food. I will be back soon, and I hope they add a happy hour menu to their new lounge.

Website: http://www.thaibamboorestaurant.com/

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Eating out in Spokane

As many of you gluten free eaters know, eating out is not easy when you're trying to keep your diet. Generally you have to get creative, like by using your hamburger buns as handles rather than a food item. Many restaurants don't offer have many gluten free alternatives. However, as "gluten free" becomes more in vogue, more and more restaurants are jumping on the wheatless train. Spokane, of all places, has a plethora of restaurants boasting some delicious gluten free options. Some even have entire gluten free menus.

I'm planning on starting a series of blog posts about dining out gluten free in the beautiful Spokane, Washington, as well as pitfalls to look out for when it comes to maximizing your options at not so gluten free restaurants.

So, stay tuned for some amazingly delicious gluten free dining options!

Sweet Marie's

Going gluten free on Kauai hasn't been as difficult as we originally thought! I'll admit, I've been eating the buns on my hamburgers, but we've found several places that offer delightful eats for relatively low prices that he's been able to enjoy gluten free.

A few days ago, we visited the Pono Market for lunch. They serve up some amazing local food. We had pork lau lau and ahi poke. The poke was basically a raw fish salad, but MAN it was tasty! (Raw fish is not something that we venture to eat on a regular basis.) Lau lau is meat wrapped in spinach leaves and then cooked to perfection.

Then, two days ago we were on our way to a hike and were planning on eating breakfast at a sit-down restaurant. We drove right past it on the highway, lucky for us! We ended up grabbing some delicious muffins at this small gluten free bakery that I noticed on our way into Kapa'a from the airport. It's called Sweet Marie's Hawaii, and it was a great find. Even if you don't plan on coming to Kauai anytime soon, she has a small selection of wonderful baked goods that can be purchased from her website. If you live on Kauai, she has a variety of services, from catering and wedding cakes to cooking classes.

Needless to say, we will return to Sweet Marie's before our trip is over.

Gluten free vacation

Yesterday, Evan and I flew into Hawaii for our very long awaited honeymoon. Needless to say, we are beside ourselves with excitement. However, it is amazing how difficult it is to eat gluten free while you're on vacation. The airline gave us a complimentary breakfast, but it was a very sugary blueberry muffin and a ham and cheese breakfast sandwich. Both tasted okay, but they were certainly not the kind of fare you eat while trying to maintain any kind of diet, let alone a gluten free one.

This morning, we had a simple breakfast of eggs and pineapple. The pineapple was some of the most delicious I have ever tasted. It was perfectly formed, with wonderfully green leaves and that wonderful brownish-green outside. The inside was a delightful yellow, and simply flowed with delectable pineapple juice. Breakfast was easy. The hard part will be lunch.

As Spring comes...

In spite of the rainy weather, I can't help but look forward to the coming of Spring. I suppose technically it's already here, since March 21 is the first day of Spring, but you would know it with the rain, cold and lack of leaves on the trees.

But, it's amazing how just one small thing can give you hope for better times. Today, as I was riding my bike to school, I noticed leaf buds on the deciduous trees! That means that slowly but surely Spring is indeed on it's way.

I feel like this is how God helps us through tough situations sometimes. He lets us feel the full force of the consequences of our bad choices (and even sometimes the choices of others), but gives us glimmers of hope to let us know that he is still there, still listening. And, he reminds us that sometimes we have to go through bad things to develop into who we are supposed to become. He is constantly refining us, as gold is refined in fire.

I know this doesn't have much to do with living gluten free, but I think it's something we all need to keep in mind. After all, we all need encouragement sometimes, especially when we are making difficult lifestyle changes, like going on a gluten free diet. It always helps to have support, and it's wonderful knowing that you have the support of an all-loving and all-knowing God.