Making my way through the planets: Venus Restaurant Review

Hello Friends!

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but haven't got around to it. Without further ado, here is my review on Venus!

~~~

After many months of wanting to try Venus, I finally got the chance to try it out with one of my good friends, Debbie. (On a side note, I think it’s pretty funny to see how many restaurants and bars in Berkeley that are named after planets- Jupiter, Saturn and now Venus. I’m waiting for the other planets to open up!)

Venus is a cozy American fusion restaurant, situated on Shattuck and tucked into the walls of the street. They specialize in high quality farm-to-table cuisine and attract many street strollers in for a meal with their savory menu items. We headed in around 7:30PM and the place was packed! The restaurant is already limited in space with crammed tables and customers rubbing elbows with their strangers next to them. Despite the cramped space, the aroma from the kitchen was incredibly inviting and we took our seats without much complaint.

After looking at the menu, Debbie decided on the Mandarin Lemongrass Hoffman Farm Chicken and I chose the Butternut Squash Napoleon that I had been previously eyeing before I came into the restaurant. The great thing about the menu is that the items that are gluten free are marked clearly and so that took out much of the guesswork and questioning I usually have to do.

We waited around 15-20 minutes until we got our food. Here’s a look at our dishes:

  

Layered ricotta and parmesan cheese, spinach, shallots, and butternut squash with a pistachio and saffron cream

Chicken with basmati rice and wilted kale 

My dish was just perfection in my mouth! The butternut squash was sweet and tender, swimming in a sea of rich cream and melted cheese. The garlic roasted vegetables on the side were a nice touch in contrast to the heaviness of the main dish.

Debbie’s dish was a bit plain for the price. The chicken was tender, but without much flavor. The kale had minimal taste and was unimpressive. Of course, I venture to guess that the chicken dish is a healthier option in terms of calories, but I would order my squash dish again before I ordered this chicken.

All in all, I had a good time. The food was above average, the service well done, and our waters were consistently filled. The ambiance was decent enough, but still very crowded. The price is about $20 per person, which is not a typical college student type budget, so save Venus for a nice occasion. And as always, the company was the best part of my meal. J

Until next time,

Kris 

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Rangoon Superstar: Burmese Style Cuisine

Happy Thursday my friends! 

Thanks to the contributions of our US Presidents back in the day, I was able to happily enjoy my Monday off as well as a shortened week of school. I'm SO glad tomorrow is Friday! :)

Anyway, today's post is about Rangoon Superstar, a Burmese ethnic cuisine place down Telegraph Ave. My mom came to visit me and I wanted to take her to a place she has not tried before here in Berkeley. So at around dinner time, we found ourselves standing in front of Rangoon Superstar, ready to fill our tummies with delicious Burmese food. 

Rangoon Superstar is a branch off from Burmese Superstar, their main restaurant in Oakland. The food is similar with the exception that Rangoon tends to have more of a Thai style twist while Burmese has, well, Burmese style foods. The inside of Rangoon was very pleasant, with hardwood floors and floor to ceiling windows letting customers glance at the beautiful views of cars rushing past on a busy Thursday afternoon (hah, not really...). Well, the windows were nice even though the view could be improved. The place was smartly decorated with Burmese style art pieces and the lights were dimmed for a more enjoyable dining experience.  

I had previously read reviews about this place and they recommended the Tea Leaf Salad. And of course, when everyone raves about a food, I naturally have to try it for myself and be the judge. One thing I have to mention is that the service here is exceptional. Right when they put down the appetizer of shrimp chips, the waiter told us the allergens in the food!! (!!!) I know, right? This NEVER happens (at least at the places I go to!) 

So, as you can imagine, I'm thoroughly impressed (and I haven't even ordered anything yet!) The waiters were all very nice and attentive to our needs. My water glass was never empty for more than 5 minutes. I mean, if that isn't great service, I don't know what is! 

My mom and I decided that we had to try the popular Tea Leaf salad and we also ordered the mango chicken. The waiter asked us if our party had any food allergens (rare, I know!) and I told him that I had a wheat/gluten allergy. He immediately went to the kitchen to inform the chef of this and came back and said the mango chicken had a little bit of wheat in the mango puree sauce. He asked me how sensitive I was and since I know my sensitivity level is pretty low, I went ahead and ordered it. Since my track record has been decent with cross-contamination, I figured a tiny bit in the sauce wouldn't hurt much. Again, I want to make a brief disclaimer that if you are very sensitive, pick a different menu item or do not eat here. I'm sure since the service was so great that the waiters would help you find something that is suitable. I feel a bit guilty to my body, but I really wanted that mango chicken because I just adore mangoes! 

The tea salad came out first. Here is a snapshot before the waiter mixed the salad together: 

 

The tea leaf salad is an authentic, popular Burmese dish that has romaine greens, beans, tomatoes, peanuts, fried garlic, sesame seeds, shrimp powder, a squeeze of lemon topped off with Burmese tea leaves. The presentation was very colorful and quite attractive. I was excited to dig in. 

Unfortunately, I did not like the salad that much. I blame it on my preference for sweetness and the fact that I am not familiar with traditional Burmese food. The salad was more on the savory side with a bit of sourness from the lemon, crunch from the fried garlic and nuts, and bitterness from the tea leaves. If you enjoy those flavors over sweet then you would probably enjoy this salad. I admit that I was unaccustomed to the taste and could not fully appreciate the complexity of flavors. I hope that one day I may be able to enjoy this dish when I acquire a broader range of taste buds than the ones I have now. Of course, years later, I still might not enjoy this dish, but only time will tell. 

The mango chicken came out a bit later. Here is a nice picture:

  

The mango chicken is originally spicy, but since my stomach is not good at handling spicy foods because of its delicate nature, we decided to go for mild spice and err on the side of caution. Apparently mild means no spice, so it came out not spicy at all and mostly sweet. I enjoyed the sweetness because of my sweet tooth, but my mom thought it was only average. The fresh green mango in the chicken had a delightful crunch yet soft, sweet insides. The chicken was very tender, although a bit lukewarm. Not my idea of a good chicken. Chicken, in my opinion, should have some steam when it comes out. But that may just be me. I like foods that are hot when they come out of the kitchen. 

All in all, Rangoon had average food with nice decor and excellent service. The service really saved my impression of this place. If not, I would not even think of coming back. When their food improves (ie, get a new chef), and the service remains the same, you'll be sure to see me sitting at Rangoon eating my meal and staring out those floor to ceiling windows gazing at the magnificent view of traffic on Telegraph Ave. 

Take care and until next time,

Kris

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Pieology Gfree Pizza Pies

Hello loves!

Happy (late) Valentine's Day! I hope all of you had a fantastic time celebrating and spending time with your loved ones. I was incredibly thankful and blessed to be able to spend mine with a good friend- nothing beats good conversation, good laughs and good company. Throw in some chocolate... and it's a party!

Today's post is another of my food adventures here in Berkeley. This time, my two friends from church decided that 1) we never spend time together and 2) we need to fix this. And so what do three friends do to remedy this situation? We eat.

As I was going through the innumerable list of restaurants in Berkeley that I have yet to try, I figured that there's got to be a place that I've overlooked. And sure enough there was! Pieology Pizza.

Pieology has just recently opened up a new branch here in Berkeley. I could tell it was a success because the line was almost out the door when we were there. Pieology offers unlimited toppings for a flat rate of $7.95. Adding in tax brings you to $8.64. Not too bad for a personal pizza. The gluten free crusts do tack on an extra $2 so just be aware of that.

Of course, the gluten free crust option on their menu and some other gluten free bread product got me super excited and ready to have a feast! One thing I do want to mention is that there is a high degree of cross contamination. They bake the wheat pizzas with the gluten free crusts in the same oven (because they only have the one ) and some of their gloves and utensils are contaminated with gluten because of application on the wheat pizzas. If you are sensitive, I would not recommend eating here. They were very nice about changing their gloves and I'm sure you could ask them to use different brushes to spread on the sauce and oils, but the bucket of toppings/sauces would still be a bit contaminated. I ate here and had no adverse reactions, so this level of gluten was okay for me. Still, be cautious and know how much your body can handle. They also mention the cross-contamination potential on their menu as a FYI for people who order the gluten free crusts.

Anyway, I ordered my pizza with the gluten free crust and got all of my favorite toppings. I mean, if it's unlimited, I might as well have a field day with it! Here was the finished pizza:

   
The thin crust was very nicely browned and caramelized on the sides. It was also the right amount of crunch on the crust and deliciously soft in the middle. The pizza had marinara sauce with the herb butter base and fresh basil, olives, juicy pineapple, sliced ham, soft red onions, mushrooms, chicken and mozzarella topped off with what the restaurant calls, "after bakes," which are sauces/toppings that you can put on your pizza when it's out of the oven. We topped ours off with a BBQ sauce after bake and it was SO SO good. Oh my gosh.

I will definitely be back here again. The food was great, inexpensive and the atmosphere of the store was bright and lively. Service was decent (I think it could be better when there are less people). There are other places in Berkeley that serve gluten free pizza (like Build on Shattuck), but they charge for each individual topping and brings the total to around $15 for a personal pizza. And that's not including switching over to a gluten free crust (at least I don't think!). However, Build's ingredients are fresher and of a better quality so you really cannot compare on that level. But, hey, I'm a college student with little money and a big appetite. So, Build's just going to be left in the background and Pieology moved up to center stage. Overall, if I want to satisfy my pizza cravings, I know where to go.

Up next, get excited for my future post on ALCOHOLIC BOBA! (:

~Kris  

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Ooh la La Med

Hello Everyone!

Sorry that I've been M.I.A. for a while now.. I've been battling final exams for my summer classes and getting ready to apply for dietetic internships for next year! It's funny to imagine that just 3 years ago I was a high school senior preparing for college and now in one years time, I'll be moving on to the next chapter of my crazy life. Where I'm going... I'm not really sure. All I know is that exciting things are coming up in the future and I can't wait to see where life takes me!

For this weeks post, we're going to yet another Mediterranean restaurant that I've personally always wanted to go to but never found time to visit: La Med!

La Med is one of the many restaurants and small stores up on College Ave toward Elmwood. The restaurant is cozy with a outdoor patio area and a decent size interior.

Okay, so moving onto the FOOD!!

La Med offers a gluten free and vegan menu and all the servers seem very knowledgeable and accommodating, which is always a plus in my book!

So, I heard from various classmates that the Pomegranate Chicken was the best dish in the house and that if you ever went to La Med, that was the go to. Luckily, the dish is entirely gluten free!! And so here it is in all its pomegranity glory!

The servers even threw in some gluten free crackers to go along with their very tasty hummus. :)

The gfree crackers are on the left! Too bad the flatbread isn't. 

In terms of the chicken, I thought the flavor was interesting- it was lightly flavored with a slight sour taste because of the pomegranate but I thought it wasn't mind-blowing. The taste was mediocre for all the positive reviews it got but hey, some nights the chicken could be better or worse, right? The chicken was also a bit dry in the middle which also got it dinged a few points.

For sides, they offer soup, green salad, or Armenian potato salad. I decided to try something different and go with the potato salad. It was pretty disappointing- it was all sour and I ended up throwing most of it out. Don't order the potato salad unless you enjoy sour tastes.

The rice pilaf (all gluten free) and the hummus were amazing though! I could have gone with more rice and hummus to replace the icky potato salad.

The crackers were similar to those grainy rice crackers sold at Whole Foods. Not too tasty but decent with the hummus.

Overall, the experience was good. I was impressed with the service although bummed by the food. I would probably try this place again if someone really wanted to go, but I wouldn't be back here once a week.

Alright! That's it for this week and look forward to more posts coming soon!

Kris

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Getting my Crepe fix at Crepevine!

Hellooo to all my foodies out there! It certainly has been awhile...I've missed all of you! 

Today, I wanted to write a quick post on a delicious gfree food adventure I went on with one of my good friends that I've had the pleasure of knowing since my freshman year at Cal. She was feeling particularly brunchy that evening and so my search for a place that serves brunch meals for dinner led me to a delicious find: Crepevine! 

An array of almost too much selection

 I had researched this restaurant previously to make sure that they would have gluten free options and when I saw that they did, I was one happy camper! 

Crepevine offers gluten free crepes, pasta and pancakes- a very pleasant surprise on my part! Although they offer tons of awesome gfree selections, they are very clear that their kitchens are NOT gluten free. There is a sign posted by the cash register that warns gfreers that there is a certain amount of cross contamination for gluten free crepes since they make it on the same stove as the wheat crepes. If you are very sensitive, it's best if you take caution before you eat anything here. I believe that this place also has salad options if you don't want to risk getting cross contaminated. 

I am fortunate that I am not that sensitive so I went ahead and got the gluten free crepe. Just FYI, the gluten free crepes are a $1 additional add on to whichever crepe you order. 

So I got a great suggestion from one of my other good friends to try the Santa Fe and so I did! The Santa Fe crepe has grilled chicken apple sausage with scrambled eggs, green onions, provolone and salsa fresca. I would say I enjoyed this crepe since I'm obsessed with chicken apple sausages (Ohmygodsogood)- however, it wasn't a woo hoo! instant favorite, but it definitely wasn't bad. I will certainly be back to try their other savory crepes.  

The Santa Fe with house potatoes and a side salad! HUGE PORTIONS! 

 My friend was also so kind as to treat me to a delicious gfree sweet dessert crepe called the Santorini. The presentation of the dessert crepe was lacking in my opinion, but the taste made up for that small hiccup. The Santorini has walnuts, pistachios, brown sugar, coconut, cinnamon and mascarpone wrapped in a lightly browned buttery crepe with a scoop of deliciously sweet and creamy vanilla ice cream and some soft whipped cream on the side. To tell you the truth, I was SO full at this point. But for some reason, no matter HOW full I am, there is always room for dessert. (:  

The Santorini- not a pretty presentation, but the flavor was SO amazing!!

 Many thanks to my beautiful friend, Jennifer, for feeding me delicious desserts and for her wonderful company! 

I think in the future all my profile pictures will be me posing with food. 

Until next time,
Kris

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Asha Tea House: Finally!! And some announcements... :)

After I wrote my Boba in Berkeley post, I figured that if I didn't get my butt down to Asha Tea House now, I never would.  

Why you may ask?

Well, that's simple. I'm lazy to walk, I'm a cheap college student and I know boba is unhealthy. Most days, at least one of the three apply.  

But I knew today was a good day to get boba because 1) my lovely friend, Mayra, was driving, 2) I didn't feel that cheap today, and 3) I had a "screw-the-unhealthy-part-of-boba" mentality. So off to Asha I went! 

Beautiful interior with lovely tea selections to match

The Tea Board

I yelped this place beforehand to see what their signature drink was and it turned out to be this lovely fellow: behold, The Matcha Green Latte with Pearls 

I didn't really know if I would like matcha flavored stuff, but it turns out that I do. I wouldn't recommend it to people who like syrupy tastes more than tea flavor because this drink is not that sweet (with the exception of the sweet tapioca balls) and the matcha chunks are bitter. I like it because I absolutely adore green tea, but hey, it might not be your thing. If that's the case, I would go with one of their other milk teas or fruit teas. But, the catch is that you MUST enjoy the taste of tea. Asha's is like the Peets of the coffee world. If you want strong coffee you go to Peets instead of Starbucks. Similarly, if you want good strong tea, go to Asha's instead of some random boba place in South Berkeley. The drivewalkbusbikeanymodeoftransportationtogetthere is worth it. Trust me. 

And I have to thank the lovely ladies who accompanied me. 

Cal Dining 4 Lyfe! 

Posing with my tea. Because that's what everyone does when they get boba, right?

Asha was well worth the wait after all this time. I stand behind my rating of 4.5/5 one hundred percent. I'm excited to go back and sample some more drinks! 

*********************************************************************************

Okay, so announcements! 

First of all, I apologize for not getting a post out every week. I've got a busy summer schedule, but I do plan on blogging as often as possible. It gets hard sometimes to find inspiration, but when I do, bam, you get your post. So, please be patient with me! I appreciate it!

Also, next post by me should be some type of article/you get to read my thoughts/rants/opinions on gluten free lifestyle and such. Those types of posts are my favorite, but if all our readers out there would like to shoot some ideas over to me, I would be happy to consider writing about those as well. 

Until next post,

Kris 

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Boba in Berkeley!

Helloooo everyone!!

I hope all of you are well and are enjoying summer as much as I am! Speaking of summer, one of my favorite beverages to drink during this hot season is bubble tea or boba. For those of you who are unfamiliar with bubble tea, let me give you a quick introduction!

Boba was first invented in one of Taiwan's tea shops around the 1980s and has skyrocketed in popularity since then. Bubble milk tea is a sweet tea base mixture typically accompanied by milk or fruit. Tea flavors can range from the classic black to green/jasmine to Thai etc. Milk tea can be served hot or cold and can have different consistencies depending on what toppings you put into your drink and if you have a fruit flavored tea vs a milk tea. Most of these teas are also accompanied by small, chewy and sweet tapioca balls otherwise known as "pearls" or the name we mentioned earlier, "boba." The best part of all? Most bubble teas and tapioca are gluten free! I must confess that these drinks are a guilty pleasure of mine- chalk full of sugar and calories but oh so delish... :)

This post will be your guide to discovering the world of boba and all the selection we have in Berkeley I have personally tried or want to try! Enjoy!

The Classic Pearl Milk Tea

Bubble Tea Sample Menu      
1) TEAS*
Black
Green/Jasmine
Thai 
Fruit flavored tea (pomegranate, passion fruit, peach, mango, strawberry etc)
Coffee/Mocha
Taro
Almond
Lavender 
*Powder or brewed tea. Most fruit flavored ones contain syrup.

Tapioca balls

2) TOPPINGS
Pearls (tapioca balls)
Small pearls
Fruit flavored jellies (apple, mango, rainbow etc)
Coffee flavored jellies
Pudding 
Sweet red beans

Rainbow jellies!!

BERKELEY BOBA
1) Moccaccino Cafe
A great place if you're first starting out drinking boba. The drinks are cheap especially if you get the drink special of $3.15 for 2 drinks. With this place, you get what you pay for- cheap drinks have a more watery consistency, less tea flavor and a lots of sugar. But considering the price, if you love it you will think its a steal, if you hate it, then you wouldn't have wasted much money. It's a win-win.
Rating: 2.5/5

2) Honeyberry
Famous for its boba bar and freshly baked roti buns (a type of sweet Asian pastry-not gfree though..), Honeyberry can stand as a competitor against Moccaccino. The featured boba bar allows you to load up on toppings while paying a standard price. The drinks are a decent price but definitely more than Moccaccino's. I like the concept of the boba bar, but since the toppings are left out they get somewhat dry and hard. Not my idea of a good boba. Also, the teas are a bit artificial tasting although not watery. I would only come here if you like toppings more than tea. If that's you, look no further!
Rating: 2.75/5

3) Quickly's
Quickly's is a chain store so their tastes are very chain store like. Their milk teas sell at a decent price (around $3), but Moccaccino stands on top with the lowest prices in Berk for milk teas. Quickly's uses a soy based powder that makes their drinks taste a bit funky if you're not into soy flavors, but the creamy taste is not objectionable. Quickly's is another Berk student favorite for those late night boba cravings.
Rating: 2.75/5

4) Sweethearts
Let me just say, I can't give a non-bias review for this place because my experiences here were just dreadful. On two separate occasions, my friend and I somehow got dead insects in our drinks (flies and ants) and the lady who worked the front register tried to convince us it was tapioca or a tea leaf. Since then, I have never gone back and I have told everyone not to give them your business. Unless you're in dire need for some protein in bug form, then by all means, I won't hold you back. But, just so you know, there are cleaner ways to fulfill your protein needs.
Rating: 1/5 (I want to give it a zero, but I guess the tea was bearable).

5) Lotus House
This is a Chinese restaurant that sells boba as a part of a drink special for ordering one of their meals. The drinks are as terrible as their food. I can't believe this place is still running (no offense to those of you who dig this place). The tapioca is hard as hell when you let it sit even for 30 minutes. The tea is unspectacular and clearly, not memorable.
Rating: 1/5

6) Sheng Kee Bakery
Ahh, Berkeley finally came to their senses and built a Sheng Kee right in the heart of student activity. I mean with the school housing more than 50% Asian, you know that this was a right move when you see hordes of Asians lining out the door enticed by the familiar scents of sweet Asian pastries. Unfortunately, Sheng Kee does not offer any gluten free products (save for naturally gluten free foods), BUT they do serve boba that is not half bad. The tea is pre-made, dispensed out of containers and you have an unlimited choice of toppings but the amount of the toppings is left up to their discretion. SK boba is a bit too sweet for me and the ratio between tea and boba is 3:1 so I always end up drinking all the tea and have a mountain of boba left on the bottom of my cup. For the price of $2.99, and some interesting tea blends, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and leave by saying their boba is not too shabby.
Rating: 3.5/5

7) Tea Fever
If anyone who comes to Berkeley asks me to recommend good boba places, I'll tell them to go to Tea Fever. Tea Fever ranks among one of the top boba places in my book to have a pleasant tasting boba for a relatively pleasant price. Their boba sells for around $3.15 and they offer some fun flavors like almond and lavender for example. They don't have different jellies but their tea is the highlight, not the add ins.
Rank: 4/5

8) Ucafe
You know, I'm starting to see a trend of pretty average teas for high prices. Ucafe does not escape this description. Their teas are pretty watered down and unspectacular as far as I can tell. They sell Asian pastries too, but at this rate, I'm almost positive that Sheng Kee will take them down unless they can step up their game.
Rank: 2.5/5

9) Asha Tea House
The one place everyone tells me to go to, but I haven't gone yet. I've been dying to try this place out because I'm a huge fan of authentic and strong teas and I heard that they really deliver in this department. If the tapioca is good, then that's another plus in my book. Let me know if any of you have tried this place and what you recommend!
Rating: TBD

And that's it! I hope this guide to Berkeley boba was helpful and I really encourage everyone gives this list a try except for the ones that got a 1 star rating. Those I would religiously avoid.

Treat yourself to this delicious Asian drink during this summer and keep one piece of advice in mind: when you're drinking boba, calories don't exist! =) Have fun boba drinking!

~Kris

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Friday night thoughts and a Sample Menu!

Happy Friday (soon to be Saturday) everyone! 

I do hope that all of you have been well this past week and are taking some time to rest, relax, and rejuvenate over the weekend. 

As for myself, things have been crazy busy with school wrapping up in less than 2 weeks and finals just around the corner. And then my junior year in college will be OVER! What?! Yes, I know... time goes by so quickly. 

Anyway, I was super excited to find out that Berkeley now has a gluten free club on campus called, glutenX (cool name, right?!), which is a support group for celiacs and gluten intolerant individuals! It's a fledgling club so far, but I have no doubt that it will grow into something amazing for future generations of Berkeley students who have gluten allergies. Yay for support groups! As a side note, if you are a incoming freshman to UCB or if you're a current UCB student with any interest in celiac disease, gluten or food allergies, I highly encourage y'all to check the club out. They also have a Facebook page too, so feel free to peruse and maybe ask some questions, if you have any!    

Okay, moving on... ! 

Today's post will be a fairly short one, I promise! I know my usual posts tend to drag really long... eek! Sorry for those that dislike long writing! I just love to write so much and when I don't edit and filter, I tend to write really longgggg articles. But that's just because I love all of you. :)  

What's your typical weekly diet look like?

As a request from a fellow gfreer, I am providing a sample diet of my typical weekday meals- breakfast, lunch and dinner, snacks, and drinks. I'm going to be honest here and say that although I love and advocate healthy diets, my current diet isn't the best. This is just to give you an idea of what gluten free foods I usually eat that may help you develop a diet plan that works best for you. I try to be healthy as much as I can.. but hey, it can get difficult at times, as I'm sure all of you can understand. So without further ado...

Kris's Sample Menu

 

Breakfast

• Udi's gluten free plain bagels with cream cheese
• Gluten free cereal from Envirokids (I love the chocolate Koala one- I mean who doesn't love chocolate and cute koalas??)
• Gluten free frozen waffles from Trader Joes (best frozen toaster oven delicious waffles! These are better than Vans in my opinion) with peanut butter, berry jam, fresh berries and honey. Sometimes I throw in some butter because butter makes everything so yummy! :)
• Udi's gluten free bread (whole grain or white) which I use to eat toast or make French toast! 
• Any other gluten free pastry (as you can see, I'm a pastry girl in the morning...!) 
• Eggs (scrambled or hard boiled)
• Hash browns 

Lunch

• Sandwiches with gluten free bread
• Salads without the croutons, of course! 
• Pasta (if I have time to cook it!) <-- Trader Joe's Corn pasta tastes amazing! 
• Vegetables, meat and some type of grain

Dinner

• Rice (sometimes white or brown) with meat and vegetables. I always try to have both, but meat gets expensive so I go vegetarian a lot of the time!
• Pasta (my staple food)
• Gluten free pizza (I made it with Udi's gluten free pizza crust!) 
• Salad
• Go out to eat with friends- usually I make them eat Thai with me because Thai food not only has absolutely amazing flavors, but most of their food is gluten free! 

Snacks

• Fruits and nuts (any variety)
• Trail mix
• Yogurt- preferably thick, creamy Greek yogurt!
• Glutino's gluten free pretzels (omg, love love love these!) 
• Trader Joe's Tortilla Chips with Flax Seeds (I like the vegetable one better than the spicy one! Tastes great with salsa, guacamole, or just alone) 
• Popcorn (Kettle or popped) any brand. 

Drinks

• Water
• Tea, and lots of it. Green, black, white or any kind. I LOVE tea! I also drink milk tea in the morning with Lipton tea bags! 
• Juice (rarely nowadays) 
• Organic milk or soymilk 

And there you have it! There's alot of TJ and Udi's because I shop at TJ because it's the closest to my apartment and they sell relatively inexpensive gluten free foods and I have lots of Udi's products because I got a whole bag of free samples from my work. I love Cal Dining!! :D

Have a wonderful weekend and God bless,

Kris 

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Gfree in the City: Berkeley Adventures Day 2!

Hello everyone!

I hope that all of you were able to read up on what the three of us did on Day 1 and more importantly, what yummy gfree food we ate! Needless to say, at the end of Friday, we were exhausted from all the walking around, but we were certainly happy and very full. :) 

Now onto Day 2! 

Waking up and seeing sunshine on Saturday morning already put us in a cheerful mood to explore more of what Berkeley had to offer! 

On Saturday, we had an additional friend come along to visit (actually, my sister's boyfriend) and so we decided to take a drive down to the 4th street shopping district. The shopping district was simply charming with all its small boutique shops and eateries! Here, the streets are crowded with more dogs than people and the air was less polluted than in the city. We stopped by a couple shops that piqued our interest, including the one that is shown below of us holding some cool mini succulent plants! 

After perusing through the shops and snapping some pics, we were all feeling like it was time to grab lunch! Now here's where the food adventure begins!

Berkeley has many unique ethnic restaurants that are an absolute must to try if in the area. One such restaurant is, without a doubt, Brasil Cafe. 

Brasil Cafe is a small space (and by small, I mean you walk in and it's literally a square!) Despite the small space, the flavor is certainly not small in size! When you first walk in, the atmosphere makes you feel as if you have been transported out of the city and into a colorful, vibrant Latino world. Paintings of parrots and rainbow tablecloths adorn the room making you feel as if you really are in some part of Brazil! 

Since I've been here before, I already knew their signature dishes, in particular, their tri-tip. Per my suggestion, our table ordered the tri-tip rice bowl, a chicken rice bowl, and a pork carnitas rice bowl. (So much rice!! haha). We also ordered something extra special called, pao de queijo, which are these deliciously crispy but soft cheese puffs made of tapioca flour, that are, you guessed it, absolutely gluten free! 

Pao de queijo- cheese puffs!

Brasil cafe, besides being well known for its delicious tri-tip, is also known for its creamy cilantro dipping sauce which is in virtually every dish. To me, it really helps to accentuate the flavors in the already very flavorful food and adds that extra kick, if you know what I mean! 

T's chicken rice bowl with grilled onions, creamy cilantro sauce, and ricotta cheese  sitting on a bed of  rice. 

My very flavorful pork carnitas rice bowl! 

If you are interested in trying this place, I would double check with the chef or waiter about the sauces if you are very sensitive. T and I didn't seem to have any major problems after eating it, but you should always exercise caution, like I always say!

We are happy campers! :)

Lunch was super filling and rich and so we were definitely up for some exercise to burn off some of that food!

Find more information at
http://www.findmeglutenfree.com/biz/brazil-cafe/10120206

Our next destination was to get dessert! I had heard of a gourmet bakery in the Gourmet Ghetto area called, Masse's Pastries. (For those of you confused as to why we have a district called Gourmet Ghetto... it's basically an area that is filled with gourmet shops and eateries of all kinds. As to why they call it a ghetto is beyond me, especially since it is quite the opposite!) Of course, when we got there, the bakery was so full that the line was practically out the door! (If this isn't an indicator as to how good these desserts are, then I don't know what is!) 

If there was any downside to this bakery, I would say that it's a bummer that not all of its baked creations are gfree. However, there are still options that us gfreer's can enjoy and hopefully if more and more people request for gfree items, they may start making more! 

Out of all the baked items that they had, the only gluten free desserts were the pistachio sandwich cake with wild strawberries and pistachio flavored cream, a flourless chocolate cake, and the macaroons (made with almond flour). The macaroon flavors included cool flavors like salted caramel, pistachio, raspberry, and violet! We ended up ordering everything except the chocolate cake since we had tried something similar to it before.
For more reviews check out:
http://www.findmeglutenfree.com/biz/masses-pastries/10106408

They had ribbons!! 

Here are pics of what we ordered! Oh it looks so good even now as I'm typing this!

MACAROONS! taste the rainbow :)

Pistachio cake with wild strawberries and pistachio cream!

Aerial shot of desserts

In terms of price, Masse's can get expensive especially if you're on a budget. I was overzealous and was won over by all the pretty colors that I had to just try one of each macaroon and the pistachio cake. The macaroons were $1.25 each and the pistachio cake was $5.50. Pricey, definitely; but the taste was worth it and that's what counts!

After Masse's, we decided to head back to the apartment but we were stopped by the urge to drink bubble tea. Darn, these food cravings! We decided to go to this great bubble tea place I know called, Tea Fever, to get some refreshing cold drinks for the walk back. As you all know, bubble tea or boba, is a very popular drink among Asians and if you're in Berkeley, chances are you'll probably see lots of people carrying this drink. Boba, if you don't already know, are basically tapioca balls that are seriously addicting. It's both chewy and sweet if you go to a good quality place and it of course accompanies whatever flavored tea you get. Of course, most boba is naturally gfree; just stay away from any barley milk teas and what not! 

T's Lychee green tea w/ tapicoa! That white thing is a whole lychee! YUM! 

I seriously have tea fever when I walk by this store. Thus, I presume it is appropriately named.

We bought drinks and of course, instead of walking straight back to the apartment as planned, we ended up taking a tangent to the weekly Farmer's market where they sell all sorts of fresh produce and also, if you look around, lots of gluten free items. I highly encourage everyone to check out the Farmer's Market here for gfree items as well as cool little trinkets they have on sale!

And that pretty much concluded our weekend gfree adventure! It was so much fun and I hope that T can come down again and we can try even more gfree places. We would love to hear from people who know of any gfree places in Berkeley or the Bay that we can try out or if you've tried any places and would like to share your experience, we welcome your comments!

Until next post,

Kris

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Gfree in the City: Berkeley Adventure!

Hello all!


It's been a long time since either of us have last posted... So to make it up to all of you, we have this extra special entry prepared! :)


After months of planning and rescheduling, T finally got the chance to spend the weekend with me in Berkeley! I had been dying to have her come and try all the delicious gfree restaurants and bakeries in the area as well as to give her a tour of Cal.

After walking around the campus for a couple hours, T and my older sister were ready to eat an early dinner. Needless to say my empty, growling stomach also agreed to this decision!

Our first destination was a cozy Greek restaurant called, Troy. Located on College Ave, Troy was quite a trek for us on foot, but the walk was definitely worth it! Troy has a warm, welcoming interior with two levels: the bustling, loud entryway and the more private upstairs seating. Arriving at the restaurant, the three of us opted to sit upstairs near a table by the open balcony. The gentle breeze blowing in from outside, the mouthwatering smells rising up from the kitchen as well as the jovial Greek folk melody playing in the background put us all in the mood to eat!

Kris @Troy!

T and I ordered Chicken Souvlaki, a naturally gfree dish with grilled chicken cubes on a skewer, grilled zucchini and eggplant, a roasted tomato, yellow rice, and a deliciously creamy tzatziki yogurt sauce. The dish originally comes with pita bread, but of course, we had to opt out of it. Nevertheless, the food was amazing and the waitstaff were all very attentive!

The Chicken souvlaki!

Now that the three of us were happy and full, we had to, of course, top the evening off with some gourmet ice cream from Ici's. Every student at Berkeley knows or has made the trip to eat Ici's gourmet ice cream at least once. With their "Flavors of the Day", you can be sure to never try the same flavor twice! Ici's boasts interesting flavors like candied bacon, pink peppercorn, and earl grey but also classics like chocolate, pistachio, and vanilla. For fruit lovers, they also serve Santa rosa plum and melon. The best part is that most if not all of their flavors are completely gluten free! Plus, they also have handmade gluten free cones with a chocolate plug at the bottom. Ice cream                really can't get better than this! 

Inside Ici's

Homemade ice cream cones

An interesting flavor!

Kris&T's Ici ice cream! 

Find more gluten free dining at http://www.findmeglutenfree.com/biz/troy-greek-cuisine/9920512
More Gluten Free Dessert finds: http://www.findmeglutenfree.com/biz/icis-ice-cream/10094180

Look forward to Day 2 of "Gfree in the City: Berkeley Adventure" with even more gfree goodies! Coming soon! :)



-Kris

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