Stone Soup Kitchen

My two picky eaters were happy at Stone Soup Kitchen!

This post is LONG over due.  Especially considering how thrilled I was to find a restaurant in Atlanta with gluten free AND vegan labeling right on the menu.  (Besides Metrofresh!)  I heard about Stone Soup Kitchen from a friend and could not wait to try it out.  So, that is what I declared I wanted for Mother's Day:  a family breakfast at Stone Soup Kitchen, the girls to behave, and all laundry and dishes done by the end of the day.  (And, not done by me).  Almost, all wishes were granted.

Stone Soup Kitchen is off of Boulevard right before you get to the Grant Park neighborhood.  It only serves breakfast and lunch.  And, as I mentioned, it has GF, VG labeled right on the main menu.  Thank you!  They also serve regular breakfast and lunch fare - ie non - vegan.  So, the entire family was happy.   Mothers Day I had the blueberry cornmeal pancakes and grits.  They were amazing, soft, sweet, filling.  I literally cleaned my plate. It was such a treat to have good tasting pancakes.  Most GF mixes I have tried have an after taste.  I pretty much had given up on pancakes.  The grits were great as well.

My second trip, I had vegos rancheros.  It was hard to decide not to get the pancakes, but I felt obligated to try another GF/ VG menu item.  Vegos Rancheros certainly did not disappoint.  Incredible - spicy, delicious and again filling.  Yes, filling is an important adjective these days - so many "veggie" plates are NOT!  I joined the clean plate club again.

The entire family all enjoyed their breakfast as well.  So, this truly passes the test - everyone can eat happily at Stone Soup Kitchen.  Try it!

Vegos Rancheros

Clean Plate Club

Dietary Restrictions and Dining Out - My Compliments to Local Three

The emphasis new and existing restaurants are putting on sourcing local, organic, whole foods is nothing short of spectacular.  This "farm to table" movement is gaining momentum not only in restaurants but also in our grocery stores, food trucks and in our homes.  It benefits our farmers, our environment and our bodies.  Naturally I support this, but...

I used to assume veggie plates at restaurants were vegetarian.  I would watch out for the items that contained dairy and tried to avoid those, but assumed everything else was meat free.  What could be better than a veggie plate from a restaurant that sourced local, organic produce?  Once I gave up gluten I had to really investigate what ingredients were used at restaurants.  I quickly learned some of the veggie plates I had been eating were cooked with meat or chicken stock.  So, I am now more inquisitive when ordering and a lot more specific when requesting a vegan / gluten free veggie plate.

I have had great luck with many restaurants, especially when I call ahead.  I have a list of restaurants in Atlanta that I have enjoyed vegan / gluten free meals.  My LIST.

One restaurant that I have had a fabulous experience with is Local Three.  I have been there three times and each time I was absolutely blown away with what they created.  The first dinner they steamed some of their famous brussel sprouts, included a hearty lentil side, carrots and a few other veggies.  The second time, Chad and I went to the bar for drinks and I had a salad.  Their salads are beautiful, creative and delicious.  Beets, radishes, and carrots are but a few of the colorful array of veggies used in their salad.  The third time I visited Local Three, I had the pleasure of joining their PR expert, Elizabeth McDonald for a tasting of two gluten free / vegan creations.  We began with their lemon hummus and raw veggies.  I brought the extra hummus home for girls and it was gone in under five minutes!  Then we were served an aromatic stew with a variety of mushrooms, kale,  and onions.  I wish I were a "foodie" who could fully describe to you  all of the different spices / herbs used, but I will simply describe it as  a symphony of delicious, super healthy veggies.  The second entree was a veggie plate.  The picture says it all - beautiful.   The flavor exploded with each bite.  Look at those radishes and beets! Oh and the olive tapenade.

I am thrilled that Chris Hall was up for the challenge of cooking without meat, dairy or gluten.  Thank you!  And, doesn't it show a chefs talent when they are able to create dishes this fabulous without ingredients they usually use?

Local Three is transparent with their ingredients and dedicated to creating an enjoyable dining experience for their customers.  And, what a FUN environment.  I look forward to returning soon.

Remember, call ahead to restaurants and make sure they can accommodate your dietary restrictions. It is not easy to cook off menu, especially on busy nights!

No. 246 - Decatur

I learned from Jennifer Harris at http://www.examiner.com/glutenfree-food-in-atlanta/jennifer-harris that No. 246, an Italian restaurant in Decatur, (http://www.no246.com/), was featuring homemade gluten free pasta for the month of September, in honor of Celiac Awareness month.   I tried to get there all month, and finally was able to go on September 30th!  Chad and I along with another couple ventured into this amazing restaurant.

Several "foodie" friends of mine had given their stamp of approval so I could not wait to try it.  How could one go wrong at a restaurant that was the creation of a Drew Belline, former Floataway Cafe and JCT Kitchen owner, Ford Fry?  The space was comfortable, modern, yet slightly rustic in an all white and black decor.  I felt very "hip" walking in.

On to the food - At first glance, the menu really did not have much for me to choose from.  I humbly asked the waitress if they could fix me anything vegan and gluten free?  She said absolutely, with a cheerful smile.  Really?  That easy?  YES!

The salad

The pasta

Out comes this enormous salad with grilled veggies on top.  Beautiful, absolutely delicious and so satisfying.  I was not sure they could top this salad.  I was wrong.  The homemade gluten free pasta was out of this world good.  I have yet to find anything close.  It included more veggies, incredible spices, herbs, the taste was to die for.  I wish I had the palate to describe to you all the different taste that I encountered, but I am not - I can just say, it was really, really good!  The trance I was in while eating precluded me from even realizing what everyone else ordered.  But, I do know everyone joined the clean plate club and they all commented that they enjoyed their meal.  So - try out 246 in Decatur - they can prepare one of the best vegan / gluten free meals I have had in Atlanta, or enjoy what is on their menu - I was told it was outstanding!  BTW - they are keeping the gluten free pasta after September.

Asheville

Towards the end of summer we usually get the urge to get out of town for a quick weekend trip.  As we are all tired of the heat in Atlanta and need a change of scenery.  And, yes, right now is almost the end of our summer, the girls go back to school August 8th!  Last week, Chad got that urge and planned a family overnight to Asheville, NC.

Well, the trip was not exactly the "vacation get away" that we had envisioned, but we did get to see great friends and had several amazing meals!  Asheville is similar to Denver and Boulder - most of the restaurants are familiar with "gluten free" and "vegan" in fact, the majority  have options designated on the menu. 

The Saturday we started our adventure turned into a lesson on patience, a virtue our family needs to work on.   The trip up took almost five ours (we were planning on three), it took us about 30 minutes to find a parking space in Asheville, and the wait at the restaurant we had intended to eat (Early Girl Eatery) was 45 minutes. So, we put our name down on that list and walked down the street and discovered Laughing Seed Restaurant, a vegetarian restaurant.  So, we put our name on that list too.  We spent the next 35 minutes going between the two restaurants seeing which one would seat us first.  Laughing Seed won.  Mind you none of us where in a laughing mood at this point - tired, hot, hungry, etc.  And, Chad was not excited that the vegetarian only restaurant won:

The Laughing Seed Restaurant -

Hemp Burger

http://laughingseed.jackofthewood.com/ 
I was overwhelmed by the menu, so many great options.  And, an actual healthy kids menu - no chicken finger, hotdog or grill cheese only menu for the girls. 

Chad ordered the falafel sandwich with the jalapeno onion fries.  To my surprise, he loved it - cleaned his plate.  The girls ordered a veggie plate with an amazing dipping sauce.  And, I ordered the Omega Hemp Nut Burger.  Since my GF began, I have been missing a good veggie burger, most are not GF.  This was a delicious, hearty burger, filled with good for you ingredients.  Hemp is an excellent source of protein and essential fatty acids - Omega 6 and Omega 3.  I also enjoyed a carrot, apple and ginger juice with my burger.  This meal put all of us in a much better mood.  Now, how do we get a Laughing Seed in Atlanta?

Girls Veggie Plate

 The other place we were going to eat lunch had a great looking menu as well.  I hope to try it out next time:

Early Girl Eatery
http://earlygirleatery.com/

We were planning a hike after lunch, but due to all of our delays, we decided instead to walk around town and then check out our hotel.  The girls had   three favorites of the trip (only one of which we expected):
1) Discovering the plug into the wall phone with a DIAL TONE in our hotel room - you have no idea how much entertainment this provided
2) swimming in the hotel INDOOR pool
 3)The arcade games at the restaurant we met our friends at (this was expected!)
So, on to dinner.  We met our friends from Asheville at:

Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company
http://ashevillebrewing.com/2011/index.html
A perfect family restaurant!  They had this big room filled with picnic tables, one way in, one way out (to contain the kids) with a huge movie screen and tons of video / arcade games.  The parents were able to sit and talk and the kids were able to run around and play games.  The cherry on top - good beer (I was told) and GF / Vegan options on the menu and of course other items one would expect at a pizza place!


The next morning I went on an exploratory jog around town and found a little restaurant that boasted juices and smoothies on the window.  On our way to our hike, we stopped in and ordered smoothies for everyone.  My next trip to Asheville will also include a meal at this restaurant!

 Over Easy Cafe
http://overeasyasheville.com/

We drove up on the parkway to our little hike at Chimney Rock.  It was a beautiful drive up there, unnoticed by the girls, but Chad and I enjoyed it.  Our hike was short, but it was nice to get the girls in nature, despite their protest!

On our way out of town we stopped by one last restaurant.  Again, filled with gluten free, vegan labeling on the menu.  It had meals to fit all of our desires after our hike:

Tupelo Honey
http://www.tupelohoneycafe.com/

So do you see a trend here?  It is simply not hard to have gluten free, vegan options at a restaurant while catering to all eating types.  I hope more restaurants in Atlanta will venture into this!

Amazing meal in Highlands, NC

I am pretty confident that  I can find something vegan to order at most restaurants.  Sometimes it takes a little creativity, but I rarely find it overly challenging.  Now that I have added an extra layer of complexity - vegan and gluten free - I find dining out a LOT more difficult.  But when the chef smiles at the challenge and doesn't roll his or her eyes, I know I am in for a treat.  So it was Friday night in Highlands, NC at Lakeside Restaurant. (www.lakesiderestaurant.info/)  The Chef and Owner, Marty came out, and I told him my obstacles, and he said no problem.  I had the most scrumptious variety of veggies embolden with a hint of curry and simply, an amazing taste.  My tastebuds were delighted, and the mix of vegetables was filling and satisfying.  I could not put my fork down.