Sinfully Gluten Free an angelic slice of the gluten-free life near Dayton, Ohio

Restaurant: Sinfully Gluten Free, Centerville, Ohio

It was the eve of the Air Force Marathon, Half Marathon, and 10K events…of which I was running in the 10K event.  So, I found myself in Dayton, Ohio and in need of a place to eat.  Now, Dayton has plenty of places to eat, but the night before a major road race, I try to be a little more careful when I eat out.  Obviously, I don’t want to find myself feeling sick because of restaurant cross-contamination.

Thankfully, with the help of my favorite iPhone app, Find Me Gluten Free, I was directed to the Web site of a place called Sinfully Gluten Free in Centerville, Ohio.  That day, after checking out the race expo, checking into the hotel, and doing a little book shopping, my friends, Jenn and Cathy, and I headed off to get dinner.  I had researched the menu a little prior to the trip to Dayton, so I had an idea of what they offered.  And while there isn’t much on their menu, what they offer has a little bit of something for everyone.  And that is the important thing.

It was just around 6:00 p.m. when we showed up for dinner that night.  I didn’t quite remember the menu, so I went to go and examine the one on the front counter where you place your orders.  Cathy already knew what she wanted to get so she was set.  Jenn also needed a moment to check it out, since we sort of sprung this place on her.  But…she’s always had an open mind when it comes to my gluten-free needs, which is one reason she is so awesome!  After a few moments, we all placed our orders.

Cathy had decided to go with the Chicken Strips ($6.99), which was three pieces breaded chicken strips served with a side of crinkle-cut fries.  Jenn opted for the 8-inch cheese pizza ($8.99).  As for me, I chose to go with the Pizza Sandwich (no pepperoni for this vegetarian) ($8.99), which came with a side of crinkle-cut fries as well.  With the orders in, we were told it would take about 20 minutes and to go ahead and find a table and they would bring it out to us when it was ready.

We did exactly that, already discussing what might be a good dessert option while we waited.  I mean…we were around food.  We were going to discuss the food.  We already had it picked out.  The three of us would share a Lemon Bar at the end of our meal.  It would be perfection.

After our wait, which I appreciate because it means everything is actually done from scratch and not just reheated and brought out, our food arrived.  It all looked really amazing.  Cathy’s Chicken Strips were not overdone, juicy, and the side of fries was an actual serving!  Amazing.  She devoured her chicken and fries, complimenting the taste the entire way.  Jenn really enjoyed her pizza too.  She let me snag a piece of it and I absolutely loved it.  Seriously.  The crust tastes like it has cornmeal in it, and it baked up crispy and perfect.  It wasn’t soggy in the middle.  The sauce was fantastic.  And it was topped with lots of cheese.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  One of the best slices of pizza I have had.

As for me…my Pizza Sandwich arrived.  I double-checked it to make sure the pepperoni was left off of it.  And it was.  So, my sandwich consisted of pizza sauce, onions, and cheese.  Now…that was the perfect sandwich, yes?  Just like eating pizza without eating pizza.  It looked like it was on Udi’s gluten-free bread, although it must have been bread that they bake up there at Sinfully Gluten Free.  I failed to ask, although I should have.  But I noticed the loaves in the refrigerator behind the counter that were for sale, which leads me to believe that they use their own bread for their sandwiches.  Regardless it was toasted up well and had a nice crispness to it when I bit into it.  Like I said…it was like eating a pizza without eating a pizza.  I loved it.  And the side of fries was a nice touch to my carb-up diet pre-race.  Or, at least that’s what I tell myself.  The fries were done well.  Not soggy.  Not burned.  Perfect.  Not too salty either.  I appreciated that, because too much salt can leave a runner feeling dehydrated, which is the complete opposite of what you want pre-race.  I hoovered my sandwich, loving every bite of it.  And I knew…it was time to go pick dessert.

But then my roommate, Cathy, sprung a surprise on me.  Just right of the bake case was some of their baked cookies and brownies up for sale.  And I was thrilled when Cathy said I could pick some out to take home with us.  I got distracted at this point and immediately started to peruse the goods.  In the end, I ended up grabbing one of their Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownies, their Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Peanut Butter Cup Cookies, their Gluten-Free Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies, and their Gluten-Free Mint Chip Cookies.  The Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies were the splurge.  They were the most expensive, but Cathy said she could tell I really, really wanted them.  So…we spent a lot more than intended…but well…more gluten-free goodies for me to try and review, yes?

However, we were on a dessert mission as well.  And that meant it was time for a Lemon Bar ($3.50).  Sadly, by the time I had snagged like, one of everything, from the goodies, the last couple of lemon bars had been snagged already.  I made a very sad face, but the lady behind the counter said they had more in the back.  I had never been so happy in my life.  She brought them out and put one in a dish for us to take to the table.  She told me I might want to give it a chance to warm up, as it was in the freezer.  No problem.  I went back to the table with every intention of taking a picture of it for the blog…then totally didn’t.  And before I realized that, I had already sliced it into three pieces and we had each eaten it.  So, without a visual, let me tell you this…

The Lemon Bar at Sinfully Gluten Free is much different from the one I had at Cherbourg Bakery in Columbus, Ohio.  This one had a shortbread crust, and on top of it was more of a cheesecake-like lemon topping.  It was good.  Trust me, it was good.  In fact, Jenn said she preferred this one over the one at Cherbourg.  The buttery shortbread is a nice touch to the rich, thick lemon topping.  And it all balances out quite well.  I loved it down to the last bite…which is about where I realized I hadn’t actually taken my picture.  Too late.  Trust me…this is one of their most popular desserts for a reason.  It is fantastic.

That rounded off the evening at Sinfully Gluten Free…but my trial of their products didn’t end there as I left with a bag full of their bakery cookies and a brownie.

Even though I returned to my little town in Indiana, I was now equipped with gluten-free desserts to last over a week.  This made me beyond elated.  And the first one that my roommate and I tried was the Peanut Butter Peanut Butter Cup Cookie ($4.50).  Now, I had seen these before on Pinterest (not gluten-free), so I was quite excited about this.  I love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups as it is.  And one of those is the very heart of this cookie.  Honestly.  These come in a box of 6 cookies, as they are all bite-size.  The peanut butter cookie envelops a mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.  The result…a soft outer shell that surrounds the perfect bite of chocolate and peanut butter.  This was one of the best cookies I have ever eaten, combining two of my favorite things…peanut butter and chocolate.  And…peanut butter cups are involved.  I was in love.

I was on a chocolate and peanut butter kick, so the next sweet that grabbed my attention and got my mouth

watering was the Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies ($7.99).  First of all, let me reiterate that two of my favorite things in life are chocolate and peanut butter.  Put them together and I am one very content cookie monster.  These cookies intrigued me and I hesitated for the longest time snagging them to take home with me?  Why?  They come at a heftier price tag than the rest of the cookies that were out to purchase.   But Cathy insisted that if I wanted to try them, I go ahead and get them.  And who am I to argue with that kind of logic when it comes to cookies.  I’m glad she encouraged me.  Because these cookies are sinfully amazing.  They start as Sinfully Gluten Free’s basic peanut butter cookie, which is a chewy, soft, light cookie.  Oh yeah…forget those hard-as-a-brick peanut butter cookies you are used to buying and/or making.  These are super-soft and super rich in flavor.  Then, dip half of the cookie in a rich chocolate and you take it to the next level.  I love the salty/sweetness to these cookies and really enjoy biting into a soft peanut butter cookie for a change.  These…wowed me.

The next contender from my gluten-free sweets shopping spree was the Chocolate Brownie ($1.75).  Now, I’ve made many a gluten-free brownie at home, but this one was magic.  Let me explain.  You see, this little brownie loaf, which is about 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches is not heavy at all.  Forget that crazy gluten-free aftertaste a lot of brownies have.  Not these.  These have a rich, fudgy feel to them.  That was the best part.  Despite having sit on my counter for a couple of days, this brownie was still very soft with every bite.  I found it to be one of the best gluten-free brownies I have had to date.  I savored each bite of this, as did my roommate.  We split it in half and were both just over-the-moon in love with the texture, flavor, and how soft it was.  This was a total win in my book.  Honestly…a good brownie is one thing, but this sinfully gluten-free one was out of this world.  I would buy more of these in a heartbeat.

The last purchase that I sampled was the Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies ($4.50).  These come packaged in a bag of six cookies that look a lot like

chocolate chip cookies until closer inspection.  What I noticed were the bits of creme de menth chocolate in there (like chopped Andes candies).  The first bite yielded a buttery, soft, rich flavor that paired beautifully with the mint chips that were incorporated.  I love mint and these were minty without overpowering the rest of the cookie.  You get a taste of the original cookie batter and then you get that kick of mint.  I love that the two flavors compliment each other without one outweighing the other on the flavor.  I absolutely adore how soft the cookie is.  I’m not a fan of hard cookies at all, and this one will just melt in your mouth.  Super delicious.  And with the addition of mint…super refreshing for the palate as well.  Mint chocolate chip cookies never tasted so good.

You know…it’s not every day that I can flat out say that everything that I tried from someplace blew me away.  But with Sinfully Gluten Free, that seems to be the case.  They have a magic recipe for making light, delicious, fantastic, rich, soft gluten-free baked goods that just blow away the competition.  The lemon bar was extremely interesting as I had had one from a different gluten-free bakery earlier that morning.  They were nothing like each other…but the rich, cheesecake-like variety at Sinfully Gluten Free was a nice contrast to the other one I had sampled before heading to Dayton.  If anything, I hope that this blog sends more people over to this amazing establishment.  Try it out for lunch or dinner.  And be sure you get dessert and take some of their baked goods home.  There were plenty more delicious looking items in the bakery case which were enticing me to try.  So…when I go back next time…and there will be a next time, I intend to try something else…and probably snag more lemon bars.

Sinfully Gluten Free proves once again to all the naysayers out there that gluten-free doesn’t have to taste different or be hard, heavy, dense, or dry.  Everything I had there popped with flavor and tasted fresh.  I will forever rave about this little establishment.  So, if you are heading through Dayton, Ohio…take the short trip to Centerville and try out Sinfully Gluten Free.  You won’t be disappointed.  None of us were.  I’m already contemplating my return this coming weekend.