The Frostbite 5K in Louisville, Kentucky will kick off at 9:00 a.m. at Cherokee Park. And I am really looking forward to it.
First of all, it’s my first race back from the holidays. I was having one of my best races before Christmas, when my shoelace with the timing chip on it came undone and I had to stop to secure it again. I came in at a respectable time, but I knew I might have come close or even sat a new PR had it not been for that snafu.
But these things happen for a reason and we live and learn from it.
My training for the Frostbite 5K? Well, I ran every day in December, as part of the Runner’s World Run Streak and my friend Armand’s own REDD (Run Every Day in December) campaign. Then the New Year hit and I took two days off. Which, from my prior post, you know stressed me out beyond belief. But then I came back, with some short runs to get to 7 miles as of today toward my 500 goal.
And it feels so good.
I don’t care if I set a new PR tomorrow or not (but this course is hilly so I’m betting…not!). I’m just happy to be hitting the race circuit again. I’m going to make sure my shoes are laced up tight, my hair is out of my way, and that I’m dressed properly for the weather. Given that today is a 63 degrees, I’m thinking the “frostbite” part of this race may not be the case. I’m okay with that.
I’ll be running.
And nothing makes me feel more joy in life than hitting the road with my own two feet.
You have always been amazing. Your breads are delicious. Your muffins are sinfully moist and decadent. Your cookies are bite-sized morsels of goodness. I have praised you to the heavens and back each and every time I’ve tried one of your products.
But the honeymoon period has ended.
It’s okay…you’re not written out of my life. In fact, from what I understand, the product that I didn’t feel lived up to your high standards is being revamped for release this year. I’m okay with that.
So I will eagerly await. Don’t worry. I still love you.
Love,
Me
It was an average day at the grocery store and I was standing there with coupons expiring that day for Udi’s Gluten-Free products. I try not to let coupons for anything gluten-free go to waste, so my friend Jenn and I scoped out the section and selected some chocolate chip cookies to feast on, as well as the cinnamon rolls. The cinnamon rolls had been a tempting purchase before…but I always opted for the muffins instead.
The other day, I broke these out to warm up and enjoy for breakfast. I was quite excited, knowing how moist and amazing the muffins were. I put one on a plate, poured half the packet of icing over it, and heated it up in the microwave. It came out, icing dripping and smelling amazing. Cinnamon is one of my favorite smells when it’s baked. So, yeah…I was ready to bite into some moist, gooey, goodness with these cinnamon rolls.
And yet…that anticipation came to a bit of a let-down. The cinnamon rolls, while packed with flavor, were nowhere near the level of moistness that I want in my breakfast pastries. In fact, it seemed rather stiff, and the more it cooled, the harder it became to slice through with my fork. I finally gave up, got my fingers covered in icing, and just picked it up to eat it. It was good…just not great like the rest of the Udi’s lineup that I have tried. My roommate agreed. She said she much preferred the muffins over these, and I have to agree.
Udi’s sort of set the mark for me when it came to most gluten-free products. They were the first gluten-free bread I tried. And from there on, I fell in love. But these cinnamon rolls were just not up to par with the rest of their products. While a bit of a disappointment, it didn’t keep me from polishing these off. Like I said…they were good…they just weren’t blow-me-away great.
But…it has been noted that in the new line-up of products going to be released this year from Udi’s…a reformulated version of the cinnamon rolls is going to be hitting stores. This is, in fact, a relief. The statement says that the company, based off of consumer feedback, revamped the recipe, changed the icing, and now the rolls will be softer! Kudos to Udi’s for listening to their consumers and taking it to heart. I anticipate trying out the new rolls when they hit the market and tasting the difference for myself.
If you’re craving a cinnamon roll, these will do in a pinch…but, personally, I’d wait until the new, redone version hits stores. I know Udi’s can knock these cinnamon rolls out the park. They haven’t let me down yet.
Product: Health is Wealth Gluten-Free Mozzarella Sticks – $4.49+
Mozzarella sticks. Breaded cheese fried to a crispy perfection so that the outside is crunchy but the cheese inside is gooey. It was one of my favorite comfort foods to have at restaurants. But that all changed when I went gluten-free. These breaded sticks of cheesy goodness were no longer on my menu plan. Probably a good thing for my waistline, but not for the cravings every time they turned up on pub and restaurant menus.
In fact, giving into the thought that I would never again see mozzarella sticks on my plate, I pushed them out of my mind. I stopped looking for them. I passed them over on menus without batting an eyelash. They were a food-non-grata with me and it was just the way it had to be.
And then…my journey to the natural food store once again took an unexpected plot twist.
I had gone inside for one thing. A gluten-free baguette. Which…they were sold out of. To quell my rising anger at not being able to get what I intended, my roommate suggested I pick out something else to try…for blogging purposes, of course. I was reluctant, but the more I lingered, the more I wanted to try something else. So, I was scanning the shelves and finally went over to the freezer section. There, as if a beacon of light from Heaven itself shown down upon them, sat a box of gluten-free mozzarella sticks by a company known as Health is Wealth.
Health is Wealth is more known for their vegan and vegetarian frozen foods. I think I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. But right there on the front of the box in big and bold letters were my two favorite words when it comes to my favorite foods that I thought were forever nixed from my diet – GLUTEN FREE. I snatched these off the shelf as if they were a lifeline. For real. And when I took them home, they were the perfect side item to a gluten-free stuffed shells meal I also picked up.
These little nuggets of mozzarella cheese are breaded in gluten-free corn and rice breading. This gives the outside a nice, crispy texture when baked up in the oven. In addition, they breading tastes quite sweet so it pairs well with a marinara dip or just fine on its own. I immediately put these in the oven to cook up. No disappointment. Crispy on the outside and ooey-gooey on the inside. The cheese melted to perfection in the oven. So often, these frozen, pre-packaged appetizer and sides never quite reach the proper cheese melting expectation. More often than not, the cheese is still a solid lump of warmth, not stringy when you bite into it. But not these. Oh, no. I bit into one and the cheese stretched between the breaded stick and my lips. I think I rejoiced aloud at that.
I think these just became a ‘must keep stocked in my freezer’ sort of item. They were so easy…and so delicious. Both my roommate and her aunt, who are not gluten-free, raved about them. As for me…I was just happy to be having one of my favorite comfort foods again. Life is good when breaded, melty cheese is involved.
Health is Wealth did a fantastic job providing the gluten-free community with a fantastic product. One that I will continue to rave about and consume. Because I can.
I think I’m in love. The delicious kind of love.
Health is Wealth Gluten-Free Mozzarella Sticks (baked)
Caesar's Gluten-Free & Wheat-Free Stuffed Shells with Cheese in a Marinara Sauce
Product: Caesar’s Gluten-Free and Wheat-Free Stuffed Shells with Cheese in a Marinara Sauce – $7.99+
The lack of gluten-free large pasta shells is annoying. And I’m here to tell you why. I have been craving Italian favorites (stuffed shells, manicotti, etc.), but no one seems to have the noodles for it. Gluten-free pasta isn’t new by any means, but it does lack variety. Especially in the larger shell dishes. With the exception of lasagna, finding something gluten-free on the shelf is nigh on impossible.
So…what’s the second best thing to homemade? Frozen.
And thankfully, this little company called Caesar’s has a line of gluten-free and wheat-free products in specialty stores. I found a few varieties of pasta meals in the freezer section of my local natural foods store. And thank goodness for that. I was just home from being away for the New Year and wasn’t quite certain what I wanted to make for dinner. It was getting late as it was…so this would be easy enough to fix. It was a toss-up between the manicotti and the stuffed shells meals. But, stuffed shells had been on my crave list longer, so it came home with me first.
The meal is simple. Bosh it in the microwave for a few minutes. It really is that simple.
The shells for this meal are made out of rice flour, stuffed with a sweet ricotta cheese and topped off with a delicious marinara sauce. One reason Caesar’s began offering these types of meals is that not everyone can enjoy authentic Italian food. As a girl who loves Italian food but can’t just go out and eat it anymore, having a company provide a variety of products (that no other company has pitched yet) means I am a fan for life. The fact that these products are delicious…is an even bigger plus.
Upon the dinner being completed by the microwave, I peeled back the plastic. Sure, at first glance it doesn’t look appetizing, but what microwave dinner does? Inside the package were three fully stuffed shells, packed with an herbed ricotta cheese. The marinara sauce was a very nice addition and kept everything moist and delicious. In fact, the red sauce wasn’t runny in the slightest, but a thick, hearty topping for the pasta itself. I dished it up onto plates (the meal is for one, but my roommate and I were splitting it) and we sat down to enjoy gluten-free stuffed shells.
Amazing. Honestly, this was packaged food done right. The microwave didn’t take away from the flavor, nor did it cook the life out of the pasta. It wasn’t dry or soggy. It was a perfect conglomeration of sauce, cheese, and noodle. And one that left me quite satisfied, and my palate pleased. The craving is gone for the stuffed shells and I owe it all to Caesar’s Pasta. I think manicotti will be next…
Find these little boxes of joy in your local stores and try them out. I will warn you…they are quite expensive. One meal ran up a tab of $7.99, one reason my roommate and I split a meal. However, they are definitely worth the cost in the end. You won’t even know they are gluten-free. But because they are, I can savor every last, cheese-filled bite.
Caesar's Gluten-Free & Wheat-Free Stuffed Shells with Cheese in a Marinara Sauce (cooked)
Well, it was the perfect way to wind down after a fun-filled New Years spent with my roommate and my friend Jenn, the two who accompanied me to Ireland last year to ring in the New Year at The Clarence Hotel in Dublin, Ireland. Another trip like that was definitely not in the cards or the budget this year, so instead, we gathered in Columbus at Jenn’s house and created our own “Remember The Octagon” (in honor of The Octagon Bar in The Clarence Hotel…where we spent many an evening…AND New Years Eve at midnight last year!) Irish-themed New Year celebration.
We watched movies that dealt with Ireland (Waking Ned Devine and P.S. I Love You) and with Irish people in them (Bend It Like Beckham), tuned in for the ball drop, ate grown up milk shakes (where the “milk” is Prosecco), played games, laughed, and just had the time of our lives. Second best New Year’s ever!
And the next day, keeping with the theme, we opted to lunch out at Fadó Irish Pub.
We were told just to take a seat anywhere, as you would in Ireland, so we settled in toward the back room near a fireplace. Warm! Cozy. And despite the campy Irish decorations that littered the walls, the pub was quite relaxing and the perfect place to settle. Our waitress gave us some menus and took our drink orders and we began to decide what to eat.
Now, I’ve eaten at Fadó in Chicago and LOVED it. This was prior to becoming a vegetarian and definitely before I had to cut gluten out of my diet. So now, I was definitely looking at the menu with new eyes. While my two cohorts settled in for the lunch portion of fish and chips ($9.95), I decided to give the Farmhouse Salad ($6.95) (no croutons!) a whirl, and added some carbs to my diet with an order of their sweet potato fries ($6.00).
Fadó's Sweet Potato Fries
We chatted a little bit, reminiscing about Ireland for awhile, and when our food arrived, we settled in to eat. My two friends totally dug the fish and chips. I stole one of the fries from my roommate’s plate and immediately regretted getting the sweet potato fries. While I am a sucker for sweet potato fries, the regular thick-cut wedge fries were so amazing. Weird for me to say, as I usually can’t stand wedge fries. My sweet potato fries were decent though. Not soggy. Fresh cut, seasoned great. They were just…what they were – sweet potato fries. Their only handicap was that they were just…not as great as the regular fries. So, next time I go to Fadó, I know to stick with regular fries because…they were amazing. I had to steal a few more as I was eating because they just blew the sweet potato ones out of the fryer. *giggle*
The Farmhouse Salad is your typical, run-of-the-mill salad. Nothing fancy. But it was done right. The salad is composed of mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and cheddar cheese. Simple. Basic. I could make it at home. But it was good. I chose the balsamic vinaigrette dressing to top it off with. And they gave it to me on the side instead of dousing my salad in it. I appreciated that too. When something as simple as a salad in a light vinaigrette dressing is the highlight of my meal, then the ingredients are definitely at the peak of freshness, and the combination works. I love salad as it is, so when it is something I can replicate at home…all the better. I think my only complaint would be the size of the salad for the price tag it came with. I actually expected more. But, it ended up being the perfect amount with the sweet potato fries on the side. We polished off our drinks and paid the bill, lingering in the corner by the fireplace a little longer. Soaking in our last bit of Ireland for the weekend.
Fadó is a great Irish Pub. It’s not authentic by any means…and can seem a bit campy, but it’s a great substitute for the real thing. I’ve never had a bad experience there. The food is amazing (even the salads!), the staff is friendly, the bar is beautiful, they serve Magners (in a bottle). When you can’t go to Ireland, taking yourself to a place where you can at least feel Irish is an amazing thing. I know Fadó has 14 locations throughout the United States…so if you are near one or going to be visiting an area with one…stop in for a pint or some grub. You won’t be disappointed!
I had a jar of Nutella sitting in my cabinet, just screaming to be used. I also just happen to have a waffle maker (Thank you, Black Friday deals!) that I thought needed to be used again. In addition, I was heading to Columbus, Ohio, to visit my friend Jenn for the weekend and she’s a chocoholic as much as I am…so the thought of Nutella waffles was…more than ideal for breakfast one morning. I provided the gluten-free all purpose flour and the Nutella, the rest she had or we picked up there.
There are plenty of recipes out there for waffles topped with Nutella. But I wanted to actually incorporate it into the waffles. And what I managed was this recipe here below.
Trust me…you’ll be hooked at first choco-hazelnut bite.
2 cups flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups milk (I used lactose-free milk because that’s what we had, but I think these would be amazing with vanilla coconut milk)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 heaping spoonfuls of Nutella (best measurement ever!)
Directions:
Preheat waffle iron.
Beat eggs.
Beat in remaining ingredients.
Spray waffle iron with non-stick spray.
Pour 3/4 cup to 1 cup of batter onto waffle iron and cook for about 5 minutes, until done.
~*~*~
We came up with a variety of ways to eat these. With ice cream and Kahlua on top, dusted with powdered sugar, topped with chocolate chips, etc. But we went for the standard breakfast format…this time. With a spread of butter and a nice serving of real maple syrup.
It was…delicious with every bite.
A word of warning. Be careful when you pour the batter into the waffle iron. I had a Nutella batter Niagara Falls on my first waffle attempt. It still yielded a delicious Nutella waffle…it just left me with a big mess to clean up on Jenn’s counter. Aside from that…cook these up one morning. No one will be disappointed.
Crunchmaster Gluten-Free White Cheddar Multi-Grain Crackers
Product: Crunchmaster Gluten-Free White Cheddar Multi-Grain Crackers – $3.79+
The gluten-free community has been buzzing over the products put out by a company known as Crunchmaster. I have read about the various varieties of crackers provided by this company, certified gluten-free, and yet…had never gotten around to purchasing them. But, with the high accolades from the likes of The Celiac Diva and other gluten-free bloggers, I knew that I had to try them.
While out at my natural foods store one day, my roommate told me to pick out a new gluten-free product to try. YAY! I love these little surprises at the grocery store. There was plenty to choose from in this store, but I decided to grab a bag of Crunchmaster crackers. I wanted to see what all the buzz was about.
This store had every flavor around from Crunchmaster, but I finally opted for the White Cheddar Multi-Grain Crackers.
I opened the bag last week to dole out an afternoon snack to take to work with me. I was pretty excited by the actual size of the crackers. Most of the time, the bag is deceiving and you end up with a product that is half the size of the picture. Not the case with Crunchmaster. Those big squares you see on the front of the package…that’s exactly what you get.
When my tummy got the rumblies around 3:00 one afternoon, I pulled out these crackers and had one of my best gluten-free snacking experiences to date. You don’t have to be gluten-free to enjoy these tasty treats. Not at all. It’s the flavor that hits first. Not just the addition of, in this case, real aged cheddar. You taste the cracker too. It honestly tastes like a tortilla chip. A healthier tortilla chip, as these crackers have no cholesterol or saturated fat.
They even pack the crunch of a chip. I was munching quite happily away, very sad to come to the last cracker in my serving I packed for the day. Now I was hooked though…and the next few days, I continued this snack trend. Last night, as I was cooking dinner, I staved off initial hunger pangs with a few of these crackers and a slice of dill havarti cheese. Most epic cheesy combination ever. The Crunchmaster White Cheddar crackers were the perfect compliment to the soft, sweet cheese I put on it. I think I could have eaten more of that if I didn’t have dinner going on the stove.
I had to text my mom after trying these so she could seek them out in her grocery store as well. It’s even harder to find gluten-free items in Alabama than it is here…if you can believe that. So, if she can’t find them, the next time I visit, I’m bringing her some. I fell in love with this company and the product it puts out. At first bite. Snack time just got exciting again!
Now…to get back over to my natural food store and select another Crunchmaster cracker to bite into.
Honestly…if you see these on the shelves. Stop. Pick one up. Buy. Enjoy! It’s a recipe for gluten-free success that even non-gluten-free snackers will love.
And with no bad fats, cholesterol and low calories…it’s a snack worth indulging in.
Restaurant: La Reunion Coffee Café, Helena, Alabama
I love coffee.
No, really…I do. I don’t drink it as often as I would like, mostly due to cost, but I do allow myself a treat every now and again. Whether it’s Starbucks, Caribou, a local chain, or an independent shop, I love to indulge every now and again in a hot (or cold) coffee or espresso drink.
While I was visiting with my family for the holidays, my sister and I made a coffee date. She’s been drinking coffee longer than anyone I know. I think she was the only elementary school kid to sit down with a Styrofoam cup of joe at church. She was a hipster long before she knew she was a hipster. Gotta love my sister.
And I do. Which is why we planned a girl’s coffee morning. Our location for our coffee beverage…a little coffee café in Old Town Helena, the heart of Helena, Alabama. It’s called La Reunion Coffee Café and both of us were quite excited about trying it out.
Inside La Reunion Coffee Café, Helena, Alabama
Walking into La Reunion was like walking into a friend’s home. The dimly lit, eccentrically decorated, homey feel of the café is very welcoming. Groups were meeting at the scattered tables throughout the shop, and the quite buzz of their conversations was comforting. We were greeted warmly by the baristas who allowed us time to decide on what we wanted to try. While many of the drinks on the cold menu sounded fantastic (hello, Reese’s Reunion and Orange Dreamsicle), it was a chilly morning so we decided to go with warm coffee that day. My sister ordered the Milky Way, a delicious mix of espresso, milk, chocolate and caramel. I finally, after much contemplation because…it wasn’t like I would be able to come back for awhile, decided to get the Alpine Caramel with soy milk, which was a fantastic combination of espresso, soy milk, white chocolate and caramel.
As my brother was stopping by my parent’s house with his kids before driving to Atlanta for Christmas, we got our drinks to go and stepped aside to walk around the shop while the baristas went to work on our order. They had epically delicious looking muffins in their case (which my gluten sensitivity forbid me to try) as well as other delicious cakes, brownies, and treats. They looked fantastic. Crafts were displayed on shelves, that were up for sale. We browsed for a few moments, commenting on some of the items, and then the barista walked our drinks over to us and bid us a good day.
We thanked her and left, warm coffee cups in hand, and headed to the car.
And it was there that we got our first taste of the delicious, fantastic drinks offered at La Reunion. Honestly…the espresso was timed perfectly. Not bitter. Not too strong. And the flavor combination was fantastic. I’m normally not one to praise a drink with white chocolate in it…but this was amazing. I allowed my sister a sip and she liked it too. But she really loved hers. And when we got home, she gave her non-coffee-drinking husband a sip and he really liked it too.
WIN!
La Reunion seems like the perfect spot to just settle in with friends for good conversation. I look forward to returning and trying another of their coffee drinks (the Heart Murmur or Nuttin Honey, perhaps!). And maybe this time I’ll stay awhile, soak in the atmosphere, and join in the buzz that fills the shop.
If you are anywhere near Helena, Alabama, I highly recommend trying out La Reunion for your coffee cravings. The people are wonderful, the atmosphere is welcoming, and the drinks…are out of this world!
Muffins are a delectable treat, good for breakfast, a snack, or side at dinner, or even dessert. The only gluten-free variety that I can find, anywhere, just happen to come from Udi’s.
No surprise there, right?
The blueberry muffins have a great distinction in this blog. While they were, officially, the first in the lineup of muffins I sampled from Udi’s (thanks to my friend Jenn!), they are the last to get blogged about. Why? Well, I hadn’t started this blog when Jenn first gave me these. But, now it’s time to come full circle and give these muffins their day in the spotlight.
First of all…let me say this: Udi’s = DELICIOUS!
I haven’t run across a product of theirs yet that I haven’t liked. That’s saying something as I am nearing the end of their product line-up just in time for them to introduce their new products this year. My timing is perfect. Now, here’s to hoping the market around here picks up on these products quickly. It’s already a challenge trying to locate gluten-free goodies in my neck of the woods.
But…back to blueberry muffins. Because we all love blueberry muffins.
To me, muffins should be moist, packed with flavor, and at the right level of sweetness without becoming a cupcake. There is a very fine line between muffins and cupcakes sometimes. But, Udi’s finds the right balance of all of these proponents in these fantastic muffins. I heated mine up in the microwave for 30 seconds before diving in. What I noshed on was a soft, moist, spongy muffin, completely packed with blueberries, dusted with a light coating of sugar. It was so good, that I hoovered the thing. I mean, if muffins were heaven, then I was floating on cloud nine.
I had never tasted anything as amazing as the Udi’s Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins. It had incredible texture. The sponginess meant the muffin would bounce back as I cut into it with a fork. The perfect level of moistness…none I ever got in any muffin, homemade or packaged, that had gluten in it. This gluten-free treat hit the bulls-eye for me where muffins are involved. And Udi’s doesn’t skimp on flavor either. These muffins (you get four in a pack) are loaded with blueberries. A lot of times, you are lucky to see a few blueberries in a muffin, but not these. You get a full house, without being overwhelmed by berries. When they say blueberry muffins, they aren’t hiding a couple within each muffin. You get blasted with blueberry in each bite.
Despite the high praise I gave the Double Chocolate Muffins and the Lemon Streusel Muffins…Udi’s wins with the Blueberry Muffins. They are my favorite of the trio! Perfect for any time of the day too.
Whether you need to eat gluten-free or not, there is a wide variety of amazing products out there. I encourage everyone to give something gluten-free a try. And if you must start somewhere…start with Udi’s Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins. It will be love at first bite…trust me.
Restaurant: Bernie’s on Main Street, Columbiana, Alabama
I know.
Hold the phone, right? Bernie’s on Main Street in Columbiana, Alabama is classic Southern cooking. Meat and three. Veggies are a side item. So…why is a vegetarian going there?
Because, like most fine establishments, there is more to meet the eye in this beautiful restaurant. It was the place my sister chose to meet up for lunch when I got into town for the holidays. Her husband and I had just attempted some shopping, and failed miserably, so we stopped by her office to pick her up and go eat a delicious lunch together. There is an extremely limited selection of restaurants in Columbiana, and this one wad certainly intriguing.
At lunch, Bernie’s on Main Street offers a standard lunch menu as well as a selection of hot items on the bar. My sister and her husband, being carnivores, went for the lunch bar. As I’m kind of limited with being a vegetarian as well as having a couple of food allergies, I stuck to the lunch menu and discovered that this meat-heavy destination has a fantastic selection and variety of salads.
So, I ordered the Mandarin Salad ($6.95) with a small side of the fries ($1.50) (as always…my go-to order!). And while my food longer to get than flying the lunch bar, it was well worth the wait.
Bernie's on Main Street's small order of fries
My food arrived and I loved the look of the salad. It was simple green lettuce, topped with slivered almonds, Feta cheese, cucumbers and, lastly, mandarin oranges. Normally served with croutons, they left those off at my request. And it came with a fantastic mandarin vinaigrette dressing, on the side, so I could put what I wanted on my salad and not have it just swimming in more dressing than I want. I didn’t even request that. They just made it happen! Fruit on salads are a huge love of mine. The combinations are endless and quite amazing. And this was no exception. The sweetness of the oranges paired perfectly with the almonds and the saltiness of the Feta cheese. It was fantastic all the way down to the last bite. And as for those fries…cooked to a crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside perfection. What more could a girl want out of lunch? Best part…I walked away quite full on just the large salad and small fries. Quite filling. Beyond good!
Bernie’s on Main Street is a very nice establishment. It’s got a great dining atmosphere…casual enough to take a family, but dressed up enough to make you feel like you’re in a fine restaurant. Even during the lunch hour. The staff is very nice and make sure you have everything you need. And everyone walked away satisfied. My sister told me that at night, it transforms into a high-class, dress-up to dine establishment. How awesome is that?
Meat + 3 establishments are not difficult to navigate, despite not eating meat and having food sensitivities. I had a fantastic and safe dining experience at Bernie’s on Main Street. But I think a lot of my joy came with regard to the people I was dining with. I had definitely missed spending time with my sister! She and her husband were, as always, fantastic.
Good food and time with family. Now that’s a recipe for success. Bernie’s on Main Street provided the perfect setting with amazing food.
Bernie's on Main Street's Mandarin Salad (no croutons)
The Celiathlete 