French Meadow Bakery & Cafe, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Restaurant: French Meadow Bakery & Cafe, Minneapolis, Minnesota
You’ve probably seen some of their goods in your grocers freezer. I know I have. They have quite a great selection of gluten-free frozen goodies that I have yet to try yet…although I have actually had one of their products. Back in October 2011, just as I was starting to get the hang of this gluten-free stuff…I bought a box of 4 of their Gluten-Free Yellow Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting. I was lukewarm on the review…being that I dislike frosting and that it had been frozen prior to consumption.
Of course, I had forgotten all of that up until a moment ago when I began this blog.
Here’s how we wound up here. I was gearing up for a trip to Minnesota and Cathy, the infamous roomie, had said she really wanted to go back to The Bad Waitress to eat while we were there. However, as she was scouting through recent reviews, it turns out The Bad Waitress had been cited for health concerns…so we nixed that immediately. This meant searching a little bit for somewhere new to eat.
Enter the savior of the moment, my aunt Jan, who had been messaging me back and forth on Facebook leading up to my trip. She said some colleagues at the hospital (she’s a surgical nurse) she works in mentioned a great place called French Meadow Bakery & Cafe. She must have been talking about my impending visit and the fact that I am a gluten-free vegetarian, because they mentioned to her the plethora of gluten-free options available…not to mention the gobs of vegetarian offerings. She mentioned this in the message. I looked it up. I sent the link to Cathy. We approved. And Jan said we would definitely go there one day while I was in town.
That day just happened to be Monday. Jan had the day off from work. The cold weather had given way to a beautiful, sunny 78 degree day. And we were out and about in Minneapolis, doing a bit of shopping and whatever else we felt like. Our only plan…be outside and soak up the sun and gorgeous weather. With that agenda in mind, we did a lot of our indoor stuff (like hitting bookstores and the like) that morning. And when lunchtime rolled around, we headed into Minneapolis and down to Lyndale Avenue South, hoping to grab a bite to eat at the French Meadow Bakery & Cafe. We arrived, parking around the corner on the street to the brilliant yellow building. A short walk later and we were entering the premises…greeted by towering black boards that held the menu, written in chalk. It was fantastic and…overwhelming…but awesome.
We gawked for a long moment at the boards, figuring out what we wanted to eat for lunch. Although there are still breakfast items as well…including a gluten-free waffle which was…SO tempting. We got it sorted just in time, because we were up next to order. Jan went first, ordering the California Wrap with a side of the Mixed Greens ($9.50). Cathy went for the Incredible Grilled Cheese Sandwich with a side of the Chips and Salsa ($7.50). Actually, I was expecting her to be a bit more adventurous than that when we ate here. That’s so…typical. As for me, I opted for the Roasted Vegetable Sandwich on Gluten-Free Multigrain Bread with a side of the Mixed Greens ($9.00). I was given the option, I feel I should mention, of either gluten-free white, multigrain, or cinnamon raisin bread. I HAD A CHOICE!! That made me so stupidly happy.
We were given our table placard, a big card of Edith Piaf, and we went to seek out some dining outside on the side patio. We spotted a table in the sun, but this made Cathy frown. So while Cathy and I made a run to the bathroom, Jan shifted us to a table with an umbrella and put Cathy out of the sunlight. She and I were shaded but still able to soak in the vitamin D. A happy medium.
We were able to sit around and talk while waiting on food. While I had been inside, I snagged a little chipotle hot sauce to add to my sandwich. I mean…we all know I like thing spicy…and with my race run…I could now spice things up as much as I liked or dared. WOOT!
A few moments later and our plates were being delivered. Everything looked fantastic. All of our sandwiches were loaded with ingredients (all fresh and organic, mind you!) and busting at the crusts. I eagerly snapped a picture of my Roasted Vegetable Sandwich with my mixed greens, then sliced that sandwich in half, added some hot sauce and took a bite.
The Roasted Vegetable Sandwich is just what it sounds like. Roasted vegetables. But what all do you get? Let me fill you in. This sandwich is packed full of goodness. Starting with beautifully roasted portabella mushrooms, roasted garlic, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, organic spinach, and then topped off with some chevre goat cheese. Oh yeah…it smelled divine. But even better was the taste.
This has got to be one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten. Honestly. The roasted vegetables only elevate the flavor, and the portabella mushrooms were done to perfection. They weren’t soggy and wet and making my bread to sponge up the fluid and fall apart. On the contrary, all of these vegetables meshed so well with the caramelized onion and the strong flavor of (my favorite) goat cheese. I was in sandwich heaven. And it took every bit of willpower in me not to just devour it on contact. I savored. I even ate the salad of mixed greens, which were lightly dressed in some sort of vinaigrette. Very tasty and the perfect accent to my sandwich, honestly.
This was certainly one of my favorite places in Minneapolis that I have eaten so far. The food was awesome. All of us were so happy with our orders and ate what we wanted. If we hadn’t been so stuffed, I probably would have opted for one of their gluten-free dessert options. Maybe next time. What am I saying? DEFINITELY next time.
With lunch polished off, the three of us continued our day out by taking the light rail down to Nicolette Mall and walking some of our food off. The flavor of that sandwich still resonates with me. I hope to get back to French Meadow Bakery & Cafe the next time I hit up the Twin Cities. It is certainly worth the visit and the trip. The food and service is out of this world. And you can tell they do take great pride in their variety and numerous options for different dietary needs. I know that I totally appreciate it.
Dear French Meadow Bakery…I LOVE YOU. I promise to come back soon. Promise!
French Meadow Bakery & Cafe’s Gluten-Free Roasted Vegetable Sandwich with Mixed Greens
Me crossing the finish line of the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon – Excelsior, Minnesota
Race: Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon
Place: Wayzata, Minnesota to Excelsior, Minnesota
Date: May 5, 2013
Time:1:40:46
I love to run in Minnesota. I feel so connected to the sport there. I am certain a lot of that stems from the fact that it is where my grandpa lives and where he did a lot of his running. That being said, I had been anticipating running in the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon since my grandpa mentioned it last summer and told me what a great race it was.
I signed up for it ages ago and took to training for it immediately following the Disney Princess Half Marathon. I had a great schedule for it, as it gave me just over two months to work my mileage back up and do so safely and steadily. No injuries. Not part of the program.
That being said, May got here sooner than I anticipated. My training runs were getting better and better. Faster even. Which I made every attempt at slowing them down with little success. But I did try. Before I knew it, I was packing my suitcase with every combination of running clothes I could think of. Previously in the week, Minnesota was snowed on. Yes. In May. The weather report was calling for cold weather on Sunday morning…with a good chance of rain. So two pairs of running shoes were also packed. I hated not knowing how to dress for this race. All I knew was that I was leaving 80 degree weather in Louisville, Kentucky and heading into low 30s up in Minnesota. I was not a happy runner girl. More than half my suitcase was taken up by my running gear (2 pairs of shoes, my portable foam roller, running jacket, running pants, running shorts, running shirts (long and short sleeve), BondiBands, hair extensions, fuel belt, GU, Sports Beans…). I still had to fit in clothes for every day wear…not to mention pajamas (warm and cooler weather ones, as by Monday & Tuesday the weather was going to be in the 70s…crazy Minnesota weather!), my toiletry bag, my gluten-free breadcrumbs for the dinner I was going to make for my aunt and grandpa, a hoodie, AND a fleece jacket, among other essentials. Packing stresses me out to no end, and the fact that my luggage was already stuffed just with half of what I needed to bring was really getting me worked up. I managed to get it all in there and told myself I couldn’t purchase anything unnecessary while in Minnesota (HA!!).
With my luggage packed, my roommate and I set off to work all day before leaving at normal time and heading to the airport immediately following work. We didn’t plan ahead for our dinner that night, realizing our original plan wasn’t going to work out time-wise. So, we parked at the airport, checked our bags, flew through security and found our gate. Then…we had to seek out something to eat. For Cathy, this is as simple as picking one of the few restaurants that dot our small airport in Louisville. She chose Quiznos and opted for some chips and a large Broccoli and Cheese Soup. Food for me is not as easy and I ended up cobbling together a combination of a fruit cup from a vendor and then Cathy and I split a bag of popcorn and a Caramel Milky Way. Eating gluten-free at the airport in Louisville is a task, and I refused to pay $3.69 for a KIND Bar. HELL NO!
We dined and settled in until our plane began to board. No rush…assigned seats as we were flying Delta. The flight was small, and very easy. I settled in my window seat and took out my book (Hal Higdon’s Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide, in case you were wondering) and began to absorb every word. The two hour flight seemed to go by so quickly. I had a Diet Coke along the way for an added boost of caffeine. But I still felt tired when the plane settled on the runway in Minneapolis. It was cold and wet. I could tell that much. Cathy and I disembarked and made the long trek to Baggage Claim. Our luggage was there and we easily pulled our bags off the belt and immediately opened them up to pull out our hoodies and fleece. I wasn’t stepping out into wet 30 degree weather in Minnesota until I was in warmer attire.
I texted my aunt who said she and my cousin, Natalie, would meet us at Arrivals in the Delta area. Perfect. Cathy and I stepped outside…under Air Canada…and quickly walked up toward the Delta sign. We didn’t see my Aunt’s Corolla, so we sort of stood around, bounced to keep warm, and kept a sharp eye. Apparently there were two Delta signs and she was just up the way. Natalie spotted us and came and got us, directing us along that path. Perfect. Hugs were given, luggage was placed in the trunk, and we were off to grab some groceries and then some drinks before calling it a night. Gluten-free groceries were grabbed, then we went to settle in, catch-up, and talk over drinks and snacks at a local restaurant. I ended up ordering their gluten-free spaghetti, which Cathy helped me consume. And my drink was a modified version of their Pomegranate Lemonade…mine made with a gluten-free vodka. I appreciated that. We got caught up, talked a lot about traveling and the race, then headed back to my grandpa’s home where Natalie bid us adieu (she’d be working the rest of the time I was in town) and Cathy, Jan and I got our stuff put into the guest room and went to retrieve the airbed for Cathy and some sheets for my bed.
Sleep came easily for me, but Cathy had a fitful rest. We were up at 7:30 a.m. the following morning to eat breakfast and get ready to head to Wayzata Middle School to pick up my race packet for Sunday’s race. It was another cold and wet day in Minneapolis…so the hoodie and fleece made yet another appearance. My Aunt Jan drove us out to the expo, where parking wasn’t too hard to get. The issue was walking from the car to the doors leading into the school. Why? Because it was flippin’ cold, that’s why! But we braved the damp, cold elements and hurried inside. Jan rushed to get the door from a man who was holding it for us and he said, “Don’t rush. Save your legs for tomorrow.” I love runners!
The expo was teeny-tiny, but something told me this race was as well. You can usually judge the size of a race by the size of its expo and the number of people and businesses that are there or represented. Very few here. In fact, the packet pick-up was held in this tiny room that looked to be the school’s cafeteria. And I thought my small town had a small school. It was at least triple the size of this one. There were a few vendors and local businesses (chiropractors, orthopedic doctors, running store) present, but not much else. There was actually a line for the spread of numbers my bib was located in, so I went to stand in line. While I was doing that, Cathy went to meander over to the tables and see what was there. When I got my race bag (Bib #1493) and t-shirt, I turned around and there was Cathy holding these amazing signs she made while I waited in line. Yes…two signs. Which just shoes how long I had to wait.
I went to the area that was set up to make sure the timing chip was functioning. I waved my bib over the sensor and my name came up on the laptop. Good enough. We were set to go. We had a few errands to run, and then we grabbed a light bite to eat at Pinstripes in Edina. Then…we made our way back to my grandpa’s house. Here is when my bestie since third grade, Heather (who was at my first half marathon in Chicago in 2011, and cheered me on through the Minneapolis Half Marathon last year) came over. We sat around and talked about anything and everything for awhile, swapping stories with grandpa and Jan. Then, we flipped on the television and watched the running of the Kentucky Derby (I got out of Louisville once again for that, YES!) before getting up and piling into two vehicles to head to the chosen place for gluten-free pizza, joining up with two of my cousins and their families/significant others.
One of the worst gluten-free pizzas I ever had…so anyone near a Pizza Ranch…don’t go there! Find somewhere with good pizza. With the less-than-satisfactory pizza consumed…we all said goodbye and went our separate ways for the evening. A very early wake-up call was scheduled for the following morning as the race started at 8 a.m. and parking was rather limited.
Morning came really early for me. I was awake at about 4:40 a.m…but really earlier. I just lazed in bed until my alarm on my phone went off. With only one alarm set, I didn’t want to miss it. Cathy continued to sleep, but I gathered up my race clothes and headed into the bathroom to change. I set down my clothes and went into the kitchen to get out my gluten-free bagel, put it on a pan, and get that in a preheating oven to toast while I changed. I managed to get into my race gear and get my hair extensions in and pigtails pulled up just in time to step into the kitchen and save my bagel from being overdone. I was doing something new here. I normally had only cereal before a race…then ate my banana about 40 minutes before start time. But, it was cold outside so I’d burn through food faster. It was also 3 hours before the race, so my body had time to digest and I wanted to see if a little extra carbs in the morning made any difference. This was a huge risk, being that if my stomach didn’t like running with a bagel in it…I wouldn’t know until I was out on the course. I gave it a very thin layer of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and then settled in to look at Facebook and eat. Once the bagel was consumed, I went to wake up my roommate at her requested 5:30 a.m. She shuffled into the bathroom, and I set to getting her breakfast prepared.
And then…the big snafu of the morning occurred. And I wasn’t sure at the time if it was a good or bad omen. But…it was a mess.
Basically, through doing nothing but flushing a toilet before even using it, Cathy set off a stream of malfunctions that morning. And it started with the toilet overflowing. I had no idea this was happening, but my aunt came hurdling up the stairs and pounded on my grandpa’s door, telling him that there was a water leak in the utility room. He got out of bed and went downstairs with her, and soon Cathy came out of the bathroom and said that the toilet had overflowed. I put two and two together and hurried downstairs to relay this to my aunt. Water was literally pouring out of pipes, all over antique pictures and some clothing that were there in the utility room. My grandpa was moving things as fast as he could.
That being said, I went back upstairs and helped Cathy clean up the bathroom. Jan told us to finish getting ready, so Cathy ate her breakfast and packed up her bag. I had her pin me up and I slipped my pajama pants over my running skirt (I wasn’t sure how to dress for this race, but I figured I’d warm up so…running skirt, compression socks, arm warmers, short sleeve shirt, BondiBand) and put on my hoodie and fleece jacket. We all needed to use the bathroom still, so we decided an impromptu stop at Caribou Coffee would do. My aunt poured her oatmeal into a cup and we took off. We rotated through the bathroom at Caribou while our drinks were being made. I kept my simple…a coffee with a splash of soy milk. We got them to go, and soon we were off making the 35 minute drive to Wayzata, Minnesota and the start of the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon.
We ended up parking at Wells Fargo in Wayzata and trekking down the hill toward the start line. While we were on our way past the line-up of port-a-potties, my grandpa called to say he fixed the problem in the bathroom, had disinfected the floor, and was now going back to bed. My grandpa is going to be 92 years old this year and he is still sharp as a whip. Love him. With that little bit of relief, we decided to get my legs warmed up by walking up the street and over to the docks of Lake Minnetonka. So, that’s what I did…in the very cold wind…with my aunt and my Aunt Jan. We took a few pictures on the docks and wandered a little more up, then turned around to head back toward the start line. I noticed a bunch of runners ducking into Starbucks, so I figured I could go use the bathroom there and Jan was thinking of getting a hot chocolate. So, we went in. And I ended up in the bathroom line of doooooooooom! But, I stayed there. Cathy helped a runner pin her race number on…properly because she wanted it on her back originally. And the line slowly made its way toward the bathroom doors. Heather texted while I was standing in line to say she was in the area and I told her we were in Starbucks. She must have found us. Cathy came up the line at 10 minutes to the race to give me the warning. I didn’t have to pee, I was just going to with a flushing toilet…so I said, “Screw this!” and got out of line, joining Cathy, Heather and Jan at the table. I decided it was time to suck it up cupcake and lose the pajama pants and the jackets…so I stripped out of them in Starbucks, now in only my running clothes…and we stepped outside.
Heather, Me, and Cathy after the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon – Excelsior, Minnesota
BRRRRR!!
But…the best thing to do is get acclimated, right? Right. Or that’s what I told myself as I huddled with Heather and Cathy for pictures in front of the start line. Heather actually told me that we weren’t supposed to be at the start line yet. She spotted the pace groups around the corner and that was where we needed to head. So, that’s what we did…crossing the road and heading into the fray of runners lining the side street. I chose a pace group the day before…being, what I told Cathy the night before, very overly ambitious with my half marathon pace…but understanding if I needed to drop off from that pace, I would. My pacers were Rick and Kevin, two very talkative and amazing guys who did a great job on Sunday morning. And my pace group was the 7:38/mile pace group…or the 1:40:00 finish time.
That would require me to shave a full 5 minutes off my half marathon PR from the Disney Princess Half Marathon. I told you…I was being overly ambitious on this one. I had that thought in my head as I lined up. And Heather stepped into the street with me, looked at the sign and back at me and said, “Karen…this is a fast pace for a half marathon.” I nodded. “I know.” We hugged. Cathy snapped a picture of me in front of the pacers. We hugged. I ran over to Jan and hugged her…and then I got in line. And shivered with the rest of the runners who were dressed more like it was summer than 30-some degrees out.
After a few minutes, we were marched down the street and around the corner toward the starting gate. I hit the button on my Garmin so that it could seek out satellites…and it managed after a few moments. I noted that it was just a little past 8:00 a.m. We were starting late. Uh oh. Not another omen of some sort. We were, indeed, starting late. The pace car wasn’t up where it needed to be, so they had to go find it. Go figure. So, we all sort of huddled there at the start until we suddenly…we were off.
I moved with the pace group toward the start line…and then…we joined the throng of runners now making their way down Lake Street. As with most races, the start area is very crowded, so your pace starts out easier. This is actually a good thing. For me. I tend to fly out of that start line. But this was good. This reined me in. I was about 2 feet behind my pacers, and it was like that up until about half a mile when I was right up next to them.
They start you off on a high note…in that you are running flat for a little distance and then…BOOM…you get the steepest hill and climb in the race. At least you get it over with early. So, I decided to power up that hill and find my pace on the other side. In most cases what goes up does have to come down. And it was on this downward end that I pulled ahead of my pacers. No problem. They were just behind me. For a long while, I could hear them chatting back and forth with each other. I was right where I needed to be…and I felt good. So far…so good. Run smart. That was the key.
The first three miles of this race were spent right along the shoreline of beautiful Lake Minnetonka. I mean…it was serene and gorgeous. And, the locals who lived along the streets came outside, even in the cold, to cheer all of us on. It was amazing and it can really make all the difference in the world. At Mile 3 we branched off away from the lake for about 2 miles and ran Fox Street. There were a couple more hills, and I remained in front of my pace group through this as well. It was really turning into a great run. I was feeling energized and really enjoying the run regardless of my time.
Now, here’s the thing about the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon – this is not a closed course. So, yes…we do share the road with traffic. And at certain points in the miles that were coming up, we were directed to run inside the white line of the shoulder…in single file. You want to talk about getting thrown off your pace?! I had never experienced something like that in a half marathon. Normally roads are closed for a couple of hours and then reopened after the back of the pack passes through. But not with this race. So, it made it very interesting to navigate these tight areas along the road. It was…a challenge…and a new experience all at once. This meant, if my pace was faster than the person in front of me, I either toughed it out behind them, or risked stepping outside the white line and into the road to pass. Runners were doing a combination of both.
We hit about mile 5.5 where the relay teams tagged off and sent their next runner out toward the finish. I was still making fantastic time and not really feeling like I was pushing myself too hard this early in the race. My biggest fear was petering out in the last couple miles for holding this strong of a pace so early. But, my legs felt good and strong so I kept on…still ahead of my pacers. But I could still hear them. So, I was technically right on pace. Once the relay teams tagged off, the remainder of the race, while still, at points, needing to be single file on the shoulder of the road, was back along the shoreline of the lake.
It was about the time we hit the apartment complex with the speed bumps that my pacers were right with me. And then…just ahead of me. Okay…no problem. I was going to run a comfortable race and push myself more than I normally do. They were right there…warming runners of bumps and when we hit Mile 8, one of them shouted out “That was a really great mile. 7:34 pace!” Sweet! We were down to the last 5 miles and I started my mental play to get me through to the end.
There were more hills, more flats, then, around Mile 11…loose gravel. Yes. Loose gravel. Apparently, the course now veered off the main road and onto what looks like it is known as the Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail. So, we left the road and hit this trail that was a lot like the one I ran in Birmingham the weekend prior to this one. I hate loose gravel. It’s harder to get my footing and steady myself. Overall…it is more difficult to run on. I wasn’t prepared…and my pace team was now slipping further and further ahead of me. I could still see that sign though, so that gave me a little consolation. For the next two miles, I ran steady, but cautious, until just before Mile 13, where we were put back out onto the road. There was a hill to climb…so I tucked into it…fought my way up and it was all downhill to the finish line.
I came barreling toward that finish, not looking at the clock, just focused on getting through that gate. I could hear Heather and Cathy screaming for me. I could see Jan, and she was also shouting. I ran it in and crossed the finish line, pausing my Garmin a moment later and proceeding through the chute. I glanced at my Garmin…and it said 1:40:46. Holy crap…had I managed to actually do it?
Jan took a few pictures of me near the finish line and then I proceeded to walk around to where Cathy and Heather were waiting for me. I received big hugs and Heather started shouting, “ONE FOUR ZERO, ONE FOUR ZERO!” with me. It was amazing. I felt awesome at the end of the race. And Heather even commented that I was hardly sweating. Guess I need to push harder next time, eh? We joked around about that and Cathy got out my protein shake, which I drank slowly, and washed down with some water. We stood around for a bit, basking in the race, swapping stories, and everyone I was with just kept complimenting me on making my goal. After a moment, we decided to move toward the lake and maybe start making our way toward where we’d be meeting up with my cousin Andy and his girlfriend Courtney for brunch/lunch in a bit. As we made our way that way, Cathy spotted the massage chairs and asked if I wanted a massage.
Aunt Jan and me after the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon – Excelsior, Minnesota
Of course. So, I signed the waver and got settled on the chair. My massage therapist said that my lower left back was really tight, so he worked on that for quite awhile. I don’t know if he got it to loosen, but if felt good to get it worked on, regardless. After that, I decided my legs were cold, so I slipped my pajama pants back on and got out my jacket to wear. We made our way up toward the main drag. I was ready for something warm to drink, so we ducked into Dunn Bros Coffee. Cathy didn’t get anything to drink, but Jan got a mocha, heather got a soy latte and I snagged a cafe au lait with almond milk. It was warm, refreshing, and delicious. Just what I needed. As we finished off the drinks, we decided we’d head into the pub, Jake O’Connor’s, to get our reservation checked in. Cathy went to get my change of clothes from the car and Heather went with her. Jan and I got our table immediately after getting there, adding one chair to the party. That wasn’t a problem. And so…the rest of the party arrived. I immediately went to get changed and returned wearing my finisher’s medal and my race shirt.
I went for breakfast food that day, getting their Healthy Hash and Eggs Breakfast, which was a combination of Brussel sprouts, sweet corn, yellow onion, bell peppers, potato hash, and fresh avocado all sautéed together untill caramelized. I topped mine off with two poached eggs (which they overly poached…so no runny yolks) and then covered with a light hollandaise sauce. I skipped the brown bread since I’m gluten-free and made sure the entire dish was prepared gluten-free. When it arrived…aside from the over-poached eggs…it tasted amazing. I was in heaven with my food. Trust me…I was hungry. About halfway through I asked about getting a Magners, and a pint was happily delivered to me. Bliss.
After lunch, we all split off to do our own thing the rest of the day. For me, that meant a trip to the grocery store for gluten-free pasta, gluten-free marinara, gluten-free salad dressing, and other necessary items for dinner that evening with my cousin Molly and her family. Simple enough.
So, the official results of the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon are that I finished in 1:40:46, taking just under 5 minutes off the half marathon PR I set in Disney World in February. Maybe being overly ambitious for this race was a good thing. And in a race with hills and with single file running on the shoulder of a busy road…yeah…quite pleased with that accomplishment. I was the 301/2425 finishers overall. WOOHOO!! I was 70/1288 women to cross the finish line. And I was 16/238 people in my age division. Super please with these results. Elated. And now aiming higher for the next one.
Running in grandpa’s footsteps brought me to a small, local half marathon. And I totally hit my pace and made everyone I was with, including myself, super proud.
This will teach me to allow my roommate to make changes to the original plan. Because, judging by the reviews that I’ve read since just working on this blog, I never would have gone to Pizza Ranch for my night-before-a-big-race gluten-free pizza tradition when a place like Pizza Luce existed within a short drive from my grandpa’s home. Let me tell you…next time I pick the place and we stick to the plan…because when I eat gluten-free pizza…I expect a really amazing gluten-free pizza.
But Pizza Ranch, right off the bat, I could tell wasn’t going to be a place to get something amazing to eat. Too bad. The line was pretty long and we had 10 people in our party as my cousin Molly and her hubby and two kids joined us, as did my cousin Andy and his significant other as well. My friend Heather came over and joined us for dinner as well. Big group…and not everyone quite sure how this place worked.
But my aunt figured it out. We had to either get the buffet (not gluten-free) or go place an order at the front desk. Everything was paid for in advance, and you could have all the pizza you wanted, or a specialty pizza made and brought to your table in its own box. After a little discussion, Heather, Cathy and I decided that the perfect toppings for our pizza that night were best kept mild…so mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms and onions ($12.99). We all got fountain drinks, although I simply got water in mine.
Now, this was not how I wanted to start out Heather when it came to gluten-free foods. We had to wait awhile to actually get our food. Which…is fine. It’s okay when food takes some time to prepare. And yes, it was actually brought to the table in its own box. But by them, my family who had all opted for buffet and my grandpa, who had ordered some 2-piece chicken dinner ($5.49), all had pretty much finished off their meals. So, the pizza got there in time for us to make a show of eating it.
And a show it was. Opening the box it looks like the cracker-crust pizzas I get at every other small chain pizza place that is getting into gluten-free. And that’s fine. If it is done right. At first glance, this one seemed to be, even if a bit charred on the edges. When you’re working with such a thin crust…it happens. However…that being said, Cathy went to snag the first piece from the aluminum sheet it was cooked on, only to find it completely baked onto the disposable pan. I mean…crusted on there good. She managed to get her fork and knife in to hack away at the charred edge that held it in place and finally freed her piece. This made it easier for Heather and I to snag ours, but I was completely mortified. Remember…Heather hasn’t had gluten-free pizza before and this was already scaring me…a patron of the gluten-free pizza scene.
I scraped my piece out of the tray and onto my plate, gave it a little shake of crushed red pepper and sliced off the very tip with my fork. One bite. Instant disappointment. I mean…instant. It wasn’t that the pizza was bad. It wasn’t. It just…wasn’t all that good either. The crust, while crispy and maybe a little too done on the edges, was pale and soft on the inside. It was cooked through, but you couldn’t easily pick up this pizza to eat. It had to be eaten with a fork and knife because the crust was just…mush. Pale, ungolden, uncrispy…mush. And where it was crispy…it was a little too done.
Yeah…I think my disappointment showed. But at that point, you’ve paid for it, everyone else has eaten…so you sort of just eat what you have and be thankful that you’re at least getting your pre-race tradition done. We thought the toppings were fine. The vegetables were fresh. The onions were raw, not caramelized…but…we were at a place called Pizza Ranch. So…such luxuries are not exactly what you should expect. I’m okay with raw onions though. And they tasted fine. It was just too bad that crust ruined the entire pizza experience for me. I was so unimpressed and unhappy with every bite of that pizza. And the fact that the three of us had to literally fight to extract each piece from the tray was only making it worse. My heart was heavy. My pizza was…meh.
And my runner’s spirit was sort of crushed. As was my chance to really show Heather what the food I eat is all about. But…I have a feeling I can fix all of that when we hit up Chicago in October. She just needs to trust me.
Anyway…I had three pieces, Cathy and three, and Heather stuck with two (I don’t blame her). And we all left, discussing how the pizza wasn’t awful it just wasn’t…noteworthy or…good. It was underwhelming. And it honestly made me sad. When you are known for pizza…I don’t care if it is gluten-free…you make a damn good pizza. Even if you are a small, regional chain, only available in nine states…when you make a name off your pizza…make all of your pizza good. Not just the dough you make from scratch. The toppings were really good…the gluten-free crust, however, was not up to my standards. I eat a lot of gluten-free pizzas (because I run a lot)…and this was one of the worst yet.
Thank goodness it wasn’t an omen for race day. And thank goodness we all survived. I don’t think we’ll mosey over to Pizza Ranch again next time I visit Minnesota to run. I think I’ll go where everyone raves about the food and service. Pizza Luce…I’m looking at you. Pizza Ranch…I intend to let you fade from my memory. While I appreciate that you have gluten-free pizza available, we in the gluten-free community prefer to have as good a pizza as those who can dine normally. And, sadly, that wasn’t the case for me.
Pizza Ranch Gluten-Free Pizza with mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, onion, and mushrooms
So…if you’re anything like me…you’ve never heard of Pinstripes. That was certainly the case up until my first full day in Minneapolis. I was bustling around town with my roomie and my aunt, having hit up the race expo that morning for my half marathon the next day. So, with that one detail (and the major thing we needed to accomplish) taken care of…we were just hitting up interesting places along the way until we needed to head home for a bit and figure out where to grab gluten-free pizza for race night tradition.
While we were trying to decide on where to grab a quick, and semi-light bite for lunch, my aunt, Jan, mentioned a really cool place she and her friend stopped into for drinks one time. Pinstripes. And we weren’t far from it at all.
I was totally game for that…and…they were listed on Find Me Gluten Free with one positive 5-star review. Granted, it’s only one review, but at least it had one on there, yes? So…we decided that after we stopped by the Apple Store to get some of Jan’s stuff sorted, we would grab something to eat at Pinstripes.
Now…I had no idea what Pinstripes was until I stepped inside. It looks like a great Italian/American bistro, with wine bottles and decor to match. However, throughout this amazing set-up, you see a variety of hand painted bowling balls. Bowling balls? You betcha. And here’s why…this bistro not only houses a 40,000 square foot dining and entertainment area, but also features bowling alleys in the back, a year-round outdoor patio and fire pit, as well as party rooms that can accommodate 20-600 people. A little bit of everything and it still looks and feels upscale and classy. They term this “sophisticated fun” and let me tell you…they have the setting all right. It felt welcoming, engaging, fun, and still upscale all at once. Amazing.
As our menus were being grabbed by our hostess, I asked for a gluten-free one and she was happy to accommodate. We were shown to a booth where we all settled in, opting to stick with water at lunch as we’d already treated ourselves to coffee that morning. I eagerly picked up my little slip of a menu and started to gaze down the items listed.
And found myself…sort of underwhelmed.
Pizzas…pastas…and meat-based large plates are what were listed. I didn’t want pasta when I was going to be having pizza that night, and that fact also negated me getting pizza as well. As tempting as it was to get dessert for lunch (the gluten-free menu does offer gelato, sorbet, a Frangelico chocolate cake or a limoncello creme brulee, I needed some actual sustenance as it was the day before a half marathon. The better I ate, the better my body would be the following morning.
When our waitress arrived with our drink orders, Cathy and Jan knew what they wanted and I knew that the regular menu had salads listed. So, I inquired over the Caprese Salad, which by all intents and purposes should have been gluten-free…and…it was. Salads just didn’t make it over to the gluten-free menu, I suppose. With that information, which, the waitress did go back and double check that everything was safe for me to eat before we ordered, we all placed our orders.
Jan and Cathy both decided to order off the small plates menu. Jan decided on the Italian Meatballs ($11.00), which came wrapped up in a sandwich roll with a side salad as well. Cathy, having a craving, went with the Fried Calamari, which came with a marinara for dipping ($12.00). As for me, with pasta and pizza out of the question, I opted for the Caprese Salad ($13.00). Orders were in and we were left to converse, which we did. After all, it had been close to a year since the last time I had visited.
After a little while, our food arrived at the table. Jan’s small plate definitely looked like a full meal, and after a little bit, she opted to forgo the bread the Italian Meatballs were tucked into and eat the protein alone. She raved about them. Loved them. Cathy was really happy with her calamari, loving that they included tentacles and everything. Creepy…I know. But she loves it and doesn’t get it very often.
My Caprese Salad was a work of art, I think. It was a gorgeous presentation that included slices of red and yellow heirloom tomatoes, capped with thick slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, adorned with three fresh leave of basil and all lightly drizzled with a balsamic reduction. It not only looked light and refreshing…it was light and refreshing. Just the type of lunch I needed to have. I sliced through the layers of tomato and cheese and took up a bite…and it all just worked. The cheese was creamy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The tomato was ripe, juicy and sweet, the perfect counterpart to the mozzarella cheese. And that balsamic reduction really tied everything together. And it was a light drizzle so that the salad wasn’t swimming in it. It was like an accessory to the main dish. Even better were the bites that included the leaves of basil, which I would pick and choose sparingly. Amazing. A salad is a simple thing, but when done right, it can blow any entree out of the water. This…was salad greatness.
Pinstripes was a fun, upscale, yet family-friendly restaurant that I’d love to try again. Maybe I’d even do my night-before-the-race gluten-free pizza there. Because…honestly…all three of us really enjoyed our food. It was fresh, perfectly seasoned, and and made up to perfection. The little plates were definitely for big appetites regardless, but we had burned off breakfast by then and still had plenty of time before we hit up the pizza location of choice, which we hadn’t decided on quite yet. After we ate, we went to peek in at the people bowling in the lanes in the back. And then went to see the patio and check out the lakefront as well. It was the perfect afternoon…with a perfect meal to tie us over.
If you happen to be near a Pinstripes, I encourage you to check it out sometime for a lunch or dinner. They are a little pricey, but the quality of the food reflects the service, the preparation, and the care they put into each plate. I loved this place. Locations are sort of regional, though, with one location in Minnesota and three in Illinois.
Totally worth the stop though. I’d go back again in a heartbeat.
Wow…100 posts in my running blog. What a milestone. When I set out to write about my race experiences, my training, my injuries, my day-to-day struggles with running…I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. But, the fact is, I’ve quite enjoyed this journey. Since starting this blog, I have accomplished so much in my running. With 100 posts behind me…I am eagerly anticipating the rest of this year and seeing where my running shoes, my legs, and my spirit take me.
That being said…tonight after work, I am hopping a flight out of town (just as Kentucky Derby weekend kicks off, so this was amazing timing!) and heading up to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Why? Well…to visit my grandpa (yes…the man, the myth, the legend…my running hero and inspiration), my aunt, my cousins, and one of my besties (Heather!!), of course. But another reason is…to run in a half marathon that my grandpa has run.
That half marathon…
The Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon.
Grandpa and me in our race shirts in summer 2011 – his is a Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon shirt.
He talked a lot about this race when I was visiting him for his 90th birthday almost two years ago. In fact, he suggested we take pictures in race shirts, so I grabbed the one I had from my furthest distance race at that time (it was a 5 miler…I was recovering from injury at the time and heading into my first half marathon – Chicago – that September) and he grabbed his Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon race shirt. I don’t remember what year he ran it…but look for yourself at the picture. It makes me smile…just thinking that I’m actually following in his footsteps on this one. He talked a lot about this race. Raved about it…so I knew…I knew it had to be one of the ones I ran in Minnesota.
Of course, nothing is easy when it comes to traveling for a race. On May 1, 2013, Minnesota had snow dumped on it. Like…massive amounts of snow. SNOW! It’s MAY! So, with no clue how to even dress for this race I’m packing a little of everything and will make a game time decision on the official race attire.
As for now, I’m eagerly anticipating my packet pick-up tomorrow morning, seeing my grandpa, perhaps talking a little with him about the race. I looked at the elevation chart and their seems to be quite a few hills. That’s okay…I’m learning to embrace the torture of hills. My focus, of course, is on finishing. As it should be.
So…while most eyes in my town will be glued to the track at Churchill Downs, my feet are going to be carrying me from Wayzata, Minnesota down to Excelsior, Minnesota. I couldn’t be happier about it. I’m really looking forward to having a great time in Minnesota…with family…with friends…and with the runners who are taking on the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon with me on Sunday.
I’m leaving tomorrow for a trip. Immediately following work. Which means, tonight will consist of me doing laundry, packing, and generally running around like a stressed out lunatic until I feel I have everything in order and where it needs to be.
Welcome to my life.
That being said, I needed dinner to be of the hassle-free variety this evening. And, thankfully, my previous journey to Minnesota (that’s where I’m heading) led me to the discovery of these little boxes of protein-packed, quinoa goodness. Yep…it was another meal-out-of-a-box night for my apartment, but, as long as the food that comes out of the box is good…it’s not a big deal.
This meal-in-a-box just happened to be another Easy Quinoa meal by Nature’s Earthly Choice. For those of you wondering…yes…I ate one last night too. But, when sell by dates approach and you are going insane trying to prepare for a trip…you do what you can with what you have. And I happen to have some stress-free stuff in my pantry. Every chef needs those from time-to-time…trust me.
Tonight’s flavor…Sundried Tomato Florentine. Sound intriguing? It should. Unlike the Garden Vegetable version that I had last night, I felt that the Sundried Tomato Florentine had a lot more flavor. It was definitely not as bland as I found the previous one. Thank goodness.
Nature’s Earthly Choice Sundried Tomato Florentine Easy Quinoa is a good, healthy choice for a dinner. The ingredients are simple, yet packed with flavor, including quinoa (of course), dehydrated sundried tomatoes, potato starch, onion powder, dry milk, salt, yeast extract, garlic powder, spinach, paprika, and spices. Nothing that screams chemical. Nothing that is impossible to pronounce or recognize without looking it up online. Simple, natural ingredients. You have to love that. And without all the preservatives and chemicals, what you get in the end is an amazing clean flavor.
Quinoa and seasoning packets for Nature’s Earthly Choice Sundried Tomato Florentine Easy Quinoa
I thoroughly enjoyed the rich tomato flavor that came with the small dehydrated sundried tomatoes. It really brightened up the quinoa. I told my roommate she’d probably really love it if I dropped pearls of fresh mozzarella cheese throughout it. She totally agreed. But, on its own, the Sundried Tomato Florentine Easy Quinoa really, really tasted good. It had bolder flavors, and definitely felt like the seasoning was spot-on for this one.
Nutritionally speaking, not bad either. My roommate and I split the box as we were eating it as our entree (with a side of steamed broccoli with some lemon pepper dusted on top). Even doing that, our calorie total was under 270 calories each. How about that?! However, if you are going to go by the serving size, you get about 3.5 servings per box. Each serving (about a cup, cooked) will set you back 150 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. Awesome, yes? You get 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein in each serving as well. This is a low sodium food, a serving only containing 230 mg. The Nature’s Earthly Choice Sundried Tomato Florentine Easy Quinoa is cholesterol free, trans fat free, and saturated fat free. Loving it?
You should be. And, if you like a light, but rich tomato flavor…then this is a great way to get it without slaving over a stove. Two cups of water, the pouch of quinoa, then the seasoning. Boil, let it simmer until the water is absorbed. Serve. It took about 20 minutes on my stove top and while it was cooking, I was able to get a few other things done that needed to be done. On a night where multitasking is key…that was helpful.
I found that I truly enjoyed each spoonful of the Nature’s Earthly Choice Sundried Tomato Florentine Easy Quinoa. It wasn’t heavy…but it was filling. The tomato flavor complimented all the other spices and vegetables, without overpowering, but was definitely the star of the boxed meal itself. I devoured it in record time, partly because I was hungry, and partly because it tasted really, really good.
Find these boxed delights at your grocery store because they are certainly worth it. Especially on those nights where you’d rather do anything else than spend the night in the kitchen preparing dinner. Easy, fast, and delicious. Perfection.
I’m a sucker for quinoa. There…I said it. It’s not only a fantastic whole grain, but it is packed with protein that this runner girl needs. For real. But…sometimes I don’t feel like doing all the seasoning, flavoring, and pairing on my own. Not that it’s difficult…I just sometimes don’t want to do it.
Thankfully, quinoa is becoming one of those products that is exploding on the market place. While in Minnesota last year for a race, I was browsing the gluten-free selections at the local Cub Foods near my grandpa’s home. Lo and behold, I discovered four different flavors of this easy quinoa in a box-type meal. Sort of like Rice-A-Roni…but made with quinoa and better ingredients (you know…like real, recognizable ingredients and no partially hydrogenated oils…and no gluten…no gluten!).
I, honestly, have been wanting to crack these boxes open for awhile now, but I’ve got a bit of a backlog in my gluten-free pantry. But…tonight, that all changed. My original plan for tonight was going to be tofu nuggets with carrot fries. The problem was…my tofu was no longer good. Dang it. So, I had to go to Plan B. I had no Plan B. So it was either thaw some gluten-free bread and make a vegan grilled cheese sandwich, or…dig around a little.
I knew these were up on a shelf and coming close to their sell by date. That being said…I now had a new plan for dinner. Plan B was now cooking up a box of the Nature’s Earthly Choice Garden Vegetable Easy Quinoa.
Easy…is putting it mildly. This is basically a meal that prepares itself. Honestly.
Quinoa and seasoning packets for Nature’s Earthly Choice Garden Vegetable Easy Quinoa
Took cook on the stove top, simply put 2 cups of water and the quinoa from the pouch inside the bag into a medium saucepan. Bring the contents to a vigorous boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Open the other pouch, which contains the seasoning mix, and add it to the water. Stir well. Continue to let it cook until the quinoa is tender but still chewy, and white spiral-like threads appear around each grain. Usually this is when the water is completely absorbed. This took about 15-20 minutes for me. Remove the pan from the heat and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Good to serve.
I made a quick honey-chili dipping sauce for my carrot fries that I roasted in the oven, and dished up this quinoa dish for myself and my roomie to enjoy for dinner. It’s a good thing she’s used to me doing stuff like this. Needless to say…we settled in to dinner and tucked our spoons into our bowls for tasting purposes.
All around, I’d say that Nature’s Earthly Choice does a decent job with this quinoa blend. You get chunks of vegetables (which were dehydrated in the seasoning pouch and include sun-dried tomatoes, carrots, celery, spinach, dehydrated bell pepper) throughout the quinoa itself, giving it a little color and a bit more depth of flavor. Which…it needs. While this was certainly a tasty dish, I found it to be a little on the bland side. The fact that this is a low sodium choice is a good thing, but a little touch of salt would have probably benefited this flavor immensely.
That being said, it was tasty and very filling.
My roommate and I split the box in half and made a meal of it. Even doing that, the calorie count for each of us was still under 300 calories.
A serving size of Nature’s Earthly Choice Garden Vegetable Easy Quinoa is about a cup, cooked. This will set you back only 150 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. There are only 260 mg of sodium in a serving. And with that, you also get 3 grams of fiber, only 3 grams of sugar, and a whopping 6 grams of protein. Awesome. This product is completely gluten-free.
So, I wasn’t as blown away by it as I anticipated, but it was still really good. And, for people who are minding what they eat, or trying to add less sodium to their dishes, this is a great way to do it. Plus you get additional nutritional goodness in the process. I’d buy it again, sure…but I might toss some tofu or a sauce with it, just to liven it up a little.
But…on the whole…not a bad product at all. Quinoa is one of my favorite grains for a reason. It’s nice to change it up from rice every now and again, yes? Why not do it with the nutritional powerhouse that is quinoa. And, make it easy on yourself…let Nature’s Earthly Choice dress it up and flavor it for you. Just cook and serve. Easy…and yummy.
Ah…Dayton, Ohio. I have so many things to thank you for. First and foremost…Sinfully Gluten Free. I can’t go to Dayton and not stop in there for a treat, or lunch, or dinner. It is one of my favorite things in your city.
BUT…that’s not all. I also feel the need to thank you for this little grocery store chain called Dorothy Lane Market. If you are unfamiliar with Dorothy Lane Market, you are not alone. The only reason I took note was that, while driving through Dayton for a chocolate festival, we saw a few of them along the way. My friend Jenn and I were intrigued, and as lunch was not yet being served at Sinfully Gluten Free, we thought to drop in and check it out.
Dorothy Lane Market is a grocery store that sort of specializes in hard-to-find items and products. NICE!! I mean, it has your general produce and brands, but it had a lot of things I had never seen before. Evidence by the fact that I walked out of there with quite a few gluten-free goodies that were not available in my area. So much for just checking it out, right?
One very interesting fact was that they had this amazing gluten-free aisle. And while I was perusing it, an employee came over to talk about the gluten-free items and the fact that a gluten-free tasting fair was coming up. I would have loved to come back for it, but it happened on the weekend I was going to be running in Hershey, Pennsylvania. No good. But I was totally interested in some of the products she was highlighting.
Out in the asile, there was a tray of sample gluten-free bread. The one that happened to be cut up was the Cranberry Walnut Bread from Eban Bakery. She mentioned that Dorothy Lane Market often sells products from local businesses, and they had items from Sinfully Gluten Free as well as Tina’s Sweet Treats, among others. I was overjoyed with the fresh baked items from local bakeries…and ended up picking up a few items. Nothing from Sinfully Gluten Free, as I was going to do that when I got to the bakery itself. But, some Sub Rolls from Tina’s Sweet Treats and a loaf of the bread I sampled, Eban Bakery Gluten-Free Cranberry Walnut Bread, did make the cut.
With that purchase made, we headed out to eat at Sinfully Gluten Free, enjoy the chocolate festival, and then drive back to Columbus, Ohio.
When it came time to leave Ohio and head back to Indiana, I packed up the cooler with all the gluten-free goodness that I bought from Dorothy Lane Market and Sinfully Gluten Free. And it came home with me. And it got cozy…in my freezer. While the sub rolls were used rather quickly, a loaf of bread sometimes takes some getting around to eating. And, sadly, this one got buried under a lot of other stuff in my freezer. It happens.
Until I cleaned it the other day and organized it. And I knew immediately what to do with this bread.
French Toast.
Oh. Hell. Yes.
But first…it had been so long since I had sampled this bread, I needed to have it on its own. Just to see what all the hype was when I snagged it from the shelf.
Eban Bakery Gluten-Free Cranberry Walnut Bread is awesome. It is a bit dense and heavy, but a lot of gluten-free breads are. It is just something I have come to expect. However, slice it up, and the slices feel light. They are certainly filling. But the best part is the flavor. The bread is sweet, with the bits of cranberry scattered throughout. In addition, the walnuts bring a saltiness to it, as well as add something to the texture of the bread itself. It is delicious. And I knew it was going to make really amazing gluten-free French toast.
I sliced four pieces of the bread from the loaf and began to prep the egg with some vanilla and cinnamon. I even added a touch of nutmeg. I beat all of that together, then dipped the bread into the egg mixture. The great thing about this bread was that it absorbed the egg without becoming soggy and falling apart. Onto the griddle the slices of bread went to brown and crisp up like French toast should.
In the meantime, I warmed up some gluten-free real maple syrup and mixed together some cinnamon and sugar to dust over the top of the finished product. I flipped the bread over to toast the other side and before I knew it…breakfast was served. Maple syrup and cinnamon and sugar topped it all off.
I settled in with my roommate for breakfast. She was halfway through her French toast before I managed my first bite. She was raving about how yummy it was, so that was a good sign. She was right.
This bread worked fantastic as a base for French toast. Being that it was sturdier than regular sandwich bread, the egg wash didn’t make it crumble or become soggy. Instead it just absorbed it and made it toast up golden and beautiful. The flavor of the walnuts and cranberries took on a caramelized and toasted flavor which only elevated it to the next level. It was phenomenal.
On its own or dressed up, Eban Bakery really blew me away with the flavor, taste, and texture of their gluten-free bread. The Gluten-Free Cranberry Walnut Bread is definitely a welcome addition to my kitchen any day.
Eban Bakery is a gluten-free bakery based out of Ohio that specializes in breads, baked goods and sweet treats in small batches that use all natural and organic ingredients, free of gluten, preservatives, and additives. In other words…no bad stuff goes into their goods. Ever. And that is evident with how delicious and amazing their products taste. Love at first bite. When I next find myself anywhere with Eban Bakery goods, I’ll definitely purchase some more. Very impressed.
And thanks to Dorothy Lane Market…I now know of this otherwise unknown gluten-free bakery. Eban Bakery…you’ve definitely won the heart of this Indiana girl. When I next find myself in Ohio, I’m seeking out more of your products and going on a tasting frenzy. The Gluten-Free Cranberry Walnut Bread was certainly a great place to start.
French Toast made from Eban Bakery Gluten-Free Cranberry Walnut Bread
Restaurant: The Pfunky Griddle, Nashville, Tennessee
As a gluten-free vegetarian, sometimes eating while on the road can be a challenge. Fast food joints don’t work for me. And I’ve never been big on fast food regardless. This often means, especially when I travel to visit my family, that finding a restaurant to stop and eat is a priority. Thankfully…in this brave new world of smart phone apps, there is an app for that.
Find Me Gluten Free.
If you have not put this app on your phone…do so now and then continue reading this blog. I’ll wait.
…
Okay…congratulations! Your dining life just got a lot easier. Trust me.
The midway point between my home and my parents home is…Nashville, Tennessee. There is no shortage of places to eat in Nashville. There are also plenty of places that have gluten-free options. Normally, we’d probably make it easy and stop off at Taco Mamacita or even go to McCreary’s Pub in Franklin, Tennessee. But…while I know there are things I could eat at either one of those places (McCreary’s does not have a gluten-free menu, FYI, but Taco Mamacita does), I just wasn’t feeling the usual haunts. So this necessitated a search.
And naturally…I find a place that specializes is…breakfast and brunch.
When breakfast is your favorite meal of the day…this is one hell of a find. It had brilliant ratings on Find Me Gluten Free, so my roommate and I decided we would stop there on the way home and dine on some pancakes for lunch. Breakfast for lunch. Yep…my favorite way to eat.
The Pfunky Griddle is located on Bransford Avenue in Nashville, Tennessee. This is a quaint neighborhood with houses done up into businesses and offices. My kind of area. Parking, however, was a nightmare. We arrived sometime just after noon and there were already parties of people standing around outside. No parking was available in the lot, so Cathy dropped me off to go check on the wait time and she went to circle around and see if she could find somewhere to park. I ducked into the building and stood in a short line at the front where the coffee drinks were being made. I asked about wait time for a party of 2 and was told it would be about 25 to 30 minutes. That wasn’t unreasonable, so I put my name in and went to go see if I could find Cathy and tell her. She had just managed to find a parking spot, so we stood around outside for a moment before I asked if she’d like some coffee while we waited.
The Pfunky Griddle’s Honey Child Latte with Almond Milk
Caffeine while on the road is never a bad thing. And…The Pfunky Griddle has almond milk. Could I love this place any more already? Is it possible? After giving it a little bit of thought, Cathy agreed that caffeine might be a good idea (DUH!) so I told her I would treat us to our café order. She went with a Peppermint Mocha with skim milk ($3.75). As for me…I went with something that I couldn’t get anywhere else. Not that I’m aware of, anyway. Stepping away from my order of a Cafe Au Lait for a moment, I opted for what they call a Honey Child Latte with almond milk ($3.75). The Honey Child Latte is a double shot of espresso, combined with honey, cinnamon, vanilla and your steamed milk of choice. Never heard of anything like it…but it sounded epically delicious. So, I had to have one. Besides, I can get cafe au laits anywhere. This was something I had only seen here. Why not go for it?
The coffee orders were backed up, so it took around five minutes to get our actual drinks. No worries though, Cathy and I weren’t in any hurry. And it gave both of us time to stand in line to use the bathroom before getting seated. Her peppermint mocha was up first, and she commented on how awesome it smelled when I passed it off to her. My Honey Child Latte was up next and when I received it…I couldn’t wait to try it. Photos first…then the taste test.
One sip and I was in love. The combination of the rich espresso worked so well with the spice from the cinnamon, the sweetness of the honey, and the smooth vanilla after tones. It all just meshed so well. Love at first sip. I even made Cathy try it and even she commented on how delicious it was. Smooth, dreamy, and sweet. Just how I like it!
Dedicated gluten-free griddle (placed over the one built into the table) at The Pfunky Griddle
I was about halfway through my latte when my name was called. We eagerly followed the hostess to our table in the back room near the window. The table was outfitted with a griddle in the middle because at the Pfunky Griddle…you flip your own pancakes, bitches! Sorry…but it’s a really, really awesome concept. As we were handed menus, I looked at Cathy and said, “I don’t know what they are going to do, but I need this hot griddle completely cleaned…or I can’t eat on it. Cross contamination.” She nodded and went back to the menu…and lo and behold…there at the bottom was a note that said if you were a Celiac, a special griddle would be provided for you.
I admit…I smiled. I smiled a lot. I was already feeling better about the situation. Our waitress came over to take out drink orders. As we both still were downing or pre-game coffee drinks, we opted for water. Cathy went ahead and told her that I was a Celiac…so the waitress said she would send someone out with a new griddle for us. A few moments later, one of the other employees was flipping off the griddle in the center of the table and putting a new griddle across our table. He had it wiped down and left it there. I felt a whole lot better.
And, when eating at The Pfunky Griddle…you get something you put on that griddle. Cathy and I already had our mind made up. They have an all-you-can-eat pancake deal going. So, we opted for that. We got the gluten-free pancakes ($6.99 per adult per person, including 1 topping each). Cathy chose chocolate chips for her included topping and added walnuts for another option ($0.75). For my included topping, I went with blueberries, then added bananas for an additional choice ($0.75). As we were really hungry, we each got a side with our pancake order. Cathy opted for the 2 biscuits ($1.00), which came with butter and jam. As for me, as it was labeled gluten-free, I stuck with the potatoes ($3.00). Order in.
I noted that our griddle wasn’t turned on, so I went ahead and turned it on, giving it some juice. I wasn’t sure how high to set it to cook, so I opted for around 300 degrees, because I didn’t want to burn anything, so I figured a little extra time on the griddle wouldn’t hurt anyone. Not one bit. Our waitress came out with a a bowl that had packets of ketchup and hot sauce in it. And soon…or food followed.
We received a pitcher of gluten-free pancake batter and little plastic containers that contained our toppings of choice. The waitress set this heaping bowl of potatoes down in front of me and told me to cook them for three minutes on each side. I could handle that. With that…we were left to our own devices to cook up our meal at our table. FUN!
Cathy poured her first pancake and went to sprinkle just her chocolate chips over the top. I would have thrown the nuts in too, but she kept them to just sprinkle over the top after her pancake was plated. I got a couple of spoonfuls of potato working on the griddle then poured my own pancake. I poured way more than I expected and had this monster to start off with. I went ahead and tossed some blueberries and banana slices onto it and let it sit to brown on the one side. The heat was definitely too low as both the pancakes and my potatoes were taking awhile to cook. Cathy went ahead and dived into eating her biscuits, really enjoying the flaky, lightness of them. I turned the heat up slightly, which helped. Soon I found myself flipping her pancake and my own because her first attempt was pretty much a fail. But, I cook pancakes on a griddle at home…so I’m sort of a master.
Gluten-Free pancakes and potatoes on the dedicated gluten-free griddle at The Pfunky Griddle
With the other side working, I went ahead and tried the potatoes.
Oh. My. GOD! No, these were honestly some of the most amazing breakfast potatoes ever. Laced with a delicious garlic flavor, these mashed up spuds were crispy from the griddle on the outside, soft on the inside…and really freakin’ fantastic. The flavor was awesome. I told Cathy she had to try some, and she said she intended to. She went ahead and scooped some up for herself to get it working on the griddle while I plated our first pancakes and poured more batter for our next round. We threw on toppings and then settled in for our first taste.
The batter cooks up beautifully. We each achieved this gorgeous golden color on our pancakes. My bananas even caramelized after I flipped my pancake over and the toppings began to work into the pancake itself. I love a light pancake. Nothing is worse than eating one pancake and feeling stuffed. And here, you can make them as big or as small as you want. You can add one topping, both, or more. Whatever your whim…it’s yours to create. And these pancakes really hit the spot. They were sweet, without being overly sweet. And thin. And light. And just plain delicious. The batter wasn’t heavy at all, making the pancakes almost as light as air when I removed them from the griddle and onto our respective plates. And those potatoes. Oh…hell yes!! Those potatoes were one of my favorite thing. Cathy and I both enjoyed them, getting them golden on each side then moving them to the plate. I added hot sauce to mine, just a dab, which only enhanced the amazing flavor. All together…a carby, delicous, amazing, happy dining experience. One of the best gluten-free pancakes I have ever tasted…and I eat a lot of gluten-free pancakes.
This may be a new go-to place in the near future when passing through Nashville. Very happy. I never felt like I needed to worry about my food. The spatulas were rubber, not the metal ones other tables got, so I am certain they were for gluten-free foods only. I felt completely safe, and completely satisfied with my experience there. I’d go back and stuff myself silly with more of their gluten-free pancakes and potatoes.
For the record, they also have gluten-free bread, so you could have one of their sandwiches, or even French toast if your little heart desired it. The point is…this is a business doing gluten-free right. And I am forever thankful for them. And I’m also glad we stopped in and ate here. On the way out, I even purchased a bag of their gluten-free pancake mix for $5.50. So now I can make some at home too.
My gluten-free joy knows no bounds. Doing flips over everything at The Pfunky Griddle.
Love in brunch form!
My Gluten-Free Blueberry and Banana Pancake with Gluten-Free Potatoes that I safely prepared at The Pfunky Griddle
Top 3 Finishers of the “Walk Me Home…To The Place I Belong” 5K Run and Walk for Foster Care: Jimmy Gilchrist (2nd), Nathan Byrd (1st), and me (3rd)
Race: “Walk Me Home…To The Place I Belong” 5K Run and Walk for Foster Care
Place: Veterans Park, Hoover, Alabama
Date: April 27, 2013
Time:23:01
Let me be completely candid with you, first of all, when it comes to this race. I was not happy about doing it. Nope. I don’t travel often for 5K races, even when it is where my family currently lives. It’s too expensive for that short of a distance. And this 5K race was $30.00. Albeit, it’s for a fantastic cause, but…I normally wouldn’t have entered it. Not under normal circumstances.
But someone I used to work with wanted to run her first 5K. Originally, this weekend was going to be the Making Tracks for Celiacs 5K race, but that was pushed back to next weekend, and I just happen to be in Minneapolis, Minnesota for a half marathon that weekend. So, with the race rescheduled, I set out to find us another one.
And I did. This race. I signed up. I thought she had signed up. Turns out she didn’t…and wasn’t going to. That news was dropped on me on Friday afternoon. Saturday morning was the race and I was driving straight through from Louisville to Birmingham that night after work to get there, get a couple hours of sleep, and then run.
Alone.
Which, did sort of upset me. The whole reason I originally joined this race was to run with her in her first 5K ever. And now…I was sort of left to my own devices, making a very long car trip for 3.1 miles. Yeah…not a happy runner. Not one bit.
That being said, I got in just before 10 p.m. that evening. My dad came out and helped Cathy and I unload the car. And I left most of my stuff to sit so I could spend a little time with my parents before calling it a night. We sat up and talked for a little while, but then we decided that we best get some sleep. After all, I checked the race page on my way out at work and it indicated a 7:00 a.m. race start. EARLY! So, off to bed I went, setting my alarm for 5:20 a.m., which would hopefully give me enough time to get dressed in my running clothes, eat some cereal and a banana, and then head on out to Veterans Park with Cathy and my parents.
The alarm went off way too early for my liking that morning. But, I shut it off and hopped out of bed. I changed into my race clothes – a bright orange shirt, one of my running skirts, and my green compression socks. Why not? For my BondiBand…I was in Birmingham, Alabama. Nothing but my War Eagle band would do. Trust me. I put purple and orange extensions in my hair, and then finished up by getting my old running shoes out and onto my feet. Why old running shoes? At that point, rain was still a high possibility, so I figured…better to be safe than sorry. I’d leave my new pair dry and at home.
I went to wake up Cathy, and then headed downstairs to make up some breakfast. I intended to take a gluten-free bagel with vegan cream cheese with me to the race to eat afterwards, since my 3 year old nephew, Chace, had a tee ball game that morning. But that wasn’t until 10:15 a.m. And if the race started at 7:00 a.m., that would mean I’d have plenty of time to run and then hop into the car, come home, and eat some breakfast before heading out for the day. That being decided, I poured a bowl of Cinnamon Chex for Cathy and for me, got us each a banana, and warmed her up an Udi’s Gluten-Free Lemon Muffin, per her request.
My parents, Cathy, and I all scarfed down breakfast and I hurried to brush my teeth and get my Garmin and Road ID on. Then…we were packing into my parents vehicle and heading out to Hoover, Alabama.
I ran Veterans Park last year when I was down for the Making Tracks for Celiacs race. I had an idea of what this course was going to entail. For one thing, it’s the cross country course…so much of it is made up of loose gravel. Once you officially head out of the park and over toward the school campus, the path gets even trickier. HILLS. Dangerous hills with loose gravel so you can’t really fly down them and you have to watch your step and footing running up them as well. Yeah…this is a challenging course, with a monster hill right at the end. But, at least I knew that this time. When I was down here last year for Making Tracks for Celiacs…no clue.
We actually were some of the first to arrive. In fact, as we drove in, Cathy pointed out that all the signage for this particular race showed that it started at 8:00 a.m. Not 7:00 a.m. like the Web site told me. Great. So, now we were an hour early…which might mean I could be starving halfway into this race. I have a fast metabolism, so when I run I plan my meals and snacks and fuel accordingly. I didn’t bring anything with me, assuming that this would kick off at 7:00 a.m.
When I get there, I head over to the table that looks like where registration would be. No one is really manning it, so I ask the woman standing there if this is where I pick up my race packet. She seemed a bit lost, because, here I was, showing up way early, before all the volunteers were there, and before anyone was really ready. She asked for my name and went and plucked a bag out from a box. The volunteer handed me a waver notice that I had to sign for the City of Hoover. So I did. The bag was a nice reusable canvas bag from Birmingham’s running store The Trak Shak, and inside was my race t-shirt, a blue bracelet, a pin, and some gift certificates and cards for Sonic. I gave those to my dad, as I really can’t eat anything at Sonic and our location closed anyway. I did, however, note that there was no race bib with a number included. I found that odd. And I sort of got all grumpy and upset over the fact that I wasn’t going to have a number for this race. I even told my mom I’d rather just go home, forget I spent the $30.00, and run my 10 mile long run while it wasn’t raining, as it was supposed to be pouring when I was to put in my 10 mile run on Sunday. She said it was my call. I grumped and groaned about it to Cathy and she hurtfully said, “Well, we can just list this as a DNS (Did Not Start).” Oh, you should have heard me when she said that. No runner wants a DNS or a DNF (Did Not Finish). And honestly, just forgetting I even signed up for this race was what I was going for. The fact that she was going to hold me to it…give me a frickin’ DNS if I didn’t run it hurt me. It stung. I let her know that I didn’t like that at all. She just shrugged. And I pretended like I didn’t want to punch her for a moment.
But then…things started to get a little better…
More volunteers arrived. And soon a sign appeared on one of the tables that had race numbers on it. I allowed the girls manning that table a moment to get situated before heading up there to inquire about my race bib. Sure enough…my preregistered number was there. I was 716. The two girls handed it over along with two safety pins. I went over to where Cathy was seated and handed them to her. She hates just having two pins, so after declaring her dissatisfaction with that, my dad went over to the table and snagged two more for her. She pinned me up, and more racers arrived and got signed in to run.
A zumba dance thing was happening on the stage that was in the park. We watched that, briefly, and then a few announcements were made. Race time, 8:00 a.m., was fast approaching now, and I noticed a lot of the runners making their way away from the pavilion and toward the start/finish line. I didn’t line up yet, but as announcements and some information about the race and the charity that it benefited were given. We had a nice blessing over the race and then we all started to line up.
I was near the front, but not right up front. There were some cross country runners here, and quite a few native race veterans from the chatter I heard. Two ladies behind me were talking about their friend up at the front, saying how she always wins…so that was interesting. We were all just anxious to get started, so finally the announcer counted us down…and sent us off.
And so…I hit that loose gravel path running as much as I dared. I wanted to be careful and take this race easy. After all, I didn’t want to risk injury before my upcoming half marathon. That being said, early on I found myself passing quite a few people that had been closer to the front. I just kept moving, kept going, focusing on the path ahead.
Good thing too. About a quarter mile or so into the race, there was this huge gap in the course. It was at least, at least two feet wide with water running through it. Apparently, off to the side was a pedestrian bridge, but there were no volunteers to point the runners that way. I did what the guys in front of me did…and took a leap of faith. This fault line of sorts was nearly the death of me. I have short legs, and I barely landed on my toes on the other side, leaning forward in an attempt to not fall into the giant opening in the Earth. That was close. And it really rattled me. But, I just kept moving.
Signs and volunteers, many of them Boy Scouts, were along the path to guide runners (and later the walkers) in the right direction. I scurried around the little lake, dodging a fly fisherman as he worked his fishing pole, and continued on. I was hoping, as we rounded the lake and headed back toward the park that I wouldn’t have to leap over the fault again. Thankfully…I didn’t have to. Whew.
Heading back toward the park, we were diverted away from the finish area to head around the tennis courts. As I made the turn, Cathy peaked her head out to cheer me on. And one of the volunteers applauded and said, “First lady!”
Really? I was the first female?
That was new.
From there, we made our way across the road and toward the school campus. A water station was there, but I bypassed it and kept my momentum for the hill I had to climb. Not easy. I made it up and started down, realizing again that I needed to be careful of my footing on those steep downhills, which meant, leaning back and not allowing gravity to take over.
There were three men ahead of me, that much I knew. I was now entering the shady wooded area of the race, where the trees offered brilliant shade. But it was quiet. I could see flashes of the pink shirt of the guy ahead of me, so I pressed on, winding through the wooded path, watching my footing on the hills, until I finally caught up to him as he approached the last giant hill. He slowed to a stop, much like the guy ahead of me at Making Tracks for Celiacs the previous time I ran there. But, just as I did last year, I pressed on and took on the hill. It slowed me down, but I’ve trained on hills. This one was certainly steeper than the ones I normally run on, and made up of roots, gravel and mud, but I got up it and found my momentum again.
Besides, I couldn’t let the pink shirted guy beat me to the finish line. He was wearing western boots, not running shoes. It was a matter of pride and principle.
I dug in, scurrying back along the path, coming out of the trees. I ducked back under the bridge and emerged to run, once again, back toward the park. This time, however, I knew it was to the finish line. I also knew that there was a runner not too far behind me, pink shirt and western boots aside, he was still a contender. So, I just ran as hard as I could. His buddies started screaming at him as I started in toward the finish line.
I could see my parents right at the finish. My mom was holding up three fingers, shouting, “Come on, KJ! Come on, baby!” I crossed the finish line, paused my Garmin, and was handed a blue ribbon to go tie onto the Blue Ribbon Tree. Cathy hurried over and said, “THIRD OVERALL! FIRST FEMALE.”
Holy crap!! I wasn’t aware of being the third one in, but as no women passed me, I knew I was first female in.
Let me say this again.
THIRD. OVERALL.
Prior to the race, Cathy said as long as I wasn’t in the top three racers in, then I we could leave right after the race. Turns out…I was in the top three racers. But, no one fussed about that at all. The problem now was I needed to find out when awards would be given out.
First thing was first, however. Cathy pointed out the two guys who came in ahead of me and I went over to see if I could get a picture with them. They were happy to oblige. Nathan was our first place finisher and Jim was our second place finisher. Both were very nice guys and very good runners. We talked a bit about upcoming races, and then we all sort of split off and did our own thing until awards were given. Right…awards I needed to find out about those. So, I approached the same volunteer I first talked to that morning and she handed me a piece of paper with that information. Awards were going to be done at 9:30 a.m. This almost gave me enough time to go home, get my camera (for the baseball games that afternoon), change, and, most important, grab something to eat. I was starving.
My dad said that we would be cutting it close by going all the way home. So, my mom was going to send him, and I started rattling off everything I would need. He wasn’t sure he could remember it all, so my mom said she would go with him and Cathy and I could stay at the park and wait for them…and for the start of the awards. She said as long as they didn’t get stopped by a train, they should be back just in time. We saw them off and then went to sit down in the pavilion.
No sooner had we settled in, my mom texted to say a train had them stopped. Naturally. Contact went silent after that, and I was just hoping it was a short train and they were getting everything I had asked for them to grab, toast my gluten-free bagel, slap it with vegan cream cheese, and then make it back in time.
My dad and my mom all smiles after I received my Third Overall medal and gift card prizes. They were so proud of me.
Unfortunately, they were stopped by a train on the way back too. And with the walkers having been sent off after a very, very long prayer, the time for awards was almost there. Cathy and I stood up and made our way toward the stage area. I stopped walking, glancing over toward the parking lot, hoping that my parents would get back in time. No sign of them. So here they were able to see me place in the top three for the first time ever…but they were going to miss the awards.
I was frustrated, and very sad.
But luck was with me again. They just happened to start with awards for the men first, not the overall winners, as most races do. So, this bought some time. They were just at the Men 20 – 29, when I saw my dad heading my way with my bagel and my mom a few steps behind him with my change of clothes. YAY! They made it.
I downed the bagel as they went through the awards, realizing that overall awards were going to be given at the end. I had fun cheering and clapping for those who stuck around to get their awards. I love seeing award ceremonies, even if I don’t win. And then…overall awards were given.
I was the first up, being that I was the third overall finisher. My award was a beautiful bronze medal and an envelope stuffed with gift cards for local Birmingham businesses and restaurants worth $116.00. So awesome. When my name was called, Cathy, mom, and dad all cheered loudly. I love my cheering section.
The awards for first and second overall were also awarded, to Jim and Nathan, whom I had spoken to soon after my finish and got my picture with afterwards as well. And then, I scurried off to change and head off to get the rest of the day underway. I had nephews to cheer for at the ballpark after all.
So, while this race got off to a rocky (literally) start, in the end, it was totally worth the drive. I had a good time running this challenging course and I was thrilled my parents were attending the first race I ever placed as an overall winner. It was a very proud moment…and they continued to let me know how very proud they were of me. Yeah…totally worth it.
No new PR this time…but one amazing run in the presence of the two people who mean the world to me. So glad my parents were there to encourage me and motivate me to push all the way to the end…to one of my best finishes yet. Not bad for a rocky, hilly, treacherous course, yes? Sometimes races have a way of making us stronger. I definitely found my strong in Birmingham.
The Celiathlete 