Crosswinds Grille at The Lakehouse Inn and Winery

"Casual upscale dining on the shores of Lake Erie
featuring wood-fired Farm to Table cuisine."

Dinner at the Crosswinds Grille was a delight!

There are number of items on the menu indicated as gluten-free options including the Chopped Salad, Scallops, Mussels, Chicken and Duck - there are specialty beef options which I suspect can be prepared gluten-free as well.  I can say unequivocally that the Duck entree is divine.

The property sits right on the lake in Geneva, Oh with amazing views and outdoor seating for enjoying your wine.  Dinners are not served outdoors as of yet and breakfast service to the public is expected to begin in June 2014!  This would be a great early morning drive to see the sunrise and dine on local eggs and bacon.

If you are looking for a perfect stay-cation this is a great choice as they have the bed and breakfast, spa, winery and restaurant all within walking distance of Geneva on the Lake including the Geneva Lodge!

Ingredients for the preparation of your meals are sourced locally (as much as possible) from eggs to steaks to chops to chickens and all the trimmings in between. 

Also offered at the winery are wine tastings, tours and private events for groups.  Among the wines available from the winery are a number of whites both lightly sweet and dry, a semi-sweet rose and reds of the drier variety. 

Hope to see you there this summer at both Sunrise and Sunset!

Michelangelo's - Little Italy

Super beautiful Saturday evening in Cleveland, OH - The Summer Solstice.

Heading to the Cleveland Museum of Art Solstice Celebration we stopped first for dinner at Michelangelo's in Little Italy.  While I was not sure what to expect since I will typically call ahead and find out the details of their gluten-free awareness I was pleasantly surprised to find that they are very accommodating.

Our server explained that they have gluten-free pasta and lots of sauces to have with it but since I do not typically eat pasta I was more interested in the Entree Offerings.  I was not disappointed.  The gluten-free options offered included two fish items, duck and tenderloin.   The evenings specials included a Mushroom Risotto and a Cioppino - both of which might have appealed to me but which I forgot to inquire about - next time!  Sarah, our server, recommended either the Duck or the Tenderloin coupled with a risotto on the side and I opted for the duck!  It was perfectly prepared and totally yummy!   Sarah also recommended the Arneis wine which was amazing and which I had never had before.  The restaurant was packed - including a huge private party in one of the dining rooms so service was a bit bogged down but Sarah was attentive and gracious and extremely helpful. 

Paws - The Bertram Inn Hotel in Aurora.

 

Paws is the casual dining and cocktail lounge adjacent to Leopard - the upscale restaurant at The Bertram Inn Hotel and Conference Center in Aurora, OH.  While attending an event in the private party seating area of Paws I was offered a specially printed gluten-free menu put together for the event guests.  I am fairly certain that I was the only attendee in need of a gluten-free menu so I was deeply honored that my hosts had thought to include this for me!  The specialty menu had many of the items that were being offered on the traditional menu with some modifications.   The Shrimp and Grits and the Glazed Ribs on a bed of Slaw were both appetizer options but the servings were substantial enough for my meal. 

Paws is a cozy dining room and a nice cocktail lounge.  Although I neglected to inquire on g-f beer:(  the bartender recommended a beautiful French Sauvignon Blanc from their extensive and impressive wine list!
I will make it back there soon and check out the beer options.

Pass through the glass doors to the upscale dining room, Leopard Restaurant.  While I have not eaten yet at Leopard the menu posted on-line states the kitchens willingness to accommodate all dietary requests.  (6/14)

Paladar Latin Kitchen

An absolutely gorgeous summer late-afternoon/early evening!  Sunshine, Light breezes, and good company with my niece Jess at the Eton Place, Paladar.  Being particularly fond of Latin food it seems I can never get enough and Paladar offers a slew of options for the gluten-free diner.  I dined on Duck tacos with the corn tortillas, Jess had the Rum Glazed Pulled Pork - both items are available from the regular menu and the gluten-free menu.

Please!  Remember to politely remind the server - every time you request anything during your visit that your order should be handled g-f.  DO NOT expect them to remember - they are very busy. 

While it may leave you feeling like a pest - You are always your greatest asset and advocate!  That being said, at Paladar your server will take your order and check in on you periodically for follow up but your order will come from the kitchen from a runner -  SO, again you must ask that the dish you are being given is the dish you ordered, g-f and all!

The guacamole is divine - I suggest you try the Trio.  The house version, the spicy version and the special!  It is handmade to order, so again, remind your server.  Sadly, the chips are not g-f but they will gladly provide you with lovely veggies to indulge in the wonderful treat that is their guacamole.

Dessert - only the Flan is g-f.  It is thick, it is creamy, it is cold, and it is served in just the right size to finish off your meal and big enough to share  because at Paladar the entree portions are huge and the guacamole substantial so a couple of bites of dessert is just right!  Their coffee has always been a nice finish to the cocktails options of margaritas, caipirinhas, run tastings, sangrias and more.  But, Alas - still no g-f beer! 

Here We Go! Not just gluten-free but Celiac Friendly........

In the seven years since I was diagnosed with CD the availability of gluten-free (g-f) foods in neighborhood markets has exploded.  At the same time the availability of g-f items via restaurants has gotten increasingly more sketchy.

In 2010 I embarked on a quest to see improvement in dining out options and I have been frustrated in the process and lack of progress.  While it is true that there are many more options offered today it is also true that many of them are unreliable at best and dangerous at worst.

What worries me still today;

1.  bland and uninspired meals, limited to - grilled proteins - steamed vegetables - salads - and flourless chocolate desserts.

2.  naturally gluten-free foods that have been prepared with techniques that add gluten to them so that they are rendered unavailable to CD diners - ie. use of wheat flour for thickeners and coatings, lack of space dedicated to preventing cross contamination, lack of dedicated production equipment.......

3.  resistance to 'hear' what the CD community needs or would like - my current struggle is to get good g-f beers in my favorite dining establishments:)  I might cry if with the next offering of hard cider:(  I know lots of people like hard cider I am just a beer person.

4.  the continued lack of awareness among owners/operators of food service operations.  Because there is a huge population of g-f diners without CD there is a cavalier attitude about cross contamination.  As well there are just too many individuals who do not do their homework and properly educate themselves on the details of what is needed for g-f to be Celiac friendly.  -  ex.  offering oatmeal as an option but not g-f oats, taking croutons off a pre-prepared salad instead of making a fresh salad, offering gf sliced bread at a Fine Dining table, not offering a dedicated fryer/grill/toaster...... it is an endless list of issues that are easily resolved with education.

It is my plan with this blog to provide our community with helpful dining information, recipes, and support for the quest of dining out safely.   I hope you, the reader, will find this blog helpful, insightful and purposeful on your quest!

Harvest Kitchen Solon

I have been happily dining at Harvest since their opening in March 2011.  When we first started dining with them I was always very careful about my ordering - explaining to the server what my needs are for safe gluten-free dining.  If I remember correctly at that time they did not have a gluten-free menu and ordering a vegetarian meal was not super easy.  But, they always found a few things on the menu that they could modify and so we continued to go.

We went because the food is amazing!  It is simply one of the best places to dine anywhere in the Cleveland area and certainly the best in Solon.  Since we are coming into the season I will share with you that there is a cute patio along the side of the building which I have not yet tried.

At Harvest the menu changes frequently - while there are tried and true items on the menu the pairing and options they are served with vary with the season.  All items that are available gluten-free or vegetarian are indicated with (gf) and (v) respectively.  And, there are numerous options for both.  Most recently I dined on Baked Oysters, Sauteed Rapini and Fingerling Potatoes.  Tim had a Pasta with Pork dish along with Rapini - it looked super even though I am not a pasta lover, lol!  I am a pork lover!

In the past year they have added gluten-free beer selections including Bards and Glutenberg.  Confession time:  I was pretty much a thorn in their side about the beer so I was very happy when they made it happen.  They also offer Tweasonale and Hard Cider and Harvest has nice wine and beer options for our non-GF dining companions!
Usually I am so full I don't even think about desserts but if I recall they have some lovely desserts.  I may need to start working on the staff on g-f dessert options.

The serving staff is wonderful.  They have always been helpful, considerate, and attentive to my litany of requests and suggestions.  And, the Chef is masterful - the menu selections are inspired and creative but best of all they are so damn good I just want to eat there everyday!