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!
Saturday, May 24, 2014
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!
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!
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