Fitzpatrick’s Tavern Pub & Grill

Last weekend, we found ourselves a little north of Santa Barbara as we spent the day visiting the Folded Hills Farmstead to pick some berries and feed the animals. After working up an appetite, we headed to Fitzpatrick’s Tavern in Solvang as I had discovered them on the Find Me Gluten-Free app. I always get a kick out of visiting Solvang with their horse-drawn wagons, wind mills and Danish architecture. After talking at length with our waitress, I learned that they have GF buns, they prepare them on a portion of the grill that is not contaminated with gluten, and they have a dedicated fryer for their fries. I had a cheeseburger but might try the Spicy Melt burger next time. If you are looking for a no frills, standard (and safe) burger and fries this is your place.

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Barbareño

We recently tried Barbareño in downtown Santa Barbara at the old D’Vine location. I was pretty excited since their focus is on locally sourced food which in my head translates as “We know all about the evils of gluten” for some reason. When I was ordering, I went through my usual spiel waiting for the waitress to cut in and say that I would be well taken care of. Instead, there seemed to be an attitude about modifying any of the dishes to be gluten-free. There were multiple instances where she said that the chef did’t intend for the dishes to be consumed in an altered state. As a celiac I have to modify dishes a lot. I would never judge a chef on a dish’s flavor profile if I had to alter it. That being said, I would always hope that any dietary needs could be accommodated to the best of their ability. I ended up getting the California Roll modified. It was really light and fresh. I then had their burger without the bread.

It was a decent burger. They substituted some potatoes in for me which were particularly good. I really had my eye on the Santa Maria BBQ, but beer is used in the preparation of the dish. I liked the vibe of the restaurant. Their outdoor patio seemed like a great spot to have a drink once the days are longer and the weather is warmer.

Things have been quieter here since life has been pretty busy. Our daughter just got diagnosed with some food allergies, so as we venture into this new territory, we have been cutting back on dining out as much to be safe. That being said, I would love to connect with you GFSB people! Come to our next meet-up, this Sunday, the 19th, at Lilac Patisserie. We will be there at noon enjoying their awesome lunch menu. We will now be meeting monthly, the third Sunday of the month, so mark your calendars!

The Counter

Last weekend, I spent a couple of days in Palo Alto as a way to relax before our baby arrives. After getting up there, my first stop was The Counter in Palo Alto. This incredibly GF friendly burger chain offers customized burgers with a GF Udi’s bun. I ordered a cheddar cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, sautéed onions and a chipotle aioli. It felt so normal being able to order a burger on a bun. The only thing that would have made the burger better would have been to use Canyon Bakehouse’s bun as theirs is less dry. The waitress also informed me that they had a dedicated fryer if I wanted to enjoy some fries.

Of course I did. And of course it made sense to add some cheese to those fries since I only have a couple more months of wearing expandable pants. The Counter has locations all over California, so I am crossing my fingers that Santa Barbara will get one of their own!

The Bourbon Room

Tonight, we headed to The Bourbon Room as I was craving a burger. I had heard that they offer gluten-free rolls for their burgers so I was very excited. Once we got there, I found that in addition to the rolls, they also had GF pizza! Since I am eating for two, I rationalized that it was totally normal to order two main dishes. The gluten-free cheese pizza was pretty good. The waitress assured me that they cook it on a different surface than their regular pizzas. The crust was on the thin side and stayed together well. I also ordered a cheeseburger on the GF bun.

I couldn’t have the fries since they were in contaminated oil, so I got a side salad without the croutons. It was so nice to be able to have a burger with a bun! As I had just consumed a whole lot of food, I turned down dessert as tempting as it sounded. Our waitress had informed us that they had a GF chocolate chip cookie pie. This is definitely a reason to return!

As a reminder, we will be holding our Fall Gluten-Free Santa Barbara Meet-up on Wednesday at Shoreline Park. For more details, please visit our Facebook page.

Yeah! Burger

This past weekend, I was in Atlanta for the Final Four. After being sick and eating chicken broth for way too long, I was craving a burger. Luckily, we found Yeah! Burger, which was the most fantastic place for my Celiac brother and me. The first thing I ordered was a grass-fed beef burger. On it, I had cheddar cheese, bibb lettuce, plum tomato, grilled onions and their Yeah! Sauce which was chipotle based. It was served on Pure Knead gluten-free bun. This was unbelievably good. It was so good that a couple days later, we visited their other location where I got another one of these. The bun held up really well and everything just had so much flavor. I also ordered a chili cheese dog on a gluten-free bun.

As I ate this, I had flashbacks of my pre-celiac days eating at The Hot Grill in Clifton, NJ. It was incredibly satisfying. As I was so excited to eat normal food again, I also ordered their Fifty-Fifty which was half french fries and half onion rings. These were made in a separate, dedicated fryer to avoid any cross contamination.

Everything I had here was really good. I found that the staff was very knowledgeable about their gluten-free offerings. I almost wish we hadn’t gone here, as I have been unable to get rid of my craving for Yeah! Burger since I had it.

Houston’s

While we were in NJ, we ate at Houston’s since my grandparents love the veggie burgers there. I personally LOVE their fries. You just need to request them to be made without the seasoning since that is not GF. The staff there is very knowledgeable about what is and isn’t gluten-free. It is so nice to enjoy fries knowing they are in a dedicated fryer!