Gluten-free Dining

Well, traveling with a food allergy is challenging, especially in areas where wheat-based foods are a staple. A gluten allergy* is something that Joshua has lived with for over ten years, and something we've gotten used to accommodating whenever we're on the road together. I was a little nervous about how to discuss his food allergy with servers - especially in a different language. We've had a few near-misses in the US, so accuracy was vital.

*a gluten allergy (Celiac disease) is classified differently than a gluten intolerance, but the treatment is the same: avoid foods with the protein "gluten" from wheat, rye, and barley, and "heirloom" wheats, like kamut, spelt, and farro. This includes many processed ingredients, too, such as malted grains

Fortunately, there are loads of bloggers who have dealt with international travel and a food allergy, and I found a few great resources quickly. A few recorded their experiences dining in other cities, and a few offered tips and a gluten-free restaurant card created by Celiac Travel to provide to servers when first sitting down at a table. I printed several cards in different languages before we left, but you can just have the pdf open on your smart phone to show the server, too.

Matt from Wheatless Wanderlust has certainly become an expert resource for me, and I judged his credibility by reviewing his write-up of Seattle. He caught all the major brands.

It also turns out that a simple search of "gluten free" or "gluten-free restaurants" on Google Maps reveals several gluten-free businesses in an area. I created a new tag for food businesses and restaurants to avoid mixing the flags up with museums and sites. I think I'll also create a new flag for gluten-free businesses versus ones that might be flagship businesses for local foods.

In Budapest, we found a few blog posts that listed out restaurants, and we traveled to a few of them, especially when they were en route to a destination. Something we have noticed is that cafes open later than one would expect, with the earliest opening time at 7am. No, we're not hitting up the businesses earlier than that, but coming from the US where S-bux opens at 5am or 6am in some places, it was a little surprising.

There were a few times at 9am we would walk to a cafe to find that they're not ready for business. Still others we visited didn't seem organized or prepared to serve a customer. Finally, some others didn't seem to have as many items, though the time of day didn't suggest that they had sold out. So, when you're planning your breakfast occasions, double check their operating hours.

Our winners, for explicitly gluten-free items

Zagreb - Vis a Vis - gluten free palacinka (crepe-like)
Zagreb - Melt - gluten free bread for avocado toast
Budapest - Manioka - best flaky croissant since Coffee & A Specialty Bakery in Seattle
Budapest - Coli Bisztro - gluten free grocery and bakery, serving coffee, pancakes, sandwiches, pastries, and pizza
Budapest - Free - gluten-free bakery, bottled beer, pizza

S/he gets around

We purchased Eurail Passes through Rail Europe, a company associated with Rick Steves. He’s a resident of Washington, as it turns out, and he’s also the go-to resource for travel information with books, a radio show, and multiple websites. His organization has made travel seem easier for so many would-be tourists. A multitude of other blogs and travel sites also exist, so we’ve been doing a lot of word searching and clicking links.


The Eurail pass was easy to obtain, and I did my research using two main sites plus a really effective and helpful blog writeup. The blog writer, Matt, gives a good comparison between rates of buying a multi-use pass or purchasing tickets for the trains separately. If you’re going to travel aggressively – several cities in a short period – it’s a good savings. There are a few pages on Rick Steves’ website that helps estimate the costs of the tickets, and the Eurail website also lets you build a 5-city itinerary, so you can quickly see how much the itinerary could cost. The passes came in the mail quickly – within a week. You can purchase the passes up to a year in advance, so the sooner you accomplish it, the better.




We spent a lot of time trying to figure out which cities to visit. Most of the cities I wanted to see were the capitols, but you don’t have to. I chatted with friends who have done considerably more travel, and one suggested choosing areas with UNESCO World Heritage sites. Others have said you could pick virtually any city or region and spend quality time there and get a feel for the culture without blazing through a checklist. Still others enjoyed hitting the major sites. It really depends on your personal travel style.

Okay, well, all of my recent travel has been for business, and I have knocked out foodie Eater and culture Time-Out recommendations for the cities I’ve gone to. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was just another ‘grammer out to get the shot. Josh is also not one to follow the checklists, even if a few listed items are of interest. So, the approach was to list the sites to visit and then decide where to go after seeing whether a route can be planned to get to them.


We came up with a list of cities based on familiarity, personal interest, and fame. It was sorta like trying to plan a trip to see the US and naming the cities you had heard of: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco. If your city wasn’t listed, you’re probably thinking, “wow, you’re missing a great city and culture of the US.” That’s how I felt when were choosing the cities. We just named the capitols and maybe a famous food, wine, or climbing area. Then the fear arose of whether we were missing an incredible gem. We talked through the list of cities with some friends and family, and they all agreed that the list is hard to pare. My parents also insisted that going into Switzerland would be more suited to our interests in mountains and lakes.


So, our final city list:

Zagreb
Budapest
Prague
Munich
Kuessnacht (Lucerne)
Lausanne
Marseilles
Barcelona
Lisbon
Fountainebleau
Paris

Food Lover's Guide to Seattle

I interned for Keren Brown last spring, and I learned so much about PR and marketing. Keren had just published Food Lover's Guide to Seattle, a comprehensive guide to foodie spots, like bakeries, restaurants, grocers, markets, and events in Seattle.

It's divided out by area, so if you're new to Seattle, you'll find this book absolutely invaluable. There are explanations to the neighborhoods, which then serve as the chapter titles in the book. Even better, the book starts with a list of the coffee shops in Seattle; this is essential information for the intrepid - but not yet awake - tourist of Seattle.

One thing especially unique about this guidebook is that Keren includes information like recommendations of foods to experience when you visit that business. All of my favorites were listed: Staple & Fancy, Molly Moon's, Quinn's, Long Provincial, Kukuruza, and Macrina Bakery. There were even a few that were new to me (not actually that hard to do): Gorgeous George's, Kisaku, Blackboard Bistro, and Thai Curry Simple.

It's definitely a book to give to a foodie friend who is curious about exploring the city through the eyes of a really well-informed foodie, Keren. After a quick perusal on a social media site we all know and use daily, I found that friends still message Keren and ask her for advice about places to visit.

The other element that I have liked about this book is that it's not pretentious, like some guide books could seem. I say that, because I've looked at guidebooks for various cities. I have usually had to resort to blog searches for local recommendations to restaurants, shops, and sights in those cities. Fortunately, when you come to Seattle, you can just pick up this book and follow it around.

I recommend picking up the book a few weeks before arriving in Seattle. Based on the schedule you have, choose the neighborhoods you want to visit and then plan your meals based on the restaurants you find in the book. Each chapter is arranged by category, like "Made Here" for bakeries and local favorites. There are also "Food Lover's Faves," which provide a list of businesses that I'm sure you'll love as much as I do.

I spent most of the time going "Oh, that's a good one!" I hope you get this book and get to visit the Sattle that I love.

*Even though I interned for Keren, I was actually given this book as a Christmas gift by a friend who also sent me Ferran Adria's The Family Meal. Thanks, Santa!

J&K on the Road

We’ve talked a lot about traveling to Europe. I always intended to do a semester abroad, but my ROTC scholarship schedule had made it seem unreachable. Josh had traveled to Portugal and Spain for a summer to teach English, but we never got further than the U.K. together. Years go by, and we picked up jobs and made smaller or priority trips.


Josh and I have been traveling before, but this is the first time we’ve signed up for a planned vacation. We don’t normally do package trips, but we were invited to join the adventure after a schedule opening left some friends without travel clients for two weeks.


Our friends, Shawn Frederick and Anne Gayer, recently founded the Adriatic Academy, after deciding that they would love to share their home-away-from home Croatia with friends. We met them during our trip through the Grand Canyon. We stayed in touch and through various subsequent visits in the LA area, we found common ground in our love for outdoors and travel.


This year, we’ve crossed a few milestones, including paying off our school loans and downsizing. When the school year ended, we both decided to leave our jobs and travel while we had the means, the time, and the least obligations. We’re finally traveling Europe, starting with the Adriatic Academy in Croatia, and will be wending (or winding) our way west to Portugal.

Seattle Restaurant Recommendations 2017

Whenever friends or friends-of-friends come to town, they usually send me a note asking where they should dine. I send them this list - written for a friend a few months ago and shared about a dozen times thru text. Here it is, finally, on a blog. Note that it's been 11 months since I wrote on this blog, and my first post is bossing you around :)

I'll share what we have been up to in travel and housing... and how we did it!

But first... the list.

In no particular order or preference. Some I've personally visited, some are just known to be really good. Dine well. Tip better. 

Disagree? Want to add someone to the list? Let me know in the comments below.

Typos are from text. Ignore.

- Matt’s in the Market – new American

- Radiator Whiskey – whiskey!

- Mamnoon – middle east inspired

- Adana – modern Japanese, pre fixe

- Ba Bar – Vietnamese French

- Scout – kickass new American with a killer pastry chef – Eric Rivera’s wife

- Art of the Table – new American

- Kedai Mekan – Malaysian

- Elliott’s – oysters

- Westward – good for a crowd; drive

- The Whale Wins – French inspired farm to table, 2013/14 Best Chef for the NW

- Sitka and Spruce – farm to table

- Quinn’s – new American high class pub

- Little Uncle – Thai street

- Bastile – French

- Le Pichet – French

- Thai Toms – thai

- Marche – Bainbridge – Chef instructor from my culinary program; former Canlis chef

- Hitchcock – Bainbridge

- Nue Seattle – modern Asian fusion – Balud!

- LloydMartin – new American

- Trove – Korean fusion

- Sun Liquor – the vodka on my shelf, burgers & bar food

- Oola – the other vodka on my shelf

- Woodinville Whiskey – the whiskey on my shelf

- Salare – Ravenna – drive. Chef Edouardo Jordan just got the 2016 F&W Best New Chef for the NW – fusion of his heritage southern, African, European, carribbean

- Jack’s BBQ – legit TX BBQ – drive

- Chan – Korean

- Tsukushinbo – traditional Japanese sushi

- Shiro’s/Sushi Kashiba – the chef who worked for Jiro dreams of sushi

- Maneki’s – one of the oldest Japanese retaurants in Seattle

- Canlis – finest dining restaurant in Seattle; reservations and a sports jacket

- Cactus – latin American; mini chain
- Adana - modern Japanese. Chef Shota competed on the Food Network Iron Chef Gauntlet this year