Deagan's Kitchen & Bar

I want to gush about Deagan’s for a bit. Or a lot. Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar in Lakewood, Ohio has long been on my list of must-visit places that are known for being gluten-free friendly in the good old CLE. I only regret that I waited this long to visit.

Saturday night, a friend and I made our way to Deagan’s for dinner. Busy, but we didn’t have to wait for a table, which was good as we’d both arrived with appetites.

Before I say anything else, I want to commend Deagan’s for their gluten-free service. Not only do they have an actual gluten-free menu (Hallelujah!), but their staff was knowledgeable and accommodating.  I believe our server’s name was Jen and she was fantastic. As soon as she saw the gluten-free menu in my hands (easily requested as we were seated) she was on point and ready with suggestions and a great attitude. I wish I could say this is a norm, but so often at restaurants, gluten-free diners (as well as those with other allergies and intolerances) are often seen as nuisance. To visit a restaurant where I could order safely and without needing to alter the menu items really made my day.

We started out with the polenta croutons.  I’m already a fan of polenta. It’s not the most common dish that my Italian-American family eats, but it is something that my grandmother and I will whip up for lunches or a quick dinner sometimes. I’ve had it baked, fried and boiled, but these polenta croutons have to be one of the best polenta-based I’ve ever eaten. Crispy cubes of polenta, smothered in mushrooms and parmesan? I am so in.

We also gave the marcona almond stuffed dates a try. Amazing, but so rich that one was plenty.

I am a sucker for red meat. I really am. Even when I know I should be ordering chicken or vegetarian meals, I find it so incredibly hard to resist a really good burger or steak. So, when I saw a steak on the specials menu and the server checked on gluten-free options without even being asked...? Yes, that totally happened. Now, the steak was great. It really was. Perfectly cooked (surprisingly hard to find), delicious and tender.  It was also gigantic and was taken home and played a starring role in lunch today.

But the star of the main course show? The Brussels sprouts. I know. Brussels sprouts? The star of the show? Really and truly, my friends. The Brussels sprouts.  The original steak special came with a gluten-filled strudel, so I substituted with a side of shaved Brussels sprouts with bacon, walnuts, and bleu cheese. Dear god, these things are amazing.  No words can describe how pleasantly surprised I was.

For dessert, I couldn’t resist the Tahitian vanilla bean crème brûlée. While I hesitate to use the term “mind-blowing” as a descriptor, it really is the closest word I could find to do this justice.  Simple, but phenomenal. It was plated with a vanilla syrup on one side, a tart raspberry sauce on the other, and fresh berries.

Between all this delicious food, the great company (laughs with friends make everything better), and my standard Manhattan, it made for one of the best meals and nights I’ve had in a long time.

Thanks, Deagan’s for making the night so fantastic. And thanks to our server for being awesome. I’m sorry it took me so long to finally make it over there, but you definitely have a fan now!

Gluten-Free Holiday Treat Recipes!

OK, I don't have pictures for you yet, but I wanted to point you in the direction of some great holiday recipes I'm pulling out this year --some of these are tried and true and some are new ventures, so I hope you enjoy!

Peppermint Meringues: This recipe from Bon Apetit was forwarded to me by my mom and I'm going to be whipping them together this afternoon. The recipe is fairly straightforward and it makes a large quantity (approx. 60 per recipe).

Stained Glass Windows: This was a childhood staple for me during the holidays --for gluten-free and gluten-eating alike. I'm a sucker for the chocolate combo, so these are always good in my book. And with just five ingredients (I usually leave out the nuts), they're ridiculously easy to make!

Crisp Coconut Chocolate Pie: I made this first for Thanksgiving last month. It worked so well and was so delicious (and a little bit rich) that I just have to make it again for Christmas. Again with the chocolate-coconut combo. This time I am trying it with coconut milk instead of heavy cream - fingers crossed that it actually works!

Poached Apples: I fell in love with poached pears earlier this year. (Seriously, if you're in the Cleveland area and haven't tried the poached pear with creme anglaise at Sasa Matsu, you need to go!). When I got three (ginormous!) delicious Jonagold apples with my CSA order this week (OK, there were actually four, but with peanut butter in the house the fourth one did not last long...), I wasn't sure what I would do with them, especially with no gluten-free flour, oats, or pie crusts... And then it struck me: poached apples. Poached. Apples. Yes, yes, and yes.

For more gluten-free recipes and ideas, follow my gluten-free board on Pinterest!

Happy Holidays!

Squash Curry Soup

Yesterday was my down day after an amazing event on Saturday (Seriously, getting to give the Cleveland Foodbank the money to help serve 200,000 meals? Pretty incredible!). But as with most Sundays, I have to start thinking about what the week will hold for gluten-free lunches.   Fortunately for me, I have this tendency to pick up ridiculous amounts of winter squash when autumn comes around, so there was no doubt in my mind what I was going to be working with.

Three butternut and one acorn squash were halved, cleaned out, and popped in the oven for baking.  While that was working away, I started scavenging through my cupboards to see what I could find. The results? A can of coconut milk, cinnamon, turmeric, garlic, cayenne, and black pepper.  That certainly sounded like a great addition and I decided to try my hand at a squash curry soup.

In a large soup pot, I combined the spices with some butter and then added the coconut milk and squash (I used one butternut and one acorn for this recipe). After adding some sage, and a half a round of chevre (I can't resist the call of cheese, I can't!), I put my immersion blender to use and it turned the combination into a creamy, rich golden soup. Upon final tasting I added some yellow mustard to try and cut through the richness.

All-in-all this turned out to be a pretty amazing soup. Hearty, flavorful, and full of fall flavor. Definitely looking forward to having this throughout the week!

Sergio's Sarava - Shaker Square #CLE

How is it possible that I've lived in the Shaker Square area for over a year and never ventured into Sergio's Sarava? Oh. my. gosh. My mistake. BIG mistake.

Looking for a fun, but quick and simple happy hour, to celebrate some good news, a friend and I headed out to Shaker Square directly after work. There was some debate, but in the end Sarava won out and I'm so glad it did. Gluten-free, delicious, and did I mention gluten-free?

First off, the pao de queijo is amazing. According to the server, they make it with rice flour. I've made it with tapioca starch before, but I'm really liking the rice flour. If you've recently gone gluten-free and you're missing that lovely, elastic yeastiness, these would be a delicious gateway into other gluten-free options. My friend swore that she would never have been able to tell they were gluten-free if I hadn't asked.

Caiparinha and sangria in hand, we also tried out the beef churasco, empadas (her, not me), and the Prince Edward Island Mussels. All clean, uncluttered, and delicious dishes.

See below for a video on how to make pao de queijo.