restaurant review

Yo Mama’s Kitchen is da Bomb!

A few weeks ago, we drove down to Quakertown to the QMart. One of my friends saw this place while shopping there and instantly knew I should visit it. They don’t have a website yet but on fb type in Yo Mama’s Kitchen and it should come up. The entire menu is gluten free, the Entire thing!! It was somewhat surreal to know that everything on the menu was available to me, and all items were safe from cross contamination. It’s down in the west 540’s section of the QMart which is a large indoor farmers market of many booths. We sat down and perused the menu. I had my eye on the crabcake sandwich as I never ever can order that. Joe decided on a cheese steak. He had his with 3 addons, onions, peppers and wild shitake mushrooms. Both came with a mountain of fresh French fries. The wait was not too long; the server was very friendly and there were a few tables of patrons happily chowing down. The food is homestyle and casual; burgers, steaks, pizza, breakfast items plus a number of entrees like chicken parm and fried chicken. So, lots to choose from.

My sandwich was tasty and soon devoured. The fries were hot and good. Joe’s steak sandwich was exceptional. Those wild mushrooms took it to a whole new level of yumminess. We were stuffed. I forgot to take any pictures; took just one of the fries. Next time I will try that cheesesteak!

We took home 2 cannoli and ate them later that evening; really well done; the chocolate chip filling was great, and the canola shell was spot on perfect!

I highly recommend this small restaurant to the gluten free community. It was sublime to eat safely from the entire menu. Come and get it! The hours they are open are on their fb page. They also have daily/weekly specials that look excellent. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569957491484

I have just one recommendation; we both are not supposed to eat French fries more than a small serving. I think a dish of coleslaw as a substitute and maybe a small size of fries would be so helpful for those of us who just shouldn’t dive into a huge serving. So temping you gotta eat them but honestly, I would love some fresh coleslaw, so I feel healthy about the meal I just gobbled up. I am hoping they give that a try sometime soon!

Drip is Delish!

The other evening we decided to try out a local eatery, Drip The Flavor Lab Restaurant on Main Street in Hellertown. It is a burger and fried chicken joint and much of the menu can be made gluten free for those who need to eat gf. We got there at peak time around 5:40 on a Saturday evening. The place was packed! All seats taken, people still coming in. We ordered using a fun printed menu that you fill out with a pencil and turn in at the counter. We stood around sharing a snifter class of classic hard cider while we waited for a table to open up. the cider was a classic apple (no sugar added) cider and had a lovely, bubbliness, yet quite crisp and oh-so drinkable. We people watched, and just enjoyed the vibe. Our food got out in decent time and by then we had secured seating at a high top table.

I had the classic Drip burger with slaw and Joe ordered his with all sorts of additions like jalapeno pepper slices, lettuce, tomato and bacon which he swore to me he didn’t order! Plus an order of fries. He ate the whole burger! And some slaw they accidentally gave him as well as fries. I confess I ate a fair amount of the fries; they were in a wire basket and were hot and so crispy. They stayed warm a long time which I loved. My classic burger had just katsup and cheddar cheese. These are smash-burgers which someone eating there told me that they add butter as they fry so they have a rich flavor and a crispy exterior. Mine was perfect; just pink inside and it was so juicy yet crisp. The fresh gluten free bun was smaller than my meat patty but that was no problem. I loved every bite of this awesome burger. The slaw was nice although I like it with lots of green; it was all white pieces of cabbage; ate every bit. 

We shared a second glass of the hard cider; there was a large selection of beers on tap and some hard tea and mojitos. My guy was wishing for a lager but seemed quite content with the bubbly cider. They messed up the add-ons to his burger a little bit but honestly he loved it just as it came out. Prices are not far off other burger joints, not cheap but I feel we got great quality and we enjoyed the hopping atmosphere in this small eatery! That said, it was a bit crowded; the waitress said that Saturdays are their most busy nights. Folks came in and picked up take-outs, meals were rapidly coming out of the kitchen and tables were reset and more folks seated. You might want to try it on another night when it isn’t quite so jammed. Also, I didn’t know they had ice tea and lemonade until we were done. and cold water in a cooler. The front staff is very friendly and accommodating. I simply loved my burger; now I want to go back for the fried chicken! They also have floats and milkshakes…

I didn’t have my phone on me; left in the car so no meal pictures. Look them up on line at https://www.driptheflavorlab.com/  so you can view the menu and hours; they close at 8; a bit early and on Sundays; its 7 pm so don’t turn up late…. I definitely felt they cater quite nicely to those who need to eat gf, I didn’t feel deprived or end up eating bland, sad food as some places do for gf meals. If you live in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania this is a great burger place!

Update 2019….GF Keeps Getting Better

It’s been 6 years and a month. I find it fairly easy to be gluten free at home. It’s when I go anywhere that it becomes fairly difficult. I bake a lot of treats rather than buying them as I find the readi-made stuff to be drab and of poor quality. I sure don’t want to eat it if I can bake something easy and tasty. My family is quite understanding and accommodates my gluten free lifestyle. We get together at frequent intervals, my sisters and I and they always make sure we are eating safely for me. And yummy food too! They love my gf french bread, my lemon birthday cake was a huge hit and the recently enjoyed banana cake has been requested for this Saturday night supper with family.

banana cake

A big hunk of banana cake.

I cut back on breads although I had a rare grilled cheese sandwich today. Needed a quick meal. T hat I could take somewhere. My seven year old grandson is living with me and he is not gf. He eats gf for most part but I don’t want to make him eat gf store bought snacks and I just don’t have time to bake them for him. So there is a bit of effort needed for me to remain safely gf. I did find some Everything bagels at Aldi’s last week and that made me so happy; great flavor and texture. Their bagels are the best. Honestly, I shop more and more there; great dairy, super chocolate, love their salsa and chips and I’ve never had bad meat from there yet.bratwurst package

My Instant Pot is a great resource for making quick gf meals. I use it most weeks at least once. Plus it is perfect for making yogurt in it; I use organic milk from Aldi’s; makes great cheap yogurt. I also love making rice in my IP; perfect.  I do a lot of chicken thighs in it in a wide array of recipes from Indian to Thai and Italian. It is portable and can be used anywhere you have an outlet. instant pot 2

I still am experimenting with flours although I truly am happy with the King Arthur All Purpose flour blend. I do like gf bisquick and Better Batter. I have experimented with cassava flour for tortillas and I have a new blend I want to try soon that uses meringue powder to lift the dough. I enjoy that sort of baking. My dad was a chemical engineer and I am clearly his daughter! lemon birthday cake slice

We went out to dinner at Jennys Kuali in South Bethlehem recently. Their egg rolls are absolutely the bomb and we adored the ginger garlic sauce. We both enjoyed the chicken on a stick; kinda a curry flavor there.Jenny eggrolls

My fish special; a whole fish in very spicy sauce was enjoyable if a tad overcooked and Joe’s chicken with mango was rather bland but he dressed it up with hot sauce and that ginger delish sauce and happily devoured it. The staff there is very pleasant and they go out of their way to make it easy to eat GF; only dumplings and egg noodle dishes are off my menu. We agreed that we want to go back there soon and try some other dishes.  And eat more eggrolls! I haven’t had one since I went gf. We had a great table and I had a glass of bubble tea; a novelty in Bethlehem. Joe loved the Thai black iced tea. We tried some desserts and left stuffed and happy.

Eating at church functions is tough; sometimes I bring my own food. Sometimes there is fresh fruit I can enjoy at gatherings. Not complaining. Just observing.

Life is good, I try to avoid even minor gluten incidents so I don’t eat at events most of the time nor do we eat out as often as years ago. I eat so much healthier than I did six years ago. I feel better for it and am so glad I need no medicine for my celiac disease. Many thanks to all my family and friends who accommodate my strange diet. I’m doing great!

Perils of Lunching out in NY State

Just back from the Finger Lakes up in New York State. Gorgeous. Didn’t eat out much. Did a lot of grilling at our rental cabin. Yummy results. But I will share on the three places we did have lunch at. The first was at Three Brothers Wineries up near Geneva New York, up towards the eastern top portion of Lake Seneca. The large parking lot was packed, buses, limos, vans, zillions of cars.  We finally stowed the pick up in a wider space and strolled in the central area. Many buildings, including a micro brewery, stores and dozens of folks trotting this way and that, groups in matching shirts, twenty somethings swizzling wine slushies as well as hordes of people drinking, eating, enjoying life loudly. We went to the take out area in the Cold Brew Coffee eatery.  I ordered a chicken sandwich on gf bread and an ice tea.  I left Joe to get the sandwiches and walked out to secure some where to eat. I got a nice table but had to wait nearly 20 minutes for him to show up.  He had a bratwurst sandwich which shouldn’t have taken so long.  Guess it was my choice…. My requested gf bread was somehow changed to what looked like an over-sized multigrain taco shell. I went in to ask if it was gf. The young fellow acting as the expediter said yes it was and as he spoke he tapped his gloved finger on my taco shell! I told him that he had just contaminated my food with his hand as most of the food there was on bread, rolls, pizza dough or pretzel dough. Ridiculously unprofessional and totally uncalled for behavior. I walked back as I was not willing, at 2 pm, to wait another 20-25 minutes for a sandwich when I was sick with hunger. I tore off the top half of the taco shell, tossed it and ate the rest. It was actually pretty good. But I will never go back there; too noisy, too crowded, incredibly slow service and Joe felt I was crazy lucky to not get glutened.

apple and chicken salad

Next place was at Wagner Vineyards near Lodi where we had our cabin. I ordered a composed salad with apple slices and grilled chicken. It arrived with a big wheat bun resting on the salad. I told the waitress that the salad was unacceptable, she said does it have to be remade. I said yes. They did in short order and it was okay if a bit boring. We wee on the outside deck and it was breezy; at one point I had to put my hands over my salad as chunks of the lettuce were blowing away in the gusty wind! Acceptable but nothing I would order again; the wine based vinaigrette was watery and bland.

Lastly, we ate at the Carriage House Café in Ithica on our way out of town. I had the grilled chicken, brie, artichoke and caramelized onions on gf bread. The sandwich was awkward as it was not sliced in half and the bread was grilled or griddled making it kinda hard to bite off a chunk. I managed and the flavors were awesome together. I think I got the end of a loaf; a bit tough. I had the same sandwich last summer and it was stunning in every way. This was still great; just not quite as perfect as the previous sandwich.

carriage house

Moral of story: check harder before choosing places; it I had researched the Three Brothers I would have seen all that pizza and pretzel dough and how big/commercial the place was…best avoided. Otherwise it is often the luck of the day as to the bread quality and the wind that might blow away your salad!

Lovely Meals in Gorgeous Cape May!

Just back from a fabulous weekend in Cape May, New Jersey with my guy.  Stayed at a cute little B&B about 8 blocks from the beach; The Inn at the Park on Madison St. Our room was on the third floor; a mini suite with a fridge, double shower, huge bed, armoire instead of a closet and a sweet day bed. Plus adorable crystal glasses for late night thirsty moments and the usual amenities like WiFi, a flat screen TV, air conditioning.  They made acceptable accommodations for my gf needs for the two breakfasts; scrambled eggs, smoothies, an omelet, all good and all safe.  inn at the park

mad batter

That corner table is where we sat!

But even better yet were the three meals we had out; our first night we went to the Mad Hatter in downtown CM.We had a little corner table with benches and fluffy cushions: wall carvings of whimsical fish and other old timey decorations: so cute! The menu had several gf choices. I went with some specials which were naturally gf. My waiter said he would alert the kitchen as to careful as to cross contamination. I had a great seafood risotto but my favorite flavors were in my starter: the watermelon, blueberry and strawberry salad with feta cheese. So bright and refreshing. I enjoyed some delish wine, great company; got stuffed to the gills and no glutening! watermelon salad

seafood risotto.jpg

The next night we went to a classic big seafood place right along the bay; Lucky Bones Back Wash. We went a tad early; at 6 pm: no wait for a table.  Place was hopping, ordered drinks and enjoyed the organized chaos. We were near the pizza oven and the bar so it was super busy but fun to watch. We totally enjoyed some shared apps; fire roasted shrimp with lots of fresh garlic and so buttery; they were perfectly cooked; fat and moist. And a large plate of hot steamed mussels in red sauce with lots of fresh basil and gf toasted rolls for mopping up the sauce. Mmmmmmm.  For my entree out came a big platter with two crab cakes on top of herbed polenta and a lemony sauce with tiny green beans: all gluten free and all crazy delish. FYI: polenta is like creamy cornmeal mush made with coarse corn meal. I did have some of his wahoo; firm white fish; tasty. Such a classic place and they do brick oven pizza. Again…too full for dessert…alas as they had gf choices….

                        

 

Our final meal in carefree Cape May was a delightful lunch at a hip eatery in North Cape May; Bella Vida Garden Restaurant on North Broadway. They have a number of gf choices even buttermilk pancakes! So maybe breakfast next time… Anyway,  I choose a fresh salad composed of a healthy layer of tiny greens, grape tomato halves, cucumber slices and half an avocado. On top of that was a big pile of shrimp and crab salad. I chose the ginger sesame salad dressing which give it a quirky but wonderful spin. So fresh, flavorful and tasty. And again…too full for dessert!

So….Cape May is a great place for gf compared to the slim pickings in the Lehigh Valley where I live. Several places had full page gf menus or lots of notations on the regular menu as to safe choices for celiacs like me. So, I found the wait staff to be experienced at gluten free and it was easy to eat safely.   I even had some great coffee ice cream with big chunks of dark chocolate in a cup. Forget where; downtown, tiny shop. So delish! Can’t say enough good things about eating in Cape May, NJ. Enjoy!