restaurant review

Promise Pizza in Round Rock, Texas

September 18, 2009 By ATXglutenfree Leave a Comment

Promise Pizza, one of the first (if not the first) eco-friendly pizza shops in the Austin area, and a cute one at that. I visited this recently opened pizza establishment last week and loved every moment of the experience. As you pull up to the Round Rock location, you see a line of their pizza delivery vehicles, which just so happen to be Smart Cars (Genius!) I love this idea as they are actually taking steps to help our environment. The inside décor is bright orange and green, a happy and bright atmosphere.

When talking to the manager about how they prepare their gluten-free pizzas, he went into great detail on how they handle with care and avoid most all means of cross-contamination. They use gloves and protect the surfaces when preparing a GF pizza. Promise Pizza also uses as many local ingredients as possible which is always a thumbs up in my book. Gluten Free Kneads [Read more...]

Filed Under: gluten-free Austin, pizza, restaurant review Tagged With: dairy-free, gluten free, restaurant review

HH at Annie’s Cafe and Bar

September 18, 2009 By ATXglutenfree Leave a Comment

Well, we finally made our way over to Annie’s Cafe and Bar last night located in downtown Austin (319 Congress Ave). It is a quaint little restaurant that has an old-time feel, with soothing jazz playing in the background and vintage-looking furniture. The service was great. I wasn’t that impressed with the food menu though (not very much variety). After speaking with our server/bartender over what the best cocktail was, I decided to try the Liberdade. The Liberdade is made with “Brazilian Rum” called Leblon Cachaca. It also has hints of ginger, cucumber and green tea. It was a pretty cocktail (color was a pastel green) and you could tell the bartender had put a lot of thought into making it. The ginger wasn’t too strong and I really enjoyed it. I had two! Even though it was happy hour, it didn’t seem to discount the amount of their drinks very much, if even at all. Chris ordered two Shiners and as always, he loved the crisp, cool taste (nice, cold beer mug!).

If you would like to see their cocktail menu, click here.

Filed Under: gluten-free Austin, restaurant review Tagged With: drink, gluten free, happy hour, restaurant review

Beets Cafe is incredible

September 17, 2009 By ATXglutenfree Leave a Comment

The ever-so-tasty portobello fajita plate

Welcome the newest gluten-free/raw/vegetarian restaurant to Austin. Beets Café is situated on west 5th street in the new shopping center on the right side, close to Mean Eyed Cat. Beets Cafe provides an upscale feeling by having a wide open space with plenty of seating, decadent decorations, and they have waitresses who are eager to help you. I was more than pleased when we walked in one afternoon to find everyone working there with a pleasant smile on their face and ready to serve you! We were seated right away and a very enthusiastic waitress came to take our order. They have plenty to choose from on their menu from fresh squeezed juices to fajitas and salads.

I decided to go with the first thing that popped out at me and that was the colorful Portobello fajita plate, beets me drink and the zucchini hummus plate. The appetizer came first, the zucchini hummus plate, with freshly sliced vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower and celery. The hummus texture was so creamy and delicious it is hard to believe it is made without beans. The drink took a while to make but it was well worth it in the end. The cool, beets me drink made with beet, apple, carrot and ginger juice was rich and filling. It would make a perfect snack on any hot Texas day. When the Portobello fajita plate arrived on our table, we were somewhat full from our hummus plate and wonderful drinks we ordered but couldn’t help but devour the rainbow of colors we saw on our plate. The Portobello fajita plate was one of the best raw meals I think I have ever tasted. It had a surprise of flavors in every bite. The plate was full of Portobello mushrooms, bell peppers, garlic, onions, cilantro and chilies. Indulge in raw food. You will be surprised at how much you will enjoy it.

Filed Under: gluten-free Austin, restaurant review, vegetarian Tagged With: dairy-free, gluten free, restaurant review, vegan

Daily Juice Cafe

September 17, 2009 By ATXglutenfree Leave a Comment

I am absolutely in love with Daily Juice. I actually had a dream last night that George Clooney bought me a gluten free pumpkin pie from the Daily Juice and walked me to class, that’s how serious I am! (By the way, I need someone to decode that dream for me, gracias). They have many juice bar locations but they recently opened up a raw/gluten-free/vegan cafe in the Hyde Park neighborhood. It is located on the corner of Duval and 45th street. I recently went there with my sister and it instantly became one of our local favorites. They have a great menu, a large selection of freshly made juices and many other gluten free take home goodies you can also purchase.

We decided to try their Texicali tacos, one of the more popular menu items, as well as the Thai noodle bowl. You have the option to either get the full portion or the half portion. I decided to get the full portion because duh, I love to eat.

The Texicali tacos come with: 2 coconut/cilantro tortillas stuffed with walnut chorizo and topped with sprouts, tomatoes, guacamole, field greens, red onions and their homemade salsa. I thought it was delicious and actually have gone back a third time since then to purchase it again. The tortillas are crisp and fall apart easy but still edible and enjoyable. I have no idea what they put in the walnut chorizo but I can’t complain, it’s pretty appetizing.

Jenn ordered the Thai noodle bowl, it comes with: daikon and yam noodles (how do they make these?), sprouts, red bell pepper strips, coconut strips, radishes and an almond ginger sauce on top of a bed of romaine. She ordered the small portion and it was actually a pretty decent size, perfect lunch portion. We both thought it tasted great except the almond-ginger sauce was pretty strong and spicy.