Check it out! I wrote a blog post about one of my favorite things to do in Jacksonville- road trip to St. Augustine. I met Allie of SimplyStAugustine.com at a tasting at TPC and have loved following her blog ever since. St. Augustine is one of my favorite places to get away to. It doesn’t have to do with being gluten-free but then again we need to be about more than just the food we eat sometimes. Enjoy:
OK, I think I am obsessed with where to find gluten-free french fries. Sometimes I get sick of eating the same things when dining out. One can only have so many salads, baked potatoes or plain grilled meat. I like to eat healthy, but there comes a time where everyone needs to splurge. (NOTE: Splurge does not mean cheat on the gluten-free diet. I NEVER eat gluten on purpose. In almost every instance there is something else I can find that satisfies whatever craving I am having). French fries are my favorite splurge. You would think since potatoes and oil are gluten-free this would be easy. But for those of us with celiac disease, we need to make sure that the oil does not come in contact with anything breaded. This includes: crab cakes, onion rings*, chicken fingers, fried fish, fried chicken, or anything else dipped in flour then thrown in hot oil.
So, because I am a little obsessed, I have discovered where I can get fries that are fried in a dedicated gluten-free fryer and completely gluten-free.
Chick- fil- a- they only fry french fries in their oil. I probably have their fries the most and have never had a problem. I like to get them with their grilled chicken nuggets and a diet coke. They probably think I am really weird 
*Epik Burger- I love their fries. They are one of the best gluten-free places to get a burger in Jacksonville. In addition to gluten-free fries they have gluten free: buns, dessert, beer and onion rings. Yum!
Five Guys- I have had great experiences here. One time they cleaned the entire kitchen when I ordered a burger no bun. They have dedicated fryers for their fries. Sometimes they are a little too salty, I need to remember to ask them for not too much salt. These locations are harder to find so I don’t eat here too much.
McDonalds- This is my go-to fry place when I have cravings on Sundays, when Chick-Fil-A is closed.
Outback Steakhouse Jax Beach- they have a dedicated gluten free fryer. I have not tried them yet, but I can’t wait! I called around to other locations in Jacksonville and this seems to be the only Outback with a dedicated gluten-free fryer.
Ovinte- this new wine bar has the best truffle fries. They top them with grated parmesan. They are crispy and small. So good. I like to throw in a little bocce ball and a glass of sauvignon blanc too while I am there.
Time Out Sports Grill on Beach Boulevard- While I have not had french fries here, my friend Mark Basch, Gluten Free Glutton, claims they have a dedicated fryer for gluten-free fries and wings.
Did I miss a place? Where do you go to get gluten-free french fries?
I would like to think I eat relatively healthy. A majority of my diet is made up of lean protein and fresh fruits and vegetables. However, every now and then a girl needs to splurge. That is exactly what I did when I had lunch at Epik Burger.
Epik Burger is the first of its kind in Jacksonville. They offer gluten free burgers, buns, desserts, onion rings and fries. They are located on Atlantic Blvd right where Girvin runs into Atlantic. I have no idea what part of town that is considered, but it is about 5 minutes East of 2-95. It is not really close to a major area where they might get foot traffic or a lot of drive bys; it is definitely a place you have to know about.
They are super nice there! I asked a lot of questions and found out that all of their fryers are gluten-free (including those that they cook onion rings in). Their onion rings are beer battered with Redbridge beer and gluten free flour. They also have a separate toaster for the gluten free buns. The atmosphere reminded me of something we see in Chicago; clean and contemporary.
They offer a lot of different burger options, including vegetarian, chicken, tuna and the beef is all grass fed. You can order a fast food size or restaurant size burger depending on your hunger. I especially love how everything is marked vegan, vegetarian or gluten free. They have quite a menu. Prices are reasonable, however there is a $2.00 upcharge for a gluten-free bun.
We ordered
Restaurant size gluten-free Le Steakhouse Burger. It had sauteed onions, grass fed beef and cornichons (pickles). So tasty and flavorful, but a little greasy.
Restaurant size gluten- free Epik Burger. It had pancetta, brie, lettuce, tomato, onion, cornichons, and basalmic mayo. This is a beautiful burger. Full of color and flavor. My boyfriend ordered this and I was really envious. He loved it; he ate it all!
Ahh, gluten- free french fries. There are not many restaurants that serve fries that are TRULY gluten-free so I had to get these. I loved the large chunks of salt and pepper and it was a great portion to share, not too big, not too small.
Gluten- free Beer Battered Onion Rings. This was the highlight of my day. I was never a big onion ring person, however, since my diagnosis of Celiac disease I jump at the opportunity to indulge safely. They were awesome. They were flakey and not too chewy. While there was a tiny bit of oil residue, it was light and seasoned perfectly with salt and pepper. I never wanted these onion rings to end…
The food was amazing! However, I felt like I needed to go run a marathon to burn off the calories; but it was worth every second. While I didn’t order the Epik Burger I really wish I did. Some other things:
- They are environmentally friendly. They don’t have a lot of packaging and pretty much every container was recyclable or compostable.
- The wait for your burger is a little longer than I expected, but not too bad.
- The place seats only about 35 people.
I will definitely make this a place I go to as a treat, however I doubt I need to order fries AND onion rings. I highly recommend this place! Have you been? What do you think?
Epik Burger
12740 Atlantic Blvd Suite 105
Jacksonville, FL 32225
Filed under Dining
Recently Healther Crawford, a reporter for First Coast News, asked me to help identify some area chain restaurants that have gluten-free menus to test the EZ Gluten test strips’ ability to detect gluten in food. EZ Gluten test strips are created by Eliza Technologies. According to their website, these test strips are easy to use and help detect the presence of gluten in foods and beverages.
We went to three different restaurants- PF Chang’s at the Town Center, Chili’s in Jacksonville Beach and Mellow Mushroom in Jacksonville Beach to test multiple meals for gluten.
I had so much fun, it was like a progressive dinner with friends you just met.
Heather and the videographer, Ed, were so fun and I really enjoyed their company.
We ate:
The results: the mashed potatoes at Chili’s tested positive for gluten. To the credit of Chili’s, they do have a disclaimer on their gluten-free menu.
After our testing, we made our way to my kitchen!
Ed and Heather actually came to my house, tested food in my pantry and took a look inside my fridge.
My thoughts on the night:
1. Each test takes 20 minutes. I seriously doubt many people will have the patience to wait 20 minutes to eat their food while they are waiting on the test results to come in. Their website states 10 minutes, but each kit we used took 20 minutes from start to finish.
2. The kits are quite expensive. You can purchase 2 for $25 or 5 for $60 off the website.
3. There may be some testing errors. This was the first time any of us have ever used the kits and we only sampled one part of the food. The kit allows for a small sample, so to test multiple parts of the food would take the use of multiple kits. For the purposes of the report it was not practical to use multiple kits to test more than one part of the food. However, every effort was made to include as much of the food in the small testing spoon that came with the kit.
4. If you are using these test strips in a public place, you will get some interesting looks. The kit has a few stages you have to complete that involves mixing and letting things sit for certain amounts of time.
5. There still may trace amounts of gluten that the kit doesn’t account for. It tests as low as 10ppm.
Have you ever used these kits before? What are your thoughts?
Filed under Dining
One of my favorite weeks in Jacksonville is coming up: THE PLAYERS. I love the social aspect of this event, running into old friends and walking around to all the different areas is fun. I do make time for the golf too, I like to watch the rush of people following the leaders and celebrities and I enjoy watching the golfer’s attempts at 17. This year they have added new venues and healthy food options.
I was recently invited to participate in a tasting at TPC Sawgrass. They wanted to share some of their new menu items for THE PLAYERS coming up May 6-12th. Included in these offerings are gluten-free and vegan sandwiches and other food. They are trying to go beyond hot dogs and hamburgers by incorporating fresher foods and healthier options. THE PLAYERS has really tried to capitalize on the social aspect of the tournament as well as improving the fan experience. In addition, they have heard a lot of feedback that people want more options and healthier food.
Upon arrival to The Patio, they offered us wine and beer. I was so excited to see that among the options was Omission gluten-free beer THE BEST gluten-free beer I have tried. During THE PLAYERS you can get Omission gluten-free beer at the PGA Tour Café.
Prom Catering, the caterer for the PGA Tour, led the night by explaining some of the new dishes and their signature dish, Shrimp and Grits with a fried green tomato (not gluten-free).
The first item I tried was the Avocado Power Lunch on gluten-free bread. This sandwich Included avocado, tomato, sprouts, cucumber slices and a lemon aioli. This can be found at The PGA Tour Café. I really loved this. Not sure if this would fill me up at the tournament because there is no protein, however, I loved the flavors, the lemon aioli with sprouts and avocado was tasty.
Next up was the Chick’n salad sandwich on gluten-free bread. This can be found at the The PGA Tour Café. I really liked this. It is a vegan play on the chicken salad sandwich, made with chick peas instead of chicken. This was a little more filling than the Avocado Power Lunch.
Lastly, I tried the Bubba turkey burger on a gluten-free bun. This is served at the PGA Tour Café. I probably would have added some mustard or mayo to this but it was hearty and healthy and a great alternative to a regular burger.
Other gluten-free items served at The PGA Tour Caféat the Food Court:
- BLT with Turkey Bacon on gluten-free bread
- POP Chips (ooo I love these!)
Other gluten-free food and where to find it:
- Bubba burgers served on gluten-free bread can be found at public concessions behind Benefactor Tent at Nicklaus Gate, public concessions at the No. 5 green, The Patio at No. 10 tee and 18 green
- Gluten-free hot dogs (including the bun) can be found at public concessions behind Benefactor Tent at Nicklaus Gate and public concessions at the No. 5 green
Gluten-free food at Taste of Jax:
• Indochine – Thai and Southeast Asian cuisine from one of downtown Jacksonville’s most popular locales, plus gluten-free and healthy options;
• Metro Diner – Classic American fare with low-calorie and gluten-free options
Gluten-free food at Wine and Dine on 9:
- Enjoy Medure’s gourmet small plates in a beautiful garden setting also features the BERINGER® Wine Bar for a fine selection of reds, whites and rosés. Located left of 9 Fairway, there are also permanent restrooms next to Wine & Dine on 9.
For a detailed map and more detailed listing visit 2013 PLAYERS Course Map
Other cool stuff:
- Youth 18 and younger are admitted free of charge when accompanied by a ticketed adult – there is no limit. However, that policy does not apply to the tournament’s hospitality venues (The Benefactor, The Turn), where children ages 6 and older will need an upgraded ticket to gain admittance.
- The McKenzie Noelle Wilson Foundation Kid Zone, features a “GameTruck,” a putt-putt course, arts and crafts and more.
- THE PLAYERS will provide all active duty, Reserve, military retirees and dependents with complimentary admission to the tournament all week.
- Sunday is a PINK OUT, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness and mother’s day
- You can bring in your own food! They will allow (similar to Jaguar games) visitors to bring in food in a one Gallon zip lock bag per person- though no outside beverages are allowed
- Club 1791, named for the year in which Jacksonville was founded, offers fans a place to relax on comfortable seating, cool off while watching the broadcast on large, flat-screen TVs, and stay connected with cell phone charging stations and WiFi hot spots.
- Taste of Jax: restaurants include: Indochine, Metro Diner and Pele’s Wood Fire
- The Oasis – Located beteen 9 and 18 tee boxes, features the air-conditioned NOLET’S® Silver Lounge (for guests 21 and over), where signature cocktails, including THE PLAYERS Punch made with NOLET’S Silver, are available for purchase. This public venue also has food and drink for purchase. Features a rear deck for prime views of No. 9 tee.
- The Patio – adjacent to 16 tee and 18 green offers a larger shaded fan zone that includes open-air seating, a video board to keep up with the tournament and food and beverage available for purchase. The Patio features permanent restroom facilities.
- The Grove – Located in the area behind 17 tee and 16 green, is an outdoor, shaded area that is open to the public
- Food Court – Located behind No. 16 green – near The Grove – there are plenty of great, local restaurants to choose from in The Food Court. And there’s shaded seating close by at The Grove, so everyone can grab a bite to eat and meet up for a family picnic at THE PLAYERS. Restaurants featured in the Food Court include: PGA TOUR Café, Bono’s Pit Bar-B-Q, Brucci’s Pizza, Firehouse Subs, MShack, and Tropical Smoothie Café.
- Two large-scale, permanent public restrooms located at The Patio and Wine & Dine on 9 (near No. 16 tee/No. 9 fairway)
- “Four for Free” Parking: Fans with four or more guests in a vehicle can park for free Thursday through Sunday with the “Four for Free” parking voucher. Fans can go online to http://www.PGATOUR.COM/theplayers to download the voucher, which allows free parking in the general lot off of CR210.
For more information about any of this see the 2013 PLAYERS Course Map
Or visit the official PLAYERS website
Do you enjoy going to THE PLAYERS? What is your favorite part?
Filed under Dining
I discovered J. William Culinary about two weeks ago when the Chef, Jay, commented on my Facebook post abut Ovinte. I went online to check them out and discovered they make meals in perfect portion sizes and specialize in fresh ingredients. They also have gluten free, dairy free and vegan offerings. I was intrigued and reached out to Jay to see if I could try some of their meals and share with my gluten-free friends. I was pleasantly surprised when they called saying they would deliver 5 meals for me to try. My boyfriend helped out with the tasting, however, he is the easiest person to cook for. He likes EVERYTHING!
After learning about J. William Culinary I reviewed their website and Facebook page; I seem to be living in the dark ages. They have been around for months and this is the first I have heard of them. Here is what I know of them from their website and Facebook page:
What They Offer: Wraps, protein bars, and meals for lunch or dinner (chicken, beef, fish, meatballs).
Nutrition: The wraps and protein bar are 240 calories, the fish entrees 300, chicken entrees 440, beef entrees and turkey meatballs 500, and the pork entrees are 480. They only use lean meats and don’t use dairy, so everything is low fat. Everything is gluten-free except the beef meatballs and wraps. They use no refined sugars, only honey, on occasion. And, there is no salt added to the meals. Everything is between 35-45 grams of protein, 25-40 grams for carbs, low fat and dairy-free.
Price: Meals range from $4 (protein bars, snacks, wraps) to $10 (Mayport Shrimp). Most are $6.50. They have free delivery to all of Jacksonville within the Duval County Limits, Monday through Friday for orders of $100 or more. For orders of less than $100, there is a $5 delivery charge. The ingredients containing gluten (couscous, bread crumb, wraps) are stored separately from other materials.
Preparation: The meals are fully cooked and vacuum-sealed. They can be microwaved for 2 minutes or simmered in water for 10 minutes to reheat. The meals are typically delivered fresh (unfrozen), but because of the vacuum sealing, they freeze very well. They will remain good in your freezer for at least six months. J. William culinary can arrange for meals to be frozen and left in a cooler for you or they can deliver them to your work.
Menu: The menu changes weekly, typically on Friday. Here is a link to the most recent menu.
Location: If you want to pick up your meal at their store, the address is: 2103 San Marco Blvd., Jacksonville, Florida. Their phone number is (904) 899-2062.
In the news: http://www.news4jax.com/news/Gourtmet-meals-on-the-go/-/475880/18561440/-/h8hpjuz/-/index.html
The meals I tried included:
Roasted Turkey Breast with Spiced Butternut Squash and Corn Black Bean Salsa
This meal was amazing. I am a salt addict, but, I held off on adding more salt so I could enjoy the freshness of this dish. I love squash and it was sweet but not too sweet. It came with two generous slices of turkey. It was so tender I didn’t even need a knife. The salsa added a nice touch and there were green beans for some extra added veggies. I cooked this for 2 minutes in the microwave after making a small hole at the top. It came out piping hot. I couldn’t believe how much food fit into the plastic packet.
This is how it came out of the bag. Seriously. I did nothing to move the food around. I cut the top off and I just slid the food out and it looked this good! This paired nicely with a glass of Vinho Verde, my new favorite spring wine!
Seared Chicken Breast with Spiced Sweet Potatoes and Spinach Cashew Pesto
The cashew pesto really stole the show. Normally pesto has cheese in it, however, since his meals are dairy-free this is a vegan alternative to a cheese pesto. The chicken and sweet potato flavors all worked together so nicely. I took a nice bite of the chicken, sweet potato and some green beans and the flavors took my breath away. This was my favorite dish out of the five.
Braised Chicken Thighs with Red Potatoes with Lime Garlic Sauce:
I was in a hurry when I needed these. I had these stored in the freezer and didn’t feel comfortable putting it straight in the microwave so I stuck it in boiling water for about 15 minutes. It came out great. This was probably my second favorite. I loved the chicken. The flavors were fantastic, I really thought there was going to be a problem with no salt added. The chicken and potatoes went so well together.
Sorry, I didn’t get a picture of the prepared dish. But believe me it looked good!!!
Seared Chicken Breast, Spiced Black Beans with Charred Tomato Salsa.
This one I boiled in water too. Black beans and salsa is my favorite combo. I eat it A LOT! I liked the chicken thighs a bit better; I just really liked the tenderness of the chicken thighs. I also felt like this was something I could throw together at home. But it was good, satisfying and a huge portion. I can’t believe these are 500 calories!
Slow Cooked Beef with Grilled Vegetables and Smokey Barbecue Sauce.
This is a meat lover and/or paleo dream. There were no potatoes or starch ingredients. Along with the huge chunks of beef there were huge onions, peppers and zucchini. You definitely need a knife and some floss on hand. I kinda wish there were a few more vegetables because I felt that it was A LOT of protein. But it was a very lean cut of beef, I didn’t see one bit of fat. The flavors were delicious. In the future I may dress it up with some hot sauce.
This meal was enjoyed during my lunch hour so excuse the disposable plate .
The thing I like best about these meals is they are easy, convenient and the type of meals I would spend an hour or so making at night. The packaging is not bulky and there is not a lot of waste after preparing these meals. They were super easy to heat up and you really can’t beat the price. The meals I tried, though not positive, should have fallen into the $6.50 range. For something that is made with fresh ingredients and healthy that is not bad at all.
The one major challenge with celiac disease and eating gluten-free is convenience. Chef Jay has made gluten-free/dairy-free food convenient. I especially like that the store is not too far from work so I can stop by for lunch or on the way home. I am really looking forward to some of their fish meals.
What do you think? Have you been here before? What is your favorite convenient gluten-free food?
Filed under Product Reviews
On a recent trip to New Orleans, my boyfriend and I discovered Port of Call. It was a top rated burger joint on tripadvisor ; locals and tourists alike claimed it is “worth the wait.” This is a no frills kinda place and the average wait time is around 1 hour. The space is small, however the bar takes up half the restaurant. You can put your name on the list or wait for a seat at the bar which is first come first serve.
We had quite the experience. We tried to go before an 8pm ghost tour, however, the wait was around an hour and a half. We tried waiting at the bar for two seats, however, it was quite stressful; people were cowering over bar patrons waiting to pounce on their seat the second the credit card bill was brought out. I could not handle the stress.
We decided to try to come back around 10pm after the ghost tour to see if there was still a wait. The wait was less than 30 minutes. For a restaurant that deals with so many people in one day, the staff at Port of Call are some of the nicest people. The bartenders were working their butts off but finding time to smile, take everyone’s orders and listen to stories from locals who obviously go there frequently for the amazing deals on drinks.
Once we sat down we were greeted by the sweetest waitress. She gave us a little time to look over the menu and got us some drinks. After reviewing the very small, yet focused, menu I inquired about the burgers. Turns out they put nothing on the grill except burgers and they don’t add butter or anything to them.. They serve baked potatoes instead of fries. I was so excited! The waitress said they frequently have people ask to have their buns toasted on the grill and they won’t do it. I ordered a burger with no bun and baked potato plain. My boyfriend and I both agreed this was one of the best burgers we have ever had. It was thick, not greasy, not too salty and cooked just the way we liked it. I wish I took more time to get a picture of my food before I devoured it. But here are the remains.
This is definitely a place you should check out, however, this is not the place you should visit if you are in a rush or are impatient. If you have some time and are in the party mood, they have giant tropical drinks that are only $10 and you can walk around New Orleans with them. We loved this place, and even though this is not your typical New Orleans restaurant (they don’t serve red beans and rice, jambalaya or po-boys) it will knock your socks off and not break the bank at the same time.
What is your favorite gluten-free burger?
Filed under Travel
