One meal I absolutely love is BRUNCH ... it may be just because the only time we have brunch or go out for brunch is on weekends or holiday times, so more relaxed not working days. In any case I love brunch - at home or out ...and in learning to live with Celiac Disease I did not want to give up my love of eating out. I am thankful I live in an awesome city that many restaurants have taken the requirement of gluten free eating and have done an awesome job in understanding what we require for safe and healthy eating.
I also want to stress that I call these restaurants before hand and talk to usually more than one person to check on the level of knowledge of required (health) gluten free eating - and the cross contamination aspects. It does not have to be a long drawn out conversation - usually you are put through to someone who is a supervisor of such things and it just takes a few minutes to touch base. We have gone to a few of these places with a group of 20-25 people - so it is important to me beforehand to do a bit of research and knowledge seeking so that neither my guy or I feel awkward or embarrassed eating out with others. And when I am at a restaurant I always introduce our requirement by saying "I have celiac disease, so we require safe gluten free meals - can this be accommodated?" With all the fad diets out there, and people jumping on the gluten free bandwagon because they have been told by some celebrity it will help them lose weight or feel healthier, those in the celiac and gluten intolerant communities need to separate our requirement from these. I find a few minutes and talking to the right person can lessen the stress and miscommunication, a much better dining experience for both us as the consumer but also for the establishment because we are clear and straightforward with them.
Brings me back to my favourite meal - Brunch - and what options I have
tried in and around our city. I was going to do a separate blog post
for each of these Restaurants but seriously my goal is to blog more and
more often - so I am actually going to do a little blurb about 7 places
we have tried in the last 6 months or so ... to give you a bit of a
taste of what is available. No particular order ...
La Ronde Restaurant - Edmonton's only Revolving Rooftop Restaurant - Chateau Lacombe
The La Ronde is seriously a treat ... it is an unique experience in that this restaurant is at the top of the Chateau Lacombe and it slowly revolves ... you get an amazing and fantastic view of Edmonton, downtown and as you see in this picture quite a ways away. I think I will need to go to brunch in the fall again I would love to see the river valley from up there in all it's splendor and color. As it is a unique experience the brunch is a bit pricey but as you can see from my plate - you do not go hungry. As usual I did phone ahead and speak to them about brunch - as they serve this buffet style - so honestly there is always a risk that someone may cross contaminate something by using the wrong tongs for a dish. They do have a chef at the end of the table carving meat and a chef manager at the tables to watch over things - and a lot of the foods are in sections - all salads together, cold items like seafoods and veggies in an area ect. We were able to get the chef manager go through the dishes with us to give us her extra check on items that we were clear to eat. And which ones besides the obvious toast and pancakes, we were to steer clear from.
Johnson's Cafe - Hotel Selkirk - Fort Edmonton Park
They hold brunch at the Selkirk Hotel in a big cafeteria style room - no frills - long wooden tables and chairs - but the food was fabulous. As was the service. I did my phone ahead (you usually are wise to book one of the brunch times as it is - they are pretty busy and only have two sit down brunch times each Sunday) - they suggest you do so they can let the chef know that they will have a gluten free dinner attending brunch - menus are set up a bit before time so they can either tweak it a bit to accommodate a gluten free diner - or tell you what kinds of options you likely will have. When it came time for brunch we went just before the line up and spoke to the supervisor - she lead us through the buffet style set up and showed us exactly what was safe and made gluten free - which honestly was a good 75% of their items. We also took advantage of the little omelet station that was set up on the side and got a small order to suit your taste omelet that the chef was fixing up. The food was great and we did not leave hungry - and the brunch was reasonably priced and in addition you get into the Fort Edmonton Grounds for the one price - which is a great deal. We had a great brunch and got to spend the afternoon at Fort Edmonton for one reasonable price.
Culina Millcreek
We have been to the Culina Millcreek location a few times for brunch ... the size of the portions are great, and they are familiar with gluten free eating and cross contamination ... we have tried a couple of the dishes ... consisting of eggs, meat and veggies as shown ... they also have their own gluten free bread that is pretty tasty. We have booked our brunch dates on Open table, but I have also called in a head of time to convey our gluten free eating requirements. Always have dealt with knowledgeable and helpful staff who assure us they can accommodate most items on the brunch menu. Reservations are recommended as it is a cozy sized venue and they can be busy during brunch times.
Cocoa's Restaurant and Lounge - Downtown Delta Suite
Cocoa's was another brunch location we visited with a group, that serves brunch in a buffet style setting - I did call ahead - especially as we were attending brunch with a group of people, and was assured at that time that they would be able to accommodate gluten free eating - that we could order off their menu if we found the buffet did not suffice. However - things were a bit different once we arrived, a bit of patience was required as our server knew nothing of my phone call - even though I was told it was written down, so she told us we would have to speak to the floor manager ~ who was busy so it took some time before we could explain again our requirements and then she went through the buffet with us, she suggested at that time that we only take from certain areas - she was worried about the cross contamination - so we could help ourselves to the fruit and seafood sections as they were set off by themselves, and then she asked us what we would like and we ordered new plates that were made up for us from the kitchen. Eggs, bacon and potatoes - it wasn't anything special but the food was hot and safe, and I admit I think I went a couple times to the seafood table anyway.
Lazia Restaurant
We went to brunch at Lazia for Kevin's birthday - so this was somewhere new for brunch, though we had been to Lazia before for supper a few times with no issue. I did call beforehand and was assured we would have no problem, once there we had to educate our wait staff a bit but once we put emphasis on the requirement that the dishes be gluten free - we kept to ordering simple. The roasted potatoes were very tasty and the seafood omelet that I ordered was fine. Kevin has simple sunny side up eggs and ham - the portions were average, not as filling with no options for toast. Perfect if you are just looking to grab a light brunch.
La Crema Caffe - St. Albert
Another great place to go if you are looking for a light brunch alternative is the La Crema Caffe in St. Albert - they make their own little gluten free quiche and sausage rolls, and have awesome choices like breakfast bagels. They have their own designated cooler cabinet filled with all sorts of yummy gluten free delights ... from muffins to squares ... if you would like a bite to go with your flavoured coffee or tea. Their melt in your mouth tasty quiche always brings me back to have a light lunch or brunch here, it is a bit pricey - but the products are made gluten free and the service is always friendly. A great place to head in for a light lunch or a coffee with a friend.
La Boheme - In the Historic Highlands District
La Boheme is set in the historic Highlands district ... after we had brunch we took a walk through the residential area around the restaurant and marveled at the beautiful homes built here ... from the early 1900's. The restaurant itself is in a historic site - the Gibbard Block that was built in 1912 ... for brunch ... we picked a couple items off the menu that once we spoke to our waitress we assured could be made gluten free ...
Kevin had the Boeuf et Oeuf - steak with peppercorn sauce and eggs dish, and mine was a seafood dish - Saumon - Le Vol au Vent - minus the puff pastry - salmon, asparagus, and mushrooms in a bechamel sauce- both had fresh potato chips that were delicious. There also was a pasty (not gluten free), cheese and fruit cart that we were able to start with some fresh fruit before our entrees arrived.
So we have enjoyed a gluten free meal at all these different brunch establishments in and around Edmonton ... as always you should always call ahead of your meal and touch base with the management ahead of your reserved brunch time, especially if you are attending brunch with a group of people. A little heads up makes a more pleasant dining experience for yourself and for the wait staff.
I would love for others to share some great brunch places that they have also found in and around the City ... So where have you had brunch lately that deserves a gluten free thumbs up shout out?!!
Cheers
Sherri
