Guide to a gluten-free Harrisonburg

Update, 12/8/13: There have been a number of additions to this list since I first made it--a great problem to have! I'm adding options as I learn about them. Thanks to all who have commented. Keep the suggestions coming! 

It's been nearly ten years since I went gluten-free, after 18 months of dealing with a digestive system that was, shall we say, uncooperative. Ten years ago, alternative flours were just starting to become  more common, and fast food options were almost nil. I still know where every Wendy's is between here and Philly because when I first started on this, my only options were that or a burger sans bun from McDonald's. Thank God for Chipotle.

But I digress. Gluten-free options are growing. It's getting easier to eat well and safely, and not spend the whole meal discussing unpleasant symptoms, explaining that "flour" is actually wheat, or asking about the ingredients in a cup of plain green tea. In short, you get to be normal. In that spirit, here's an overview of the restaurants in Harrisonburg I know of where you can eat gluten-free. Full disclosure: I'm not a doctor, nor do I have celiac disease; I have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, so accidentally ingesting some gluten doesn't affect me in the same way it may affect you. If you're not sure, ask questions--you are your own best advocate.

Local Chop & Grill House: As its name indicates, the Chop House sources much of its food locally--insert your joke about the ducks on Blacks Run here--which means less processed, which means less gluten hiding in your food. Servers are helpful, and they make risotto. Risotto! (Update: The Chop House has now added two gluten-free beers to its menu, including Omission.)

Grilled Cheese Mania can make some of their sandwiches gluten-free. Very tasty and recommended.

The Little Grill: They offer gluten-free pancakes and will allow substituting grits or potatoes for toast. They've switched their gluten-free beer option to Omission, and can make certain dishes--like the Mexi Night special--gluten-free. They don't advertise this on the menu, so do ask.

Clementine Cafe: Clem's will make its lunch wraps in lettuce upon request. Fries are made in the same oil as breaded things. 

Pizza: The gluten-free pizza options in this town deserve their own post. Vito's Italian Kitchen remains my favorite. Domino's and Chanello's both offer gluten-free pies; I've heard that Franco's and Francesco's (in Park View) do, as well. I'm most excited about Bella Luna (scheduled to open "soon" as of December 2013), which is downtown and plans to serve gf pizza and other gluten-free items (also unspecified at this time).

Union Station: Okay food, has a gluten-free menu.

Rick's Cantina will make its burritos with open-face corn tortillas upon request. 

Outback Steakhouse: One of the first chains in the U.S. to have a gluten-free menu, and their "Chocolate Thunder from Down Under" brownie dessert is gluten-free.

Chipotle: The one here in town buys pork from Joel Salatin's farm. Go for the burrito bowl or anything with corn tortillas. They do have an allergen list.

Blue Nile: I'll be honest, I still miss the Zilzil Tibs at Meskerem, though I do like Blue Nile a lot. Their injera is a mixture of teff and wheat, but if you call three days in advance, they'll make you gluten-free pure teff injera. They always serve rice at their lunch buffet.

Beyond: I last went there in my elusive search for good pad thai. Not the first place I'd recommend, but not bad either. Nice ambiance.

Capital Ale: Gluten-free menu, knowledgeable servers, and they always have at least one kind of gluten-free beer. I don't go there often 'cause I still can't forgive them for not being Cally's, plus it's expensive. They have gluten-free mac and cheese ($14.99 if memory serves) and yesterday I noticed they had Green's, a gluten-free Belgian ale, on the menu--for $17. I like Green's, but I'll wait until I'm in Charlottesville and swing by the Whole Foods.

Thai food: Try any of them--Beyond, Thai Flavor, Taste of Thai, Thai Cafe--and ponder how we've been lucky enough to get four Thai restaurants in this city.

Taste of India: My office's favorite place to eat out, and I never complain. Avoid the naan, try everything else.

The farmers market: OCakes sells gluten-free baked goods. Brown Butter Bakery is on hiatus, but I'm hopeful they'll come back some day in their own space.

A Bowl of Good: Another restaurant supporting local farmers, and less pricey than the Chop House. Gluten-free options are labeled on the menu, and they sell gluten-free brownies. 

Greenberry's Coffee has sold gluten-free brownies and other baked goods for a few years now; I saw recently that they have gluten-free bread (and so sandwiches?) on the menu, too.

Dairy Queen: Of my immediate family (parents, siblings, in-law, nephews), five of us have issues with gluten. When I was a kid (pre-gluten free days) we always marked birthdays with ice cream cakes from Dairy Queen, and had been missing that tradition. We finally figured out that the Dairy Queen in the Harmony Square Shopping Center would make us gluten-free ice cream cakes--every time, we ask them to leave out the crumb middle, and replace it with whatever we want on top of the cake. Sometimes Butterfinger bars, sometimes strawberries. Be very clear about what you need and order two to three days in advance--but they can definitely do it.

Know of others? Leave them in the comments. I plan to occasionally post here about gluten-free options and will update this list as I learn more.

Updates:

I had a less-than-stellar experience at Quaker Steak & Lube not long after I first posted this. In talking to the manager who just happened to ask how our meals were--I'm not always great at advocating for myself, and sometimes it just gets frustrating to always be the one needing special accommodation--I was pleasantly surprised to realize he did understand proper, safe gluten-free food preparation. He said the Quaker Steak he'd worked at in Norfolk had separate storage and preparation areas, and food was served on distinct plates. He told me to come back in a week. I haven't, more because it's not so much my style, but I'm curious. If you go, let me know how it went?

L'Italia reports, as of November 7, 2012, that it offers gluten-free, whole wheat and regular pasta.

The Corner

In a break from our regularly scheduled programming, I would like to consider a philosophical question. What makes a location cursed? Is it as simple as repeated occupancy by people who don't know how to run a business? Is it the typical direction of traffic approaching it? Available parking? What? 

Oh, you don't know what I mean by "cursed"? I'm talking about those locations where it seems like nothing can stay open more than a couple of years, although businesses around it thrive. One prime example is that spot next to El Charro on South Main, the one that has, in the past four years, been an Indian place, a Cajun place, and now..."The Vibe," whatever that is. Yesterday, I ate in one such location. It's right down town, where Water Street crosses Main. Think about that spot. Billy Jack's, Dave's, Jack Brown's, and Earth & Tea all do really good business, every day. Dave's has been in that area for ever, and I predict long life for at least one of the other restaurants on that list. And then there's...what are they calling it now? Oh, right, The Corner. 95 South Main. Not to rag on the Corner itself, per se, but why doesn't anything thrive in that spot? We've had, just in the seven years that I've been a Harrisonburger, Luigi's, Fuzions, Cuchi Guido's, and now this. I really don't get it. That location should be *awesome*. You can't get any more downtown. I mean, I remember that the stoners at Luigi's would sometimes take a couple of hours to make a pizza, but that was really good pizza. Fuzions had the poor fortune to open around the same time as Beyond, but the location was far more prominent than Beyond's; if either of them should have failed, I would have expected it to be the one tucked up on the back end of Water Street. Cuchi Guido's was, by all reports, incredibly badly managed and deserved to fail (one of my colleagues actually told the owner, "I give you three months." This turned out to be a generous prediction). 

If anyone has a theory about this location curse phenomenon, please leave it in the comments. I'd like to know what you think.

And now we have The Corner, which, if you'll forgive my saying so, I think is also doomed. In addition to whatever mystery poltergeist trashed all those other places, the food is just okay, not terrible, but okay, and the place lacks personality. I have no idea how it expects to compete with Jess's or Jack Brown's, which have similar fare, but much stronger signatures. 

Well, good luck, The Corner. You'll need it. 

• Location: 95 South Main St.
• Website: http://thecornerdowntown.com/
• Food profile: Beer and beer-related food. The kind of food you would want with beer.
• Local sourcing: They don't say, but I'm thinking no.
• Takeout: The website doesn't say, but it's the kind of place where you'd expect takeout.
• Warnings: Not an awesome place for small children--no changing table in the bathroom, random sheets of glass leaning up against the wall. I wouldn't take my two-year-old back there until he was much bigger. Of course, I don't get the impression that they are trying to be a particularly kid-friendly restaurant.
• Specialties: In all fairness, no one in my party had a specialty pizza, which is what The Corner is really proud of. You should give that a try. My mother-in-law had a sandwich on some sort of pretzel bread, which she said was really good and unusual.

Food: 

Founded by a guy who wanted to bring the flavors of Long Island to the Valley, The Corner offers subs, pizzas, and lots of beer. I spent many summers of my childhood on Long Island, and I can attest that this is the real deal. 

Atmosphere: 

As I said, it kind of lacks much personality. It's not bad, the food's not bad, the atmosphere isn't bad. It's just that the bar for downtown dining is so high, now, I don't think I would pick this place over most of the other downtown offerings. I should note that our server was totally awesome, which definitely counts for a lot.

Local Chop & Grill (finally!)

I've been super remiss in writing here. Cut a girl some slack, I've been busy. Oh, and three trees fell on my truck. Thanks, derecho! Anyway. A little over a month ago, my husband and I went out with two other couples, leaving all of our children in the care of household pets skilled babysitters. We decided to go to the Local Chop & Grill. Contrary to my pessimistic statements beforehand, they did not lock the doors when they saw me coming. Yes, I finally ate at the Local Chop. One thing that was fun was that, with six people, I got to see and sample a wider variety of the cuisine than I typically do. Here's my report.

• Location: 56 West Gay St. It's in that renovated produce warehouse that has also been turned into condos, where Downtown 56 used to be.
• Website: http://www.localchops.com/
• Food profile:  Local gourmet
• Local sourcing: Oh yes. The menu even, in a handful of cases, tells you *what farm* a cut of meat came from.
• Takeout: Not that I'm aware of.
• Warnings: Closed Monday
• Tips: We ate in the bar, which was fun. I would mostly recommend this, except that, at six people, our group was seriously pushing the limits of the table's capacity. Also, check out their blog for events like dinners with local organic farmers (and, apparently, beer tastings!).
• Specialties: While I'm sure the kitchen staff is more proud of their grilled meats, everyone at my table raved about the duckfat fries (and joked that they were probably nabbing ducks off Black's Run, just out the back door).

About Local Chop:

Local Chop is a restaurant with a pretty awesome mission. It's trying hard to create food in a sustainable way, and to encourage other restaurants in town to do so as well. Their website includes an impressive list of local producers who raise the food that ends up on their table. 

Food: The food was pretty good, and it felt nice to know that a large percentage of it had come from the Valley. I'd say it's on par with Clementine (although the prices are a bit more in the Joshua Wilton House range). The recipes were pretty creative, which I appreciated--like wheatberry and couscous cakes. Who even thinks of that? 

Atmosphere: This is where Local Chop is a serious winner. The space is gorgeous, with well-chosen artwork and carefully designed lighting. I'm sure that there wasn't a massive physical renovation since Downtown 56 closed its doors, but the space feels airier. The wait staff was great. At one point, I knocked over my drink (and was super embarrassed, so shut up). Before I had a moment to take a breath, one waiter was mopping up the mess and another was handing me a fresh glass. The restaurant hit its mark in this respect--I have the feeling that the atmosphere is exactly what they had in mind.

Triumphal Return

What does a food blogger do on her first week back in Harrisonburg after two months away?

Monday: got home at 9 pm. Kissed the ground.
Tuesday: whole wheat donuts from the farmer's market.
Wednesday: Lunch @ the Little Grill
Thursday: Dinner @ Union Station
Friday: Lunch @ Pennybackers, coffee meeting @ Greenberry's.

It is good to be home. Yes, it is.
A real post will be coming soon, I promise.

Blue Nile

Well, I'm out of town for a two-month gig, and I do miss my dear Harrisonburg. I miss my friends and my husband, I hear that the weather is INCREDIBLE, and, of course, I miss the FOOD. I'm in west Michigan, on the third coast, and while it's quite lovely, well, it's no Harrisonburg. There are a few good restaurants, but nothing like the diversity we enjoy in the valley.

With that in mind, I'd like to feature a restaurant that I've particularly missed, maybe because I didn't manage to include it in my mad smorgasbord of pre-departure 'burg dining. That would be Blue Nile, Harrisonburg's own Ethiopian pub.

When Blue Nile was in its old location, over by EMU, I really loathed it. When my coworkers ordered it for lunch meetings, I'd nibble some injera, and feel mildly nauseous. I thought I just didn't like Ethiopian food, which I hadn't had anywhere else, and I didn't want to seem like a rube by admitting it to my cultured officemates. I was relieved when they closed for a long time during their move. When they reopened, it took months--maybe a year--before I finally found myself standing at their buffet table, dragged there for a lunch meeting.

I don't know what happened during my break from Blue Nile. Maybe they replaced all their spices or their chef got way better. Maybe my tastes matured. Whatever it was, I'm sure glad it happened, because now I just love that place.

• Location: 181 N. Main Street
• Website: www.bluenileva.com
• Food profile: Ethiopian, plus alcohol
• Local sourcing: Not that I'm aware of.
• Take-out: Yes.
• Warnings: Upstairs is closed on Mondays (downstairs is open every day from 7 pm- 2 am)
• Tips: In case you aren't aware, look for parking in the back. From Main Street, turn left on Wolfe, and look for parking immediately on the left.
• Specialties: I've heard that the special Ethiopian coffee ceremony that they offer is pretty neat, but I've never experienced it.

About Blue Nile:
This is legitimate Ethiopian food...with an awesome bar and concert venue in the basement. It's definitely worth checking out, any night of the week. Although I can't find verification on their website, I've heard that it's run by a family of first-generation Americans.


Food:
I'm not going to lie, every time I go to Blue Nile, I end up looking blankly at the menu trying to remember what it was that I got that one time, the thing that I liked. Then I point blindly and this time becomes the time I'm trying to remember next time. Usually I can talk the people at my table into ordering a combination platter (enough for three people, easily, at around $30), and then we get the result of several blind pointings! :) For this reason, I actually recommend going to the lunch buffet and writing down the things you liked the best.

Atmosphere:
This is a classy place. It's not fancy-dress-up-you-slob, but business casual wouldn't be out of place. The decor is a combination of African art and the best of Pier One. Unlike some ethnic restaurants where the ethnic decorations feel kitchy or thrown together, every piece in Blue Nile feels curated. It's a gorgeous space, too--the architect who designed their renovation deserves an award. The bar and restaurant blend together seamlessly upstairs, without intruding on each other. At lunch time, it manages to feel like a lunchtime restaurant, not a half-shut-down bar, and in the evening, it just sparkles. The staff is very attentive without being at all annoying, and they make great recommendations.


But what if I hate Ethiopian food?
Wait. Pray that your taste buds mature. Also, they now offer some more western flavors, including a cheese steak.

Indian American Cafe

As noted in my post of yesterday, I feel guilt over anything I might have done to make Indian American Cafe sound less wonderful than Taste of India. So I'm going to knock together a quick IAC post to make myself feel better. Not that anyone reads this anyway.

• Location: 91 N. Main Street. This is one of those crazy hole-in-the-wall places I started this blog to celebrate.  There's no awning, no big street sign. You'd drive right past it and never notice, unless you happened to be stuck at that light. 
• Website: They don't have one. Menu information is available at http://rockingham.va.golookon.com/listings/indian_american_cafe
• Food profile: Indian, but more of a north Indian/Nepalese flavor than the other Indian places in town. They have all the foods on the menu that you would expect, but the spice blend is a bit different. The restaurant used to be listed as the "American Indian Cafe" in a local phone book, which I'm sure caused a good deal of confusion from patrons who arrived hoping for some spoon bread and bison. Interestingly, they used to serve what one would think of as "American" food, in addition to the Indian cuisine. I only know this because once, my team at work hired a Canadian guy whose parents were from India. On his first day at work, we decided to go to IAC, in an effort to show him that he could get the food of his people in little Harrisonburg. He ordered a hamburger. "I hate Indian food," he said. I still don't know if he was joking; that's just the kind of guy he is. Hamburgers are no longer on the menu.
• Price: $10-12 for an entree.
• Tip: The best deal is to get take-out. They really fill the take-out container, which is bigger than the eat-in plate.
• Warnings:
• Cash or check only--no credit cards!
• Closed on Mondays
• The waiter will ask you what "spice level" you want your food at, on a scale of 1-4. These numbers are largely meaningless, or are an approximation at best. What you actually get depends, as far as I can tell, on the cook's mood and the spice levels ordered by the other people in your party--and/or the restaurant at large. If you want really killer spice levels, try ordering a "Rick Black"--but only with the permission of everyone at your table.
• Periodically, throughout the year, the restaurant closes for several weeks because the owners go on a trip back to Nepal. This will invariably be at a time when you wake up with a mad craving for some ponir saag with a luschy on the side. You will be disappointed. Sorry.
• Atmosphere: Casual, but not sloppy. The staff is very friendly and the place is clean. Art from India decorates the walls. It doesn't try too hard to feel Indian--the waiters typically wear khakis and polo shirts rather than saris, and the music is as likely to be John Mayer as Ravi Shankar. There's something sort of nice about this. It's not self-conscious; it's a restaurant that says, "We're in America, and we have our home culture, and we're blending the two."

Taste of India

So, on a recent date night--the sparseness of this blog pretty much reflects the sparseness of our dating life--the husband and I attempted to eat at the Local Chop & Grill AGAIN. I really think they don't want us there. My husband called to make a reservation, and they told him we didn't need one...then we showed up, and they were closed. As God is my witness, we will eat there some day! And never go hungry again!

Uhm. So anyway, we decided to go to Taste of India instead, and I figured I'd write about it here.

• Location: 498 University Blvd. It's near that spot on Reservoir where you think you're cool and then suddenly it turns into a left-only lane and you can't get back over. Once you make that left turn, take the first parking lot on the right and enjoy some Indian food. 
• Website: http://tasteofindiahbg.com/html/location_harrisonburg.html The site loads slowly and doesn't have a lot of information on it, but it is a good place to grab their menu if you want to look before you go.
• Food profile: Indian (duh). Unlike Indian American Cafe, which actually is more of a Nepalese flavor, this is India Indian food. Tandoori, I guess. 
• Price: $10-$15 for an entree. They also have a pretty sweet lunch buffet, which I think is around $8.
• Specialties: I'm not really sure what they'd say their specialties are (the food is all good), so I'm going to go with service and hospitality. The staff does a great job of making one feel at home, keeping the water glass filled, answering questions, and generally being friendly without being obtrusive.
• Local sourcing? Not as far as I could gather.
• Tip: Can't decide what you want? Get the thali, sort of a combination platter. I always assumed it meant "sampler," but the last time I was in there, the proprietress (I think that's what she is--she's always there and seems to be running things) told me that "thali" means "at home"--it's like the little nosh you put together out of your fridge for a casual family dinner. Available in vegetarian and meat.

Food: A wide selection of Indian food. You can request various levels of spiciness when you order, and unlike Indian American Cafe (see, I'm going to have to write an entry about that place now, because I really do love it and here I am knocking it...), the spice level seems to mean something.

Atmosphere: The exterior looks a bit questionable, like it's part of a shopping plaza (which it is). Inside, though, the whole place is decorated with beautiful prints and statues from India, the waitresses all wear beautiful saris and salwar-kameez, and the tables are set with pressed linens. It's not the fanciest place in town, but it's no dive.