Gluten Free Reviewer: san francisco

Showing posts with label san francisco. Show all posts

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Weekend Edition Hot Off the Press #23: Gluten Free Reviewer Grocery

In our search for gluten free food, we often had trouble finding products. Going to our local grocery stores would be like an Easter egg hunt. We would have to wander up and down isles searching for gluten free products. Often times, selection is sparse and they were hidden among glutinous items. When you got the product home, sometimes you would take one taste and it would go right in the garbage because it tasted horrible. Enter our vision: A grocery store where all of the products are gluten free and have been taste tested to ensure they are good. That’s where we come in.

Gluten Free Reviewer Grocery is officially open for business! We are not your typical grocery store. We have combined our review website with our bricks and mortar store making us a resource for education and diversity of nourishment in our gluten free world. We are dedicated to providing our community with the best value in food quality and price point. All of the products in our store have been taste tested by us to ensure that they are good.

Our store is located at 600 Illinois St. We are open Monday thru Saturday 11am-7pm. If you’re in the neighborhood please stop in. We have a lounge area and offer free internet to customers. We hope to see you soon!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Interesting Articles: Gluten Free Restaurants in San Francisco

Over the weekend, a friend of ours sent us an article he saw in the SF Chronicle written by Beth Winegarner who happens to be gluten intolerant herself. The article, titled "Gluten-Free Gastronomy in San Francisco" talks about gluten free options in San Francisco restaurants. Once non existent, gluten free options in restaurants are now growing. Beth points out several restaurants in San Francisco with gluten free options and some that are even completely gluten free. Check out the article at: SFGate: Gluten-Free Gastronomy in San Francisco

Monday, March 21, 2011

Gluten Free Tart: Crave Apple Frangipane Tart - Product Review #92

Gluten Free Tart: Crave Apple Frangipane Tart

PRODUCT NAME:       Apple Frangipane Tart

BRAND:                                  Crave Bakery

COST: $5.49

SIZE:                                     5.6oz

COST PER OZ:                    $0.98/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:      NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       N/A

ORGANIC:    Partial

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:        N/A

VEGAN:                                    NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:         Designated GF Equipment

LOCATION OF FACILITY:          California

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
We have seen a lot of good things come out of Crave Bakery’s kitchen. This Apple Frangipane Tart is no exception. Cameo Edwards brought it over to us a few weeks back to try and I’m glad she did. We didn’t get to try it before closing up shop for the holidays, so we decided to freeze it. It held up perfectly. As you may recall, we thought that the tart crust was a little too soft for our tastes. Being that the crusts on this tart was the same as the last. We attempted to firm the crust up a little by putting it in the oven for a few minutes. This did the trick. It firmed up the outer layer of the crust just enough to our liking.

If you’re wondering what a frangipane tart is, it is a tart with an almond flavored filling. This one was great. It had a nice light crust and a perfectly sweet filling. The aroma of the almonds was a nice added touch. Combine the gluten free crust and the tasty frangipane filling with some apples spread over it, and you have a great gluten free dessert alternative.

This is just one of Crave Bakery’s many gluten free treats. They are a company that specializes and really cares about providing the gluten free intolerant and the celiacs high quality baked goods. You can see it in her ingredients...she uses locally grown free range eggs and organic brown rice flour just to name a few. If that wasn’t enough, is dedicated to making sure there is the least amount of cross contamination in her products. Those of you with severe gluten allergies, you will be pleased to hear that Crave tests to 5ppm, which is higher than many certification agencies. They also make everything on dedicated gluten free equipment.

Those of you who are looking for a delicious gluten free dessert, look no further than Crave Bakery’s Apple Frangipane Tart. These tarts are good for just about everyone except for those of you that have allergies to eggs and tree nuts. If you enjoy a nice soft crust, enjoy it as is, but if you enjoy a firmer crust, take our recommendation of putting it in the oven for a few minutes to firm it up.

Taste: Despite being in the freezer for a couple weeks, this tart held up great. It had great almond flavor with just the perfect amount of sweetness. This time around, we decided to put it in the oven for a few minutes to firm up the crust, and it paid off as our mouths were greeted by a crust with great texture.

Labeling: Same labeling as found on Crave’s other baked goods. I didn’t notice it before, but they have actually put allergy information on the label to warn of potential allergy risks. Those of you with other allergies will appreciate that label.

Packaging: Great packaging that we have come to expect from Crave. We put it in the freezer and there was no weird freezer aftertaste so you know the package is doing its job to keep the tart fresh.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:
Texture:        4
Taste:            5
Value:           3
OVERALL:       4

Reviewed 011211 by CC

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Gluten Free Chocolate: Recchiuti Winter Collection Chocolate - Product Review #42

Gluten Free Chocolate: Recchiuti Winter Collection Chocolate

PRODUCT NAME: Winter Collection

BRAND: Recchiuti

COST: $19.99

PIECES: 8 Piece

COST PER PIECE: $2.50/piece

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE: NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY: N/A

ORGANIC: NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY: N/A

VEGAN: NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY: Unknown

LOCATION OF FACILITY: San Francisco, CA

REVIEW:
I know I might be a little late with this one, but better late than never. A few weeks ago, we purchased Recchiuti’s Winter Collection Chocolate gift box to try out. If you haven’t heard of Recchiuti, they are a gourmet chocolate company based in San Francisco, which happens to be where we are from. On a recent trip to the Ferry Building, we saw their store packed with customers and knew we had to try some of their chocolate. Their store layout was something similar to a fancy jewelry store with the chocolate displayed in a glass counter. The chocolate was priced like it was jewelry too. $20 for a box of 8 chocolate squares totaling 3.5 ounces.

Was the chocolate worth the price tag? I would say it probably is. I am not usually a big fan of dark chocolate, but this dark chocolate is like no other dark chocolate I have ever had. Bite into it and it just melts. It has great texture and very rich flavor. You won’t need to eat several pieces to enjoy it although I can probably finish the entire box in one sitting. This chocolate is something special and is meant for only those special occasions. At $2.50 for a 0.4375oz piece, you can probably buy several Hershey’s chocolate bars that are triple its size. These chocolates are special though, they have special designs painted on them and are meant to be gifts, they just so happen to be in chocolate form.

If you’re in the mood to splurge a little on some delicious chocolate, look no further than a Recchiuti Chocolate gift box. Their flavor is worth their weight in gold. Despite the high price, I would probably still buy it just because it is that good. This chocolate is not marked as gluten free, however checking the list of ingredients, it is gluten free. If you are extra sensitive, you may want to check with the manufacturer for their manufacturing process to ensure that there is no cross contamination. If you are allergic to nuts, you might want to stay away as it is manufactured on shared equipment.

Taste: This chocolate is probably the best I have ever had. It has a firmer chocolate outer shell and the inside is soft and smooth like butter.

Labeling: There isn’t much labeling on this packaging…just a sticker on back with the name of the chocolate and a list of the ingredients. It doesn’t need much labeling either because the quality of the chocolate speaks louder than words.

Packaging: The packaging is the nicest packaging I have ever seen for chocolate. It comes in a box with a clear top that wrapped with a ribbon. It is something that you would feel comfortable giving as is to just about anyone.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture: 5

Taste: 5

Value: 1

OVERALL: 3.7

Reviewed 1/3/11 by CC

Gluten Free Bagels: Mariposa Gluten Free Bagels - Product Review #39

Gluten Free Bagels: Mariposa Gluten Free Bagels

PRODUCT NAME: Gluten Free Bagels

BRAND: Mariposa

COST: $3.95

NUMBER OF BAGELS: 2

COST PER BAGEL: $1.98

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE: NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY: N/A

ORGANIC: NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY: N/A

VEGAN: NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY: YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY: Oakland, CA

REVIEW:
Mariposa bakery specializes in gluten free baked goods. They make everything from brownies to breads. They even make bagels, which is what we had for lunch today. Traditionally bagels are dense breads that are hand formed into circles, much like donuts. The difference between a bagel and regular bread is that bagels are usually boiled before they are baked. Your end product is a dense bread that is a little chewier than regular bread.

Based on the other products that we have tasted out of the Mariposa bakery, we had high hopes for this bagel. It was good, but we thought it could’ve been a little better. We tasted the bagels 2 ways…toasted and without being heated in any way. First was the toasted version. It was good…nice and crispy and had good texture. The last was as is without being heated in any way. This version was very crumbly and tasted more like dry bread than a bagel. It reminded us a lot of the gluten free brown rice bread from Trader Joe’s. It leaves a weird film on your tongue after eating it. It wasn’t horrible, but we were expecting a little better.

This bagel is best suited for people who enjoy toasted bagels. It is great when toasted, but without, it’s just bread.

Taste: The bagel was great toasted. It browns nicely and gets pretty crispy. Untoasted on the other hand, it crumbles easily and is rather dry. For a bagel, the texture was too light. It needs to be denser.

Labeling: Very simple labeling on this bagel, as with their other products. One thing I noticed on this packaging was that it has a shelf life of 3 months when it is frozen. This is a big plus as these are a little harder to get. You can stock up and freeze them to enjoy later.

Packaging: Simple cellophane plastic packaging.

RATING:

Texture: 3

Taste: 3

Value: 2

OVERALL: 2.7

Reviewed 12/10/10 by CC

Gluten Free Pizza: Mariposa 10" Pizza - Product Review #38

Gluten Free Pizza: Mariposa 10 inch Pizza

Gluten Free Pizza: Mariposa 10" Pizza

PRODUCT NAME: 10” Topped Pizza

BRAND: Mariposa

COST: $10.75

SIZE: 10oz

COST PER OZ: $1.07/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE: NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY: N/A

ORGANIC: NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY: N/A

VEGAN: NO

WHEAT FREE FACILITY: YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY: Oakland, CA

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
Pizza…who doesn’t like pizza? Only problem most of the pizza out there are made with wheat flour. Enter…Mariposa with their 10” Topped Pizza, which is a frozen cheese pizza that just happens to be gluten free. Celiacs and the gluten intolerant can now rejoice, finally a gluten free pizza that actually tastes like a pizza!

A little background about Mariposa…they are a company based in Oakland, California that specializes in gluten free baked goods. Mariposa has been producing delicious handmade gluten free baked goods that are just as good, if not better than their glutinous equivalents since 2004. They bake everything at their dedicated gluten-free facility in Oakland, California. You won’t have to worry about cross contamination with these baked goods. So what is their secret to making such delicious baked goods? It’s their special gluten free flours, which are combinations of organic brown rice flour, sweet rice flour, potato starch and tapioca flour.

This gluten free pizza was great. We baked the pizza up with some sausage and garlic as toppings and it was DELICIOUS! It was very easy to make. Dice up your favorite toppings sprinkle them on top and bake it in the oven until the cheese is melted. What you end up with is a delicious cheesy pizza with a cripy crust. The texture of the dough is perfect. If we didn’t know any better, we wouldn’t have known it was gluten-free. You can tell this is a high quality pizza crust.

This pizza was great. Produced by a local company producing handmade high quality food is definitely a plus. Some might think the price is a little high, but you’re paying for quality. Just compare it to a frozen pizza you would get at your local grocery store. You’d probably pay about $8 for one of the gluten filled frozen pizzas…I don’t’ think it’s too much to ask to pay a few more bucks to get a high quality gluten free product.

Taste: This pizza is great. There was no weird aftertaste like some of the other gluten free bread products we have tried in the past and it had great texture. We baked it just long enough to get a nice crispy outer crust and it was perfect. The dough had the perfect consistency; not too chewy but not too flaky. With our added toppings, it made for a delicious lunch.

Labeling: There wasn’t much in the form of labeling, just a simple sticker on the front with the company logo, the name of the product, and the ingredients. This was one of the inspirations for the weekend blog about missing nutrition facts. This pizza does not have nutrition facts on the packaging and I believe mariposa is exempt from it because they qualify for the Small Business Exemption.

Packaging: The packaging is very simple as well. No double packaging here, just a Ziploc bag and a round piece of cardboard to keep the pizza from deforming.

RATING:

Texture: 5

Taste: 5

Value: 2

OVERALL: 4

Reviewed 12/10/10 by CC

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Gluten Free Brownies: Crave Bakery Dark Chocolate Brownies - Product Review #36

Gluten Free Brownies: Crave Bakery Dark Chocolate Brownies

PRODUCT NAME: Dark Chocolate Brownies

BRAND: Crave Bakery

COST: $13 (6-pack)/$23 (12-pack)

SIZE: 2.8oz/piece

COST PER PIECE: $2.17-$1.92

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE: NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY: N/A

ORGANIC: Partial

CERTIFICATION AGENCY: N/A

VEGAN: NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY: Designated GF Equipment

LOCATION OF FACILITY: California

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
If you are from the San Francisco area, chances you have probably heard about Crave Bakery’s Dark Chocolate Brownies. What you may or may not have known is that they are actually gluten free. What can I say about these chocolate treasures other than…They may very well be one of the best brownies I have ever had.
There are plenty of brownies out there, but not too many gluten free ones. A lot of times, the lack of gluten flour can give a gluten free brownie a weird taste. You won’t find that here. These brownies are great. They have the right texture, the perfect consistency, and, of course, the rich chocolate flavor we have come to expect in a brownie. Crave uses bittersweet chocolate in these brownies and it gives it just the right amount of sweetness. The texture is firm, but a little just a little flakey, which is the perfect texture for a brownie.
Crave has lived up to their name with this brownie. They use high quality ingredients, make everything on designated gluten free equipment, and they even perform strict testing to ensure that there is no cross contamination. After eating it, I still find myself craving for more. If you are looking for a high quality brownie made with only the best ingredients, this is the brownie for you. Whether you are gluten intolerant or not, this is the brownie for you. And if you are a chocolate addict, you will definitely satisfy your cravings with these brownies.

Taste: Great rich chocolate flavor in perfect brownie form. If you haven’t had the opportunity to try these brownies, you must.

Labeling: You will find the signature Crave Bakery label on this packaging. Like I have said before, it provides just the right amount of information and lets the contents of the packaging do all the talking.

Packaging: We got these brownies in a plastic container, but I believe they also come individually packed. No matter how they are packaged, I’m sure you will enjoy these brownies.

RATING:

Texture: 5

Taste: 5

Value: 3

OVERALL: 4.3

Reviewed 122210 by CC

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Gluten Free Tart: Crave Bakery Lemon Tart - Product Review #35

Gluten Free Tart: Crave Bakery Lemon Tart

PRODUCT NAME: Lemon Tart

BRAND: Crave Bakery

COST: $5.49

SIZE: 5.6oz

COST PER OZ: $0.98/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE: NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY: N/A

ORGANIC: Partial

CERTIFICATION AGENCY: N/A

VEGAN: NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY: Designated GF Equipment

LOCATION OF FACILITY: California

REVIEW:

When Cameo brought this tart into our office, it was the first thing RS, who is the one that is gluten intolerant in our office, noticed. He hasn’t had a lemon tarts in months since he learned of his gluten intolerance and was excited to try this lemon tart. It looked so good in its packaging. It comes in a nice plastic package that resembles an upside-down Tupperware container. I thought this was pretty clever because it keeps the tart in place and prevents it from getting crushed or moved around too much.

We had this tart at room temperature and it was good. The filling had just the right amount of flavor without overpowering the crust too much. The crust had a nice texture, but was a little on doughy. If you’re a fan of a soft tart crust, this is the tart for you. If you are a fan of a firm crispy tart crust, this is also the tart for you, but you may want to throw it in the oven for a few minutes to cook the crust a little more. I didn’t try it myself, but it seems like a logical solution.

Overall, Crave bakery did a great job with this tart and I can’t wait to try the other baked goods Cameo brought over. After tasting this tart, I know why she has such a good reputation.

Taste: The lemon filling in this tart is great, not overly sweet like others I’ve had and just enough sour to remind you that it is a lemon tart. The dough had great flavor. It is made with sweet rice and tapioca flour so the crust itself has a slightly sweet flavor. The texture of the tart was okay, but we thought it was a little on the soft doughy side. Some prefer this, but we however prefer a firmer tart crust. I think putting it in the oven for a few more minutes could remedy this by firming up the crust a little. It’s nice that it is this way so it gives you a little more flexibility with the tart.

Labeling: Same labeling as found on Crave’s other baked goods…very simple labels so that the item just behind it can do its job looking good.

Packaging: Very clever packaging here that is pleasing to the eyes. It also doubles to keep the tart air tight so it will last longer.

RATING:

Texture: 3

Taste: 4

Value: 3

OVERALL: 3.3

Monday, December 20, 2010

Gluten Free Cookies: Crave Bakery Monster Cookie - Product Review #34

Gluten Free Cookies: Crave Bakery Monster Cookie

PRODUCT NAME: Monster Cookie

BRAND: Crave Bakery

COST: $23(12-pack)/$13(6-pack)

SIZE: 2.3oz/cookie

COST PER COOKIE: $1.92-$2.17

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE: NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY: N/A

ORGANIC: Partial

CERTIFICATION AGENCY: N/A

VEGAN: NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY: Designated GF Equipment

LOCATION OF FACILITY: California

REVIEW:
We had a nice treat today. Cameo Edwards, founder and CEO of Crave Bakery, visited us today and brought us some nice sweet treats to try. Among those treats, we found these Monster Cookies and we had to just dig right in. First thing you will notice is that these are no ordinary cookies…these are “monster” sized cookies. They are cut in squares to about the serving size of brownies. In fact, that’s probably the best way to describe them; they are chocolate chip cookies in brownie form.

If you aren’t familiar with Crave Bakery, read my blog from this past Saturday for more on them. They are a locally based bakery (San Francisco) that specializes in gluten free baked goods… DELICIOUS gluten free baked goods. They use only the highest quality ingredients in these baked goods and if you’ve had the chance to try one of their products, you will know it. They use a lot of organic products and ingredients produced by small local family-owned farms with good operation practices. What you end up with is a high quality product like these Monster Cookies.

Open up the packaging and you will find a soft moist cookie to fulfill your “Craving”. This cookie has some substance to it. It’s not one of those cookies where you have to eat like 10 of them to be satisfied. These are about 2.3oz per cookie. Take a bite and your sweet tooth is sure to be pleased. The cookie is a little dense, but that’s a good thing. The label says that it is milk-free, but I must say that this cookie would go great with a nice tall cold glass of milk. If you like soft cookies and have a sweet tooth, this is the cookie for you. If you’re sharing this cookie, make sure you make even cuts, because if you don’t, I’m sure you will end up fighting over who gets the bigger piece.

Just to clarify, we are in no way associated with Crave Bakery or Cameo Edwards and the views expressed here are of those of us here at Gluten Free Reviewer.

Taste: Great sweet flavor. A little on the sweeter side, but with a glass of milk, it would be perfect. The texture is great as well…moist and soft similar to the texture of a brownie. The outer layer is also a little crispy, which is a nice touch to finish off the cookie.

Labeling: The labeling on this packaging is very simple with the company logo and a list of the high quality ingredients used. You won’t find any nonsense here on this labeling, but really, it doesn’t need much because the cookie can probably sell itself.

Packaging: Plastic cellophane packaging that is clear so you can see the product.

RATING:

Texture: 5

Taste: 5

Value: 4

OVERALL: 4.7

Reviewed 122010 by CC

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Weekend Edition Hot Off the Press #4: Crave Bakery

Ever since the issues of gluten intolerance and celiac disease showed up on our radar, we have been searching high and low for good gluten free food to review. We have the pastas and snacks covered, but we haven’t been able to find very many options for good gluten free baked goods. In our search, one name kept coming up…Crave Bakery in San Francisco. Crave specializes in gluten free baked goods such as brownies, cookies, cakes, and tarts. A quick search on Yelp brought up rave reviews of their baked goods. Intrigued by this, we knew we had to get a hold of them.

A few days ago, I got the opportunity to interview Cameo Edwards, founder of Crave bakery. In 2002, after struggling to figure out the root cause of her illnesses, Cameo came to the realization that she was sensitive to gluten. “Craving” for the baked goods she loved so much, she put her family tradition of baking to good use fulfilling her cravings for baked goods in delicious gluten free form. It all started with her famous gluten free, casein free brownies, and Crave Bakery was born.

The company has grown a lot since 2003. They now have about 15 different baked items on their menu and sell in specialty grocery stores in 12 states. They sell delicious cakes, cookies, cupcakes, tarts, and of course their famous brownies all of which are made with high quality and organic ingredients from small, local producers and family-owned operations. They even have a special edition Pumpkin tart that is only available September through December for the holidays. And if you’re looking to host a special event, Crave even offers custom cakes for your guests to enjoy. Even if you have special needs due to allergies, it’s no problem for Crave, because they will be able to whip something up for you.

Crave puts a lot of care into their products. From ingredients to manufacturing processes, they have everything figured out. All of their ingredients are all of the highest quality and they make sure of it by researching all of their sources to ensure that they are confident about their operation practices. Take for example

the eggs they use, which come from free-range, happy and active chickens in Petaluma. In their manufacturing facilities, which are located in San Francisco and Sacramento, they have adapted segregated production which means that all of their products are made on gluten free specific machines that are run in their own section of the manufacturing facility. And if you thought that wasn’t enough, they use third parties to ensure that their products contain no more than 5-ppm gluten. That’s actually stricter than some gluten free certification agencies. For those of you who have other allergies, you will also appreciate that they start their manufacturing everyday with the least allergenic products and end their production day with products that contain nuts.

Cameo Edwards has done a spectacular job with Crave Bakery and we hope to see more from her and Crave Bakery. If you’re interested in trying some of her products, you can find a list of all of their retail locations on their website or you can order directly online at cravebakery.com. Visit us this coming week when we review some of the delicious baked goods from Crave Bakery.