Gluten Free Treats in Eastern Wisconsin

Greetings fellow foodies!

I have officially been eating gluten free for 9 months and doing great.  People often ask me if I miss eating things like cake, regular pizza or bread.  To be honest, I can't say that a miss it.  The gluten free market has become popular in recent years.  The options for those of us with Celiac or Wheat Intolerance is quite outstanding.  Besides, I never enjoyed cake any way - no harm there!

This post is dedicated toward my readers in the east part of Wisconsin.  Although there are some good tips for readers outside of the state.

My husband has become very proactive in searching grocery stores for gluten free options.  We often shop at Festival Foods.  They have a fantastic selection in their gluten free aisle; and quite frankly, I prefer it over Woodman's.  If you are interested in exploring their deli foods, the company has several resources on their website.  Learn more about their gluten free options at Festival.

Here are more resources:

Gluten Intolerance of North America - includes articles, medical referrals, recipes, restaurants and more.

Wisconsin Support Groups - listed below the resources on Festival Food's website.

A few months ago, Jon and I were looking for wheat-free flours to store in our kitchen pantry.  During a trip to a local bulk food store, we discovered an outstanding and reasonably priced supply of teas and chai mix.  Yum!  I was quick to grab a couple containers.

Chai Tea Tip:  I had some left over Chai mix, but it wasn't enough for a full mug.  If you run into the same problem, try sprinkling the chai over yams or sweet potatoes and bake for 25 minutes.  It really brings out the sweetness of the yams without overpowering.

Every year on Jon's birthday I will create a special dinner or desert.  This year Jon asked for chocolate chip cookies.  To be more specific, he actually asked for gluten free cookies so that I could eat them too.  How sweet is that?

I found these gluten free vegan cookies at the Health Hut in Milwaukee.  This store is a bit off the typical path for me, but they did have an excellent selection of gluten free items.  If you live in the Milwaukee area, I'd recommend checking it out.  They sell all natural products and food items that appeal to almost any diet.  I was happy to find these cookies!

Vegan Cookie Note:  The cookie directions specify to add water and oil instead of an egg.  If you are not vegan and prefer to add an egg then swap out the oil.  I could be wrong though... baking is not one of my finer skills.


Have a great weekend!

Copyright 2012 Hint of Thyme.  All rights reserved.

El Beso - A Tribute to Friends and Birthday's

Ah, September.  The month of 8 million births! Admit it... you know at least 15 people born in the month of September.

I am very happy to share the same birthday with my good friend, Valerie.  To celebrate another year of life and friendship, we had dinner and margarita's at a new restaurant in Milwaukee. 

El Beso, in Greenfield, is a new Mexican restaurant in the Milwaukee area.  This place wins "A Hint of Thyme Award" for the best renovation of a building.  El Beso took over the abandoned Champps Americana and has transformed it into a Mexican hacienda and bar.  Unlike some other building-takeovers that have failed to reinvent the venue, these owners have completely redesigned the building to be unrecognizable as the former Champps restaurant.  It's incredible.

There are hand painted murals on almost every wall.  Every intricate detail of a Mexican paradise is creatively woven into the floor, ceiling, desert bar, and band.  I was in awe of the beautiful paintings and, I must admit, feeling a bit ADD as I looked around to take it all in.

The only negative comment about El Beso is that the high ceilings do create some extra noise.  It's very hard to hear all the people at your table without yelling.  If the band is near your section it's even more difficult to hear.  Word of advice... do not use this venue for an important meeting or talk.  However, lunch time might be different and not as crowded.

El Beso's menu is much like any other Mexican restaurant in the area.  It has the average selection with a few exciting options.  They have a great bar menu and the Bahama Mama's were fantastic!  I elected to try the Sopes for an entree.  Unfortunately, I had filled up with the free chips and salsa prior to the entree. 

I have read a few reviews about the restaurant will say that the food isn't very "authentic".  Honestly, I don't feel it necessary to whine about it's "lack of authenticity".  We very much enjoyed the food and it won't get much more authentic this far north of the Mexico border.

Valerie and I were subjected to 2 birthday songs.  The band, Trio Expucta de Oro, first sang a Spanish song that was unknown to us.  Then they sang happy birthday in Spanish - which was a real treat.  The band was fantastic and their harmonies were perfect.  The other servers came by after dinner with 2 pieces of chocolate cake and sombrero's for me and Val.  They all sang "Happy Birthday Cha-Cha-Cha".  It was probably the first time in my life that I didn't mind someone singing happy birthday to me because it was so fun!  

September birthday's indeed, the servers were busy singing "Happy Birthday" about every 3 minutes to a different person.  It was definitely a night of celebrations.

El Beso was a great place to celebrate our birthday's together.  Great pick, Val!

Valerie and I with chocolate cake and sombrero's

Sopes at El Beso

Copyright 2011 Hint of Thyme.  All rights reserved.

Milwaukee Restaurant - Screaming Chaos

"Screaming Tuna" is a brand new restaurant located next to the river in Milwaukee's historic third ward.  We were invited to a friend's graduation party and were thrilled to try a new sushi restaurant.  The designer did an amazing job of decorating and matching the decor to the food style.  The menu options were outstanding; there were enough options without being too overwhelming.

We were seated in the private party room near the back of the restaurant.  Our party of 22 ordered drinks and waited for the servers to return to take our entree orders.  It became obvious within the first 5 minutes of being seated that there might be some communication problems within the restaurant. 

To put it simply, my husband and I waited 30 minutes for our Edamame appetizer that should have only taken 5 minutes.  I will, however, say that the edamame was steamed perfectly and salted accurately.  There were a few cold pieces near the edge of the dish though.

The rest of our table was served sporadically - no one was ever eating their appetizer or entree at the same time.  This should signal that the servers were either not familiar with serving a large party or they didn't know how to organize the orders. 

We received our 4 sushi rolls after about an hour or so.  We ordered the Champion, Spicy Tuna, Philly and California Roll.  The food was absolutely delicious.  Without a doubt.. some of the best sushi that I've eaten in Milwaukee.  It was fresh and perfectly wrapped. 

In my opinion, that kind of service is completely unacceptable in the restaurant business.  We did talk to the manager and they did compensate for the extra time that we had spent waiting for our food.  She promised to make improvements where necessary.  It was obvious that they were genuinely sorry for the service we had received.

"Screaming Tuna" is a very classy sushi restaurant and I would gladly visit again.  I hope to see that some improvements were made to the service.  Despite the situation we all managed to have a great time and enjoy the food and drinks. 

If you are interested in checking out this new restaurant, I would recommend giving them a few weeks and allow time to make improvements.  The restaurant business is highly competitive... I hope that this place can turn it around.

I apologize if this review seems harsh at all.  I do not enjoy giving bad reviews.  It's hard to give a good review knowing that I've received better service down the street.  I guess if all fails, at least gather with an entertaining group of people and try to make light of the situation.  :)

Personal note: 

Congratulations to my friend, Amy, on her college graduation! We are so proud of you and all your hard work.

 

Copyright 2011 Hint of Thyme. All rights reserved.