Yesterday I ventured over to Cafe Gratitude, for a mid-afternoon slice of "cheesecake." For those not in the know, Cafe Gratitude is the Bay Area's own raw, vegan, 90% gluten-free* restaurant. The cheesecake was pretty tasty, as always... Creamy if not flavorful. The pumpkin pie my companion ordered was excellent. The highlight of the meal was the ginger-beet-kale (etc, etc) juice which delicately combined a number of flavors into a refreshing and tangy beverage. I could have gulped down a gallon, but at $4 for a small glass I made my 6 ounces last as long as possible. I stuck to my promise to only eat desserts and juices at Cafe Gratitude, since my experience of their savory foods was that they are like Drano to my sensitive digestive tract, and a little too mucilaginous for my tastes (must be all the flax seeds).
While there, I purchased a chocolate bar from the Cafe's gift shop area. The "xocolatl" bar from Dagoba is a dark, gluten-free organic chocolate with cocoa nibs and chilies. You can read a review of it here from someone who is more of a chocolate conoisseur than myself, but suffice it to say it is quite a lovely experience, balancing smooth and crunchy textures, and sweet and spicy flavors I'm finishing it off today at work, and it's inspiring me to look up recipes for chicken mole, my favorite combination of chocolate and hot peppers. Chocolate has far more satisfying applications than mass-marketed candy bars, friends.
*Though the staff is sometimes misinformed about this, the restaurant uses gluten-containing soy sauce in some of their dishes... So be sure to ask the ingredients of anything you order if you are gluten sensitive!
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Mmm...that Dagoba bar is tasty! It's a totally different experience. I don't like spicy foods, so I was hesitant to test it, but I was impressed. They had a booth at the DC Green Festival this weekend and were handing out samples. Yum!
Oooo I love Dagoba chocolate!! I haven't tried them all yet, but I'm working on it :oD
I just wandered over from www.glutenfreeforum.com btw...in case you're wondering :o)
Wow, I am going to have to see if I can find that chocolate. I am already having sweet tooth cravings and have NOTHING in my apartment that will satisfy it. Also, chocolate and spicy? Yu-HUM!
Dona Tomas's fall menu is back! And of course, included therein is a delicious mole sauce on one of the entrees! But my favorite is always the carne asada (though, they are doing it a little different these days) because it comes with that damned delicious pureed sweet potato...oh god! And, no other restaurant except maybe Ground Round - remember that place with the endless basket of fresh popcorn - -has a better "free" appetizer: Mexican cheese shredded over house made tortilla chips, and an unspeakably yummy sauce to go with it! Also big on the fact that corn rules as Dona: no flour tortillas here!
M - I'm taking Chauniqua to Dona's for her b-day. Can't wait. I didnt' like their mole last time I had it, and I'm only eating kosher meat these days... So I will probably stick to something veg and convince them to include mashed sweet potatoes with whatever I order because really, isn't that the point of going to DT in the first place? I like Tacubaya better, believe it or not. But I want to take C for a nice dinner.
BTW I loved Ground Round, as a kid it was where we went for the specialist of special occasions (that and Sizzler). Such a thrill. Except that I was a fat kid, so the whole "pay by the pound" thing where they weighed you and charged you accordingly was never that exciting.
Chocolate is a main course is it not? :)
Now, as for that $4 glass of designer juice... uh... I'll have to pass. A bit too expensive for my tastes, or at least for my juice tastes (I admit, I'll spend that much on a Starbucks beverage though).
I just remembered how my sister makes what she calls a Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie that combines chocolate and chille peppers. What I can not recall is if she has made one that is GF yet? I'll have to ask her and if she has one I'll get it and post the recipe on my site.
I never heard about chocolate coupled with chilies. Will have to check it out. It is like mayo and peanut butter. I hear about it and it sounds awful, but until you try it, shouldn't knock it,right?
Sounds like it was a fun outing for you.
I went to the Cafe site and have a question about the cashew cheese, is it just cashews? Non-dairy? Thanks in advance for your time.
Lynn
Lynn, it's a vegan restaurant which means no meat, eggs or dairy whatsoever.
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