Sunday, May 29, 2011

Sunday Adventures

Today was a pretty swell sunday, in many respects, except gf-food-wise. The Sowebo Arts & Music Festival was a jam, but the taunts of funnel cake and pita sandwiches and bloomin' onions weighed heavy on my soul. Even the advertised promise of vegan food turned out to be a stand of gluten-ous baked goods. So, I stuck with a refreshing lemonade.

Then it was off to score some free/by-donation vegetarian lunch at the Hare Krishna festival! Cult, religion, whatever you want to call it...I don't discriminate against the handers-out of free food. I had the white rice and paneer, but had to steer clear of the farina-sugar-concoction thing. Yummy yum yum!

As some of you know, I'm in the process of moving. I normally have nothing much in the house to eat, but lately it's just hilarious. With a little creativity, I was able to pull together a surprisingly delicious snack from my housemates' leftovers: beets, walnuts, and parmesean cheese, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. I just finished gobbling it up... and think I'll chase it down with the ice cream I'm off to pick up from the store!

Till next time . . .

Talara

On Friday night, my friend and I made our first venture to the 'nuevo latino bistro' Talara in Harbor East.  We went on a whim...i.e. no reservation...and the original news of a 45 minute wait turned into 5 minutes to set a nice 2-top, and we were good to go!

All around, Talara was fabulous.  And did you know they have a gluten free menu?! Yes, they do folks, and they are happy to accomodate.  We loved our server, Monica, who was prompt, helpful, and personable.  My gluten-eating-able friend and I decided to order gf and split everything, and here is what we got:
  • Mojitos -- delicious, but small for the price. but we love mojitos so whatever.
  • Chips w/ guacamole -- just guac is not on the menu, but you can order it for $3
  • 'Double' Ceviche: Avocado+Corn with yellowtail, and Fire+Ice with tuna. -- the Fire & Ice ceviche was incredible. It's described as very spicy but we thought it was just right...keep in mind we like spicy food.
  • Cuban Sushi Roll without Ponzu sauce -- This was our absolute favorite thing. It is not on the gf menu, but I suspected it was just the sauce. Our server and the manager checked with the kitchen, and surely enough it was perfectly gf without the ponzu. My friend got a ramekin of it on the side, and while yummy, didn't think it 'made' the dish or anything.
  • Chile-rubbed Salmon -- comes with green-beans and cassava/potato-like things in a buttery sauce. Good sized portion...we were glad we shared!
Talara is not cheap, especially if you leave a good tip (which you should, if service warrants), although you can make it significantly less expensive by forgoing drinks. We suggest making a reservation, particularly on a weekend night. There is also outdoor and bar seating available.

Enjoy, dear gf diners and friends!
Have you been to Talara? What did you think? Leave a comment!

First post :-)

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bMoreGlutenFree