If you have ever tried to avoid wheat and gluten, then you know it is HARD! Wheat and gluten are found in breads and pastas, plus many other surprising foods, including salad dressing, yogurt, licorice, soy sauce, and sour cream. Following a gluten-free diet means extensive food label reading and careful choosing at a restaurant.
When I omitted gluten from my diet in the 1990s, it was sometimes challenging to find tasty and easily available products in the marketplace. I cobbled together strange lunches (rice cakes and turkey) and drove all over town trying to find bread. If I wanted to dine at a restaurant I was faced with extremely limited choices and sometimes carried my own gluten-free salad dressing with me in my purse just so I could eat a salad at a restaurant. Thankfully, many natural food and mainstream food companies and restaurants now offer delicious gluten-free choices.
I am delighted to learn another local restaurant is offering gluten-free menu choices. Cooper Irish Pub offers gluten-free menu choices. I was invited to attend a tasting last night, but severe allergies kept me home.
However, all is not lost, because Joel Carlson reviewed last night’s event at Cooper. Please read his review for a great description of their gluten-free menu and fabulous pictures.
Last night’s menu featured:
Seared tuna with wasabi mayo and olive tapenade
Baked Artichoke dip – Creamy artichoke, garlic and roasted red peppers baked with aged parmesan, served with carrots and celery sticks
Chicken shots – Tender pieces of chicken breast tossed in a tangy whiskey glaze, topped with scallions
Green Ox charcuterie platter – Green OX cured and cooked meats, apples, pickeled onions stone-ground mustard & 2 gingers whiskey-apple chutney
Irish & Local cheese plate – Specially selected cheese with fresh fruit and apple chutney
Ice Cream Sundae – Vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberry sauce and homemade whipped cream
I know at least one friend and an uncle who will be ecstatic to learn about the Bard’s Beer Company’s gluten-free craft beer. From Joel’s review:
The event featured a Gluten-Free beer by the Bard’s Beer Company, called Bard’s. It’s a local company based in the Twin Cities. Everyone got to try it, and I personally thought it had a good taste and flavor. And, it did not contain any wheat, barley, rye or oats. Instead of those ingredients, they use sorghum. I would definitely order it again. They also had their company CEO, Brian Kovalchuk, attend this event and he spoke about how this beer came into being, what their goal was in making the beer and how they found just the right brewery to make it for them in Utica NY.
Although I did not attend last night’s event, I can offer a personal recommendation to dine and drink at Cooper. I love the food and atmosphere at Cooper and highly recommend their Chicken Cheddar Chopped Salad and Lemon Cheesecake Dip and Grahams.
Please visit Cooper for great food and drink. Enjoy!
