Can I find my way home with a trail of gluten free bread crumbs?
It has been said that one can never go home; I beg to differ. I have gone home to the SeaWa many times, and although the topography remains the same, the random development and patchwork quilt construction that comes from a planning department run amok creates the illusion that this is ones first trip. Going home it seems becomes quickly about the people and the food, rather than the traffic and the orange cone jungle that has become the Africa for the urban Dr. Livingston's that inhabit the coffee capitol of the world. Attempt the Pacific Northwest without a Garmin at your own risk.
The greater Seattle Area is comprised of several sub-neighborhoods and loosely managed towns, as well as smaller municipalities that would be collectively offended if I included them in a sentence that includes the behemoth “Seattle”. Unlike Chicago, Seattle thrives on its melting pot mentality. There is no Russian bakery with mostly Russian immigrants; no “got yer polish and yer I-talyin neighborhood over here…” will rise from the Ambercrombie clad cab drivers mouth. Doubling back for the third time, we snake our way through a maze of light rail, and carbon friendly walkers that carry their folded up umbrellas even as the rain runs in channels down their hurried faces. We glide seamlessly through a sea of orange cones providing us temporary access that is so precarious, the cab driver must have received a secret map via bike messenger only this morning. “I remember there used to be a mom and pop book shop over there,” I say to the cabbie, almost as a thought and not a statement. He flatly states that the area is mostly biotech, and “all those matching buildings are owned by Paul Allen” as if that makes it ok that diversity is often celebrated only in the areas where we allow it. “At least all that real estate matches,” I say back, eyes secretly rolling in my head. I didn't want to judge or piss off the cab driver as I was afraid he may just pull over and let me out into the 19th day of straight rain with no map. An even though I had grown up here, and I have lived all over the city before I moved somewhere south in my late twenties, I was loath to figure out where to find a metro to take me North.
For me, a gluten free consumer, my challenge at finding my way around a new place is compounded by my need to eat food that is not contaminated by wheat, rye, or barley. I cannot simply stop into a café for a quick nosh. Every choice is calculated. Reviews are read, and calls are made ahead of time to check for gluten free selections and assurance that “Chef” understands my “special needs”. It is tiresome and irksome that I cannot savor just getting lost; finding my way, and eating through my adventure without my gluten free Garmin attached at the hip. Or can I? As the Gluten free Tourist, my mission is to bring the spur of the moment back to the GF traveler. I decided to brave it. Well partially brave it.
One of the best ways to find a non-chain GF restaurant is to find a GF bakery, where the owner is a gluten free consumer as well as a GF business owner. This is mission critical, as I have found that when one has a choice, one can deviate without any repercussions. This is not the case for those with an allergy or a health condition. It is like waiting all day for a great meal and fabulous company, only to be denied entrance as there is no ramp, and your wheelchair cannot manage the grand staircase gateway to the Michelin starred restaurant chosen by your friends with mobility. To make certain I am not let down, I head out to Wheatless in Seattle, a GF bakery in the Greenwood neighborhood north of the city. Owned by fellow Celiac Kaili MacIntyre, the smells surrounding the tiny red “grandma house” make me feel like Charlie walking past Wonka's chocolate factory before he found the golden ticket. Honestly, the selection is probably better than most like sized facilities GF or not. Kaili was an expert baker when diagnosed as a Celiac; being ill from gluten is so crummy that in order to get better and to save her own life she had to re-tool her skill-sets as a GF expert baker. She has succeeded, I think, past most GF superstars. Her pastries are actually flaky, her buttery Danish with cream cheese and apricots could be served at any upscale brunch to any one GF or not, and all would be happy to slowly enjoy the complex flavors and delight in the excellent mouth feel that is so hard to tame with GF ingredients. Kaili is a master, and if there were stars awarded for GF baked goods, I am certain that she would have several stars in her crown. My companions had a cinnamon roll and an apple dumpling that were equally delicious. Wheatless in Seattle only serves GF goodies. The selection is very good; the coffee is outstanding, and the atmosphere is charming. I know that many critics complain that travel writers use grade inflation as a review tool; I am guilty on occasion. However, I cannot say enough great things about Wheatless in Seattle and owner Kaili MacIntyre.
Wheatless in Seattle www.wheatlessinseattle.net
Owner Kaili MacIntyre
10003 Greenwood Ave North
Seattle, WA 98133
206-782-5735
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For dinner, Kaili suggested a local Italian restaurant just down the street. Yes, GF Italian food, and GF fish and chips. I couldn't resist. The last “Italian” GF food I had eaten was at a Macaroni Grill, and although the service was outstanding, the food was bland, and it was not the comfort Italian food that most of us GF eaters miss. In the spirit of adventure, my sister and her husband, both foodies in the non-GF world, were my guests for a selection of the GF grub I so miss. Romio's Pizza & Pasta would be overlooked by most wheat free and GF consumers simply because of the name. I am glad that I was made aware of this gem.
The ambiance is Seattle throwback chic. Darling, with lots of dark red trim, and plastic grapes, decoupage, and faux gilt, the dining room is split into two rooms so as to minimize noise and maximize comfort. We sat near the windows looking out to the busy not-yet-widened Greenwood Ave North. Our server was knowledgeable and pleasant. The GF menu is a small novel with several pages of pasta dishes, pizza's, appetizers, and calzones…(when was the last time you had a GF calzone?) In the absence of a camera crew, we ordered more food than usual, but less than Bourdain. The Caesar salad was fresh and crisp albeit a bit bland, and the starter soup with chicken and artichokes in a red broth with tomato was to die for. I ordered fish and chips, a Pizza with selected meats, the cheese ravioli, and Greek grape leaves and rice. The pizza passed muster with flying colors. My companions eat a fair amount of pizza as they are parents to two teenage boys. They are a tough sell as self-professed food freaks. They loved it, and we actually took some home to the kids who happily wolfed down the leftovers. The fish and chips had a crisp crust that is perfect for tartar sauce dipping, although the fresh cod was a bit dry and over cooked. The coating behaved like its gluten containing cousin, and if removed from the deep fryer in time would've been amazing. I checked, and the fryers are separate for GF and non-GF food to control contamination. The Cheese ravioli was robust and authentic, with a sauce that tastes like a little Italian grandmother was hiding in the kitchen making sauce between going to Mass. Perfect sauce and delightfully lite and tasty cheese filling that is not too salty is tough for any Italian restaurant, and very tricky for a GF pasta dish. Romio's GF Italian ravioli gives me hope that someday, high quality GF food will be the norm not the exception. Romio's has a very nice wine selection as well as good quality coffee. I will be travelling to Seattle a lot throughout the next couple of years, so this will become one of my regular haunts.
***
Romio's Pizza & Pasta www.romiospizza.com
Owner Amir Razzaghi
8523 Greenwood Ave North
Seattle WA 98133
206-782-8997
The small independent restaurant business was once a way of life in Seattle. To be a Seattleite in the 1970's and 1980's was to be “way up north” and fairly segregated from the rest of the US. The whole of the Pacific Northwest at one time wanted to half jokingly “put a fence around it” to keep chain restaurants, Californians, and conformists' out. Maybe that fence should have been built, as the one time locally owned favorite fish restaurants have now become as common as a Best Buy, and the once bohemian among the local population now believe that Chico's and Coldwater Creek are fashions for the hippies among the gentrified suburbanites. I long for the days of wearing a kimono over my bikini and roasting chicken skewers on a hibachi on the deck of a sailboat in Lake Washington.
Ah, memories. Queue up an old Journey tune, and get over it.
It is the new Pac West; upscale, cool, urban, and full of angst. No one here thinks anything of a verbal punch to the gut to those who would mock their “named one of the best places to live” placeholder position. So I won't. But, I do miss the small town feel, the one of a kind businesses, and the easy access that was once the hallmark of this amazing region. Maybe someday the DOT will finish the road projects, pull up the orange cones, and maybe the permit process for small business will be as streamlined as it is for the big box stores…and just maybe I will be able to travel without my GF GPS, and just follow my nose.
Used with permission June 2010 copyright The Gluten Free Tourist
http://www.glutenfreetravelmagazine.com
Tags: Gluten Free GF Gluten Free Seattle
