Restaurants to Visit and Products to Sample

Many apologies allergenistas, there has been such a flurry of activities in the city and suburbs during food allergy week, I hardly had time to rest… The good news is, I have lots to share with you.

On Friday, The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center held it’s annual benefit at the Swissotel in Chicago’s Loop. Over 30 different restaurants offered their signature dishes all GLUTEN FREE. My favorites were:

Pinstripe’s Jambalaya risotto – I am a big fan of Cajun cuisine and Pinstripe’s delivered!

Bistro 110’s Braised Short ribs in red wine sauce over parsnip puree with a sweet pea veloute – I skipped the veloute (made with butter), but the ribs were so succulent and tender, really a treat.

Chef John Chiakulas from Foodlife brought these amazing beef barbacoa tiny tacos, the meat was fall apart tender and the flavors perfectly balanced. A little allergenista whispered to me that Chef Chiakulas is down for the Safe & Sound Challenge…


Last but not least, Chef Mark Mendez of Carnivale created Ropa Vieja, braised beef served with sweet plaintains. We had this dish as an appetizer at a Safe & Sound dinner and it’s every bit as good as I remembered; make sure to ask for no cheese if you have a dairy allergy…

A lot of the dishes had dairy in them, so I had to skip them, but for more details on these succulent dishes with dairy, visit the sites of my lovely dates for the evening, Betsy of Gluten Free Betsy and Anne of Gluten Free Musings.

On Saturday, I did a sampling of products for the IFAEA (Illinois Food Allergy Education Association) at the Free From Market.

I love going to the Free From Market or other specialty stores like Lil’s Dietary, I always like to try something new when I am there and this post I am going to share with you Zensoy Vanilla Pudding. I have had the biggest craving for vanilla pudding and have always been afraid to try the soy options. Zensoy is great, it has a grayer color than regular pudding, but the flavor is creamy and sweet. If your kids are sensitive to color, try the chocolate variety, they will never know the difference. Zensoy products are Lactose Free, Casein Free and Certified Vegan.

Next up: Lisa Makes Pizza Using Daiya Cheese