Politics, Religions and Which is the Best Gluten Free Pasta

They say that one should never discuss politics or religion in polite company.  If you are gluten free then you should probably add pasta to that list!  It seems everyone has their favorite and some people are quite passionate about their likes and dislikes when it comes to pasta.

Best overall: Schär - Overall,  I think Schär makes the best pasta.  It holds up best when cooked and has a texture closest to regular pasta.  A lot of supermarkets are carrying the Schär line now so it should be easy to find.  I've seen it at ShopRite, Kings, Foodtown and Stop & Shop.  If you can't find it locally, it can be ordered by the individual box at the Gluten Free Mall by clicking here: Schär Gluten-Free Pasta
 
Everyday use: Goldbaums - For everyday use I usually go with Goldbaums pasta.  It is one of the least expensive gluten free pastas available and it comes in a 16oz package.  I usually bring left overs for lunch at work and making a pound of pasta provides me with three meals.  I've seen Goldbaums at Kings and Fairway.  If you can't find it locally, it can be ordered in bulk on amazon.com by clicking here: Goldbaums Brown Rice Pasta

Stuffed Shells: Tinkyada - Overall, I'm not a big fan of Tinkyada pasta.  I don't think it holds up well during cooking and I find the texture to be softer than regular pasta.  I've also found their cooking times to be excessive.  Anytime I've cooked their pasta for as long as recommended I've had mush.  They do however make more shapes of pasta than any other company.  The only shape I use is their large shell if I want to make Gluten Free / Dairy Free Stuffed Shells.  I've seen Tinkyada pasta almost everywhere, but have only ever seen their large shells at Nature's Pavilion (on rt23 in Pompton Plains) and Fairway.  They can also be ordered in bulk on amazon.com by clicking here: - Tinkyada Brown Rice Shells

Lasagna: DeBoles - DeBoles also makes a number of pasta shapes (but be careful as they also make gluten containing pasta).  The only one I use is their No Boil Lasagna noodles when making Gluten Free / Dairy Free Lasagna.  I've seen DeBoles in a number of supermarkets in the area.  They also can be ordered in bulk on amazon.com here: De Boles Rice Lasagna

Fresh: RP's - RP's makes four shapes: Fettuccine, Fussili, Spinach Fettuccine and Linguini.  You can read my full review here: RP's Fresh Gluten Free Pasta and if you can't find it locally (they're sold nationwide at Whole Foods) you can order them online from the Gluten Free Mall here: RP's Pasta Company Gluten-Free Pasta


Other Brands:  I've tried a couple of other brands as well.  They're reviewed below:

Bionaturae - Overall this pasta is good, but a little soft texturewise.  [Not mushy, just soft.]  It comes in a 12oz bag and is a blend of rice, potato, and soy.  Shoprite has this brand as do a number of other stores (but be careful, Bionaturae makes gluten containing pasta as well).  Amazon.com has them in bulk: Bionaturae Gluten Free Pasta

Le Veneziane - This corn pasta is also quite good and a number of my friends rave about it. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find (the only store I've seen it in is Corrado's) and comes in an 8-9oz bag/box. Amazon.com has it by the individual package here: Le Veneziane Italian Gluten Free Pasta

Ancient Harvest - A blend of Corn and Quinoa, it is probably one of the most nutritious gluten free pastas around.  It comes in an 8oz box and holds up very well when cooked.  I usually pick it up at Whole Foods if I'm going to get it.  The Gluten Free Mall has it as well: Ancient Harvest Quinoa Gluten-Free Pasta

Restaurant Review: Uno Chicago Grill (6 locations in NJ)

I stopped for dinner at an Uno Chicago Grill Saturday night after a basketball game (for those interested, Seton Hall lost).  Whenever I go out with my brothers they are always sure to pick somewhere I can eat so we usually hit Unos a couple of times a season.  

Steak Tips, Brown Rice and Craisins, Steamed Brocoli,
all prepared Gluten and Dairy Free at Uno Chicago Grill

Since Unos has a touch screen computer kiosk in their lobby that links to their nutrition information, it is easy for me to eat there. This online resource not only lists the eight major allergens (the same ones required on groceries) but each entry also contains a link to a full listing of every ingredient in a menu item. That's right, no need to rely on asking what is in a certain sauce or side dish, you can easily look it up! 

The Brown Rice and Craisins is GF/DF, as is the steamed broccoli.  The Steak Tips used to be on the GF menu but aren't anymore.  They don't contain any gluten ingredients (only Soy is listed as an allergen), so I asked my server (and the manager who he brought over).  They confirmed they didn't have any gluten ingredients and said they could prepare it gluten free. 

As always it was a good meal and it was nice to feel safe in a chain restaurant.  Now I just wish they would get Daiya cheese so I can try their gluten free pizza too!

One final thought - the chain has reported some financial concerns so I wouldn't wait to long to visit them.

Other chain restaurant reviews you may be interested in:

Gluten Free Buns and Fries at Cheeseburger in Paradise

Eating Dairy and Gluten Free at Bonefish Grill

Don't forget to check out the full NJ Restaurants with a Gluten Free Menu List as well as the Nationwide Chains with a Gluten Free Menu List.

Gluten Free / Dairy Free Products I'm Still Searching For

I seem to have a knack for finding Gluten Free and/or Dairy Free products. You see, I have a bit of a Supermarket addiction. After reviewing my credit card receipts, I noticed that on average, I make 12 grocery trips a month! (Yes, that's three a week.) And I don't go to the same store 12 times, but depending on where I am or what product I want, I'd say I visit 5-6 different stores per month (2 different ShopRites, Kings, Whole Foods, Fairway, and the occasional Stop & Shop, A&P, Trader Joes, or Nature's Pavilion).

In visiting so many different stores, when someone is missing something, I usually know exactly where they can find it. Sadly there are still some things I am missing. Specifically:

Gluten free/dairy free ravioli - I used to eat Soyboy, but they don't do gluten free (if you're just dairy free you can buy them at Whole Foods).

Gluten free/pork free pot stickers - Don't remember the brand but Shoprite had chicken ones in their freezer section, sadly, also not gluten free.

Gluten free/dairy free/pork free Pigs-in-a-blanket - I used to eat Cohen's Beef Franks in Puff Pastry (kosher makes them Pork and Dairy free!) Lots of supermarkets carry these if you're just dairy free.

Jelly Donuts - Like I used to eat as a kid at Dunkin Donuts.

If you know where I can find these in the NJ area, please post in the comments below! (I'll settle for links to recipes on where I can make my own, but I'd really rather just pop into a store and buy them!)

Is Peter Wong's in Montvale, NJ Closed?

A friend of mine informed me last week that Peter Wong's in Montvale was closed.  She wasn't sure if this was permanent or if they were just moving.  I checked around and yes, they are closed permanently and concentrating on their ice cream business instead.  If he ever opens another restaurant (and has a gluten free menu), I will be sure to update this entry.

An Energy Kitchen has moved into the same strip mall.  Read my Energy Kitchen Restaurant Review for more info.

And as always, see this list of New Jersey Restaurants with Gluten Free Menus for other nearby options as well.

Restaurant Review: Gluten Free Cart at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ

My brothers and I are season ticket holders for Seton Hall Men's Basketball, one of the three teams to play at the Prudential Center ("The Rock") in Newark, NJ (both the Nets and the Devils play there as well).  I was amazed to find this season that they have an entire cart dedicated to Gluten Free eating! 

The cart sells a variety of drinks, hot dogs, sausages, and snacks.  The hot dogs and sausages are cooked on a rolling grill (like you'd see in a convenience store for example).  The hot dogs are Nathans (who within the last year or two removed the gluten they were adding to their hot dogs) and the sausages are Premio.  They also have Glutino GF Pretzels. 

While the hot dog buns are gluten free (they're made by Ener-G), the sausage rolls are The Grainless Baker and contain dairy.  There are mustard packets available at the cart and I recommended to them that they offer relish packets as well.  (Both relish and sauerkraut are available from the regular condiments stations but they are open and quite susceptible to cross contamination.)

Oh, and the best part?  The Gluten Free Hot Dogs are the exact same price as their gluten containing brethren at the regular concessions. (Yes, still over priced, but it's nice to not have to pay even more!)

Updated - 4/25/11

Now that Udi's is making a hot dog bun, I wonder if they'll switch?

Where to Eat Gluten Free / Dairy Free in NJ - A Restaurant Listing

I've put together a list of restaurants in NJ that cater to people who are gluten free and/or with other food intolerances/allergies.  My main requirement was that they post at least a gluten free menu on their website (I find that those that can handle one item are more likely to be amenable to dealing with others).  I did make some exceptions for restaurants I personally have visited or with very good reputations.  [I excluded anywhere that couldn't deal with dairy free so if all they offer is gluten free pizza I skipped them.]

I made the list into its own page here: Gluten Free / Dairy Free Restaurants in NJ

I'll be updating it from time to time as I encounter new options.  If I'm missing any restaurants let me know in the comments below.

Dairy Free / Gluten Free Travel Tips

I've met a number of people who are worried about traveling if they have food intolerances.  I've traveled quite extensively over the last 20 years and have had mostly success.  Traveling domestically can be easier because of the common language but many countries are much more food allergy aware than the US.  I find that dairy in food is much more obvious and I can usually get around it with a couple of key questions ("Do you butter your grill?" for example).  I also find that if a restaurant is up on dealing with one intolerance they are more receptive to dealing with others (sadly this isn't always true, but frequently it is).

Southeast coast of Spain

Here in the US, I use these websites to find GF dining options:

Gluten Free Registry - this site has lists of gluten free restaurants by state. They also have a searchable map but that map lists all the chain restaurant locations and makes it hard to really find the independents (I can certainly eat at a Charlie Brown’s at home). There is also an option to add reviews to the restaurants (although you should note that those for the chains are grouped together and not specific to any particular location.)

Gluten Free Restaurant Awareness Program - the grand-daddy of them all, this site lists and ranks GF restaurants that have gone through GFRAP training. Best part is a Zip Code search which will display results by distance from a particular zip code!

Celiac Handbook Restaurant List - Another list of restaurants by State. Again, you’ll need to investigate how close these are to where you are going to be.

Going overseas is a little more difficult especially with the language barrier. Triumph Dining makes a pack of 10 cards that explain Celiac Disease each in a different language.  The languages are English, French, Mexican (Spanish), Indian (presumably Hindi?), Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Greek, Italian, and Japanese.  They're available online from amazon.com: Gluten Free Dining Cards or the Gluten Free Mall: Gluten Free Dining Cards

Since I have a number of other issues, I prefer the Food-Info Allergy Dictionary - this site allows you to access a list of common food allergies and phrases inter-translated into 30+ languages (most major world and European languages). What I mean by inter-translated is that it just isn’t English-Spanish but also Spanish-Mandarin and Russian-Japanese. Just choose your base language (English is at the top) and then select the other language from a little pull down menu. The result is a pdf file with roughly 200 phrases and allergens listed in both languages. I like to just print out those I’ll need for a trip and highlight my allergies and phrases!

The Association of European Coeliac Societies (AOECS) is an umbrella organization of national groups throughout Europe.  Their list of member organizations (and web links to each) is here: http://www.aoecs.org/?id=-9  I've used the website of the association in Spain http://www.celiacosmadrid.org/ which was amazing, but didn't have much luck with the site for the association in Norway.  At least it is worth a try.

My final advice would be to do a web search on key phrases (Celiac Disease, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Allergen Free) and the name of the place you are going and see what comes up. And of course, you can always post a comment here and I’ll try to help!

Additional articles you may enjoy:

Dining Dairy Free / Gluten Free in Oslo, Norway

Eating Dairy Free / Gluten Free in Buenos Aires, Argentina

And if you're heading to the New Jersey area be sure to peruse this list of New Jersey Gluten Free Dining Options and for US trips see this list of Gluten Free Chains / Fast Food Restaurants.