Hi folks. I've been off the boards a while because of my last glutening and an absolutely insane work schedule. I have a few restaurant reviews up my sleeve, just haven't had time to sit down and write them.
Just wanted to share something I read in this morning's Daily News:
Memphis has some of the best pizza in the U.S. according to Travel + Leisure Magazine.
Staff Memphis Business Journal
The magazine Travel + Leisure has released a list of the top 20 cities to get a slice of pizza and both Memphis and Nashville made the list.
Though Memphis is well-known as a culinary destination, pizza may not be the first signature food that pops to mind. But Travel + Leisure notes that, "Fun-loving Memphis takes a soulful approach to its pizza." The article places Memphis 14th on its top 20 list siting Hog & Hominy's Red Eye pizza and the pulled pork and coleslaw pizza at Aldo's Pizza Pies.
So congrats to Hog & Hominy and Aldo's both. If you haven't had a chance to visit Hog & Hominy check out my earlier review of their Gluten Free Pizza.
Also, as a Midtowner, I've been watching with excitement as some new restaurants are springing up on Union Avenue. Panera Bread is opening up at the end of the month. Unfortunately they don't carry any gluten free bread, but they do make a good salad and I hear some of their GF soups are very good. Also, Five Guys is currently under construction and looks like it will be open pretty soon. I've had very good experiences eating GF at the Five Guys on Ridgeway and hope that the Midtown one will be just as good. They offer a delicious GF burger and their fries are safe to eat too.
I hope to be back on the blog very soon with posts on Mulan, Pei Wei, and Frida's.
You may be wondering why on earth someone with Celiac Disease would eat at a restaurant with the word "Bread" as part of the name. Suprisingly, Panera does a good gluten free salad. My coworker and I got gift cards for Christmas (Thanks Tommy!) and decided we would treat ourselves.
Usually when I eat out, I try to do a little research online for some menu options before I get to the restaurant. Unfortunately Panera doesn't have much information about their gluten free options on the web. But they will e-mail a list of safe foods and several people have posted the list on their blogs. They also have a huge book (think War and Peace) in their store that lists all the ingredients in each dish. After a little trial and error, the server and I figured out that I could safely eat the BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad. Doing some later research on the web, it looks like I could have had some of the soups, including black bean, corn chowder, and creamy tomato. Something I'll have to keep in mind for next time.
Because Panera makes and serves mainly bread dishes, there is a higher risk for cross-contamination. Personally this is the second time I've eaten at the restaurant at Poplar and I-240 and have not been glutened. But as always, different people react to different amounts of gluten, so be cautious.
