gluten-free dining in Anaheim, CA

Cherie ♦ February 4, 2010 ♦ Leave Your Comment

The last full week of January the hubby and I went to Disneyland. We spent 5 glorious days just enjoying a bit of down-time and embracing our inner child.

And eating. Oh yes. I had my fill of delicious and quite satisfying gluten-free meals on our trip. So if you’re local to the area or traveling there, here are a few places you might want to check out.

I’ve already reviewed the Original Pancake House if you want to read that…but let me update it by adding this. Since I posted that, we ate there 3 more times. Haha. So much for making breakfast in the hotel room kitchen to save a few bucks. Once I’d had a taste of those marvelous pancakes I started dreaming about them. And really, how often is one able to wander into a pancake house and order gluten-free pancakes? It was really something to take advantage of!

Apparently they can make them into waffles as well if you’re more a waffle fan. And you can order them with blueberries too. Now those were something else. Soooo good. In my 4 visits there I had zero reaction to anything. I would move to Anaheim just to be able to go to the Pancake House. Thankfully our location in Seattle (still a 3+ hour drive away, but that’s closer than a flight!) is looking to add gluten-free pancakes to their menu in the near future. I see a monthly trip to Seattle in the cards!

Zankou Chicken
website
locations throughout the greater Los Angeles area

This place is, beyond a doubt, one of the absolute best gluten-free meals I’ve had in my 7 years of gluten-free living. I stumbled across their website while searching on yelp for a gluten-free dinner option and was delighted to find that everything on their menu, with the exception of the pita bread (of course) and one salad, is gluten-free. What a world of possibility was opened!

Our first visit here (oh, you’re wondering that we went more than once? But of course!) took place on the Saturday before our Sunday evening flight. Oh, that I would have decided to eat here earlier in the week! Then our two visits would have been 5. Or 10. But I digress… on that first visit I ordered the combo kebab plate with steak and chicken. Yum. The steak was a bit tough for my liking but flavored very nicely. The chicken on the other hand – out of this world. Moist and flavorful without being over the top (some indian or mediterranean food can be a bit much in the spice department) and fork tender.

The side dishes are fabulous as well. The hummus – well, prior to my visit here I thought I didn’t like hummus. Now I understand that I didn’t like the nasty hummus I’ve had in years past. This stuff is divine. Not too garlicky nor bland. Just straight out YUM. I’m not sure what the purple stick things are. They’re pickled something and super delicious. Hubby wasn’t keen on them so I got to eat his as well. The only thing I was unable to eat were those little peppers. Those suckers were nuclear hot. Whoo. Oh, and the onions. Unfortunately, I have issues with the nightshade family so onions are no longer on my acceptable food list – at least not a pile of them as came with the meal. They sure looked good though!

The second visit took place the next day at lunchtime. This time I got the combo plate with Lule, a spiced ground beef kebab. That’s all kinds of yum right there. A bit like meatloaf but only 100 times better. Definitely not an American food. Again, the chicken was amazing. This time hubby got the chicken plate – well, ok, I ordered for him so I could try a bite. lol. Poor guy. Thankfully he doesn’t mind ordering whatever I want and then we just share. What a great guy!

Anyway, I give Zankou Chicken a definite 5 out of 5 stars. Amazing food and the best part of all – after two back to back visits, zero glutening! Not even the hint of an upset tummy or a suggestion of cross-contamination.

On the tray liners a columnist has a brief quote that says something to the effect that he would visit LA again just to go to Zankous. Well, I agree heartily with that. I would fly there for a few hours if it meant I could deplane, run to Zankous for a meal, and then fly home. It’s just that good.

Disneyland
Anaheim, CA (both parks – Disneyland and California Adventure Park)

Not only do we enjoy Disneyland for the rides and the fun to be had but for their efforts in serving those with allergens and other dining issues. A quick stop at the “courthouse” and you can pick up a pamphlet that is designed to assist in finding foods that you can eat. We obviously pick up the gluten-free version but there are other allergens and intolerances available as well.

My first food stop is always the Pizza Port in Tomorrowland. They have a gluten-free pizza there that is fabulous. I believe the crust is from Kinnikinnick. In previous years they offered the same toppings as their standard pizzas but the past two years they’ve only offered cheese or pepperoni. A bit of a disappointment but one I got over rather quickly since the pepperoni was so delicious.

You’re asked to go to the counter and request the chef. She came out and we told her that I wanted a gluten-free pizza and a gluten-free salad (there are several different options). It only takes 10-15 minutes for them to make these fresh and amazingly, there is no extra charge. In fact, my pepperoni pizza was cheaper that my hubby’s combo slice of “normal” pizza. Since the food here is on the $$ side this sure makes us happy.

I had the pizza there twice this year and both times enjoyed it fully without any side effects. If you have gluten-intolerant kids, they will LOVE being able to have a pizza like everyone else. In addition, they offer several different salads and pasta options. The pasta is made with rice and though I’ve yet to try it, I’ve seen several other folks enjoying it and it definitely looked good. I just could never NOT get a pizza though!

The park also has gluten-free buns for hot dogs and burger. Prior to going gluten-free, I had sworn off hot dogs. I thought they were yucktastic. Blech. Well, it wasn’t too long with a restricted diet before a hot dog on a bun sounded pretty darn good. I’ve since eaten a few sans bun and each time I think that I’ll not do it again. Hot dogs without buns = not fabulous. But one day we were walking around and I got a craving for a hot dog with a bun. We popped over to the Coke Corner and I ordered one. Yum! That bun made all the difference in the world. I was able to enjoy it without upset tummy and was quite satisfied.

The Blue Bayou (restaurant in the Pirates ride) has several gluten-free options. We dined there our second night and I enjoyed a great filet mignon with roasted veggies and a nice dinner salad. Definitely on the pricey side but if you’re in the mood for some quality grub while the kids go exploring on their own, it’s a great place to spend 60-90 minutes while enjoying fantastic service and food.

There are many other gluten-free dining options at the happiest place on earth and this is one of the things that keeps up coming back year after year. This was our 5th year there and we plan to hit Disneyworld next year and expect to find the same great gluten-free fare there.

Disneyland gets a 5 out of 5 stars for the easy availability of their food, their willingness to help those of us who cannot enjoy “normal” food, and for their efforts in keeping this food safe from cross-contamination. Thank you, Disney!

Claim Jumper
gluten-free menu
locations across the US

I was quite surprised to see the number of gluten-free options available at Claim Jumper so we set out there for dinner one night. I loaded the menu on my iPhone so I would be able to order and point out to the server that I had gluten-intolerance and that their website had safe items for me to enjoy. So you can imagine my all out shock when we sat down and I happened to turn the menu over and there on the back was an actual gluten-free menu.

Thank you, Claim Jumper! They immediately gained my full respect for taking this step. I was able to order like a regular diner and our waitress was so very helpful in making sure I was taken care of.

My fantastic hubby once again volunteered to order gluten-free so I could try out two dishes so we ordered the Giant Stuffed Baker and the Roasted Tri-Tip. We both made sure to check with the waitress on everything to verify the gluten-free status. When the meals arrived, I ate part of the tri-tip (*very* good, but not really to my liking or preferences. Hubby, on the other hand, loved it and snarfed the remainder of the plate down in record time.) and then traded him for the Stuffed Baker. The alfredo sauce was gone so I flagged down our waitress and asked for a side dish of the sauce.

And that’s when things got dicey. She immediately got a concerned look on her face and her voice shook as she said that the baker was not supposed to come with alfredo because it’s not gluten-free. I thought I was going to throw up – perfect. A glutening right in the middle of our trip. She ran back to the kitchen to verify and came back very quickly, with side dish in hand and a big smile on her face – the menu was correct! The sauce IS safe. Just butter, cream, cheese. Whew. Disaster averted.

We enjoyed our meal and washed it down with a small hot fudge sundae (not listed on menu but she checked and the hot fudge sauce IS safe. If you go to Claim Jumper and order a sundae, please request that they add no crumbled oreo cookies – the sundae is typically made with these cookie crumbles.) And I’m so happy to report, no gluten issues after our meal. I felt stuffed and ready for bed, but I didn’t get sick. Yay!

I’m excited to visit the Claim Jumper in Seattle now that I know there is a menu for me. What a liberating feeling to be able to walk into a place like this and order from a normal menu. And the servers know about what we can/not eat so it’s a relatively safe venture.

Sensitive Baker
website
10836 1/2 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

How could I visit LA and not go to this bakery? Even though it was miles and miles out of the way, on Friday we left the park early and headed over to Culver City to see what was available. To make a long story that involves switching freeways repeatedly in a vain attempt to avoid traffic jams and stop-and-go traffic short – it was worth the 3 hour round trip. SO worth it.

This is a small place and they didn’t have too many items available that weren’t frozen. I got a few cupcakes, an orange pound cake, 2 chocolate chip poundcake slices (OMYUM!!) and a package of granola. Then I looked in the back and saw racks of fresh baked bread and it was all over. Unfortunately I only purchased 1 loaf – a baguette. Crusty outside and soft and chewy inside without the traditional gluten-free flavor one normally associates with all gluten-free bread. You know what I’m talking about…

I ate half that loaf before we’d traveled 5 minutes. Oh. So. Freakin’. Delicious. We should have turned around then to go back and buy another 10 loaves. I managed to save half the loaf and upon our return to the park that night, I bought a gluten-free turkey sandwich fixings at one of the little cafes and made myself the BEST turkey sandwich I’ve had in years. It was unbelievably delicious. Of all the things I ate on our trip – this one was by far the absolute best.

The cupcakes were good but the frosting was a bit weird. This is a dairy free bakery so my guess is that it’s made with shortening. You could tell by the consistency and by the flavor and while it wasn’t really gross or anything, it wasn’t the same as buttercream frosting. Still, I would purchase again. It was nice to enjoy a cupcake after seeing them in downtown disney and craving one. lol.

The following day we were out driving around and ended up just a few blocks from the bakery. So we made a quick trip in and I purchased a pack of hamburger buns (haven’t tried them yet) and 4 loaves of bread. These were frozen and are in my freezer now. I did open one and was quite disappointed in it. The fresh loaf was a million times better than the frozen one. It’s dried out quite a bit and doesn’t have the same fresh-baked freshness and squishiness.

So I decided to make french toast. Wow. The best french toast I’ve had in all of my gluten-free years. It tastes *just like* “real” french toast! Utterly fab. Now I know at the least, I have 3 more scrumptious breakfasts in the freezer. I’m thinking that since it is a bit dryer and tougher it will make great fondue bread as well. I’ll be trying that next week and will post my thoughts.

All in all, not like the fresh-baked no, but equally as awesome in other mediums. If you’re in the area, be sure to swing by the bakery and try some of their goods. 5 out of 5 stars!

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
website
scattered locations across the US

Our first night in, we hit the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. They have a gluten-free menu available with several tasty options so we decided against PF Changs (it was right next door and our first choice – but we can go there anytime!) and instead went for yummy shrimp. Mmmm!

The restaurant was really cool. Very heavily decorated and there were about 101 million Forrest Grump references throughout. The waitstaff is very attentive and we were well cared for. Unfortunately, the food wasn’t too great.

The shrimp was very overcooked and tough. I had a hard time getting the tail off. The fish was OK but nothing spectacular. All in all, I’d say 2 or 3 out of 5 stars. They tried and we didn’t go thirsty but the food could have been much better. Especially for the price. I’m up for giving it another try in the future should we end up where there is a location. I think it could be a 5 star meal with a bit more care.

There you have it – a week of eating gluten-free in Anaheim and the greater LA area.