Doo-dah diner. Best gluten free breakfast in Wichita...probably Kansas

This...

I've probably said it before but if you wanted to take a food-cation and you were needing gluten free fare, Wichita might be a top ten city to visit.  In the past I held back on this theory because Wichita was lacking awesome gluten free breakfast.  You could have eggs, hash browns etc just about anywhere, but there was something lacking.  No more.
I now know what was missing.  Gluten free banana french toast.  Just let that soak in like the butter, pecans, whipped cream and pecans did.  Gluten free banana french toast. With apple on top.  It's okay.  You can say it out loud.  It will still be there.  Gluten free banana french toast.

Yes, they had eggs.  Yes, they had hot crispy has browns.  But honestly, who cares.  They had hot, buttery, fluffy and crispy on the outside gluten free banana french toast. 

The half order is $5.99 and the sides will get you.  The whole is $8.99.
(Great to split and add some sides)  Expect to spend about $10+ for a satisfying big breakfast or a bit more for lunch.  Save if you need to.  This place is a must visit if you live within a hundred miles. 

Doo-dah was hot, almost uncomfortably so. (They are working on the A/C)
Doo-dah was crowded, almost uncomfortably so.  (Our waitress said it was a slow morning!)
Doo-dah is not cheap-o.

However, Doo-dah is a new Wichita icon and I am sure will be featured on future food network shows.  It's just that good.  

Welcome

My favorite local places; Tanya's and B&C now have company.  Doo-dah is worth your time and money. They are closed on Monday and Tuesday and do not serve dinner.  So plan accordingly and get your own.  Sharing is hard here. 

Let me add one more thing for the road...


Gluten free banana french toast.

Busy for a reason.

My new favorite place in Wichita: China Go

Sometimes you have to just risk it and try something new. 

The wife and I had tried almost everything gluten free in town and now we felt it was time to be adventurous, for you, our loyal readers.  It had nothing to do with the fact that we really wanted Chinese food, didn’t want to pay for PF Chang’s and didn’t want to drive to Pei Wei on the West Side.  Enter China Go. 

About a week ago I sent a message to them on Facebook asking them if they did gluten free.  They responded yes but that was it.  I was intrigued.  I called them today and felt like they knew what they were talking about, or at least enough for my taste.  So I risked my health and took the wife out to China Go on Harry and Rock.  (About 2 minutes from our house!)  I brought a card explaining gluten as well as our own bottle of Gluten Free Soy Sauce. 

The manager was there and she explained that she had a few gluten free people in the past.  She knew what to do and asked us what we would like to eat.  She asked us what we would like to eat.  She didn't turn us away and label us as pariahs.  Nope she asked us what we wanted off the menu!   My wife has pined for good orange chicken for a long time and they were able to oblige.  Instead of making it with breading they used cornstarch.  Along with the Orange Chicken I ordered Mongolian beef and gave them my soy sauce to help them prepare it. 

The Orange chicken was hot, sweet and salty.   It was everything that you would want in Orange Chicken.   Usually I can avoid that heavenly smell but at our local grocery store, Dillion’s, they are constantly making orange chicken and the smell would drive me insane.  Now I can walk the aisles of Dillion’s with no concern, knowing there is better, gluten free, chicken down the road.   The orange chicken is worth the trip.  The Mongolian beef was very good as well.  It was a bit spicy for my liking but I am sure they would be able to tone it down if asked. 

We also had a nice bowl of freshly steamed veggies.  It was everything you would hope.  Nice variety and fresh. 

Another plus: their to-go brand of soy sauce was also gluten free.  (Not the stuff on the tables but the little packets)  It’s a brand that I’ve found in the past with great joy. "Kari-out," I think.  It’s not as salty but it still was a pleasant surprise. 

Okay, so recap.  Almost everything can be made gluten free off the menu.  Also, the prices are really good.  The helpings are huge.  You can almost share one item.  The food is fresh and tasty.  I do believe they are a bit newer to the GF thing so please make sure to go, as always, armed with information so as not to get sick.   They are working on a menu and striving to have well trained staff but you know things will always fall through the cracks if you are not careful.  Five hours later and I am feeling no ill effects. 

However, I would say this is my new favorite gluten free place in Wichita and you really need to go check it out.  Seriously.  You need to go now. 

Go to China Go! 
I will go back to China Go.   Let's all go.

Delish Cafe basically lives up to it's namesake.

Lately the wife and I have been addicted to Tanya’s soup kitchen.  Although, sometimes her options are lacking in the GF department, we still frequent her establishment.  Sometimes the soup is extra spicy which doesn’t work for me.  Sometimes, like last night they offer a blueberry “smoopy.”  Yeah…  It’s cold.   It’s fruity.  It’s yummy but it’s not soup to me.   Why they would offer it on a cold day is beyond me, but since Tanya’s is probably my favorite place to eat in Wichita, they get a free pass. 

    
       

















Our saga with our son and His William’s syndrome has been tiring but yesterday we had a nurse watch him and a friend play with our daughter so we were able to go on a real live date!  Hooray for 11:30 am dates!

            We had heard of “Delish” at “Food for Thought” and had considered going there on many occasions only to be lured back to Tanya’s.  (If it aint broke…)  However the thought of cold “smoopy” gave us a Tanya’s pass. 

Delish is in the back corner of Food for Thought and it is quite good.  The wife and I both ordered sandwiches with soup on the side.  They definitely cater to the gluten free crowd, offering every sandwich, gluten free, for a dollar more.
            My sandwich was good.  It was a curry chicken salad on a “Schar” brand baguette, which I already have a love affair with.  The sandwich was a nice combination of salty and sweet.  It was enjoyable.  My wife had a turkey Sandwich with a raspberry jam on it.  I liked hers even more, although I am not a huge fan of mustard even if it contains honey.  Our soup was broccoli Cheese and it was also good.  I tried the other soups and they were good as well, although I thought they needed a dash of salt.  Do you notice I am overusing the term good?  I don’t think adequate or fine are complimentary enough but great or transcendent go too far.  The soup was better than passable but I am not so sure it was even handmade.  The sign said they proudly serve Kettle Cuisine soups, which is fine. 

            The carrot cake muffins were very good but once again made from a mix.  In the end I would have to say that “Delish” is a bit overpriced as all gluten free food is.  It is a little ordinary but I do believe they are moving more and more towards something great as they find their niche. 

            As long as Tanya’s is in town “delish” will always play second fiddle.  I am grateful to have a place they does gluten free well and you will see me there next time Tanya’s is serving smoopy.  Until then, I hope you give it a try.  Bring a little extra salt to the table and enjoy one more place to eat when people ask us the dreaded question: “Where the heck can you eat?”

PS: THEY ARE ONLY OPEN FOR LUNCH!

Website name

Hey all,
I know my web address is confusing.  Recently I received a check from google from the ads on the sight. (Which I thank you for clicking on) and I invested it into a few years of www.glutenfreeinwichita.com. 

Hopefully now it's easier to tell someone about the website. 

Thanks,
-Dale

Gluten free in Salina and Goodland, KS...sorta

Who doesn’t love being spoiled?  On our most recent vacation, we were spoiled.  Sadly vacations end and you have to go back to real life.   On our way home from Colorado we stopped off at two places.  Now, I don’t like to throw around the phrase disaster very often but our meals were…um…lacking.

Crazy R’s Bar and Gril, Goodland KS.
I had read somewhere online that Crazy R’s offered gluten free food.  It was a tiny little review and it was all I had within a hundred miles so we tried it out.  They had no idea what I was talking about.  Also the waitress was a bit sassy.  We ended up ordered burgers and putting them in our fresh bread we just purchased in Colorado Springs.  The Burgers were good but I wish we could’ve found something near Goodland, Kansas with more options for a Celiac.   If you know anything near Colby or Goodland, please respond with a comment.   

The Tilipia was better than the chicken.

Spot #2-  Martinelli’s Italian Restaurant, Salina KS.

Yep, that chicken is plain...

Salina is larger than Goodland and we had some hope that maybe this one might turn out okay.  We looked online and found that Martinelli’s has a gluten free menu.  Yay.  Already better.  It turned out to be a disappointment.  My wife’s chicken was dry and was basically just plain.  The broccoli that accompanied it was also without any seasoning.  Seriously?  You are an Italian restaurant and you don’t even add garlic?   I had the Tilapia and it was okay.  There was some sort of seasoning on it but it wasn’t much until I improvised with some lemon, Parmesan cheese and pepper.   My veggies also were without any seasoning.  Fail. 

Normally, I don’t really bad-mouth a place without talking to them about it.  So I talked to the manager.  He was embarrassed and apologetic.   He said they are working on the menu and when I return it would be absolutely better.  If you go, let me know what you think?  Have they improved it?

The manager was kind and even gave me a gift certificate for the next time.  The question  I have is should I risk it when I found a Hog Wild Barbeque in Salina on my way home?  We will have to see.

Wichita Pizza Company: another great choice for gluten free pizza!

UPDATE: 
Hey guys, first off I wanted to say the management has told me you have ordered many of their pizzas.  When the eagle ran the article about my blog she said you all ordered 25 pizzas in ONE DAY! They also told me they are working on getting the same crust as Waldo Pizza in Kansas City.  Soooo good.  They said they are interested in adding more GF menu items as well.  Please keep supporting them.  Also on my way out today I saw "New Grist Beer"  A top notch gluten free beer worth trying.

As you may know, my wife Ashley is prego with our second child.  All she wants to eat is delicious, greasy Mexican food.  At the same time I am starting a new job as a pastor at City Life Church.  Mexican is cheaper and I have to raise my own salary.  Stack on that the pregnant woman usually wins and we end up eating Mexican almost every week.

However, this week Ashley asked me to pick her up some Mexican and then get myself a pizza!  Success!  Huzzah!  Obviously I wear the pants in the family since she allowed me pizza.  (Please don't tell her I said that.  Wait she reads this blog. D'oh)

Anyways, the pizza was thin, crispy and scrumptious.  The cheese was melty and bubbly.  The toppings were plentiful.  If I were to compare this pizza with Mulligans, I actually think I would have to go back and try each one side by side.  They both hold their own against regular pizza.  Much better than something gross like Pizza Hut.

The drawbacks are few.  The pizza is not cheap.  It is good sized but if you want toppings you will pay well for them.  Like Mulligans, there really isn't anything else they offer.  Waldo Pizza in Kansas City and Borrelli's in San Diego are the gold standard on offering more than just pizza.

Please try out both pizza places.  Support them for supporting celiac's.  Then tell me how you think they compare.

Green Acres Gluten free day

Green Acres cooked up some yummy blondies.  

I do have to say that "Green Acres" did a great job having their very first gluten free day today.  They had about 10 tables out there giving substantial samples of gluten free goodies.  

Yummy Gnocchi!

I enjoyed trying the Gnocchi, with red sauce.  The people were also knowledgeable and helpful.  I hope they continue to do things like this.  There is nothing like seeing many other people filling their baskets with GF food to remind you that you are not alone.  

Hot Pancakes with butter and blueberries.

      I have always appreciated the stellar job that "Food for Thought" has done on their gluten free day and no one can top when they do Thanksgiving, but Green Acres is fast becoming more and more of a gluten free specialty store and they seem out to prove it.  My only hope is that someone catches on that we cannot afford how expensive most GF food is.  Then maybe someone will come up with affordable food!  That is where I would shop.

Five Guys Burgers coming to Wichita!!!

I am soooo excited for this chain to come to Wichita. Ashley and I ate there once while visiting my sister and family in North Carolina. This is the closest burger to In N Out that I know. The burgers are great and the fries are awesome. Obviously you cannot have the bun but I have heard they make lettuce wraps. Also the FRIES ARE GLUTEN FREE! They only make a couple of things and they use a dedicated fryer for the fries so there is no cross contamination! If you have ever eaten at a place called "Islands" the fries are much like those. I am sooooooo excited. They are supposed to open a few in Wichita. Hopefully, we will get one by my work while we are waiting for the Chick Fil-A. Have I mentioned that I am excited????

Yia Yia's Italian Bistro, Mama mia, it's made to order

I don't think I am very classy. I am the guy that picks out anything but iceberg lettuce from my salad. I wear flip flops to a fancy restaurant. So goes my disclaimer for when I go to a fancy restaurant. (It was our five year anniversary and first time out of the house together without baby) I had a gluten free Pizza at Yia Yia's and didn't dig it too much. It had all these fancy spices and no red sauce. Very fancy. Not my style. I still would prefer a regular cheese pizza. It was also a bit dry and crumbly anyway.

However, they had some other things on the menu. We brought our own pasta just in case, which was awesome since they ran out of gluten free pasta. Ashley had some buttery sauce with Chicken that I liked a lot. I am sure next time I go I will enjoy my pasta but I am not getting the pizza. yechh. I'm still not classy.

Ashley with her yummy pasta!