Picasso's Pizzeria: sad update

The family took me to Picasso's pizza today for Father's day.  We were sad to learn they are uncomfortable serving people with Celiac now.  Booooo.  They said dough gets in the communal cheese and thus into the GF pizza.  I have not been sick after eating there in the past but if you go you are playing the proverbial gluten roulette. 

I am sad about this one.  Sorry people.  I would take Picasso's off the list. 

Gluten free quick list for eating out.

Welcome new readers.  I was in the Wichita Eagle again this week!  Since some of you are new I thought I might update the quick list for eating out which I have found to be helpful.  

Updated quick list for eating out.

East Side:
Five Guys
Red Robin
Bonefish Grill
Jason's Deli
Ya Ya's
Granite City
Doc Green's
PF Changs
Noodles and Co
Chipotle
Red Lobster
Pablano
Wichita Pizza Company
Mulligan's Irish Pub
Carlos O' Kelly's
Jimmy Johns
Outback Steakhouse
Carraba's
Jose Peppers
Hu hot
Buffalo Wild Wings
Chili's
The Olive Garden???
Louies??
On the Border??
Wendy's??

Central:
Picasso's Pizzaria
Five Guys
Tanya's Soup Kitchen
Pig in Pig Out Barbecue
Pablano
Freddy's
Lotus Leaf Cafe
D'sozo
Playa Azul??

West Side:
Five Guys
When Pigs Fly Barbecue
Chipotle
Freddy's
Red Lobster
Carlo's O'Kelly's
Pei Wei
Outback Steakhouse
Gobi Grill
Buffalo Wild wings
Chili's
Jason's Deli
On the Border??

South:
Godfather's Pizza
Wheat State Pizza (Derby)
Carlos O' Kelly's

Picasso's Pizzeria

PICASSO'S DOES NOT SUGGEST PEOPLE WITH CELIAC TO EAT THEIR PIZZA! BOOO!

Well,
It seems almost yesterday I started a blog with a simple desire.  I wanted to help those who had Celiac disease in Wichita.  Three years ago and over 20,000 hits ago I was in search of Pizza.  Now Wichita has ton's of places to get gluten free Pizza.  Lets start at the top.  First it was Godfathers.  Followed by Wichita Pizza Co, Granite City Brewery, Ya Ya's, Wheat State Pizza and Mulligan's pub.  Jeez what a difference a few years make.


Things have been crazy in the last few months as our son has been in the hospital 4 times and once for almost a month in Kansas City.  In that time I have had Picasso's pizza four yummy times. 

They have all kinds of different options including a white pizza covered in Ricotta.  Picasso's is toward the top of my list.  The ambiance is fun and original.  The staff is nice. (Although one guy was wearing a Raider hat)  I don't trust Raiders fans. :)

The only little hang up I had was the sauce was a little too spiced for me.  Obviously not so much that I have stopped going.  Some pizza places add a little too much of something for my taste.  When I get the white pizza I have no problem with it. 

Most people don't have a problem with that either, so I encourage you to go to Picasso's and please let me know what you think.

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!

Wheat State Pizza in Derby

Well I must admit I have been eating a lot of pizza lately.

But how can I say no to a Groupon?   

How? How? 

A few weeks ago we were able to procure a babysitter and we sauntered down to Derby to try out some new pizza.  For some reason, the title “Wheat State” kinda scares a celiac away.  As if they will magically hide wheat in your pizza.  Nonetheless, the pizza was very good.  It is probably the thickest pizza I’ve experienced in Wichita and we our the varied flavors made our taste buds crazy.

I was able to meet the owner and his daughter before I ate.  They are very nice, caring people who really desire to make our pizzas safe.  Ironically, he had been cooking and shook my hand with his hand full of flour.  When he learned who I was, he apologized profusely. Hilarious.  Anyways, they are working hard to make sure gluten free is stomach ache free.  I was able to help them as well with a few pointers.  The alfredo pizza is a no-go.  Bummer.  I wanted that one.

On to the pizza:  The wife and I had a groupon that was burning a hole in our pocket so we got a few pizzas with different toppings.  Our favorite was the “Shocker” which had ranch, chicken, bacon and the surprisingly tasty sunflower seeds on it.  This pizza was my favorite.  For the others we had the pesto, which Ashley really liked.  We also had the Barbeque chicken pizza, while enjoyable, was too spicy for me.  In their defense, I am a wuss.  Finally we had the taco pizza which I enjoyed about 2 slices of and quickly tired of.  I might've had too much Mexican lately.

There were a few more pizzas I would love to try there but I am not sure we can agree on anything but the pizza made with ranch! YUM!  Wheat State Pizza is one of the top places for gluten free pizza in the Wichita area and I encourage you to visit post haste to show them how loyal we celiac's can be.  I love the thicker crust which vaults Wheat state into the same category as Mulligan’s and Wichita Pizza company.  There is a growing rivalry heating up and I hope one or two will begin to offer garlic bread or something else that tips scales.  Until then I am going to enjoy this golden age for gluten free pizza in Wichita.  May it never cease!

As always, I remind you to do your due diligence as there is always a chance you can get glutened at a new place.  They are very careful but help educate them and we can never go wrong.

Updated quick list for eating out.

East Side:
Five Guys
Red Robin
Bonefish Grill
Jason's Deli
Ya Ya's
Granite City
Doc Green's
PF Changs
Noodles and Co
Chipotle
Red Lobster
Pablano
Wichita Pizza Company
Mulligan's Irish Pub (Open after 2)
Carlos O' Kelly's
Jimmy Johns
Outback Steakhouse
Carraba's
Jose Peppers
Hu hot
Buffalo Wild Wings
Chili's
The Olive Garden???
Louies??
On the Border??
Wendy's??

Central:
Five Guys
Tanya's Soup Kitchen
Pig in Pig Out Barbecue
Pablano
Freddy's
Lotus Leaf Cafe
D'sozo

West Side:
Five Guys
When Pigs Fly Barbecue
Chipotle
Freddy's
Red Lobster
Carlo's O'Kelly's
Pei Wei
Outback Steakhouse
Gobi Grill
Buffalo Wild wings
Chili's
Jason's Deli
On the Border??

South:
Godfather's Pizza
Wheat State Pizza (Derby)
Carlos O' Kelly's

Granite City food and Brewery, gluten free pizza. (East location only)

Craziness continues in our family as our 2 month old had three surgeries for hernias in 24 hours last week.  More recently he was in the hospital for a few days for failure to thrive.  All prayers are appreciated.  Writing a blog is a nice enjoyable thing to do while kids nap.  Needless to say I have been running around a bit with my daughter and ordering out once more. 

This time I was able to try out “Granite City food and Brewery.”

They only offer small, thin crust pizzas but if you catch them at the right time, it is quite a deal.   Normally you add $1 to any pizza and they run around $10 each.  However I am posting below the times where they offer gluten free pizzas for $7 each.  Yay. 

Monday –Friday: 4-6pm and 9-close
Saturday- 12-5 and 9-Close
Sunday- noon- 5

As far as the pizza itself, It was a thin crust that was a bit crumbly on the crust.  When I received one of the pizzas several of the crust ends had already fallen off.  The sauce was well seasoned and had reeked (in a good way) of garlic and onion.  The cheese was a fair amount but the pizza was not as hot as I would have hoped.  It's topped off with some yummy spices.  To the untrained tongue I assume it's basil plus something else.

All in all it was a good pizza.  I think there are better gluten free pizzas in Wichita…and worse.  However, when you can get one for $7 at certain times it is one of the best values in Wichita. 

Someone just told me Mulligan’s has a half price Friday so look into that.  Granite City in Wichita is interesting because they discontinued the GF pizza at the national chain but Wichita store lobbied to keep it and won!  Wichita Celiacs may be some of the most loyal customers anywhere.

Groupon for gluten free pizza

 http://www.groupon.com/r/uu9779526 - Wheat state pizza in Derby

Hey guys, I have a link for a groupon for gluten free pizza that I just found.  I am stoked!  Click on the link to get $20 worth for $10

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

Carlos O Kelly's continues to impress me. (New Menu)

Yep that's red sauce.  There was also a spicy one I didn't try. FTW!

Carlos O Kelly's has recently added a new gluten free menu that is better and more extensive than the last.  Now they have regular Enchilada's and not just the queso ones.   The red or "El Pato" sauce is a bit spicy but cooled down by the sour cream.

There was more on the menu and I will make sure to highlight those things the next time I go. 

Thanks Carlo's O' Kelly's!

Jose Peppers, no thanks.

It's looks pretty good, but...

Another day and another gluten free menu…This time I was alerted by one of my readers.  Thanks so much.  Keep ‘em coming!

Jose Peppers is a Mexican restaurant in Wichita that I’ve never tried before.  There are two reasons: 1) I am never really much interested in Tex Mex.  2) No gluten free menu. 

Well since I’ve heard they’ve gone gluten free I’ve been excited to try them.  My standards have changed for sure. 

The chips are super thin and hot.  I didn’t find out if they are made in a dedicated fryer, though.  The salsa was quite good as well.   Okay that’s where my joy stops.

Still not really sure if that corn stuff was GF

The staff was pretty clueless about what was gluten free or not.  I was directed to the confusing menu.  I ordered enchiladas since they were on the menu.  Good thing I checked on the sauce since they are supposed to substitute the sauce.  That was close.   When my enchilada came it was too spicy and really just not that great.  The chicken was fair.  My wife had rolled tacos and they were a little too oily. 

The fact is the menu is not very helpful and the staff isn’t much help either.  I will try the tacos another time but really I would suggest going to Carlos O’Kelly’s if you are in the mood for this kind of fare.  Carlo’s is about the same price and has a much more knowledgeable staff and comprehensive menu.    

On the bright side, if everyone is headed to Jose Pepper's I can join them.  Even if it's not great, I probably won't get sick if I am careful.

Gluten free Vacation: San Diego California

Back from an exhausting trip and I am ready for a vacation from my vacation.  Cliche or not, we are tired.  We also have a 7 week old boy and a rambunctious 2 year old.  We were in Wesely hospital for a week.  I made several trips to Chipotle, Jimmy John's and had several friends bring us food including Chipotle, Wichita Pizza Co and PF Changs.  Yum Yum.   Once home we ordered a lot of Wichita Pizza company and had many friends from our Church bring us creative gluten free meals.  In the last seven weeks we've also had my wife in the hospital for her heart and my son in the ER for a few hernia's.  Both of our children have had some rough tummy issues as infants.  It really should be no surprise.  D'oh.  Also, Wesely really needs to do the gluten free thing better but they are learning!  In retrospect the vacation's timing may have been a bit stupid but we took it when we could.  We are very happy to be back in Wichita and it's fun watching our new Church blossom into something incredible.  

  Sorry for not posting as much but I think you now understand.  

Also, before I get to it, a sad update,  Dolci and Joe's is no more.  I loved that place but it wasn't really crowded lately. 


The last few weeks, I've enjoyed Waldo Pizza in Kansas City and enjoyed many places in San Diego.  Here are a few of my faves: 

One of my favorite new places in San Diego is called Long Island Mike's and they have a nice large pizza with great tasting sauce.  Yum.   There isn't much else on the menu but what they have is impressive.  There is something to be said about having a pizza that is similar sized to the rest that makes you feel a bit more normal.

 Continuing on the pizza theme, also the Mike theme, the wife and I enjoyed Mountain Mike's Pizza.  The pizza was good but not my favorite.  The Spaghetti was meh.  However, the sandwich was impressive.  Whatever bread they used was slightly chewy, soft, firm and not crumbly.  It almost reminded me of a pretzel.  

Winner!  Pairing it with a gluten free beer made it even more fun. (Although I didn't actually care much for that beer.) 

One of my very favorite gluten free places to eat on the planet is Borelli's in Encinitas, California.  The pizza, breadsticks and other gluten free fanfare is something I dream about on the plane ride to San Diego.  They offer meatballs, salad with GF crutons, breadsticks and a ton of other things.  I would put this place very close with Waldo Pizza in Kansas City.  The pizza is a little dense but still feels fairly normal.  They also have a large size.  Encinitas is a gluten free mecca.  Nearby there are a couple GF bakeries and many other places to eat.  Sadly, I never go since Borelli's is where I end up every time.

I didn't take any pictures since...well...I gorged and thought very little of anything else but how much more food I could cram down my pie hole without getting sick.  

Finally to make it confusing, here is a picture of the bread sticks from Waldo Pizza in Kansas City.

Natural Grocers: My new favorite gluten free grocery store!

Baguettes

People often ask me what the best gluten free grocery store in Wichita is.

I often tell people "Food for thought" is the best but it's expensive. 
Then I tell people you should check out "Green Acres" but it's expensive.
Then I might suggest "Whole Foods" but it's expensive.

Now I will tell you to go to "Natural Grocers!"

My wife filling up her arms with flour

The first time I went to "Natural Grocers" I was in Colorado and couldn't believe the great prices.  It was wonderful!

My wife was skipping through the aisles singing a song to herself.  Yep it's pretty darn awesome.
Make sure you check out all the purple tags that mark if it is gluten free.  I would also make sure to check for other products that are unmarked.

Tanya's Soup kitchen, put down your computer and go there now.

Several months ago I quit my job to help start City Life Church.  I sent Tanya's a message trying to lure them into giving me free food for a review on the website.  I think it weird-ed them out.   I just didn't have money at the time and I was hungry!  

Since things have gotten better financially I've called them about the gluten free options.  Usually I will hear something like chic-pea curry soup or Mango gaspatcho.   They sounded gross so we never stopped by.  However, I had a meeting at the Doughnut Whole today and we all crossed the street for soup.  It sounded good on a chilly winter day.

The place was packed.  We weren't allowed to order anything since all the tables were full!  They kept erasing soups from the chalk board as they were running out of them.   While waiting, they let me try out the two gluten free soups on the menu.  WOW!  Let me just say I hate tomato soups.  However the tomato soup they are serving at Tanya's soup kitchen is an object of my affection.  It is sweet and creamy.  I also tasted the roasted butternut squash and had to have it as well.  It has an almost smokey flavor with a wonderful curry aftertaste.  So what was I suppose to do?  Yep, I ordered two bowls of soup.  They were $3 each for a little bowl.  I was unable to finish them but I kept tasting little spoonfuls so as to enjoy it one more time.  

Okay so the soups at Tanya's are fancy.  Also they didn't give me free soup.  I guess they aren't running a soup kitchen. Ha.  From now on, no matter how weird the soups are I will get them and I will enjoy them.  Kudos to Tanya's.  I now have another fun place to share with my out of town friends.  First I probably should take my wife.

Red Lobster, suprisingly tasty!

Oh Red Lobster.  How you have taunted my dreams with those garlicy/cheesy biscuits.  I remember going with my dad to Red Lobster and hardly eating anything else.  Recently I googled Red Lobster to see if they had anything gluten free.  I was surprised to see they had a few yummy sounding options. 

The wife and I headed out with hoping we would still be full without the cheesy goodness.  I started out with a Salad which they say is not gluten free.  However, the waitress made our salad and most of the dressings are gluten free.  I didn't get sick and she made sure to not put any croutons on.  It was like any salad. 

One concern my wife and I had were the prices.  We spent more than usual but it'sa splurge worth it every once and a while.  The two item combo is about 12.75.  It comes with one side and the salad.  You can have a baked potato or mashed potatoes.  Stay away from the Broccoli.  Someone could also decide to go with the coleslaw but coleslaw is disgusting and you are gross if you like it.

As far as the main course there wasn't a whole lot to choose from.  So we enjoyed two servings each of garlic shrimp scampi.  Wow.  It was not healthy but it evoked a Pavlovian response in me.  These shrimp were swimming in a garlic butter.  If you are a terrible fatty like myself, you might dump the butter on your potato.  Hello, heart attack!  The shrimp was hot, salty and succulent.  The potato was hot as well and it was as good as a potato can be.  By the way, does anyone else type potato and hope you're spelling it correctly?  Thanks Dan Quayle.  Now I have potato typing fear.   Moving on...

We finished off the meal with a gluten free CHEESE CAKE!  There is no crust and it is listed on the menu as gluten free.  It was moist and not as heavy as most Cheese Cakes.  Covered in strawberries it wasn't overly sweet either.  It was about $6.  If you miss getting dessert, this is your place.

All in all it was a great night.  While not abundant in choices, it was an offering worth trying.  If you go, please call the survey on your bill so as to encourage them to offer more choices.  I told the manager I wanted more and he said that was the way to get it.   If you end up going please tell me how it was for you.