Auntie M's - Gluten Free Food Truck

 Recently my husband and I were talking about state fairs and it came up, that he'd never been to any state fair, ever. I remember growing up, going with one of the neighbors to see the Wisconsin State fair, and going again with friends after college. As I looked at events at the fair I saw Lindsey Stirling was performing one day so we decided we'd get tickets and get there early to check out the fair. The week leading up to the fair I saw a post on a Milwaukee Celiac group about a gluten free food truck being there. I was shocked to realize this was 'a thing'! I had pumped up my husband on how he'd have to get a cream puff, cause it's just what you do at the Wisconsin state fair. But now I had options for amazing food too, not just whatever we hunted down. 

Once we found parking and found our way into the fair we found an information booth and found where the Auntie M's food truck was parked. which was the exact opposite end of the park. The lady at the information booth was doing her best to talk us into other options, but finally gave up when I told her I only wanted gluten free options, she said this was it. She wasn't 100% correct, we saw other options, although limited as we walked around We also saw a Vegan food truck too. 

After joking I was going to order 1 of everything on the truck, I did get a corndog, cheese curds and went back and got a funnel cake. I mean, I had to! I can't remember the last time I had a funnel cake! 

We walked around, checked out the expo center and mile shops, and saw some of the cows being shown, and of course had to check out the pig races. We were waiting for our concert, and my husband found a brat and eventually I decided to get some roasted corn. We want to know how much corn you have to bring daily to meet the demand of the people getting corn. While waiting in line for our corn, I left my husband there to get water and saw a sign on another booth for Gluten Free Chicken, Hamburger, and "Boneless Wings" with sauce. I was in awe! After the concert we wanted a cold beverage and I decided I needed some wings for the walk back to the car. We had so much fun, enjoyed all the food and beverage options, my husband ask "Why don't they do this every weekend in summer, this is fun!" 

The one drawback was, I never eat fried food. It's so hard to find any safe fried food, other than Five Guys Fries or Chik Fila Fries, so all the fried food made my stomach unhappy, but honestly I didn't care! It was all so good and I was able to handle it to get home and some lower back heat helped a lot! 

 For a fair I give them 4 dragonflies, if you look hard enough there are options, and their website has info if a vendor has listed it in their food listing.  For the food truck I give the same rating. I will say they have a perfect model going on technically 3 items, that as soon as someone orders, you make another, knowing you're just going to have a steady stream of customers for those 3 items. So wait time is minimal, and it's food that is rare for someone who is gluten free. I was disappointed they didn't have cheese or honey for the corndogs, but I know I have some weird tastes for how I spice up my food. I am following Auntie M's to see when they may be back near Milwaukee, or if we're heading to Minnesota, where I might find them! 

Stockholm's Restaurant and Brewery

 We'd had this place on our radar to check out for a while, especially once I saw the extensive gluten free markings on their menu. We stopped at Stockholm's while on our beer passport journey one rainy afternoon. We chatted with the bartender who said it was slower because Swedish days was just wrapping up otherwise the restaurant would be much busier. We learned that the owner makes a special "adult" root beer that if you didn't know it had alcohol in it, you wouldn't realize it. The flavor and taste were just so good.

We opted to try the mussels, which is not something we normally get, but decided to be adventurous. We told the server multiple times "No toast, gluten free". So we were initially annoyed that our plate arrived with toast on top, but the porter, server and bartender all chimed in "It's gluten free bread!" We were so excited that they could do gf toast to go with the meal. 

As of now I'd give them 4 dragonflies, I'd like to go back and try some more options and see how it is. They have good options, and a wide menu. The staff is aware and can tell Gluten Free options from regular and even were able to discuss why items were not safe. But I only had an appetizer and the amazing root beer. This one will require a revisit, but I'm looking forward to it because what I have tried was tasty.

Obscurity Brewing

 Obscurity Brewing and Mead Hall - Came to check out this place as a stop on our beer passport this summer. While we weren't planning to get food while here, we weren't that hungry. But as we sampled Meads, Cider and my husband had beer, food sounded good, so we opted to try the BBQ platter. Chatted it up with our beertender about gluten free options, what was safe, if the sauces were safe, (Which they all are safe) and she put our order in. Sadly she forgot to mark it gluten free, so it came out with a piece of bread in the middle of the plate. 

I will say I'm more and more annoyed with places that just add bread to things, why can't you just add it to the menu listing! Then we could more specifically say "Make sure not to add the bread!!" 

Our server apologized multiple times that it was her fault and had a fresh plate brought out to us. We were wowed. This was honestly some of the best BBQ we've had in a long time. Their Alabama white sauce was tasty and not just peppery. The Ribs fell right off the bones, and the brisket was lean and not fatty at all. We also really like the elote. There was the right amount of spice and flavor. Almost as good as the elote we had that was topped with bacon! 

We actually came back with friends a few weeks later. We planned out a brewery hop for the day to try different things, making note to everyone that this was where we were getting dinner, because it's just that good! They have a rotation of 3-4 ciders or meads from their cider/meadery across the street, and also have cocktails, so it's a well rounded selection of food and adult beverages and great fun atmosphere. I give them 5 dragonflies, because the BBQ was so good and the staff was very understanding.

Blackberry Market - Trendy Cafe

Blackberry Market has 2 locations, one in LaGrange, the other in Glen Ellyn. Both are in cute little shopping districts in the downtown of the town. Their menu is a mix of item with multiple allergy warnings marked, per item. We had stopped in the LaGrange location recently while at the craft fair. Their $1 Ice tea was a nice incentive, and we learned they had multiple gluten free baked goods, from a lemon poppy seed loaf to cookies and a brownie. The lemon poppy seed loaf was sweet, and very moist. 

While looking for some light brunch options we decided to check out the Glen Ellyn location, since it was along our route. We also noticed they had a mural from Matthew Hoffman, who does the "You are Beautiful" Displays. So it was a double win for us to get brunch and snap a photo of a new display. 

This one also had a nice display of gluten free baked goods, each packed in their own wrapper and in the case. I got a raspberry lemon muffin to go with my breakfast stack, which essentially was a breakfast salad! 2 eggs, I got scrambled with bacon over a bed of greens with dressing. All dishes seem to come with a side of potatoes, a mix of red and sweet potatoes. The non-gf options come with a biscuit and blackberry jam. 

While they didn't have a ton of options that were gluten free, they had so many markings on the menu, the glass case and the baked goods on display, it's obvious they know how to handle allergies. Though with limited options, they were interesting and seemed like there were a few options to come back and check out. I would give them 4 dragonflies. I would like to see some items served on bread or toast, having some interesting baked goods, do give a nice option to get some carbs in addition to the fancy sliced potatoes that come with the meals.

Benjeyehuda - Gluten Free Safe.

Benjeyehuda - Funny sounding but safe place to eat for gluten free food! They currently have a handful of locations in and around Chicago. We opted to try it out. They do understand gluten and are really good for safe options. They even have French Fries, which you can get with melted Mekrts cheddar cheese on the side! The other exciting part they have gluten free falafel! Roti does also, but I have run across places without safe Falafel, which makes me sad. The name Benjeyehuda was created by the owners while in Jerusalem one time.

We went all in and got a combo bowl, which comes with both chicken and steak as well as falafel. You get to choose white or brown rice, or lettuce for a bedding. After that you have your variety of veggies, hummus and more. It is a lot of food so go when you're super hungry! It was so good. We had gone at lunch time and honestly didn't eat dinner later that night cause we'd had so much food. It was really tasty too. While I never reheat a Chipotle burrito bowl for a 2nd meal, I am always willing to reheat my combo bowls from here.

The one thing we've realized is eating this late at night makes you feel bloated and huge cause there is a lot of food. I love that there are customization options and you're not limited to 1 item. They are doing wraps now, so it's not 100% gluten free, but they make each meal right in front of you as you order, so you can watch the safety of the prep. I give them 5 Dragonflies cause they give you so many options, and so much food. You can't go wrong with a meal from here. 

 

Water Street Brewing- Wisconsin

Normally when we head up to Eagle, WI area we always head over to David Allen Allen Smokehouse for amazing BBQ. But one of the things we love about them is their outside patio they installed during Covid. It's a nice place to hang and eat with friends. On our recent trip up there it was a misty, rainy day and we were bummed, but thought we'd check Find Me Gluten Free and see what other options might be interesting, and we found Water Street Brewing Co. Now, I know some people have issues with FMGF and the accuracy of the options. But we always read reviews and look at the site before going to a new place. We've yet to be steered wrong, and have found some great places that even our non-gf friends end up frequenting. 

We looked up Water Street and saw they even listed the gluten free menu on their website, so we headed over there. There was a bunch of cute shops right there including Penzy Spices, which I had to stop to get spices from, since they're so gluten free friendly. 

This summer we've been checking out breweries and trying flights where we can, so this fit the bill of what we've been looking for all summer. I was excited at Water Street I could get a fancy grilled cheese with a salad as the side, along with some very tasty cocktails. I'd never thought of a rootbeer Old Fashioned being a thing, and honestly it was super tasty. The server was super knowledgeable and even did a double check on ingredients when I seemed concerned, mostly cause my bread was so large when I saw my sandwich. My husband was excited by the size of his flight and how big the pours were. 

The sandwich was so tasty and while salad is not my preferred side, it was actually a good tasting salad that was fresh and didn't taste processed. We actually ended up here a month later with my brother, who was impressed by the 'foodie' menu they had. Though he says he's not a foodie.... He tried one of the light beers, since we had a lot more stops in our day so he didn't want to get anything too heavy. I got a nicoise salad, I'll be honestly I can't pronounce it, but it was so good. I added beef short rib to it, which was just what it needed. 

Honestly, I'm ready to go back - Everything I've had was so good and the service and the people there are so nice. I give them 5 Dragonflies because the options, the taste and the service are all wonderful! 

 

 

 

American WildBurger - Going Strong

 It's been a hot second or more since I've gone to American WildBurger, but almost 10 years later, they're going strong. We happened in the area a couple times recently and opted to stop in and grab a bite. They have expanded their menu for their gluten free offerings. Now besides burgers and fries, they have wings, fried shrimp, fried chicken, and moved 1 location to their left! 

We were doing a BYOF to go to a brewery, so I was excited to get the fried shrimp and fries. Something so simple was so satisfying. This time they were out of shrimp, (we got there later in the evening) so I got the wings. The options for sauces were pretty nice, it wasn't the same 1-2 options everyone has. So I got the Garlic Parmesan wings. With another side of fries. I wasn't sure if 6 wings would be enough, but they're big enough, they're like Big Birds wings! They were more than plentiful for the serving size. 

They have options for alcoholic beverages as well as regular. There is ample seating if you're there with several people. I haven't had a burger recently so I can't comment on the burger bun, because previously I wasn't a fan of the latest bun they were using for the burgers. Over all I give them 4 dragonflies because while they have some fun side dishes, and salads, but I'd like a good grilled veggie or something fun like that as a side.