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.

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.

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. 

 

Elgin Food Hall Birdettes

I had seen on Find Me Gluten Free a listing for Birdette's in Elgin, it mentioned they had gluten free fried chicken! I got super excited, as that is the main thing I really crave. So I asked around to a few other people if they'd heard of it or knew anything, they said no, but was worth checking out. A little more digging I found out they're in a food hall. While thinking that was a bit odd for Elgin, still was intrigued to find a reason to be out that way to check it out. We've visited food halls other places we've traveled and they were super cute and worth visiting again. 

While at a loss for a late lunch we wandered over to the Dream Hall food hall to give it a go. It was rather confusing to figure out where all the food options were and what they were since it looked to have multiple floors, and only 3 spots to order food on the 1st floor. Eventually we figured out the left you got coffee, the middle was all the food options and the right was the bar. We walked around and checked out the space, and opted to order our food.

I had to go with the fried chicken. I did the drumettes, and a mozzarella & tomato salad with my chicken. My husband did a curry bowl. We were slightly confused at the menu but realized all the food options were listed in one spot. My wings were good, the creamy buffalo was not very spicy at all which was good, it didn't distract from the chicken which was pretty awesome. They asked if I wanted blue cheese on the side, and I said sure. Sadly the blue cheese was Ken's dressing, which is GF safe, but I find their dressings lack flavor of any level. I enjoyed my caprese salad, though the tomatoes were very tough like they were hot house raised. My husband was underwhelmed with his curry dish having little to no spice and not being very curry like. He wished he'd gone with the nutella pancakes instead. He also got a iced coffee drink from the coffee stand, that was really good.

I'll give them 4 dragonflies because they have multiple GF options and very clear labeling. When I mentioned gluten free they seemed very knowledgeable on it. But the lack of being able to figure out what was going on with the space and where to go was a bit odd. Plus most of the options could have had more flavor. I hope the succeed, since they don't seem in a high foot traffic area like most food halls. 

Tumbled Rock Brewing

Not far outside Starved Rock in Baraboo WI is a tasty brewery - Tumbled Rock Brewing. We found them on a previous trip to go hiking and really enjoyed the food we got. I had gotten the steak tip appetizer (Sans the crostini) and the elote salad. I was expecting a 'normal'serving size for the elote and was shocked at the large portion. I couldn't finish it even with help from my husband, who had gotten a pizza because they have a giant pizza oven, and seems to be their specialty item.

As we were heading back up this way after doing a few hikes, I suggested we stop there for a late lunch get a beverage and some appetizers. We opted to get a few appetizers to share. One thing to note on their menu is anything that is marked GF that is fried, IS in a Shared fryer. Which annoys me when places do this, but I knew to ignore these items. Our server was very engaged an able to punch in 'allergy' & 'gluten free' notes on the items we ordered and she went back and talk to the kitchen to make sure they saw the note. Since the steak tips should have crostini, the server offered to bring us a plate of tortilla chips to go with our food instead. My husband loved the tortilla chips and we took the extras with us to munch on later.

Our meal was fabulous and the rain held off so we had a nice meal on their patio. I give them 4 dragonflies because they have a bunch of options that are GF, and they are tasty. Do keep note that they have a shared fryer for GF items that are fried. So keep that in mind when ordering off the menu. I wish they wouldn't mark those items, as it can be confusing when ordering, to know what really are safe options. Otherwise they seem knowledgeable and diligent with the food on all orders. 

Church Street Brewing

My husband found Church St. Brewery several years back. Riding the Metra he would see their large sign that faces the back yard (which they were not using at the time) but made us aware of them, and then one of his favorite food trucks started going there. 

Originally they had a tiny taproom where you sat at wine barrels for tables, very speak easy like. As they've grown, they've expanded a couple times, making the tap room larger, and getting formal seating options. As well as expanding the back yard and making it a nice beer garden. During Covid they put up a tent and added some umbrellas to tables so you had some shade coverage. This year they've installed pergolas in the back. They also set up for live music in the back as well as inside.

They've also grown their options of what they serve. They experimented with a gluten reduced beer. They also joined in on the hard seltzer game. The one thing that severely irks me about their hard seltzers. They are Gluten Reduced, NOT GLUTEN FREE! I hate that seltzers are not a clear cut gluten free option. When going anywhere new if an establishment has a hard seltzer brand I don't know, I always ask if it's gluten free, which draws a lot of eye roll reactions. I always bring up Church St, that their seltzers are not gluten free. 

Several other breweries around us have started making their own vodka and whiskey, which has made Church St. start serving cocktails and even wine from Lynfred down the road. Which meant options that were safer for me. We also loved that they would have a rotation of food trucks, or we brought our own food. One day we were shocked to show up and see they had a food menu. When we were told going forward we couldn't bring our own food, I questioned them on Gluten free options and they said "Yes we do!" and brought us a menu. 

We've since had a couple of their dips, a salad, (Cause they ran out of Cauliflower crusts) and their pizza on Cauliflower crust. The last time we ere there they said they have a customer show up weekly to get their GF pizza saying it was worth the trip. I agree! It is squishy and tasty, I have to always ask and confirm they brought the right pizza out.It's not your typical crusty had gluten free pizza. With their expansion in the liquor they have options like margarita flights for Cinco De Mayo, and Mint Juleps for the Kentucky Derby. So it's a nice rotation of options for me on drinks, and a place with a great place to casually hang out, and being a brewery it doesn't feel like I have to eat, we can just enjoy some drinks and chill. 

I give them 4 dragonflies, cause I'd love to see a GF beer option, not gluten reduced... Even if it was from another brewery like Alt or Lakefront. But they have wine, and spirits to choose from, and that pizza, (The meat-za, and the pear one they had last summer). Everyone is super nice and not pretentious when explaining the need for gluten free, they have other regulars who also explained to them, so it's a very comfortable environment.

8,000 Miles - Chinese food

I will admit, we're pretty lucky that we have a Chinese restaurant near us that has gluten free food options. It isn't a huge menu, but for me, the best part is they have fried rice. If you can make a good gluten free fried rice, everything is A-OK. Now if they had egg rolls, that would be amazing, but I know I can't have everything. 

8,000 Miles is right by our house, and truth be told, we've never had a bad meal with them. The owners have a second location TL's Four Seasons, near by. We have not been there, but heard it's just as good. Luckily what we like about 8,000 is their Crispy Sesame Chicken, and Crunch Garlic Shrimp are both super tasty and filling. Usually we get some GF fried rice to go with it, and I'm happy as can be. 

We ordered online for pick up from them during covid, and they are one of the few places, I've never felt I need to check the food before leaving the restaurant, because they have great labeling, and will call you if they're concerned on an order. My husband wanted crab Rangoon (He's not GF) - and ordered that with our GF meals, (We got 2 GF entrees, so we could share), and they called to make sure we knew the crab Rangoons were not safe. 

The only reason I'd give them lower than 5 dragonflies would be selection, a beef dish would be nice, if they can do beef fried rice, why not a beef and broccoli dish? I have never asked for something not on the gluten free menu, but am considering it, since it is pretty tasty! 

Riccardo's - Italian Stop

I will randomly just scroll thru Find Me Gluten Free, just to see if something new, different, or interesting gets posted. I get excited when something different pops up, just cause it's nice to go somewhere new, try something else, and not eat the same things. Riccardo's popped up recently, and I realize I go to the grocery store right across the street once a week! 

We decided to take the family and check it out. It's set back and not the easiest to find if you're not looking for it. The inside reminded me of a family run dinner style from the early 1990's. The gluten free menu is not huge by any means, but they have some great options like ravioli, mostaccioli, and different chicken dishes. My favorite part is they serve the Udi's rolls as an option for gluten free! It's $1 a roll and they will ask how many rolls you want. 

They have 1 soup option that is safe, the minestrone soup. What kills me is they only have the house vinegar dressing for the salad option. Which I just don't understand 75% if not more of dressings bought in store are safe, but the moment you eat out, NONE are an option! Ugh! Though they do have a couple gluten free dessert options which is awesome. I still get hung up on the salad dressing, like how hard is it to have a safe dressing that doesn't taste like it would be a cleaning solution!

Their lack of a good tasting dressing makes me rate them down to 4 dragonflies, they have options, if you're in the mood for them, the GF menu is much smaller than the regular menu, but it's a good option to meet up for a special event or a group dinner that's not too pricey.

Independent Coffee Shop Schaumburg

 A while back I heard of a cute independent coffee shop near where I live, over in Schaumburg. I was trying to see where Holcomb Hollow had a shop, but discovered they have their products at other places, like coffee shops. We went to check out Green Joe Coffee, One of the great things with them is a whole pastry case of items that are gluten free. Not just 1-2 chocolate based items like cookies or brownies, they have a selection of muffins, scones, bars, donuts, you name it. 

On a more recent visit I inquired on more filling food options, and the barista mentioned that they could do their avocado toasts on a gluten free bagel! I was super excited by the option, because it was was a nice treat and more filling than just a doughnut or scone. The only thing I would like we be an addition of bacon or scrambled eggs, but I understand the most of their breakfast items are pre-made, so not an add on option. They have a few options for avocado toast options the basic one is so good, along with a nice flavored cup of coffee is perfect. They were out of bagels on a recent visit, which made me sad, cause I really had a taste for an avocado toast and were left trying to figure out what to get instead. 

Their coffee seems like it's changed over the last couple years, because it's less bitter an more tasty. Their social media along with Holcomb's note when specialty GF items will be in the store. The shop highlights items for sale from local artists. So there is always something to check out for small independent shopping while having a tasty drink and a snack.

I give them four out of five dragonflies. I'd like a little more topping on the Avocado toast, and maybe a couple more items as options, but the tasty pastries and great independent coffee really draw me here for a chat with friends over coffee. 

 

Craft Urban - Geneva

Had a day out with my mom, and she was up to trying something new. She also wanted to go wine tasting, so I decided to take her to Craft Urban, since Geneva Winery is right down the road. Two birds, One stone, and everyone is happy! 

I'd seen Craft Urban pop up on the Find Me Gluten Free App. I was intrigued by the menu, because they had fried cheese curds as an appetizer. I mean, heaven in a bowl! That was the must order item when we first sat down, as we got settled. I was slightly confused when the bowl showed up, as there was more than just cheese curds fried up. There were fried pickles, onions and peppers in the mix, and were a nice accent to go with it. 

Next we both ordered the Pot Roast, which came out looking tasty and fancy looking. My cut of pot roast was super lean, my mom's not so much which she was displeased over. But I always feel is a risk with pot roast. The carrots and potatoes were also nice and soft and full of flavor. 

Since we were there on a Wednesday, they had half price cocktails and wine. So naturally I had to try the Old Fashion. It was a bit strong, but very tasty. 

Everything was tasty, on my end. Mom was upset her pot roast was fatty, but I am really looking forward to coming back with some other friends and getting more cheese curds! 

I give them a five out of five for the options and unique ways to enhance the different entrees.

After dinner we went over to Geneva Winery, to do a flight. I was disappointed they had done away with their wine listing menus. Now you must use your phone to look thru and read the wine descriptions. I personally don't have a large phone so trying to scroll back and forth to pick wines was a lot more difficult, and ultimately didn't love the flights we picked out. I've never been to a winery that doesn't want to make it easy to see what wines they have, and be able to compare descriptions. Previously we'd been there and also had some great cheese with our wine. While they didn't have gluten free crackers, they told me to bring any crackers I want on my next visit. Their cheese selection was rather large and tasty too!

 So I'm going to give them a four out of five due to the lack of menu to easily read.

 

Nu Crepes

Nu Crepes in Elmhurst is a quaint little place, that if you blink you're going to miss it. We found them on Find Me Gluten Free, and although my last experience with crepes was not so hot, (Darn shared surfaces for prep), I wanted to try it. I'd wanted to go there for a few months, but my Non-GF Hubby wasn't sold, he was leery, and I can't blame him. So we with the notion that if anything seemed off, we'd abort and head over to Egg Harbor Cafe instead. 

Looking at reviews on Find Me it said that there was a dedicated space, so we went in and got ready to ask questions. That was once we found the place. We drove down York Rd twice and couldn't see it. So finally I turned on "directions" and it told us to turn left, but there was no left turn. Then we realized it's down a breezeway between buildings. Even better, it's in the basement! So you're not going to see it from your car, you must walk down the breezeway to get there. It's worth the hunt to find it though. So we went in and talked to the staff. They have a separate prep area, ingredients and surface for the gluten free crepes. Most crepes can be made GF or modified gluten free. Anything with cookies or crunchy items, those items will be omitted to prepare it gluten free. 

All meals are made fresh when ordered, and you pick it up once ready. We decided to order our whole order gluten free, so we could share. 1 crepe doesn't seem to be enough so we each got 1 savory one and decided to split a sweet one. Wow - We were full! We've eaten here twice now, and enjoyed everything we got, and haven't had any issues getting sick. 
I give them 4 dragonflies. It'd be nice if the menu was clearly marked for Gluten Free options. You have to use some intuition to figure out what is safe, and then confirm when you place your order. But they have a dedicated space and work on making sure options are prepared correctly. 

Honeymoon - 9 Days on the go, Gluten Free

Traveling Gluten free for 9 days, while staying at a different place each night makes for an interesting trip. You can’t always rely on Find Me Gluten Free, as I had no service for portions of the trip, even with 3 providers between the two of us we were in total cellular dead zones, so some preplanning is necessary when traveling. We did 9 days of mostly eating out and eating junk food with no stomach issues and only 1 dicey hotel stay! I’d say over all it was a successful trip. I couldn’t have imagined how pretty the coast of California is, and honestly we could have spent even more time on the coast in California but we wanted to get to Seattle. We had to omit Portland, sadly I didn’t get to Ground Breaker Brewery, but I know where to order their beer! We did however make it to Ghostfish which was pretty awesome.

The first 3 days were intertwined with my New Hubbies family since we were in Los Angeles for his cousins wedding. After flying in we went to his aunt’s house for dinner. We were pleasantly greeted with 2 frozen Saffron Road Entrees! 

We laughed, most people would be annoyed to go to someone’s house for dinner and be handed frozen entrees. I was thrilled cause I didn’t want to insult her that I was apprehensive to eat something not knowing how she prepped it. She was quite proud of her accomplishment to find me safe food. We hit up Target to get ourselves some snacks for the trip and hit the hay. It had been a long day of work, travel and family. We got up Saturday and looked thru the app and saw a place in Agoura Hills, Hugo’s. Looking at reviews there were so many options and everything is made from scratch and farm to table. The menu was overwhelming. There were so many options. I wanted to get the French toast but was worried about CC since my hubbie got the Green Tamales and eggs, which were marked (GF) but the server said it wasn’t Gf… I got the Desayuno Fuerte. – I learned I like Poached Eggs. We had turned off highways on the GPS so we took a wonderful drive thru some beautiful canyons and mountains. The wedding we were going to was a generic buffet so I was glad I brought some Kind Bars to hold me over while enjoying some cocktails and mingling and meeting more of his family. We did make a mandatory In-N-Out Burger run on the way back to the hotel. As we walked out we looked at each other and went “In-N-Out?” Love when he reads my mind! My Protein Style burger and cheese fries totally hit the spot! 

Sunday we hit up “The coffee Bean and Tea Leaf” for some morning coffee before heading to his cousins house for a surprise party. The same aunt who got the frozen entrees the first night in town made sure to drop off some frozen GF entrees for me again! (She’s too sweet!!) I’d brought some snacks, not sure what was being served. She was worried about us being away from home and not knowing where grocery stores were, I was set! We ducked out a bit early from the party to start our trip up the coast, but not before taking lots of family photos! We made it to Santa Barbara before sunset and looked up some options on FMGF. The Hoffman Brat House looked tasty so we ventured over there. The menu looked good and they had Gluten Free Fried Pickles, Gluten Free Corndog nuggets listed. Upon talking to the server they don’t have a dedicated fryer….. Ugh. I questioned it after we sat down and were waiting for him to come over cause a reviewer said she had opted to NOT get the fries when she found out the fryer had been cross used so it wasn’t safe that day. So I asked and he inquired and told us “no we don’t have any dedicated fryers.” Thanks FMGF, and crappy reviewers. At least there were still options on the menu since it was getting late, we’d already ordered drinks and man was it cold out that night! We got some bacon wrapped dates, (Not marked GF but verified gf) and a brat on a GF bun and a side of pickles. Cute town, good food, bustling despite the cold weather. That rounded out the first weekend for our trip.

Bacon Wrapped Dates, Sign me up!

Gluten Free Brat on a bun and pickles - Yum!