We heard about it first on our Facebook group page. SUBWAY has been in the gluten-free news for a couple of months by starting to provide gluten free bread (and brownies?) at their restaurants. We have yet to try the sandwiches, but have heard good things about them. They are also going to great lengths to educate their employees about gluten free issues and to prevent cross-contamination. For these things, I can only be grateful. Here’s a press release they sent us recently:

Gluten-Free goes mainstream: Oregon Subway Restaurants are first casual sandwich shop to offer gluten-free menu items

For the estimated 16 million Americans with gluten sensitivity, eating out can pose a real challenge. Now Oregonians can kick off the New Year with new choices, when SUBWAY restaurants across the state begin offering gluten-free sandwich options and gluten-free brownies as regular menu items after a successful test in Portland and Bend this summer.

Oregon is one of a handful of states to offer these alternatives, based on its reputation for mainstreaming food trends that might be niche alternatives elsewhere. When Subway’s Oregon stores had the highest average number of gluten free rolls sold during the test, it was clear that gluten-free foods are popular locally.

Gluten’s ubiquity can present a challenge for many families and work groups as they try to coalesce around a restaurant choice.

SUBWAY’s wheat-free sandwich rolls and brownies are produced in a gluten-free facility and are individually packaged. SUBWAY sandwich artists are trained to prevent cross-contamination during the sandwich-making process. For example, one employee will prepare a gluten-free sandwich order from start to finish. Other techniques include single-use knives and eliminating contact between traditional sandwich rolls and other ingredients including meat, cheese and vegetables.

Burgerville gluten free bun

Burgerville

Speaking of fast food, Burgerville, Portland’s much-loved burger chain, has come out with gluten-free buns that they are testing at two restaurants locally (25th & SE Powell in Portland and Fisher’s Landing in Vancouver). We went to one of the restaurants to check it out ourselves. As you can see from the photo above, the bun is delivered in a wrapper to help prevent cross-contamination. We were also handed a questionnaire to fill out.

After having heard so much about Burgerville from people we know, we were unprepared for how unappetizing their burgers were. The patties were overcooked. We both felt like the bun, which is produced by Udi’s in Colorado, did not compare well to the buns you can get from Jensen’s. The buns were dry, crumbly, and generally unappetizing. Of course, since the buns were being served in a package, there was no way to toast them, so I guess that would be expected.

On the plus side, the staff was extremely friendly, and the food came out fast. On the minus side, the restaurant was freezing cold. Did we mention that the burger patties weren’t very good? If you want to try them out yourself, Burgerville will be testing these buns until January 12, so you still have a few days left to try them.

GIG Holiday Fair is this Weekend

A quick reminder that the GIG Holiday Fair is this Saturday. See this post on Grain Damaged for more information.

Where: The International Fellowship Family
4401 NE 122nd St. Portland, OR (NE Sandy & 122nd)
When: Saturday, October 22, 2011 from 10 AM to 2 PM
Entry Fee: $5 per person, $10 per family, Kids under 12 free

Jensen’s Better Buns Now Available at New Seasons Deli

These are the same gluten-free buns that are currently available at McMenamins around town, as well as Dick’s Kitchen. We think they’re the best gluten-free buns around. Now you can get gluten free sandwiches at New Seasons delis.

Petunia’s Pies at New Seasons

Speaking of New Seasons, Petunia’s gluten free and vegan treats are now available at New Seasons. Petunia’s – Our Review

2012 GIG Conference Will be in Seattle

The Gluten Intolerance Group national headquarters are in Seattle, WA. The organization holds yearly conferences in different cities around the country, and has announced that next year’s conference will be held in Seattle. They’ve also announced that the format of the conference is growing from a “traditional program” into a Gluten-Free Health & Wellness Expo. Look for more details coming soon.

Harvester Brewing!

A local tipster alerted us that Harvester Brewing is setting up shop at 715 SE Lincoln St, just a stone’s throw from New Cascadia Traditional. Harvester will be a dedicated gluten-free brewery in Portland OR, and expects to operational and open in Fall/Winter 2011. We were invited to sample their beers quite a while ago, and were impressed. We certainly wish them well! Visit their Facebook page for more details.

November GIG Meeting this Saturday

The November meeting for the Portland Metro Area Gluten Intolerance Group is this Saturday the 13th (it’s always on the second Saturday of the month). This month they’re having a potluck. Go here for more information. There is also more info here on Grain Damaged.

Gluten-Free Meet up this Saturday

This Saturday is getting more crowded. Here is an announcement we got from Karen at Dessert Labs:

We wanted to let you, and everyone else gluten free, know that we’ve started a new gluten free meet up group. It’s a chance to get together with other gluten free people to talk, share recipes and tips, and maybe go on some field trips. We’re having our first meeting on Saturday, Nov 13th. The rest of the information is here: http://www.meetup.com/Gluten-Free-PDX/

I just visited Dessert Labs last week and hope to get an article out this week about them. Later note – that article is here.

Gluten-Free Holiday Cooking Class

Enjoy delicious gluten-free holiday foods and recipes in this enjoyable and enlightening class from Jan Gagnon ND. We’ll cover gluten-free appetizers, stuffing, desserts and more, with samples included. Jan has been gluten-free since 1978 and learned lots of good tips for eating in or out.
When: Saturday 11/20/10 1:00-3:00pm
Where: at the Garden Sanctuary in Multnomah Village.
Pre-registration required and includes directions. Cost: $35.

For more info. or to register:503-593-3360 or email jgagnon940@comcast.net


Gluten-Free Products at Winco

Reader Allyson sent us information about gluten-free products now available at Winco.

I’m not sure if you guys are Winco shoppers but I thought I’d pass this information along anyway…

I was at the Winco in Tigard today and happened to be walking in their bakery section… and happened to look into one of their refrigerated dessert cases. Lo and behold, they are now carrying Udi’s gluten-free bread, bagles, muffins, and pizza crusts. I remember really enjoying the pizza crusts and bread when I was eating gluten-free. The prices looked comparable or cheaper than other stores in the area…in the upper $4 to $5 mark if I remember correctly. I know in the past, Winco has discounted the prices of new products to see what kind of interest is out there. Now might be a great time to stock up for the holidays :)

Thanksgiving Pies

So far I know of two local places to get gluten-free pies for Thanksgiving. Here they are:

New Cascadia Traditional will be offering gluten-free pies. It looks like they’ll have an apple pie, a vegan pumpkin pie, a regular pumpkin pie, and a mini pecan pie. They are taking pre-orders until Friday, November 19th for Thanksgiving week pick up: 503.546.4901.

When I talked to Dessert Labs, they mentioned that they will be supplying gluten-free pies to the Food Front Co-op on NW Thurman. It looks like you can also get them directly from Dessert Labs. More info here.
Food Front – 2375 Northwest Thurman Street, Portland – (503) 222-5658

Thanks to Everyone!

As always, thanks to everyone who emails us. I owe some emails to people and I’m sorry they’re late. Talk to you soon!

Vegan and gluten-free friendly restaurant, Portobello Trattoria, has been closed for a month while moving and will be hosting an opening celebration at its new location this Wednesday. See our review of Portobello, here.

Hello Peoples!  We will be opening up on June 9th in our new digs at 1125 SE Division Street.  It’s right on the corner of 12th and Division, in the “Banana Building”…the one with the big Andy Warhol banana inspired mural (ya’ know…like on the Velvet Underground album…anyway…).  So! Come on down for din-din or a cocktail/mocktail and have a nice time with us. We’re opening around 5ish.

FAAN Walk

Reader Kristal notified us about a walk to benefit the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). The Portland Oregon walk for food allergies will happen August 28th, so mark your calendars. The location will be at Kenilworth Park, SE 34th and Holgate Blvd. More information here. Says Kristal:

This is going to be a great day for everyone who is affected by food allergies… There will be a lot of fun stuff for the kids and lots of Sponsors with booths and freebies. I am also having a donation raffle of yummy food allergy sensitive treats!!

About FAAN (from their website):

Founded in 1991 by Anne Munoz Furlong, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is the world leader in information about food allergy, a potentially life-threatening medical condition that affects approximately 12 million Americans, or one out of every 25, and is rapidly increasing in prevalence.

FAAN continues to lay the groundwork for a brighter future for those with food allergies. We work throughout the year on initiatives that will improve the quality of life for those with food allergies. Our focus is to provide advocacy and education while advancing research on behalf of those affected by food allergies and anaphylaxis.

Gluten Free Class at Hipcooks

Hipcooks will be offering their gluten-free cooking class Saturday, July 11 from 1-4pm. Check their Portland class schedule for more details. (See our review of their cooking classes here and here.)

June GIG Meeting is this Saturday

Mike & Maria Smith of Bavaria Mills Gluten Free Bakery will be presenting at this month’s Portland Metro Gluten Intolerance Group meeting this Saturday, June 12th. The GIG meetings are currently held at Legacy Emanuel Hospital – 2801 N Gantenbein Ave., Portland, OR 97227, in Conference Room 1075. More information on the Portland GIG here.

Lots of Additions to Our Restaurant Lists

We have heard from a lot of readers and restaurant owners and have added a bunch of new entries to our gluten free restaurant list and gluten-free pizza list. So if you haven’t looked at them recently, you should take a gander. Also, with each restaurant on the list, there is a place to leave your own comments. We’ve had a great response with this, and hope that more people will leave comments with their experiences.

And note that it’s become much more easy for restaurants to submit their information with our handy restaurant submission form.

Whew that’s it. Hope everybody has a great week!

I know this doesn’t have anything to do with gluten or eating, but Sienna and I talked about it and agreed that every once in a while we can bend the rules and write about something really fantastic that just has to do with Portland. Last Saturday we visited the Portland Japanese Garden. Since we moved to Oregon, I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I should go see the Portland Japanese Garden. I’ve been reluctant because there’s a Japanese garden in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and although it’s OK, it’s really not what you would call a magical place (at least the times I went it wasn’t).

I should mention here that I happen to be a huge fan of the Portland Classical Chinese Garden. It’s one of my favorite places to visit in Portland. Also, during my one visit to Japan, I toured the famous Budhist Temple in Narita, which also has a fabulous garden. I’m kind of a sucker for gardens.

Now that I’ve been there, I wish that I had gone to the Portland Japanese Garden earlier! It’s really amazing. If you decide to go, make sure you allow at least a couple of hours to get a good experience.

The 5.5-acre garden was designed by Professor Takuma Tono, head of the Landscape Architecture Department of Tokyo Agricultural University. It was begun in 1963 and opened to the public in 1967. They have several kinds of garden there. They have the sort of raked sand garden one normally associates with Japanese gardens. Also, there is a Strolling Pond Garden with a Moon Bridge, a Tea Garden with a traditional tea house, a Zig Zag Bridge (my favorite place), a Natural Garden, and a Sand and Stone Garden. Along the way there are nice spots for quiet contemplation.

The Portland Japanese Garden also has a full event calendar. Among other things, they have Tea Ceremony Demonstrations and various gardening workshops like their Pine Pruning Workshop.

They have a bizarrely restrictive photography policy, so let me make it clear that I’m not a professional photographer and I’m not posting these photos for commercial, advertising, or promotional purposes. I understand the reasoning behind their policies. I just want to encourage everyone to go there.

Pond with Japanese Maple and Koi

Little Secret Spot

Lovely Path

Sand and Stone Garden

Stairway Near the Sand and Stone Garden

We also planned our trip to coincide with the Bonsai Society of Portland show, so we got to see beautiful bonsai in the pavillion.

Flowering Cherry Bonsai

Wow Nice Companion plant

Dwarf Creeping Willow Bonsai

Portland Japanese Garden
611 SW Kingston Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97205
Portland Japanese Garden
(503) 223-1321