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

New Seasons Markets have scheduled gluten-free tours of their stores to introduce people to what products they have available. Here are times and dates at local stores:

Wed, March 4 – 7:00-8:30
Concordia
5320 NE 33rd Ave, Portland, Oregon 97211

Sat, March 7 – 10:00-11:30
Orenco Station
1453 NE 61st Ave, Hillsboro, Oregon 97124

Thurs, March 19 – 10:00-11:30
Happy Valley
15861 SE Happy Valley Town Cntr. Dr, Happy Valley, Oregon 97086

If you are not able to make one of their scheduled tours, we’ve been told that you can assemble a group of not more than 8 people and schedule a private tour. Just call the nutritionist at a store near you to arrange.

The upcoming calendar for Apr-June will be available and on their website approximately mid-March.

From their website:

Gluten-Free Store Tour

Recently discover that gluten does not agree with you? Join us for a tour of the gluten-free products in the store, and we’ll help you find some new treats to go with your old favorites. We will provide information on gluten-free diets and our gluten-free shopping list.

Gluten Sensitivity – Signs & Symptoms

It seems everywhere you look these day, people are talking about gluten sensitivity, gluten allergy, Celiac disease, and wheat allergy. What does it all mean? What’s the difference between them all? And why is it showing up so much now? You may have considered gluten sensitivity if you have digestive problems, but did you know that it could also cause chronic pain, insomnia, fatigue and depression? Come find out what signs and symptoms might point to gluten sensitivity and what you can do about it.