ALONG COMES MARY

I hope you’re enjoying reading my San Jose posts as much as I am writing them! While I am attempting to spread out the series (so the blog doesn’t become entirely about San Jose), I don’t want to keep you waiting for part 2 on gluten-free eats in this wonderful city. So, here we go!

I know I left off at Left Bank & our wonderful lunch there after our tour of The Winchester Mystery House (which is another post in the works! I am open to questions regarding the home, so please feel free to ask away in the comments). For Dinner that night, we were treated to The Loft Bar & Bistro, which was clearly enjoying the arrival of The Jazz Festival, as well as a fun wedding party at a table near ours. Boasting a full bar & patio dining, this is a splendid, fun, upbeat restaurant that’s perfect for celebrating everything from a wedding to simply being glad its Friday 😉

For appetizers, there was an array of food to choose from & my favorites were the scallops in a delicious sauce (all gluten-free!) & their wine selection was to die for; I enjoyed a White Zinfandel & ordered off their low-carb menu which was salmon & grilled veggies. If I had wanted to be more adventurous, they also had shrimp skewers & an entrée featuring more of those scallops. Fellow blogger, Cassie, who is a vegetarian, had a great looking bowl of pasta.

Saturday found us heading out to the prestigious Capitol Club for brunch with The Mayor of the city as well as other city officials. If you ever have the opportunity to dine here, especially for brunch, I cannot recommend it ENOUGH. We feasted on an array of breakfast goodies (eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, waffles, pastries, yogurt, granola, fruit) & lunch selections (Salmon, shrimp, salad, chicken & more) as well as mimosa, coffee & tea). Thank goodness I didn’t eat before hand, nor, did we have lunch out following. I was stuffed til our wonderful dinner at Arcadia.

While every restaurant & staff were wonderful, I truly feel Arcadia & our server, Charles, out did themselves to make us most at home. Anyone with food restrictions, like myself, can understand that sometimes, I just hate having to flag down the server to mention, “I can’t have this, nor that & whats in the featured dish?!” but, Charles was exceptional at making sure I had everything I wanted, sans gluten. While the fish & vegetarian dishes on our special menu were not gluten-free, he worked with me as to what I felt like (seafood) & made it happen, as well fresh green beans & mashed potatoes. Let me tell you, those mashed potatoes tasted as if they had literally just been mashed for me! So creamy & fresh. A treat for a girl who is lazy & often buys instant 😉

Then, dessert happened! Crème Brulee & sorbet graced our tables & they were too tempting to say “I’m too full” to have some of each. The sorbet flavors were Lemon, Strawberry & Mojito…anyone who knows me I am sure can guess which I loved the best (Mojito!). For the brulee, they were each so decadent, but, I think Caramel would get my vote as favorite.

Lunch the following day was such fun at The Blackbird Tavern. Another large table with plentiful for everyone to nibble on appetizers! Their French fries were some of the best I’ve had in a long time, as well as their cheese & nut plates.

When I mentioned my gluten-free spiel to our rock star waiter, Jamie, he recommended a variation on their Po’ Boy, a dish I’d not had since going gluten-free! On a bed of cole slaw & with a side of fries, it was just what I wanted & the cornmeal batter went perfectly with the cod. Its given me thoughts of trying to re-create at home 😉

What I love about Blackbird Tavern, is that they play music that goes with what they’re serving. A very eclectic, laid back feel awaits you at this café & each time their menu changes, so does their music!

Our breakfast each morning was compliments of La Pastaia, a cozy café inside Hotel De Anza, where we stayed. While the portions were on the smaller side, that was alright with me as you can tell much more food was had each day! 😉 I loved their Vegetarian omelet , with a side of potatoes. Their espresso drinks were perfect to get my day off to a great start, too…

So! That’s my wrap-up on eating gluten-free in San Jose. I hope if you ever find yourself in the area, you will check out these wonderful eateries 🙂 xo

(*Disclosure: All meals were provided courtesy of the restaurants & Team San Jose. All opinions, as always, are my own.)