Category: Restaurants

Evexia Cafe & Bakery

Aurora

I recently visited Evexia. While they have an extensive menu I only tried baked goods to go which I enjoyed.

The general manager confirmed that almost everything was gluten free or could be made gluten free. The exception when I was there was the cinnamon roll. They did have a GF cinnamon bar which was delicious.

The manager confirmed that care was taken to prevent cross contact including having a separate press to use for the paninis.

There is indoor and outdoor seating.

It is a good spot to try coffee and a treat or a full meal.

I look forward to returning and trying new items.

Chopt Creative Salad Co.

Westlake, Woodmere

The original Chopt restaurant was founded in Union Square, NYC, in 2001. Their mission is to make healthy eating exciting for all people.

Two locations have opened locally in Westlake and Woodmere.

I visited the Woodmere location. The greeter at the door handed out menus and was surprised that GF information was not shown on the printed menu or the in-store ordering kiosks or on the app. He offered to look for that information but said it would be the same as I’d already found online.

The Allergen and Nutrition Information shows that most, but not all, of the salads, warm bowls and individual ingredients are gluten free. I found it helpful to have looked at these details in advance.

When I ordered the Blissful Harvest Bowl I was glad to see there was space to notify of the “allergy” on the order screen. The greeter said that notification would be sufficient and I did not need to otherwise make staff aware.

I enjoyed the bowl of warm grains, marinated kale, roasted chicken, sweet potato, apples, goat cheese and almonds. I tried it without substitution except requesting dressing on the side. I did not receive any dressing with my order but found the dish to be flavorful and additional dressing was not required.

Modifications are easy and infinite while ordering.

There are many delicious sounding items to try and I’m looking forward to a return visit.

Honeygrow

Mentor, Avon, Strongsville, Akron, Canton

Honeygrow features fresh, made-to-order stir-fry, salads, and honeybars.

This fast casual chain has recently expanded into the Cleveland area. There are now locations in Mentor, Avon, Strongsville, Akron and Canton.

The Red Coconut Curry, Loaded Greek salad and OG Cobb salad are gluten free as is.

The menu is fully customizable and GF ingredients are clearly indicated. So there are a lot of choices.

I was advised at the restaurant to alert personnel of “allergy” prior to placing the order on the store kiosk or to call the restaurant before placing an order in the app.

I was told my order might take a few extra minutes to prepare as the wok used to prepare the stir fry would be sanitized as part of their allergy protocol.

The food was served quickly. I enjoyed the Red Coconut Curry and had customized my order by substituting vegetables.

I also tried a Create Your Own Honeybar. The GF treat I chose was yogurt with fruit topping, chocolate chips and shredded coconut. There was also a drizzle of honey.

I’ll return to try a different combination of ingredients.

Brick and Vine

https://www.brickandvinerestaurant.com

A new restaurant, Brick and Vine, has opened in Brecksville, OH. Located at 8903 Brecksville Rd. – intersection of Rt 82 and Rt 21.

Service hours begin at 3:00 pm – Tuesday thru Saturday

We dined with Brick and Vine this past weekend. Our server informed us that everything on the menu is gluten free. Staff with gf needs enables this menu!

Arancini was our starter! It has been many years since I was able to enjoy Arancini in a restaurant. It was perfectly made. Crispy outside, creamy and wonderful on the inside. Sadly, it is stuffed with chorizo making it NOT a vegetarian option. I hope they will offer this with variations over the months ahead. While I like chorizo it would not be me go-to for this item. Still, the plating was beautiful and the dish plentiful.

Salads were also beautifully plated. We chose the wedge and the caesar salads both of which were plentiful. Half the wedge came home with us!

Our entree choices were the Tortelloni alla Vodka (a creamy tomato sauce) and the Fried Chicken Sandwich (topped with shaved fennel)! First thing I noted about the sandwich was the great bun! Seriously, the sandwich was super good but the bun was probably the BEST gf bun I’ve ever had in a restaurant. Both dishes were super good!

Our server requested that we order our entire meal up front as this enables the kitchen to time the service according to the dishes requested. By ordering everything up front it enables them to have runners remove plates and deliver new plates in a smooth transition. It worked well for us in terms of food service AND we were not neglected by our server – Emma – she was on task and managed to check in on us to make sure everything was going as it should.

Our desserts were the the Basque Cheesecake and the Frozen Key Lime ‘Pie’. I’m not such a cheesecake lover but I must say that this cheesecake was really good! The Key Lime dessert is more of a whipped key lime chiffon type thing and is really good the next day (cold but not frozen). We were too full to enjoy dessert at the restaurant so brought it home for next morning breakfast. It was wonderful!

Nordstrom Grill

Beachwood

I really enjoyed my recent lunch at Nordstrom Grill. The restaurant is on the 3rd floor of the Beachwood Place Nordstorm store.

They have a menu with designated gluten free items.  I was assured by the greeter/seater, and very capable server, that my meal would be safely gluten free.

The Honey Dijon Cobb Salad was fresh and tasty. It was topped with perfectly cooked and seasoned salmon

My gluten eating companions enjoyed their salads.

There are several entrees marked gluten free and gluten free penne is available.

The menu does not mark the tomato soup as gluten free. However, the server checked with the kitchen and the tomato soup is gluten free.

Covered parking makes this restaurant an even more enticing choice during Cleveland’s inclement weather.