This last weekend my family and I surprised my sister with a little birthday party at a gluten-free restaurant in Plano. It’s called Laura’s Bistro, and has a small store in the back stocked with all gluten-free items called Delicious N Fit. It was so exciting to open a menu and be able to order whatever we wanted! My mom, sister, Max, Khai and I are all wheat-sensitive, so eating out is never easy. My kids ate pasta and chicken strips at a restaurant for the first time in their lives… and loved it. Beyond the fabulous food– which was good by all accounts, even for the wheat-eaters in our midst– they are also a bakery. There were muffins, donuts, pies, cakes and more! Do you know how long it has been since I’ve eaten a donut? Me neither. Too long. The week before we were there, I called to place an order for a chocolate cake made to my sister’s dietary needs. That means no wheat, no dairy, no soy– and even with all of those restrictions, they brought out a beautiful, delicious cake. I kind of wish I had a piece or three right now. We will definitely be going back, and I can’t give a higher recommendation for the place. Max has declared it his new most favorite restaurant in the whole world and asked three times today if we could go back.
There’s another gluten-free restaurant in Dallas that I want to try– it’s called The Kozy Kitchen. It looks like they have a lot of good menu options. My dad is quite fond of buffalo burgers, so I might have to see if he’d be willing to trek down there with me.
Since I’m on this gluten-free kick here, I’ll also link up a recent article in the New York Times that featured Risotteria. Anne & Eiwe took us there last October (they were so sweet to keep Jenny and I in mind when giving us restaurant choices!) and I think we were all blown away. SO GOOD. I was glad to see them getting such good press. There are also several other interesting gluten-free lifestyle links in that article. Now I’m hungry for Risotteria’s breadsticks and the birthday cake.
Ok! In other, non-gluten-related news: I have a ceramic tile floor in my kitchen! It’s beautiful. It turns out that the countertops and sink won’t be installed until August 9, so even though I am unhappy about trying to get by sans sink & dishwasher for two more weeks, I will console myself by weeping softly on my new floor. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. It’s so pretty! And it will clean up so easily!
My brother’s wife was admitted to the hospital today– it sounded to me like dehydration, but they’ve found an infection. The doctors suspect meningitis… so the boys and I are driving up to Norman tomorrow to pick up my 9-month-old niece, Eve. We’ll keep her here for a few days until Chris is out of the hospital and has regained some stamina. This should be an adventure! Yes, I’m clearly insane, but if it helps Matt & Chris then I’m happy to do it. Max & Khai will probably love every minute of it, and being around Evie for a few days will either quell the wishes for a sibling or will make them ask with even more fervor. Let’s hope it’s the former.
