Destinations – Page 5 – Molly On the Move

Gluten-free in Charleston

August 6, 2013August 22, 2013 Molly On the Move

Charleston is a foodie’s paradise. Until a few years ago, that description would have held little appeal to me. As a longtime celiac, I gamble with my intestinal welfare whenever I eat in unfamiliar territory. This is rather irritating, since food is such an integral part of travel and culture.

Within the past five years, however, restaurant awareness has skyrocketed, and I was pleased to discover that Charleston can be a paradise for the gluten-free as well. When I went to Charleston back in March I blathered about how much food I ate, but I had barely scratched the surface. This time, with my family along for the ride, the surface was thoroughly pummeled. Here are places making it easy to be gluten-free in Charleston, followed by a list of those we heard about but didn’t get a chance to check out.

You know the drill though – things change all the time, so check with your server for the latest.

Magnolia’s – Whenever I told people I was visiting Charleston, Magnolia’s was the place they raved about. To my happy surprise, the restaurant had an extensive, mouthwatering gluten-free menu. Magnolia’s Shellfish Over Grits – so Charleston – is one of them, and oh so scrumptious. Gluten-free menu available.

Southend Brewery – Southend Brewery mixes the Charleston lowcountry food with traditional American fare. The restaurant carries gluten-free pizza crusts for build-your-own pizzas. I have also had their seasonal berry salad and shrimp and grits, both of which are tasty. Gluten-free pizza crust available.

Hominy Grill – Can you say gluten-free pancakes? Hominy Grill was easily my favorite breakfast stop in Charleston, and not just because of the delectable, cloud-like pancakes. The waitstaff went the extra mile to make sure my food was cooked in a contaminate-free environment. And those pancakes, y’all…those pancakes. Good food, good people. Gluten-free menu available.

Bull Street Gourmet – Bull Street Gourmet can best be classified as “elegant deli.” Both the chef at our hotel and wonderful manager of the Nathaniel Russell House recommended Bull Street Gourmet. Now I do too. Gluten-free bread was available upon request. True to southern style, I ordered a BBQ and coleslaw sandwich. Bull Street is also a great place to pick up munchies for the road. Gluten-free bread available.

Five Loaves – I had the pleasure of experiencing Five Loaves last time I came to Charleston, and it merited a return trip. Five Loaves is a gluten-free hotspot – most of their soups, sandwiches, and salads are gluten-free. To my delight, I was able to try she-crab soup for the first time (soup thickeners have always been an issue for the gluten-free). The reuben and roasted turkey (with cranberry spread and herb cream cheese) sandwiches are gold. Polish it all off with their flourless chocolate cake or Nutella torte. Gluten-free marked on menu. Gluten-free bread available.

Brown Dog Deli – Located on Broad Street, Brown Dog Deli is a quirky, casual restaurant. I ordered the Apple “Butter” Jeans sandwich (brie cheese, apple slices, apple butter, arugula, smoked turkey, honey ham, and prosciutto) and was blown away. One of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. The family and I ate our brown-bag dinner at Waterfront Park and watched the sun set. Gluten-free bread and wraps available.

Brown Dog Deli, Apple Butter Jeans Sandwich

Barbadoes Room in Mills House Hotel – I include this because nothing is more convenient than wandering down to the hotel lobby in your morning stupor to get breakfast. When I was there, the Barbadoes Room offered gluten-free toast, doughnuts, and muffins, though it may be advisable to contact them ahead of time to check availability. On a side note, Mills House Hotel has a great location if you need lodging. Gluten-free baked goods available.

Poogan’s Porch – Steps away from the Mills House, we hit Poogan’s Porch for our final brunch before leaving Charleston. Named for a stray dog who lived at the house during the seventies, Poogan’s Porch has a delightfully Southern atmosphere, and the delightful ability to cater to gluten-free diners. I ordered the Grilled Vegetable Omelet, along with a side of positively savory cheese grits. Familiar with gluten-free requests.

Poogan's Porch, Grilled Veggie Omelette with Cheese Grits

SNOB (Slightly North of Broad) – To SNOB I will give the honor of being my favorite dinner in Charleston. The Queen and I split the Grilled South Carolina Peach Salad. I ordered Pan-Seared Duck Breast with blueberry compote and Charleston golden rice. Both were perfect – and not too heavy (as Charleston fare is wont to be). Gluten-free menu available, online as well.

82 Queen Street – Beautiful outdoor dining, complete with string lights and a gazebo. I ordered jambalaya for the first time. Familiar with gluten-free requests.

Other rumored gluten-free establishments:

Patat Spot – According to their site, Patat Spot serves gluten-free falafel and even has gluten-free cookies available for dessert. Located near College of Charleston.
Basil Thai Restaurant – Named Best Thai/Vietnamese by the Charleston City Paper – three years running! Basil Thai marked their gluten-free options directly on their menu.
Cupcake – Located on King Street, the bake shop rolls out gluten-free cupcakes on Saturdays and Tuesdays (take note: they are not made in a gluten-free environment).
Fat Hen – On their menu, gluten-free items are marked with an asterisk. And there are quite a few.
Queen Street Grocery – Can you say gluten-free crepes?
Crave – Located in Mt. Pleasant (a 10 minute drive from downtown Charleston), Crave has a gluten-free and paleo-friendly menu that includes a layered coconut cake for dessert.
Burton’s Grill – Gluten-free treasure trove. Not only are they gluten-free certified (see menu), but they also carry gluten-free pasta and bread. You heard me.
Charleston Crab House – The bottom of their online menu says they have a gluten-free menu.
Purée Café – Also located in Mt. Pleasant, Purée is an organic café that makes good gluten-free and vegetarian grub a priority. Their extensive breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus say it all.

Enjoy Charleston!

Destinations, South Carolina, U.S.A.

Do the Charleston

April 10, 2013August 22, 2013 Molly On the Move

During the first weekend of spring break back in March, eight of my friends and I drove up to South Carolina to explore Charleston. Nine girls in a one bedroom, one bathroom unit was quite the experience. But free accommodations in Charleston? On my college budget, I’d’ve take any inch of carpet I could get.

The inch of carpet I did get was in a condo right on the beach and a 20-minute drive from Charleston. The movie Dear John used the pier just outside our condo for filming. That’s right, plop a dollop of cool on top.

Speaking of dollops, let’s talk food. Let’s be real, eating is half the reason anyone travels. Charleston, however, is a food mecca. I would readily admit to eating my way through the city.

Five Loaves Cafe.

Pralines & truffles galore

Fives Loaves Cafe.

Five Loaves Cafe.

Lunch at Eli’s Table.

Evening Harris Teeter run.

Caramel apples.

Bottomless mimosas at Eli’s Table.

My favorite meal of the trip was at Five Loaves Cafe, a sandwich-soup restaurant with mason jars as glasses, baskets as lamp sconces, and food quotes pencilled on the table. And to top it off? Gluten-free bread for their scrumptious sandwiches. The menu was so gluten-free friendly that my stomach did a jig of joy.

Eli’s Table in downtown Charleston ran a close second, first for its bottomless mimosas and second for indulging my inner history nerd. Their dishes are named after famous historical figures – my salad was the Martha Washington.

One delicacy that missed my camera (but not my mouth) was the famous Charleston shrimp and grits. You can find them at just about any restaurant in Charleston, but you must give them a shot when you’re in town – you will not regret it.

But enough about food. Just take a stroll through Charleston and you’ll see why it’s a must-visit city of the South.

Though we were only in Charleston for a weekend, I daresay it was a successful (and gluttonous) one!

Cheers,

Canada, Destinations, Ottawa

A Stop Byward Market

March 6, 2013July 8, 2013 Molly On the Move

One of the most useful lessons I learned from backpacking through Europe is that the best feast for the eyes, ears, mouth, and wallet is to be found in the marketplace. With that in mind, we headed to Ottawa’s Byward Market.

Since we arrived in Byward in the late afternoon, time was extremely limited. We ate at an open-air pub just off the square and, as we ate, were spoiled by the classical guitar stylings of Tom Ward on the street below. Though I had never heard Tom, as a semi-finalist in Australia’s Got Talent, he actually has a bit of fame to his name. I daresay he is one of the most talented musicians (and the most talent street musician) I have ever seen. The fact that his guitar was riddled with holes made his music all the more riveting.

Back on the street, we lost ourselves in Mr. Ward’s music for another twenty minutes before snapping to attention and exploring more of the market. The streets surrounding Byward have every type of store imaginable, including some excellent independent clothing and jewelry boutiques that my sisters and I dragged our parents to.

But when all was said and done, the clan just couldn’t stay away from food. We drifted back to the center of Byward Market as the produce vendors were starting to close up shop. Needless to say, we helped out by taking some berries off their hands.

A few steps away from that divine berry supply was Aux Delices Bakery, which caught our eye with three small words: “Gluten Free Cookies.” As a long-time gluten-free eater, I was ecstatic about being able to eat cookies and brownies from a legitimate bakery. Aux Delices Bakery bakes gluten-free goods first thing in the morning to minimize the possibility of contamination. It’s the little things, folks.

We were tipped off by our new amigo Karl (our favorite waiter at Chateau Laurier) that we could not leave Ottawa without trying their doughy specialty: the beavertail. Beavertails, essentially doughnuts in slab form, come in many varieties, including chocolate-banana, maple, and cinammon-sugar. Sibling Two flew cinnamon-sugar style. We passed back through Byward Market on our way out of Ottawa to try one.

With that, our car left Ottawa eighty pounds heavier.

Happy nomming!

-MB

Canada, Destinations, Ottawa

It’s yoga, hoser.

February 25, 2013June 3, 2013 Molly On the Move

Planning our visit to Ottawa’s Parliament Hill, there were two tasks on our list: (1) watch the changing of the guard, and (2) see how the inside of the Centre Block (above) stacked up against our own Capitol building.

Not on the list? Crashing Parliament Hill’s yoga hour. A little before noon, yoga enthusiasts meandered onto the lawn and rolled out their mats. A trickle of yoga-ites turned into a full-fledged river and before long it was Downward Dog, Ottawa style.

Definitely wish I had brought my yoga mat, but I think we got the best view as spectators, don’t you?

Canada, Destinations, Ottawa

On the grounds of Chateau Laurier

February 8, 2013January 23, 2015 Molly On the Move

I never expected to be able to say that I’ve slept in a chateau, but that changed soon after visiting Ottawa, Canada’s capital city. The chateau in question, Chateau Laurier, opened in 1912 and was built to house railway travelers passing through Ottawa at Union Station across the street. The following were taken within a stone’s throw of the chateau.

Dinner on the terrace
Sidewalk art

Chateau Laurier & Rideau Canal

Cheers!
-MB

Canada, Destinations, U.S.A.

Shower cap required

February 1, 2013January 23, 2015 Molly On the Move

Niagara Falls 2

Straddling Canada and the U.S., Niagara Falls is about an hour and a half from Toronto. In order to beat the hoards of tourists, we rolled in at ten, but the hoards would not be beat. Elbows were thrown and tourists pushed over rails. Kidding (probably).

Hoards aside, Niagara Falls is hypnotizing. There is no way to truly describe it. (Perhaps that is a personal shortcoming. After all, my best color comparison would be to Crest Kids’ Sparkle Gel toothpaste.) It booms and churns and roars and sails. But mostly, it takes your breath away and keeps it there.

As if you needed another reason to go, the Visitors’ Center had a vending machine of milk (bequeathed the “Dairy Goodness Centre”), which is significant because it’s weird and I love dairy. Really though, Niagara Falls deserves all the hype it gets.

When you go:

–Arrive early. We arrived at 10:00 A.M. and there were already a good amount of people. By the time we ate lunch and left, it was 3:00 P.M. and overflowing.
–Be prepared to be soaked. The mist from the falls is not a joke, so don’t wear anything that can’t get wet.
–To book a tour or not? The most popular tour is Maid of the Mist. We didn’t do at tour because really, how much better can you see the falls from below than from above? Reviews are good though, so don’t let me hold you back. Otherwise, you really only need a couple of hours to walk the area and hit all the scenic vistas.

Happy Barreling!

-MB

Canada, Destinations, Toronto

Whirling Mirvishes

January 20, 2013February 8, 2013 Molly On the Move

A morning full of Tom Board left our afternoon free to explore the quirkier side of Toronto. In desperate need of sustenance, we circled out from Casa Loma and found ourselves on Bloor Street. It was overflowing with Asian cuisine, much to the dismay of my dad. As we searched, we saw one of the zaniest stores I’ve seen on the corner of Bloor and Bathurst: Honest Ed’s. Besides 23,000 lightbulbs, the facade sported ridiculous sayings, like “Honest Ed’s repulsive, but his bargains are appealing!”

Honest Ed's — Honest Ed’s, a famous discount on Bloor Street. It was built in 1948 and takes up an entire street block.

We decided Ed was creepy and his bargains unappealing. With a turn on Bathurst Street, we found ourselves in Mirvish Village (Ed Mirvish being founder of Honest Ed’s). Happening upon a restaurant with Dad-friendly-cuisine, I walked in and asked “Do y’all have menus?” The waiter’s eyes popped out of his head as he exclaimed “It’s contagious!”, confusing me because I had no idea to what he was referring. But then he leapt into praise of the hallowed “y’all.” Ah-ha. Never before has “y’all” been met with such enthusiasm abroad. Evan was eager to please and even made us a pitcher of fresh-squeezed lemonade, the seeds lolling at the bottom as proof of his efforts.

Fresh-squeezed lemonade.

Shop in Mirvish Village.

This looks a lot prettier than it tasted.

We bid adieu to Evan and headed to Kensington Market, since Sibling Two and I got it into our heads that we were trendy and so were markets. Kensington Market was hip bordering on seedy, but had its moments. Which all involved food.

“When it comes to cheese…we speak your language!”

Fiddleheads.

Hungary Thai.

That wraps up Toronto…for now at least. It is such a vibrant city. I’ll be back someday!

Enjoy your MLK weekend!

Canada, Destinations, Toronto

Board-om at Casa Loma

January 13, 2013March 8, 2015 Molly On the Move

Another afternoon in Toronto brought the family to Casa Loma. Casa Loma is more castle than a “casa.” It is really big. It has lots of rooms. It was built between 1911 and 1914 by Henry Pellatt, who brought hydroelectricity to Toronto. I have already bored you.

Spare me a second and we’ll turn that bored into Board.

Endless rooms and vibrant gardens did not make Casa Loma memorable. What made Casa Loma memorable was Tom Board.

Tom is an 86-year-old volunteer at Casa Loma. He has been working there for 52 years. Though he is retired, he gives tours on his own time. When Tom singled our family out of the crowd, it was our self-guided audio tours that retired.

Without any preamble, Tom assumed responsibility for showing our family around the residence. We were amazed at his spryness – he bounded up stairs faster than any of the rest of us – and continually flirted with my mom. As we passed through one of the many bathrooms, Tom told Mom to get in the huge clawfoot bathtub so Sibling Two could take a picture. It would be funny, he said…

Mom: Do I take off my shoes?
Tom: You take off everything.

That happened.

During 52 years, you can imagine that Tom saw a lot. His three daughters, for example, all got married at Casa Loma. And of course he was privy to the many movies that have been filmed there, like X-Men, Chicago, and The Pacifier. During the filming of the movie Cocktail, Tom showed the principal actor down the elevator. He remembered thinking as they descended, “Who is this guy?” Then Tom Cruise stuck out his hand and said, “Hi, I’m Tom.”

So there you have it. Is Casa Loma worth visiting during your stay in Toronto? Probably. Is Tom Board worth visiting during your stay in Toronto? Absolutely.

Library.

Back.

Sundial in the gardens.

Back, seen from the gardens.

Canada, Destinations, Toronto

The Distillery District

July 25, 2012December 14, 2012 Molly On the Move

Leaving the financial district of Toronto behind, a couple hundred turns of our spokes took us back a couple hundred years. The Distillery District is one of the best preserved examples of Victorian industrial architecture on the continent. Established in 1832, the old distillery stopped producing distilled products in 1990 and in 2001, the decision was made to transform it into a vibrant artistic and cultural center in Toronto.

And vibrant it was. We carted our bikes down the central lane, bordered by Ethiopian sculptures. Besides a plethora of restaurants, people wandered in and out of floors and floors of art galleries.

Rolling bikes past a cafe — Rolling our bikes past a cafe

Canada, Destinations, Toronto

“We’ve been expecting you.”

July 22, 2012November 13, 2014 Molly On the Move

Interior of Union Station in Toronto. The outside has been under construction for a few years, but the building remains as stately as ever behind the orange cones.

Probably the most famous farmers’ market in Toronto

St. James Park, right across from the famous St. Lawrence Market.

Spectator sculpture on the stadium of the Toronto Blue Jays

The Eaton Centre, a mammoth shopping mall.

Harborfront of Toronto – view of Lake Ontario

For the past two weeks, my family and I have been traipsing around Canada, poking our noses into the crannies of Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City. Of course, having the appetite for foreign lands that I do, I ate up every second. Toronto uses one of the creepier tourism slogans I’ve seen (hence the title). But the banners sporting that slogan didn’t deter my family from our visit. We arrived in Toronto around noon on a Saturday, and had scarcely dropped our belongings in the hotel when we set out on foot to meet our bike tour guide. If you have limited time to explore a city, I would recommend a bicycle tour in a heartbeat – especially if the city is as bike-friendly as Toronto. My family used Toronto Bicycle Tours for a four-hour tour of the city and could not have had a better time. Rick, our fabulously savvy tour guide, knew every in and out there was to know about the city, brimming with knowledge that I shall pepper throughout my anecdotes. Toronto’s skyline is marked my skyscrapers and mega-apartment complexes. The tall buildings are the darlings of Toronto’s financial district, which Rick took us through. Since it was Saturday, the financial district was deserted.

The modern Ernst & Young Tower was built over and around the old Toronto Stock Exchange Building

Cow statues in a park in Toronto’s financial district.

According to Rick, the old (and thereby pretty) parts of Toronto were demolished in the decades after World War II in order to give the city a fresh, modern face. Toronto, Toronto, what were you thinking? The buildings that escaped the modernizing witch hunt soften the spikes of the skyscrapers. In posts to come, I’ll spend more time on some individual areas (the Distillery District, Baldwin Street, Kensington Market, Casa Loma, etc.), but see the gallery at the top for some highlights of the tour.