Gluten Free Makeover Event

The two of us went to the GIG Gluten Free Makeover at the Gaylord Texan hotel in Grapevine, TX. It was too die for! I do think though that if we had waited an hour after the opening to get there, we might not have waited in line for most of the wonderful goodies. We were actually quite startled by how many people were there! It’s nice to know we are not alone in this diet. Anyway, within the hour lines had thinned out and people were beginning to move around a bit, so it wasn’t a problem. We started at the Silent Auction to see what was being offered. Many of the baskets were very similar, and we had to look hard to see items beyond the usual quinoa pastas and gluten free baking mixes, but there were lots of baskets to choose from.

We soon moved over to the food and tried enough samples that by the time we left (after perhaps an hour and a half) we were definitely done sampling.

Cathy says: A favorite of mine was the salmon with basmati rice, jicama cucumber salad, and tomatillo sauce from WildWood Grill, which is located at 2700 E. Southlake Blvd, Southlake, TX. I did not get to sample the Paella from Paella Texas, because they were not quite ready to serve it when I went by the first time, and I was beyond sampling the second time I went around. Paella Texas advertises themselves as “a unique catering concept.” The paella looked picture-perfect. The rice-and-seafood dish was being cooked in a very large pan with peas and red peppers artfully sprinkled on the top, making the dish very colorful. As I was walking by the paella, someone passed me with a small dish with grits, and a shrimp on top of it that was so large, it could not be ignored, so I diverted over to the station where they were serving it. The grits turned out to be jalapeño grits and were perhaps a bit more spicy than I would ordinarily like, but the shrimp was done perfectly and then topped with a drizzle of barbecue sauce. The station turned out to be the Gaylord’s Ama Lur itself, so of course, it was an over-the-top dish. Wow!

A new restaurant that is opening in the Gaylord in November is called Zeppole. I wanted to try their shrimp dish which looked like a dish I might really really like, but as I was passing by them, they had some gnocchi that was already plated, so I took one. It was a chicken dish with a killer sauce, somewhat reminiscent of an Alfredo, though I did not get a description, so forgive me Zeppole, if I don’t have it right. Maybe I’ll come back when you open and we’ll talk about it.

Sandy says: I was particularly happy with the ravioli (with tomato sauce) and gnocchi (with basil pesto) being served by GlutenOut Pasta. This is a frozen pasta that can be purchased online. It was very good, but when I looked it up online, I realized that they are sold without sauce. I guess I’ll have to make my own, which is probably for the best since we’re supposed to be reducing our salt in both my household and Mom’s.

I already knew that PF Chang’s had an extensive GF menu (Mom and I ate there last night, actually!) but I didn’t know that they have a new gluten free dessert. The Mini Triple Chocolate Mousse is a $2 dessert served in a shot glass. It wasn’t on the printed menu last night; the folks at the PF Chang’s booth said the dessert is new as of August. It’s got chocolate cake on the bottom with a chocolate pudding in the middle and a chocolate topping.

Mom already mentioned the Gaylord restaurants Ama Lur and Zeppole. I also tried BBQ brisket from Old Hickory Steakhouse, another Gaylord restaurant. The BBQ sauce was a bit too “zesty” for me, but the meat was excellent. I was told you can also get sandwiches on GF bread in the Texas Station sports bar at the Gaylord. My husband and I will definitely be heading out to the Gaylord for a date night soon!

I was also excited to learn that the Wholesome Foods Bakery is now open (in a new location)for regular business. I had heard of them a while ago, but you had to order online and pick up your goodies on a Tuesday. Now that their schedule is more flexible, I am anxious to go try them out. They gave us some cranberry nut cookies and chocolate chip cookies, which Mom and Caroline liked a lot, but I thought were ordinary; but I really liked their pound cake. I’ve been looking for a good GF pound cake for a while, so I plan to order some to stock up my freezer.


We were pretty stuffed when we left, but our main feeling for the event was a relief that we had been free to sample everything offered without having to question each and every dish. That in itself was the worth the price of admission.


Cathy and Sandy