The Matador Review

Jason here. Recently, Kayleigh’s parents came up for a visit. We wanted to find a nice gluten free restaurant that would be local to the Eastside. After a little searching, we found the The Matador’s Redmond location.

To start, the Matador is gluten free friendly. I was nearly certain of this before even stepping inside. How do you ask? Because any restaurant that has a gluten free menu available, or labels allergy information on the main menu starts off with high marks. Bonus points for having this menu readily available online. Additionally, we even had a gluten intolerant waitress who was friendly and answered any questions we had about the menu.

One important note to get out of the way is, be careful when ordering off of their gluten free menu. Many items call out that you need to make a substitution, while others are marked that they are cooked in the same deep fryer which cooks items which contain gluten.

I was not up for taking any risks on the deep fried wings, so I opted to go for the Enchiladas Picante on corn tortillas, with shredded chicken. These came with a side of annatto rice and black beans. True to their description, the enchiladas were very spicy. I tend to like really spicy foods, and these were just perfect. There is a fine line between extra spicy food, and just creating a dish as hot as possible, which sacrifices flavor along the way. The enchiladas were bursting with flavor. The Monterey jack cheese, lettuce, habanero chiles, and red bell peppers all blend together nicely to create a blend of flavors. The rice itself was also good, and made and helped take away some of the heat from the enchiladas. The black beans were okay, but I have never been a fan of just plain beans, although these did have what I would describe as a slightly refried texture to them. As a last comment for my meal, if you know you like foods more on the mild side of spicey, then I would recommend ordering another entrée.

Luckily, there are many gluten free options to choose from, including multiple types of enchiladas, steaks, sandwiches (no bun), salads, and even a handful of appetizers. This makes the Matador a good place to go with a larger group, since there will almost certainly be an item for everyone.

Kayleigh here. I decided it was a ‘go big or go home’ sort of day, and ordered the cucumber-jalapeno margarita to go with my Enchiladas Picante. Their margaritas were refreshing, the shrimp in my enchiladas were perfectly cooked, and despite what Jason says, the black beans were the better side. I just love black beans.

As a quick note, I really enjoyed the Matador’s ambiance. There are a couple large stained glass windows which you should check out, along with a massive wall of tequila. Which by the way, if you like margaritas or other tequila drinks that Matador is for you as it is their specialty. If you are ever feeling adventurous, order a flight!

Everyday Product Review Part 2

Jason and Kayleigh here, moving on to part two of our gluten free food reviews.This part of the list is more about quick, grab and go snacks- something you can pick up in a grocery store (or convenience store, if you are lucky!) and enjoy without any muss or fuss. Food without any prep- a rare thing to find in the gluten free world!

Part 1- Baked Goods
Part 3- Baking Mixes and misc.

Pretzels – Glutino Pretzels - Really cannot think of much to say on these, since they taste just like any decent snack pretzel. Crunchy, salty, holds up well to dipping- a great addition to a snack stash for long vacations! They come in a couple different package sizes, too, so you can choose between the personal/travel size and the party bag- not something you can often say about gluten free snacks!

Jason here. I also don’t have much to say about the pretzels themselves. They taste identical to regular pretzels. I used to eat pretzel rods and dip them in Franks hot sauce, something I learned from my Dad.

Energy/protein bars – Luna Protein Bars - We’ve tried at least half of the brands out there, since these little guys are perfect for a breakfast on-the-go, and hold up pretty well in a purse/backpack. While I am hard-pressed to think of a truly bad tasting bar, the Luna Protein bars bring me back to my childhood, getting a Kudos or a granola bar for an afterschool snack. Combining a fantastic toothsome texture with a not too sweet flavor, then coating it all in rich chocolate- it almost feels like a dessert!

Energy/protein bars, second choice – Larabars - While these are not quite our top choice in flavor, Larabars win out for being the most widely available gluten free snack, found in pretty much every grocery and convenient store. The Apple pie flavor is our standout favorite (the flavor of the dried, lightly spiced apples is very prominent), but the other varieties with different dried fruits included are

Jason here. To be honest, the energy bars we’ve tried have not been super great. The flavors are okay, but the texture is just awful. The texture is something like super dense paste. They try to break it up with nuts sometimes, but it just doesn’t add enough. I won’t go too much into the flavors, because you find just about anything. My recommendation is go ahead and buy a variety and see which ones you like the most. Make sure to write those down so you don’t forget like me!

Granola bar – KIND bars - Even though you find these in the same aisle as the two above bars, they deserve a second category because of the vastly different texture, satisfying a different need. While Lunabars and Larabars are soft and chewy, KIND bars consist of whole nuts, fruits, and crispy bits with just enough honey to hold everything together. Grab these in place of a chewy granola bar next time you are on a hike- they pack a nutritional wallop, with well-balanced flavor to boot!

Jason here. These granola bars are great. Unlike the energy bars, these have a great crunchy texture. On top of that, I think they also taste better! Seriously, if you are looking for a quick snack on a trip I highly recommend these. I like to keep a few handy in the house just in case.

Crackers – Crunchmaster Gluten Free Crackers – Right up front- Jason is not a big fan of these. A bit too seedy and strong tasting for him, but Kayleigh appreciates their ability to scoop into heavy dips without breaking. They also go well as an accompaniment to soups- they just need a long while soaking for them to start softening up.

Jason here. Yeah I’m not a big fan. It’s not that they are bad crackers, it’s just I don’t like these type of seasoned crackers. Why use these with dips when I can use tortilla chips?

Daniel's Broiler review

Jason here. One thing we greatly enjoy is taking guests out to enjoy some local restaurants.  This time we wanted to go to a very nice restaurant which focuses on steak. We elected to go to Daniel’s Broiler in Bellevue.

First let’s get some things out of the way. While they don’t have a gluten free menu, they are very friendly and can double check on all items. Second, expect to pay a good deal for your meal. I would recommend checking out the menu on their website for an idea of what to pay. Luckily we did know what we were getting into, but seriously don’t take a guest here without them knowing what they are getting into.

Now to the fun stuff. This is definitely a restaurant you want to dress up to, and feel a little classy. I would describe the decorations as fine wood wine racks, filled with all kinds of wine. The restaurant is on one of the top floors of a tall building in Bellevue, so it provides an excellent view if you can get a window seat. We had a nice view through the wine racks into the kitchen which was fun to watch.

We ordered a Rib-eye done medium, with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. They definitely take pride in their steaks, and have some demo steaks to show off as you enter. They even explain their process of how they cook the steak and make sure to sear it at the end to lock in the flavor, and full of flavor it was. It came medium, exactly as I had ordered it. The steak was one of the best I have had. It wasn’t overly seasoned, just cooked well so it the flavor came from the steak itself. Even the mashed potatoes were extremely good. They were very light and fluffy, with an almost creamy taste to them.

Kayleigh here. As the kind of person that tags along to steakhouses and gets…not steak, I was pleasantly surprised with the variety and thought put into the non-steak entrees, and actually had a difficult time choosing! Plenty of seafood and chicken options, as well as a fairly extensive vegetarian menu- something good for anyone you decide to take!

We highly recommend Daniel’s Broiler for a primo night on the town, to celebrate an anniversary, a job promotion, or simply an occasion where you want to remind yourself just how good your life is. Their dinners are exquisite, and the wait staff is quick to help with wine pairings according to your meal choice, which was perfect for a couple of novice drinkers like ourselves. We did not have room at the end, but we were told there are dessert options available for gluten free diners (like their gourmet ice cream sundaes), so we might just have to make a separate trip out sometime for drinks and desserts!