BlueSteele Cafe Review

Jason here. Kayleigh and I were recently town in Tacoma shopping around for a new car. Whenever we travel away from home we look for gluten free places to try that we might not have otherwise made the trip out for. This time Kayleigh found a recently opened café called BlueSteele Café.

Before I get into my order, let me say the service was fantastic and answered my reaffirmed that gluten free flatbread options were available. It’s a good feeling to look a menu and have the capability to order nearly everything on it.

To that end, I ordered the Chicken Bacon and Ranch (CBR) flatbread. I really wish there was a BlueSteele close buy, because this was freaking fantastic. I haven’t had any bacon and ranch items in a quite a while, which I am sure contributed to how delicious this tasted. Plenty of ranch, with crunchy bits of bacon and flatbread. I don’t eat flatbreads very often, so the comparison I was reminded of while eating my CBR was of a deliciously crunchy crusted pizza.

I also ordered a mocha with my meal, which is unusual as I rarely order coffee. I was impressed with the intricate design created from the cream on top, and it tasted delicious. However, it was easily eclipsed by the flatbread. While I really enjoyed my coffee, I’m not really a coffee connoisseur so I am curious about hearing some other opinions.

Kayleigh here. While the menu was somewhat short, I think it is important to note that this means every item is done well and made to order right behind the counter. Each section of the menu had a vegetarian option, to my delight- enough to please any palate! It was interesting to see a flatbread option with mozzarella and brown sugar, too- never seen one for a sweet tooth before! Looking at the specials menu, I ordered a white chocolate cherry almond concoction for my drink. It was absolutely delicious! Now, I need to figure out an excuse to be down in the area again, so I can try something else on the menu!

Friesenburgers Review

Jason here. On a trip south to Tacoma, Kayleigh surprised me with a quick stop at Friesenburgers for lunch. In case it was not obvious from the name, Friesenburgers specializes in fries and burgers. What is not so obvious is that they also have hot dogs, and milkshakes which looked delicious.

It is a small mom and pop burger shop, just off of i5. The atmosphere was very friendly, with man behind the counter always smiling. It also felt someone laid back, which a nice change to the hustle and bustle of some other places. What struck me most though was how gluten free friendly the restaurant is. As soon as you walk in there are gluten free cookbooks on a rack for anyone to read, and gluten free flyers on the napkin holders. Without a doubt, this is one of the safest places you could eat gluten free.

For my meal I ordered a cheeseburger with bacon, and a side of fries. The burger was absolutely bursting with flavor. The bacon was cooked just right so it was crispy, but not burnt. The cheese was nicely melted, and there was the perfect amount of lettuce and pickles added. While I ordered a single, you can also order a double burger or even triple burger if that is more your style.

The fries were not at all what I expected. I’m used to either smaller cut fries, or the very large home fries. I tend to find the smaller fries lacking in flavor, and the larger fries not crispy enough. These were somewhere right in the middle. They were larger fries, but still crispy. I would have liked a bit more seasoning, but apparently it was done on purpose- there was a large selection of salts and sauces on the condiment counter. I missed seeing them on our visit, but I will definitely try them next time we drop by.

Kayleigh here. For my meal, I went with the Jalapeno and Pepper Jack burger. Just as I had hoped, it came loaded with jalapenos, with the mayo being a pleasant counterpoint. I found it to be just the right level of spicy without drowning out the other flavors in the burger, and even enjoyed the burger patty itself (usually, I just think of them as a vehicle for the toppings). Plus, I could not help but notice a peanut butter milkshake on the menu- my biggest weakness! The milkshakes, though, were not specifically labeled gluten free, so I would ask before ordering. But this burger made me feel like we could go to a fast food restaurant again, and just get a regular, fast food- tier burger. It surprising the sort of stuff you miss when it is gone!

If we lived a little closer, we would be eating here far more often. As it is, Friesenburgers will definitely become a regular stop whenever we need to head south. If you are in the area, or lucky enough to live nearby, we highly recommend you check out Friesenburgers. The meals are excellently priced, bursting with flavor, and guaranteed gluten free.