Elysian Brewery review

Jason here. A friend was up visiting for the weekend and we were looking for a fun restaurant downtown. When I heard that the Elysian Brewery had gluten free wings, I knew where I wanted to go. One thing to note is that as far as we can tell from their website, the Capitol Hill location seems to be the only one which has a gluten free menu.

We had a little trouble finding parking, so I would recommend allotting some extra time in case you need to park a few blocks away and walk there. It was also a busy restaurant, so while we didn’t have a wait I would definitely call ahead and find out. Luckily, it is located in Capitol Hill if you find yourself wanting to walk about for a bit.

The first thing you will discover when you enter the restaurant is all the fun decorations. One piece that stood out to me was a life sized space-lizard man sitting in the rafters near the back. It would have been easy to miss if I wasn’t looking around admiring all the stuff. Someone out there might know what is actually is, but I am unfortunately ignorant. It might be my imagination, but I just feel like there must be a cool story around who and why it was made.

Now to the food. I of course ordered the wings. I will start by saying they were good, just not excellent. They came in a fairly small portion with no filling side, but I can’t fault them for that as I did order off the appetizers menu. I ordered them buffalo style, and they came like I would expect. The taste was definitely of Franks red hot origins, most likely mixed with some butter when cooked. They were slightly crispy on the outside, but only from the cooking process, so no breading which was fine. They did come with some celery which was a nice addition, but not exactly filling. Overall, while they were average, they were also one of the only gluten free wing options I have found in the area. If I don’t want to make them myself, I can definitely see me ordering them again.

One of the awesome things about the Elysian is that they have a ton of gluten free appetizers. I have found this to be a rare thing of the course of my restaurant adventures. Out of the 8 items on their appetizers menu, six of them are gluten free. One of the things I really appreciate from a restaurant is a little variety. If for nothing else, this will have me coming back in the future to try out some of different items, which I passed up on the first time around.

Kayleigh here. For my entrée, I did a similar thing and ordered the nachos. Besides being a delicious, varied, and well spiced plate of nachos, they came with a peanut arbol chili sauce. Peanuts. And chilis. I will definitely be going back for more here, and likely order the same dish again. In fact, I should just get a bottle of that sauce.

That being said, Seattle is widely known for their craft beers and independent brewpubs, so there’s a pretty big chance that visiting friends and relatives will want to experience one or two for themselves. And while Elysian may not be offering any gluten free brews at the moment, their extensive, well-labeled menu makes it a perfect spot to go and actually feel safe ordering bar food.

The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook Review

Kayleigh here. This review may be going out on a limb, since it is not actually a gluten free cookbook.

Outraged at our betrayal? No, I know you are cooler than that. Since you waited around for our reasoning, I’ll give it to you- we were given this cookbook as a wedding gift, and nearly all of the recipes are gluten free without any ingredient substitutions. Because this is The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook, where most of the carbs come from potatoes, and the focus is on main dishes and different combinations of sides instead of all-in-one recipes that (more often than not) contain some form of bread. Largely, this cookbook is suited for fall and winter fare- hearty dishes that warm the cockles of your heart and stick to the sides well, so you’ll be running strong through the next meal. This has been a great pick-me-up in this Seattle springtime- just when I think the sun and summer is here to stay, the sky starts spitting and I get another week in the 50’s to look forward to.

Jason here. I have always loved cold rainy weather. Something I just really enjoy about setting in my nice cozy home, while I enjoy a nice hearty meal. Also did I mention I love potatoes? I love French fries, hash browns, tater tots, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, and pretty much any other way you can prepare a potato. Now enough of my potatoes and cold weather loving intermission and back to Kayleigh.

Recently, we made a beautiful dinner out of Sea Trout with Cider & Cream Sauce, served with champ and peas on the side.  The results were absolutely beautiful- a dinner I would be proud to serve anyone! The rich, yet acidic sauce married the fresh fish perfectly, with the champ behaving as an excellently simple cleanser to refresh the taste buds. With fresh salmon in such abundance in the Pacific Northwest, this was such an amazing change of pace from the regular smoking or grilling preparation methods.

Touching on the sweeter side of things, the Honeyed Parsnips recipe makes a beautiful side to a roast, instead of the usual carrots and onions. Cooking them long and slow like this really draws out the natural sweetness, making it an easier sell for veggie-phobic eaters and younger children.  For the adults, finish off the meal with one of the after dinner drinks in the back of the book, like an Irish Coffee or Scailtin (heated milk with whiskey and spices).

If you have the luck of getting some decent warm weather (read: if it is now July), there are a few fantastic recipes for lighter fare, like Bacon, Beet & Spinach Salad with Cashel Blue Cheese. Served with some warm Irish Soda bread (recipe pulled from a gluten free cookbook, of course), you can actually make a complete meal out of this deliciously diverse salad.

Jason here again. I am not usually a fish person, but even I enjoyed the rich flavor the recipe brought to the salmon. Slowly but surely, red fish have been growing on me. For me they have a texture similar to chicken, but a little more juicy. When cooking, I have found them to be a lot less forgiving. It easy very easy over or undercook the Salmon. It’s a technique I’ve been enjoying improving as Kayleigh really loves fish.

The champ was very good. Champ if you don’t know is essentially mashed potatoes mixed with a crazy amount of green onion, and some butter. Next time I will add a little less green onion, as the flavor came off a little strong for me. 

One thing that was cool about cooking the Salmon was leeks. I’ve never seen them in a recipe before and it is always fun to try out new things. To start, leeks are super annoying to clean. I recommend looking up some tutorial videos online. Basically you have to peel open each layer and wash it free of the grime that gets stuck as it grows. The taste and texture remind me of a sweet onion. One thing we learned was that a single leek will last you a while, so definitely think of meals where it can be reused.

All in all, the cookbook is fun. It has a lot of unique recipes that I have never heard of before and really hits home for flavors. The various fish recipes are also great inspiration for what to cook for Kayleigh on special occasions.

Americana Review

Jason here. We recently wanted to go out on a nice date somewhere. We found a great restaurant called Americana (warning site has sound). The restaurant is located on Capitol Hill, and has plenty of places to walk to nearby if the weather is nice.

To start, the restaurant is very gluten friendly. Everything is clearly marked on their menu which you can find online. The wait staff was friendly, and reassured us the gluten free items were definitely safe. They were also knowledgeable for what drinks were safe to order.

We had some time to kill before they started serving dinner, so we both ordered some adult milkshakes. Finally a milkshake I could order, and not feel like I was over paying. They were nice and think, and came in a large serving. I ordered a Vivace Liqueur Milkshake which makes the whole thing have a rich coffee taste to it. The milkshake drowned out any strong alcohol taste, so it was perfect for me and for anyone else that finds alcohol a bit grating to the tongue.

The food. Oh wow the food. I ordered the Fried Cornish Game Hen. It is extremely rare to find fried food which is gluten free, so there was no way I was going to pass up that opportunity. The game hen was extremely succulent, and the fried bits were extremely crunchy and seasoned to perfection. It was salty, but also a taste of pepper to it for spice. Furthermore, it came with a side of the best grits I have ever had. The best part, it came with more than enough for leftover for lunch at work the next day.

Kayleigh here. I started off with their Bourbon Maple milkshake, which came recommended by the waiter. And boy, the sweet notes of the milkshake paired perfectly with the deep flavors of the bourbon- why hadn’t I gotten to try that before now? It should be a restaurant staple everywhere! The entrée I ordered- the Wild Boar Enchiladas- was absolutely fantastic. Heavily spiced ground boar, covered in a delicious red sauce and plenty of broiling hot cheese, making my mouth water just from the smell.

Oh, and did we mention that they serve a bowl truffle popcorn instead of a basket of bread while you wait for your meal? And that it is gluten free?

This is definitely one of the best restaurants we have dined at, since moving to Washington about a year ago. They are very gluten intolerant friendly, have a decently priced menu, and an excellent selection of unique entrees which is especially rare for gluten free options.  As a caution, the restaurant is very small, so it may be best to hit it up outside towards the beginning of service, or on less busy days of the week. But even if there is a full house when you go, just go window shopping around the block- the food is well worth the wait.