Barrio Star Review

Jason here. While we were visiting family in San Diego, our second food destination was Barrio Star. Part of the Isabel Cantina chain of restaurants, Barrio Star is a Mexican Restaurant located in San Diego. It happened to have been July 4^th and I was very thirsty from walking around in the sunny weather, so when we discovered a restaurant that was not only open with available parking but had a menu with gluten free options labeled, I was pretty happy.

For starters, I drank about 2 glasses of water, and then half a pomegranate margarita. Kayleigh and I decided to split the margarita, but she ordered a non-gluten free dish. Thus, in order to avoid cross contamination I opted to drink my half up front. The pomegranate added a nice fruity flavor, but the tequila definitely came through strong.

For an appetizer, the table ordered some tortilla chips with guacamole. While they are labeled gluten free on the menu, they let me know they have been cooked in the same fryer as other items. However, our waiter went out of his way and offered to bring out some gluten free corn tortillas so I could have some of the guacamole.

Now what’s interesting is that I can’t really find any other fried items on the menu that would have contaminated the nachos. This is convenient, as without thinking things through I ordered a bowl of tortilla soup which was also labeled gluten free on the menu. Whether it was luck, or they really do have a safe gluten free fryer, I can say I felt fine afterwards. While it was an exceptionally hot day, the restaurant was air conditioned and my glasses of water (along with the ice I consumed) had cooled me down considerably. I enjoyed my nice hot bowl of soup, downing the entire thing in short order. The tortilla chips were not exactly “crunchy” as advertised, but I wasn’t expecting that from tortilla chips soaked in soup. The roasted red chile guajillo added only a small amount of heat, which was good considering the weather.

Kayleigh here. Out of all the food I tried there, the highlight by far was the freshly baked corn tortillas. They were incredibly soft and very slightly chewy, unlike any I have had before. What was I doing buying prepackaged corn tortillas all my life? That's it- we are going to buy a tortilla press, then use them instead of bread for everything from now on.

If you’re looking for a chance to escape this heat this summer, are in San Diego, and in the mood for some good Mexican food, then give Barrio Star a try. The price was right, and although they warned me about the tortilla chips, they still had plenty of gluten free options available.

Cactus Review

Jason here. The other week we went out to dinner with a good friend of ours. Kayleigh and I have both been wanting to try out some more Bellevue restaurants, so this was the perfect chance. We opted go for a Southwest restaurant named Cactus.

The first thing I liked about Cactus was how convenient it was to get to. It’s connected to the Bellevue Square Mall, which always has plenty of parking. The wait was only around 40 minutes, and we found a nice place to sit and talk around the corner while we waited to be buzzed.

The second thing I liked about Cactus was how gluten free friendly they were. Not only did they have a specific gluten free menu (available online), but the waitress was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. She even let me know the table nachos were not entirely gluten free as they had been cooked in the same deep fryer as other items.

The menu was expansive for all gluten free items, including more than a couple appetizers. I’m always happy when I have a variety to choose from. I ultimately ended up getting the bacon wrapped jalapenos for an appetizer, and the Seafood Enchilada for my main dish.

The jalapenos were tasty, but nowhere near as spicy as I was expecting. In fact, I would say they had no heat at all, which was surprising. I felt sort of goofy eating them as the bacon did want to stay wrapped, and it was a bit difficult to cut properly and not have it all fall apart. The taste is a bit hard to describe. The goat cheese and bacon tasted very standard, but the jalapeno itself did not have any spice. This is probably a good thing considering there were around half a dozen, each as large or larger than my thumb. 

The main course was even better. The meal over all is an easy sell for me. I love cheese, shellfish, and salsa, so I knew I would enjoy it. I even enjoyed the bits of snapper in my enchilada. Maybe my pallet is finally warming up to fish now.

I’m sure the black beans tasted great, but I’m not really qualified to speak on this as I am not really a fan of them. Beans always taste sort of bland to me, unless they are heavily spiced. Don’t get me wrong, I think beans definitely have a place in a meal like this or chili, they just are not something that I can get excited about.

It came with a side of Spanish rice, which was just loaded with flavor. Sometimes rice, even Spanish rice can be a bit bland, but that was definitely not the case here. I would not say they had any heat to them, but definitely in that family of spice.

At the end of the meal I felt stuffed, and completely safe knowing it was a gluten free. I definitely recommend giving this place a shot if you are on the Eastside.

Kayleigh here. Cactus is a great spot for when friends or family have a bit of shopping to do in the mall, or something to pass the time waiting for a table- you can leave your cell phone number with the hostess to make sure you do not miss when your time comes. Out of all the food, I was the most impressed with the sides that came with most of their entrees. I’m really not a fan of the rice that is so commonly served at Mexican restaurants, but I found theirs to be well seasoned and topped with what must have been pumpkin seeds? It was a nice touch. And I always love black beans, particularly served as they were with a light addition of cumin and crumbled cheese. We did not take advantage of it this time, but it seemed that there were a few enticing dessert options, as well as a unique Margarita menu. If you have gotten the chance to try anything else on the menu, leave a comment below and let us know how it was!

Chipotle Review

Jason here. If you are gluten intolerant, you know it is hard to find a fast food restaurant to eat at. Perhaps you know a fast restaurant or special take out place near you, but that never helps when you travel. When it comes to finding national chains, you won’t find much. However one restaurant, Chipotle, has become our good to fast food place.

One makes me feel comfortable eating here is Chipotle’s official allergen menu, available right on their website. The only item on the menu which has gluten is the flour tortillas. This means I never have to second guess myself when remembering the allergen menu. As long as you stay away from a flour tortilla, you are good to go. In addition this really helps keep the menu diverse, so anyone can find something they will love.

I almost always order a bowl with a side of nachos. I’ve found I can pile items into the bowl, and it makes a great dip for the nacho chips. Personally, I usually go with steak, lettuce, the shredded cheese, rice, black beans, and the tomatillo-red chili salsa. I really enjoy the nachos. There is just something special about freshly fried chips. Occasionally, I will mix it up and order a hard-shell taco as well, with effectively the same ingredients. Ultimately, it’s not really about what specific item I ordered though, but the experience as a whole. The menu is fairly diverse, so as long as you like Mexican-style food you will find something at Chipotle.

While initially the price may seem high when it comes to check out, but I tend to get two meals out of a single order. It heats up fairly well, so I like to take my leftovers into work for lunches.

In addition to the good food, Chipotle always seems to have clean restaurants, with friendly staff. The one near our house can get a bit busy, but there is a quiet downstairs for when we want to sit and eat in. It helps a lot to have an upscale fast food restaurant to go wherever I might travel in the country.

Kayleigh here. I often opt for the salad myself, since the lettuce adds a nice freshness, and the extra toppings can be loaded off onto the tortilla chips. In the past, I would just throw any or all of the veggies offered onto it, but more recently they have added a delicious tofu sofrita option for vegetarians/vegans- it is amazing how much flavor that side has just on its own! And if you don't mind paying a bit extra, grabbing a cup of guacamole for any leftover chips is never a bad idea.

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!