Safe Travels in Ireland - Gourmet Burger Bistro and Wilton's Steak Bar and Pub

Gourmet Burger Bistro
Jason here. One of the great perks of staying at a B&B is the personalized recommendations you can get. In this case our B&B owner’s son recommended we go to Gourmet Burger Bistro in downtown Cork. Cork is a pleasant city to walk around and we were able to find the restaurant easy enough.
Located just next to the river it’s a small place that specialized in cheese burgers. Gluten free buns were called out on the menu and the waitress answered any questions we might have had. I ordered the Blue Cheese Burger with which came with caramelized pear. 

It was only when my burger came out did I realize why the put so much emphasis on the cheese. I had a huge wedge of blue cheese melted over the burger. Far more then I have gotten at any other burger joint. It is worth mentioning that the burger also came with a pretty standard affair of lettuce and tomato. 

The blue cheese was excellently cooked, melting enough so it covered the burger, but still solid enough to bite into. After how good this tasted I might just start ordering extra cheese on all my burgers. The caramelized pear added a sweet flavor to the otherwise earthy and salty flavor of the burger. The sauce was mayo, which I found was the standard in Ireland over ketchup or mustard. Plenty of the burgers on the menu had other sauces, so everyone will find something to their liking. 

Kayleigh here. I was very tempted by three or so burgers on the menu, but I decided to go out on a limb and get the Beef, Chorizo, and Manchego burger. Like Jason mentioned, they were VERY generous on the lightly melted cheese, which was great to cut the spice of the salsa and chorizo slices. This one was definitely more of a fork and knife burger, though- I had chorizo and beef juices dripping down my hands whenever I took a bite, and went through more than my fair share of napkins. The whole thing was delicious, though- a big emphasis on high quality ingredients and carefully prepared dishes here.

Wilton's Steak Bar and Pub

Kayleigh here. We spent the first full day of the trip driving all around the Ring of Beara and up to the Killarney National Park before heading back to our B&B in Cork. The last thing we wanted to do at that point was drive, so our hostess pointed us towards Wilton's as a walkable option for dinner. It was fairly easy to find- across the road from a shopping center and just down the street from the hospital, and the waitress was able to find a table for two almost immediately. It had more of a family restaurant or sports bar feel to it than an Irish pub atmosphere, but it fit the menu and gave us a chance to try and puzzle out the Rugby match on the television near us.

Wilton's menu was unique to us in that it listed major allergens present in each dish- not just gluten, but also dairy, eggs, shellfish, and even mustard to name a few. The menu did not cater specifically to gluten free diners, so the options were fairly typical- not many starters to choose from, but most of the steaks and several other entrees were safe. The real bonus to Wilton's is if you are traveling with other restricted diners, or have multiple restrictions yourself. There's a good chance that anyone can find something on the menu.

Jason. Wilton’s had the greatest seafood chowder I’ve ever had. It was so thick and creamy! Plenty of large salmon chunks along with the shellfish. Seafood chowder is something I find can easily be made wrong. Either two thick, or watery, or not enough actually seafood. Everything was just right here. Kayleigh has already bought the ingredients to try and make something similar at home. Oh, and remember to ask for the gluten free bread.

Prime Steakhouse Review

Jason here. We took another trip to Redmond for a night out, and decided to try Prime Steakhouse.

Prime is a restaurant focusing on steaks, but also has a good collection of burgers and sandwiches. The best part is the menu itself lists gluten free options, which tends to entice me to try out a place.

The restaurant itself isn’t too large, or at least they section off various rooms so it feels more intimate then most places. I was able to hear the table conversation without too much trouble, but we had to speak up. 

Of course I can’t go to a steakhouse and not order a steak for the first time. I honestly not sure if I have tried a dry-aged steak before. At the very least I have never tried them side by side. With this in mind, I decided to order the top sirloin baseball cut 12oz dry age steak, with a side of baked potato.

The baked potato was well crispy on the outside, although I just scooped out and ate the fluffy potato inside. Pretty standard affair.

The steak was fabulous. I ordered medium and that’s what I got, pink with a little red. It was plenty marbled with fat, which just melted in my mouth like cotton candy. The most delicious sensation one can have when eating a steak. This is the quality of a high end steak. If it’s a low quality cut, the fat will turn chewy and stringy, and be tough to actually eat. Everything here just melted in my mouth, from the first to the last bite. I did not add one ounce of salt or pepper, and ate it exactly how it came out. Not wanting to waste a good steak by having to reheat left overs, I finished the whole 12oz there which I was a bit worried about when it came out. I ordered the smallest of the dry aged steaks, so be prepared for leftovers if you order something like the 24oz porter just for yourself.

It is a high end steak restaurant so you get what you pay for. I got a really top end steak, the meal is a bit on the higher end. Although my sirloin, wasn’t too bad. I actually ordered this cut for the size, not the price, but it worked out for me.

Kayleigh here. While most steakhouses can put together a gluten free steak meal with relative ease, Prime has gotten nearly the entire menu to accommodate a gluten free diner. I failed to ask if the sandwiches would be served bunless or if they had an alternative, but I think there are more than enough options regardless. All of the salads, most of the starters, and many of the vegetable and potato sides are gluten free by default, as well as (of course) the steaks. And if you’re like me and are the odd duck that orders a non-beef entrée, you are pretty much guaranteed to find something that tickles your fancy. The menu is not particularly large, but so diverse and well thought-out that I think anyone would walk out happy.

Safe Travels in Japan - Numazu Uogashizushi and Matsuya Yakiniku Sute-ki

Numazu Uogashizushi

(website seems to be all in Japanese- we went to this location)

Jason here. On our first day in Japan, we talked with our hotel and they helped us set up a reservation at an upscale sushi place and confirmed they could accommodate my gluten allergy. I highly recommend you check with your hotel, and see if they offer a similar customer service. The restaurant our hotel helper found was Numazu Uogashizushi, which was conveniently located only a block or so away.

We arrived a bit early, but they accommodated us and confirmed we were the reservation that required a gluten free meal. Already we were off to a great start, because I could tell they would take extra care with my meal. We were seated at a bar like table, which surrounded the chef’s preparation area so we could watch them work their magic.

If the Yakiniku place was for me, then this was for Kayleigh as the English menu contained an uncountable variety of fish and seafood. We ordered a sushi set, which came with eel and tamagoyaki removed as they were not gluten free. The set came with fatty tuna, salmon, squid, prawn, scallop, regular tuna, and mackerel.

I quickly shuffled the prawn over to Kayleigh, as I had already learned it was not my favorite. I really enjoyed all of the raw fish. The texture and taste were nothing like a cooked white fish. Instead they reminded me more of a steak taste then a fish taste.

By far though, my favorite sushi was the fatty tuna. They were so sweet and succulent, they tasted like they were filled with a cream cheese. If you ever can’t the chance definitely order some fresh fattier tuna sushi.

Kayleigh here. There really is something to be said for well prepared, simply presented sushi. Typically, going to a sushi joint is not particularly high on my to-do list, and going to one while in Japan felt almost, well, weeaboo. But the choice cuts, lightly flavored rice, and unrushed atmosphere made it a fantastic dinner experience. My only regret is that I did not remember what the white fish was on the plate- it had the most astounding strong flavor to it. I would have been content just having a full meal of that one!

Matsuya Yakiniku Sute-Ki

(website is in Japanese- cannot seem to find an english link)

Jason here. After striking out at our planned restaurant in the Gion district of Kyoto, we happened upon yet another yakiniku place. Still remembering fondly the last yakiniku place Gyu-Kaku, I practically begged Kayleigh to stop here. The restaurant was called Matsuya Yakiniku Sute-ki.

As we arrived just before last order and closing, we quickly placed an order of salted thickly cut beef tongue, Harashi beef with sesame sauce, and a seafood platter of prawn, salmon, and squid. They do have and English menu available, and our waiter spoke limited English. 

My favorite dish of the night was not what I expected. After Gyu-Kaku I was sure I was going to be favoring the beef tongue again. It was still delicious to be sure, but something about it being thickly cut just wasn’t the same. This night my favorite dish was the Harashi beef with sesame sauce. After eating at so many restaurants where I could not have sauces, this really stood out to me. The beef itself was very succulent, and I applied a good deal of sesame sauce to make it perfect to my liking.

Kayleigh here. I never get sick of seafood, so I knew the sampler platter of simply prepared cuts would be my first choice. As with many of the restaurants in Japan, we could start to pick and choose what we might be able to order via a display of plastic plates of food at the main entrance, even before we were committed to going in. We could tell what restaurants were more likely to have a gluten free option by the types of food on display.