Flying Apron Review

Kayleigh here. Finding ourselves in Redmond without a lunch plan, we ended up popping in to Flying Apron to scout out our options. Expecting to make a lunch out of cookies and muffins, we were pleasantly surprised to be greeted with a menu of daily lunch specials above the confectionery counters. Of course, we still had to get some sweets for later to thoroughly review their offerings.

After much debate, I finally settled on a veggie-loaded slice of pizza, although I was very tempted by the sandwiches being made on garlic herb bread. The pizza crust, I must say, actually tasted identical to its gluten filled counterpart, which I cannot say for any pizza place we have tried in the past. The vegetables were roasted and well seasoned, and the cashew cheese was a delicious addition. I am still not sure if I would call it cheese, but the rich garlicky spread had a lovely flavor of its own.

Amongst their premade offerings were cakes by the slice, cupcakes, cookies, muffins, brownies, cinnamon buns- you’re bound to fullfil a craving coming here. The variety of muffin flavors was sorely tempting, but Jason and I ended up getting a slice of chocolate mint cake to go. The texture of the cake was amazingly moist and fluffy, and the minty frosting was a refreshing juxtaposition to the richness. We’ll just have to try some of those muffins next time we make a visit.

In addition to the bakery items that could be individually bought as snacks or desserts, Flying Apron also offers the option to make larger orders of whole pies and custom-order cakes for parties or events. Even adding one to the dessert offerings at a luncheon will make a vegan or celiac's day- it is such a nice feeling to realize you actually have an option available.

Jason here. For my order I decided to go with something hearty. I had been craving lasagna for the last couple weeks, so it was exactly what I ordered after spotting it on the menu. Since, we were getting food to go, and it was fairly busy in the restaurant at the moment it was an added bonus that it was prepackaged in a to-go container. By the looks of it I could tell I would get at least a day of leftovers too. The staff offered to heat everything up there, but we declined since it would be cold again by the time we arrived home. After heating it up in the microwave, I dug right in. 

I had forgotten the lasagna was also vegan, so it contained cashew cheese instead of the regulars. This made the lasagna a bit sharper then I was expecting, but still overall good. To compensate it had loads of herb seasonings piled on, which I found easier to eat after mixing them in a bit more. 

Overall I’m still craving my cheesy lasagna, but we found another gluten free place in the area where I definitely know I would be safe. They had a variety of items, and next time I’d like to try a bit more of their pastries.

HighScore Burgers Review

EDIT- Since this review, HighScore Burgers has closed its doors. It sounds like a new joint will open up in its place, but we'll have to wait and see if they also offer a gluten free menu.

Jason here. The other week Kayleigh and I went out with some friends to HighScore Burgers, a local burger place in Redmond.  

We had heard about this place as a cool little shop where you can go, have a burger and some ice cream, and then drop a few quarters to place arcade machines and pinball. I was expecting a lot more neon lights and the sounds of arcade games. Instead, it was a much more relaxed atmosphere and reminded me of a boardwalk shop, where you could sit outside and enjoy your meal and cool breeze. We did go during the middle of the day, so there were only a few other people sitting outside and relaxing.

                               

I had a lot of fun playing arcade games from my child hood like Ninja Turtles and Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. They also had a bunch of pinball machines including a Roller Coaster Tycoon one, and then a handful classic games like Ms. Pacman, Galaga, and Centipede.  I did not get a chance to play some of the classic game tables, so pardon if I am mistaken on the names.

Before we went, we saw there were some reviews online which mentioned they had gluten free buns. That is always a very good sign, as gluten free buns often mean more variety in side options, too. Unfortunately, when I asked I was told that effectively only the burgers were gluten free and they were out of gluten free buns. So for my meal I ordered two bacon cheese burgers on lettuce. The burgers themselves were good, but the lack of any side made the meal lack in variety.

Kayleigh here. HighScore Burgers does get a few points in my book for Vegetarian/Vegan options on top of the Gluten Free buns. Their black bean burger was quite tasty with their house sauce, and actually went well with the lettuce leaves (again, they were out of GF buns when we went). They had a surprisingly large selection of vegan ice cream as well, but unfortunately they did note that the ice cream is not guaranteed to be gluten free, due to equipment cross-contamination.

If I am walking through the area again, and all I want is a quick snack I would stop here again grab a burger and play a few games. If I was going out looking for a meal, I would unfortunately look elsewhere.

Wild Ginger Review

Jason here. A couple weeks ago, I decided to meet Kayleigh for a nice lunch. We opted to go to The Wild Ginger in Bellevue. We had heard great things about both the food, and how gluten friendly it was.

The first thing you will notice in The Wild Ginger is the great service. Both times I have gone they have been incredibly friendly. Last time when I left, the hostess remembered my name and called me by name to have a great day. As someone who can barely remember the name of someone I talk to every day, I was impressed. The entire staff just had an air of professionalism, rarely found in most places.

The second thing you will notice is how gluten friendly they are. Everything on the menu is clearly labeled if it is gluten free, and\or vegan. Without me hinting at all, the wait staff asked if either of us had dietary restrictions. When I mentioned being gluten free, he asked if it was allergy or diet. After responding allergy, he informed me they take extra precautions and prepare the food separately. This has happened both times I have eaten there, and they were busy with lunch rush. This made me feel completely confident that my food would be free of any gluten.

For my meal I ordered the Panang Beef Curry. To quote there menu, “slices of flank steak in coconut milk spiced with cardamom, coriander, galangal, Thai basil and peanuts.” Usually I am not a fan of coconut. For some reason the taste just does not appeal to me. However, I have found coconut milk to barely taste of coconut at all. So if you are like me and don’t like coconut, don’t let that stop you from ordering a dish with coconut milk.

The meal was absolutely fantastic. The steak was perfectly cooked, completely submerged in the delicious sauce. The sauce itself had a creamy rich taste to it, with little bursts of flavor from the spices. Mixing in some of the white rice, and eating with a bite of steak was how I preferred it. I can’t overstate how good this was. The plate was fairly large, and I completely scraped every last bit off to eat.

Kayleigh here. The meal I chose was the special- a pineapple prawn curry. Absolutely beautiful combination of flavors, that really brought me back to my favorite curry dish from a little restaurant back in New Hampshire. Seriously, that restaurant is where I requested to go every time I was on home on break in college, and Wild Ginger did not disappoint on replicating that delightful dish. Besides the amazing food and conscientious staff, the seating and décor really gave that extra push in the ‘would go again’ direction, with every table giving you either a birds-eye view of the streets below, or a railing-side seat overlooking the floor below, lending an open, but intimate feeling throughout.

To wrap this up, the food was phenomenal, the price was fantastic, and the wait staff was amazing. Gluten free or not, I absolutely recommend you check out the The Wild Ginger.