So while my tour of Denver for Labor Day turned into a gluten-free culinary adventure, my true purpose in visiting Colorado was to spend time with my two dear friends, Farrah and Brooke. My first night in the city, we left behind the husbands and kids (it was like every night for me…) and had a girls’ night dinner at LoLa restaurant downtown.

The three of us shared the fresh-made guacamole made table-side.

The server initially warned me away from the corn chips, as there was a chance that they were fried in the same oil as their flautas. Upon further investigation however, he was able to determine that they were from a new distributor and were indeed gluten-free.

Those are our server’s initials etched in chili-powder at the top of the plate. As three friends who are all big fans of Top Chef, we noted the elegance of the table-side presentation. (Speaking of Top Chef – Did you catch it last night? The ever-charming Brian was eliminated. Now it’s down to Hung, Casey and Dale. While I have a soft place in my heart for Casey and would love to hang out with her – I think Hung has been vilified by the editing process and deserves to win. )

In addition to their 100+ tequilas, LoLa is famous for their roasted corn soup so Brooke, Farrah and I each got our own. Mine came without the fried avocado which was full of gluten (and completely delicious according to the gluten-gluttons). The soup lived up to its reputation – absolutely amazing – even without the avocado. Our patient and helpful server also made sure that my soup was in a different shaped bowl to prevent any confusion regarding its gluten-free status.

I ordered the smoked pork and shrimp asada with a side of garbanzo ancho chili. It was one of the most flavorful and enjoyable meals I have had in a while. While it seemed like a gluten-free miracle to eat at Deby’s and Melting Pot, the spicy yet lighter fare offered at LoLa is more my style.

We tried to go to Cloud 9, a local soft-serve place, for dessert. When they couldn’t confirm their ingredients, we opted for my favorite McDonald’s sundae instead.

For my next trip to Denver, I will need to add extra time to ensure I get back to LoLa and all of the gluten-free restaurants I missed on this trip. Thanks again to Brooke and Farrah for making my Labor Day one to remember.

LoLa Address: 1575 Boulder Street Denver, CO Phone: 720-570-8686

When I first heard of the American fondue chain, The Melting Pot, I was already gluten-free. Seemed like a great idea – fondue as a three-course meal – but I knew better than to try to get them to accommodate my gluten-free needs.

During my “culinary tour” of Denver [read: eating a lot while visiting friends], I discovered that The Melting Pot in Littleton has a gluten-free menu. Wah??? How could this be possible? Why had I not heard about this?

For our Saturday night “dinner without the kids,” our original plan was to go to Beau Jo’s for some Colorado-style pizza (they use gf pizza crusts from Deby’s). But during my gluttonous gluten-free brunch, I was told that I HAD to make it to The Melting Pot. – too bad they said, “it’s a Saturday, you’ll never get in.” I knew I had to find a way, even if it meant going by myself the following day and begging for a seat.

Well the universe clearly wanted me to feast on fondue – The Melting Pot had a reservation available for 5 people at 7:30 that night. The timing, the location, it was all perfect.

I started with the seasonal cheese fondue – Mediterranean with fontina and gruyere blended with roasted garlic, dates, shallots and white truffle oil. (For the gf folks they use milk as a base instead of beer.) I was served toasted gluten-free bread that looked so good, I had to check first and make sure it was slightly different from the “regular” bread my friends were eating.

For my second course I went with the Fondue Fusion – Lobster tail, filet mignon, sirloin, garlic and herb chicken, citrus pork tenderloin, and white shrimp. In lieu of the wild mushroom ravioli and roasted red pepper rigatoni I was given extra chicken and filet. An extra piece of filet mignon instead of pasta? Clearly being gf can have its perks.

My second course was cooked a la Bourguignonne – European style fondue in cholesterol free canola oil. The other lighter broth options had gluten ingredients. But on the plus side, I was given two different batters to make tempura. Yes, gluten-free tempura. Along the lines of gluten-free croissants and gluten-free ravioli, tempura is one of those things I had mourned when going gluten-free. I certainly never thought I would be eating gluten-free tempura in a mainstream restaurant.

After all that, it was time for the sweet stuff.

For dessert, I chose the flaming turtle – milk Chocolate, caramel, and chopped pecans – flambéed tableside. Served with strawberries, pineapple, bananas, along with gluten-free angel food cake and chocolate brownies.

While The Melting Pot hadn’t worked out all of the kinks during my visit – no printed gf menu, a couple questions about what was or wasn’t gf. Overall it was an incredible dining experience. I was served every course along with my gluten-glutton friends and, if anything, I was given TOO MUCH gluten-free food.You might be wondering, as I did, how this gluten-free menu came about. I asked the host that evening and he told me it was a corporate-wide initiative. I wondered how in the world this hadn’t made waves in the gluten-free community already? So once I got back to NY I set about to do some investigating of my own. I started by calling The Melting Pot near my Mom’s house in Pasadena to see if they indeed had a gluten-free menu. Nope! I tried a few more: no, no, and finally no.

Well, since that didn’t seem to be going anywhere, I emailed Monica, the owner of Deby’s Gluten-Free Cafe and Bakery, who supplies the bread, tempura batter, angel food cake and brownies to the Littleton Melting Pot. She informed me that the manager of the Melting Pot in Littleton and Louisville, CO had worked with her to develop the menu. Currently they are the only two outposts offering a full gluten-free menu. Monica is hoping to set up a meeting with corporate about how to offer options for gluten-free customers across all of their locations. Keep your fingers crossed – or even better you can help the efforts – call/email/write corporate and ask them to expand their menu.

Monica is doing a great job of making it ever easier for people on a gluten-free diet to eat out safely in Colorado. And now a few of Deby’s products are available through a national restaurant supplier – SYSCO foods. But one woman and one gluten-free bakery can’t do it all. You need to make your voices heard.

In the meantime, pack your bags and make a trip to Colorado, the gluten-free food can’t be beat and the scenery isn’t half bad either.

The Melting Pot Littleton – Address: 2707 W. Main Street Littleton, CO 80210 Phone: (303) 794-5666
The Melting Pot Louisville – Address: 732 Main Street Louisville, CO 80120 Phone: (303) 666-7777

I spent Labor Day weekend eating my way through Denver. During my first 24 hours in the gluten-free mecca, I may have consumed more calories than I typically eat in a week. I found “YES Land” (also known as Deby’s Gluten-Free Café and Bakery) on my first full day in Colorado.

Haven’t you been told NO enough? That is the mantra employed by Monica and Doug Poole, owners of Deby’s Gluten-Free Café and Bakery in Denver, CO – hence the name “YES Land.” And trust me, for anyone living gluten-free, Deby’s is a wonderland of food worth a trip to the Rocky Mountain State.

Deby’s Gluten-Free Café and Bakery opened about two years ago. Named after Doug and Monica’s daughter, Deby, they initially offered 175 gluten-free products. They have since expanded to more than 400 different gluten-free items. They have everything from bread, muffin and cookies to ravioli, chicken nuggets and lasagna. While the location is a little off the beaten path from downtown Denver, visitors from every single United State (including Alaska and Hawaii) and seven different countries have made the pilgrimage to Deby’s. The less traditional location for a restaurant and bakery keeps rent low and enables them to keep prices affordable, especially compared to typical gluten-free baked goods.

After our huge brunch, Monica and Doug gave me a tour of their kitchen complete with pizza oven, waffle maker, bread slicer – (ah, the comfort of crumbs that won’t make me sick!) massive amounts of gluten-free flour, and more. Monica and Doug are zealous advocates for the gluten-free lifestyle after seeing dramatic improvements in their health when they eliminated gluten from their diets. Monica has been gluten free for over 8 years, since being diagnosed with Celiac disease. Today the entire family, Doug, their 13 year-old daughter Deby and their twin 11 year-old boys are all on gluten-free diets. They are all feeling significantly stronger, healthier and eating better than ever.

While I highly recommend making the trip out to Deby’s in person, you can order from a huge selection of items to be delivered straight to your home. Not getting to taste EVERYTHING during my trip to Denver, I ordered two boxes to be shipped back to my apartment in NYC. In fact, I hosted a gluten-free tasting/dinner party at my apartment this week. (I’ll report back soon on how all of my gluten-glutton friends enjoyed Deby’s offerings and more culinary highlights from my trip to Denver. )

Deby’s Gluten Free: address 2369 S Trenton Way, Suite M Denver, CO 80231-7628 phone: (866) 473-2155 email: info@debysglutenfree.com