RESTAURANT: The Otherside Cafe - Boston, MA

Until recently, when I thought of Boston, the ONLY things I thought of were (in order): Guinness, Fenway Park, and St. Patrick's Day. Now I know to associate Boston with Guinness, Fenway Park, St. Patrick's Day, and The Otherside Cafe.

Before we went to Boston for our 3-day weekend extravaganza, we did a bunch of research online about gluten free dining. Check out the post I wrote just before we left, it includes lots of tips like how to make your own Google My Map to store all your places. We made a gluten free map of Boston, which I'll be sharing with ya'll soon.

One of the restaurants we found was The Otherside Cafe, a cafe by day / bar by night right near Berklee College of Music. On Newbury St, it's literally on the other side of all the trendy stores and odd shops (get it?).

You can tell instantly that this is a good place. How? No, there weren't groups of hot models or celebrities waiting outside to get in. No, there was no offer of "Free Puppies" with every purchase. You can tell it's a good joint because of the green sheet hanging from the porch declaring "$4 Drafts." It was really funny to see, especially contrasted with the artsy cutout metal sign mounted above with the cafe's name. Just goes to show you that a sign doesn't have to be pretty to be effective.

So this was on Saturday. We were planning on stopping in for a drink (a $4 drink!!), but we were busy on a mission. For gluten free chocolate cupcakes. At the Whole Foods. Not the Whole Foods 5 minutes from the hotel. The one across town. Apparently kids that go to Berklee and are gluten free don't get these cupcakes stocked at their Whole Foods. Not my battle. I'll let the fine citizens of Boston take this up with the Whole Foods purchasers.

On Sunday we made it over to the Otherside. The first thing that struck me was how warm and inviting it was inside (literally warm, the hostess was wearing a tank top in JANUARY! Perfect). There was music playing, gentle chatter from the hungover customers drinking sangria and beer, and the soft clanging from coffee spoons stirring and toasters toasting. It was like coffee shop in Amsterdam (sans weed, at least from what I could tell) meets high-end New Jersey Diner. Best of both worlds.

To make things even better, check out how delicious our meals were! Eric got a traditional Diner Breakfast with scrambled eggs, sausage, and home fries. The meal usually comes with a biscuit, but obviously that was a no-no. What was really great was when he ordered no biscuit, the waitress asked if it was due to a gluten allergy. She then confirmed that the rest of his meal was naturally gluten free, and omitting the biscuit ensures there is no cross contamination.

I ordered the Tex-Mex Tango, a great and hearty combo of scrambled eggs with cheddar and jalapenos, black beans, salsa, guacamole, spiced sour cream, and tortilla chips. And, no need to fear, the tortilla chips are 100% corn.

Look, it even says "gluten allergy!"

I was really tempted to get a gluten free Green's beer, but it was a little early, even for me. The fact that they have Green's beer is amazing, it is by far the best gluten free beer you can get, and their "dark" version is the closest to Guinness that you can get for now (I'm holding out that Guinness will make a gluten free version).

Our breakfast visit was such a fun experience that I went back the next day to meet with Dan Venskus, one of the cafe's managers. He gave me the low down on The Otherside Cafe.

Dan, posed in front of some menus

A more natural state

To start, I learned that this fun building was originally built in 1909, and it previously housed a furniture store. That makes sense, it's not a very ordinary layout for a restaurant (balcony area on top, staircase in the middle...). It turned into The Otherside Cafe in 1992, and ever since been a fun, eclectic, and calming cafe that is both hippie and hipster but without the most negative qualities of each, like dirtiness or an ironic hobo-chic fashion sense.

One of my favorite aspects of the cafe is the atmosphere. But apparently it's not for everyone. Dan directed me to The Otherside's Yelp page, where he's read that some customers "feel like we're all here to judge them. They see a bunch of goofy people dancing around... and they think we look down on them." One Yelp-er said it's like a "dim waltz through a hipster haunt at the end of Newbury Street." But Dan thinks it's funny. "We're using the Yelp reviews in our advertising," he said. I agree with Dan. I live in Brooklyn, about 1/2 mile south of hipster Mecca, so I like to think I'm somewhat of an expert on hipsters. The staff here are definitely not hipsters.

So how did gluten free make it on their menu? As the legend goes, in the summer of 2007, a former associate (who had contributed greatly to the menu) discovered that she had been living with a gluten allergy (sound familiar??). According to Dan, "her allergy really spurred the movement of us having a separate [gluten free] menu." Since then she has moved on and to open The Owl House in Rochester, NY, and it looks like the concept of gluten free menu items have travelled with her! Next trip up north, I know exactly where I'm headed!

The Otherside's menu hasn't changed much over the years, but they have made some small changes to make sure that folks with all kinds of dietary restrictions can eat there. My favorite example was the tortilla chips. They used to contain wheat, and with one small switch, voila!, a large portion of the menu is gluten free! They also have a ton of vegetarian and vegan options, and the ability to mix and match is nice and flexible. Dan put it best: "I'd like to say that offering a diverse menu is challenging, but it really isn't. It's no different than the challenge of simply offering a menu...it shows that we're paying attention." I wish other restaurants would take a cue from this place.

The gluten free menu has survived over the past 4 years or so mainly because of the staff. (And, no, they're not all 20 year old kids that shop exclusively at Urban Outfitters and Salvation Army. They're a healthy mix of youngish and younger, and they all seem to find pleasure in some of the simpler things in life: food, beer, music, and restaurant work.) I was very happy to find out that some of the staff have a gluten allergy as well! Dan said, and I think it's a fun idea, that the staff have an amazing opportunity to contribute to the menu. So you could very well see a staff member's Sunday supper on the menu!

At first, I really wanted to profile The Otherside Cafe on my blog to highlight the dedication they have to offering a diverse menu that can offer everyone a "safe" meal. But now, what shines through is how discreetly they offer a diverse menu. There's no ruckus or need for explanation when you ask about ingredients. There's no crazy bolded and red text next to every menu item pointing out what's gluten free and what's not. It's simple. It's comfortable.  This feeling of normalcy allows you to forget about your gluten allergy for a momentand just enjoy. And, on top of all that, the food's pretty tasty.

The Otherside Cafe
407 Newbury St.
Boston, MA 02215
www.theothersidecafe.com

All photos courtesy of:
Lobo Jones Photography
www.lobojonesphoto.blogspot.com/

LIST - Travelling Gluten Free

One bug I don't mind being bitten by is the TRAVEL BUG! Send me anywhere and everywhere, I don't care!

In college I was lucky enough to spend a semester in Prague, my #2 favorite city in the world besides NYC. For those of you that haven't been, here's my 5 favorite things about Prague:

1. It looks like a Disney movie. All the streets are cobblestone, all the buildings are painted pretty pastel colors, and there's a castle!
2. Beer is cheaper than water, and in my opinion, tastier.
3. Dogs are so well trained that they walk without leashes. Yay for the animals!
4. They make this one sandwich called smažený sýr. Think giant square mozzarella stick, with tartar sauce, on a hamburger bun. Heaven. I know it's not gluten free, I discovered it before I knew what gluten was. One day it will be done gluten free. I promise.
5. The history there is just amazing, and there are plenty of people that want to talk about it and share their stories.

Anways, I got off topic. So when I was in Prague I also had the luck to be able to travel all over Europe. I went to Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, Naples (let the drooling begin...). This is where I was bit by that damn bug.

And then I came home, and haven't been out of the country again since. Which is fine. I've done a lot of travelling in the US, which is not such a bad place I suppose. My 2 favorite places in the US thus far are definitely Asbury Park, NJ and Lake Sunapee, NH (check out Eric's website here for more info than you ever wanted to know about Asbury Park). Asbury is literally a metaphor for the whole country: it's the struggle of good vs. evil, rich vs. poor, left brained folks vs. right brained folks. It's wonderful. And Sunapee is clean, isolated, nature-packed, and calm.

Which brings me to the actual plot of this post. Does the "gluten" factor mean you have to give up travelling? Are you now supposed to stay in your "safe zone" and never leave your city limits?

Absolutely not.

If you DON'T TRAVEL, then GLUTEN WINS. And we cannot let that happen.

So, I've been planning a trip for this weekend (Boston, if you must know), and I wanted to share some tips and advice that you can use WHEN (not if, when) you plan your next trip.

1. Use the Internets (duh)

Just like when you research your flights, hotels, and attractions in your destination, use the internet to research where to eat. Do a little more than just typing in "city name + gluten free" and looking at the first result, go to the 2nd page! When I was searching for Boston restaurants, it took a little while before I came across this gem, the brilliant blog Please Don't Pass the Nuts. This is a blogpost from 2009 about dining out in Boston, and while the posting was helpful, one fan posted a HUGE list of restaurants. Make bookmarks on your favorites and then compile them into a Google Map at the end of your search.

2. Create a custom Google Map with your "favorites" saved

It's super easy. You can watch this video from Google to see how. But basically, go into Google Maps, click "My Maps", create a name and all that, then search for each of your restaurants/cafes/etc, then where it says "directions" and those buttons, click "Save To" and click the name of your map. It's there! I would recommend searching by restaurant name and not address, because whatever you type in becomes the title of the spot on your map.

You can then download your custom map to your smart phone and be all set when you're on the go on your trip!

3. Call ahead to restaurants

I can't stress how important this is. You can't expect to always find restaurants that have a gluten free menu. And even if you have a ton available, you'll want to eat somewhere different. Just make sure you call ahead, explain your situation, and see if they have anything on their menu that evening that you can eat. I would recommend calling before 5pm, since this is when restaurants start getting busy. And call the day you're planning on going, many places change their menu daily.

Here's some questions you can ask:
- I have an intolerance to gluten, do you know if there are options on the menu for tonight that don't contain wheat/barley/rye?
- Do you have any gluten free options on your menu for tonight?
- Do you know if there are any options on your menu that are safe for people with a gluten intolerance?

It'll usually go one of 3 ways: either they are very accommodating and helpful, they don't know but offer to ask the chef, or they just don't know and don't care. If it's #3, don't bother.

4. Go to the grocery store

This works great for breakfasts, snacks, and desserts. And it's even better (but not necessary) if you have a mini fridge in your hotel room. So many grocery stores (and our favorite, Whole Foods) carry gluten free cereals, snacks, desserts, it will make life easier to stock up. And it's cheaper than eating out for every meal.

5. Be flexible

While it's good to plan your trips in advance, don't do it to the extreme where you're not able to make changes to your itinerary. Be flexible in your eating choices, you'll have a much better trip.