I know I know, my Colorado visit was MONTHS ago and these posts should have been posted then. I have no excuses for the delay other than life so I am going to get right into the meat of it all. Vacationing can be a hectic time for us gluten free folks, especially if we want to find gluten free foods in a rush. Typically in the past I’ve relied on smart phone apps. such as Gluten Free Registry , to find my next meal on the road but this time I took a little orange book for the ride: The Essential Gluten Free Restaurant Guide 5th edition by Triumph Dining.  I found it to be an incredibly helpful resource that was far more detailed than any App I’ve every used. It’s also much more helpful when lacking in cell service, which was the case in many areas in Colorado and New Mexico. The only downside under each state restaurants are only organized alphabetically by name, making it difficult to find restaurants in a particular city or town. An index of cities would easily solve this problem! But onto the reviews!

1517 Miner Street

Idaho Springs, CO, 80452

One would assume that pizza can only be pizza, and nothing more, but Beau Jo’s proves you ENTIRELY wrong. The menu touts many gluten free options, all clearly labeled and listed additionally on their own gluten free menu page. They are also produced in a dedicated section of the kitchen. From this list, we settled on the honey cheese bread, one BeauJo’s Sauce pizza (the Pacific Plantation) and one Roasted Garlic + Olive Oil Sauce Pizza (the Centurion), both vegetarian versions. 

The honey cheese bread as Mike put it “Blew Our Minds”! It is apparently a staple to Colorado’s local foods and was something I was originally a bit hesitant about. Sounds a bit odd right? But, it was sweet yet tangy, and has since haunted my mind and memory. If I had the chance I would eat it again and again. Both the Plantation and the Centurion were delicious in their own right. The Plantation had a continuation of the honey theme, airing on the sweeter side of delicious as it contained Rocky Mountain Honey. The Centurion was a bit on the more traditional side. Regardless, they were both great and with added honey on the crusts: YUM!

My only dissatisfaction with the place was that none of the food challenges (such as the 14ER 14lb 16″ pizza) are offered in gluten free options. I would have tried that one out. In addition, this place was terribly busy, however with some places this is just an obvious symbol of it’s popularity and here the wait was well worth it. I also get a bit disappointed when a location has an added price to gluten free products, especially when they have good business, so I feel the prices could have been a bit more fair.

Food Quality: 1

  

3161 Walnut Street

Boulder, Colorado

To be honest, I don’t remember much specific about this place in detail. The staff was friendly, the place was empty and the food was simple but good. Mike and I ordered the Vegetarian Chili, Shrimp in Tomato Garlic Ginger Sauce and the Spinach Enchilada. The food was filling and good but nothing particular was striking. While the menu is relatively extensive, there wasn’t much for pescatarian gluten free folks and it seemed that the staff/kitchen wasn’t too aware about the need for cross contamination measures as they were unsure of the ingredients of several items listed on the gluten free menu (or they were fried in a non dedicated fryer). The one benefit was that the prices are very reasonable, and because they don’t include gluten free ingredients specifically, there isn’t a spike in price for the gluten free options. Overall, this is a good place to grab a bite to eat if you aren’t looking for something outstanding.   

Celtic Celiac @ http://celtic-celiac.blogspot.com/