I think everyone "gets" gluten free in the Bay Area. Any fine restaurant, and most not-so-fine restaurants, will accomodate you well. For example, last night I ate at Plum, and nearly everything was naturally gluten free, and the wait staff was very clear on what did and didn't have gluten.

Richmond, CA
They were with the popsicles and ice cream bars.

I just bought Ciao Bella sorbet in individual cups - a 12 pack with 4 each of coconut, blood orange and mango sorbets. These were the huge hit of a recent afternoon party. Delicious sorbet in portion controlled packages!

I would focus on adding some savory items if you already are having an ice cream party. Crackers, cheese, hummus, veggies, tuna salad, chips and salsa, maybe a noodle kugel (though that's sweet) that you warm up.

I have been several times. I am very impressed with the quality of the ice cream, the amazingly crispy and delicious cones, the various seasonal flavors they come up with and the thoughtful design / cute space. They have flavors that are both very straightforward and kid friendly, and also flavors that are quite sophisticated.

I was hoping someone would start a thread - I didn't as I thought it was inappropriate - I am a kickstarter backer and friend of one of the owners.

I look forward to future reports from tasters!

I don't know of one, and this sounds complicated. I would think (as a parent, food person, Kaiser patient, etc.) that in this situation I would want to take some short breaks from the hospital, and walking down to Piedmont Ave to eat would be the ideal way to do so. Hopefully it's a short term situation. Otherwise, friends or family could probably bring meals to the parents.

FYI hospitalized patients are all in the hospital on Howe - it's just outpatients that are in different buildings.

Masse's Pastries always has a couple of gluten free items that are delicious.

I have made my own during Pesach with soaked almonds and a blender/food processor, and then strained it. Definitely more of a pain than buying a container, but it works if needed.

I absolutely love this salad : http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/1...

I also like to mix it with raw greens like arugula or kale.

Prune jam / filling of course!

I tried it out this weekend (unfortunately we didn't have the Groupon).

It was okay. They definitely don't seem very "together". Several times the staff couldn't explain dishes, they said they had a dish, then they were out, then they had it again, there were key ingredients left out of descriptions (who knew a brussels sprouts two ways salad would have a lot of arugula, mushrooms and cheese, possibly even nuts?), the pricing on our bill did not match the pricing on the menus, etc.

We liked most of the food we ate, but it didn't blow us away. I don't think we'll be back, given the other great mid-priced restaurants around.

I think Tartine is one of a kind. That said there are fabulous bakeries in Oakland and Berkeley, depending on what you are seeking. Try Masse's Pastries, Crixa Cakes, the Cheeseboard,

Over the weekend I baked a pear upside down cake (it turned out really good - not quite as pretty as I would like, but very flavorful - White House recipe), chocolate chip cookies (standard), chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies (Martha Stewart), and gooey cinnamon squares (These were well-received, but I don't think they're my favorite bar cookies. It's weird to eat such a gooey bar - I think I'd jut prefer regular snickerdoodles - new Smitten Kitchen Cookbook).

Have you made the chewy chocolate ginger cookies as Martha's recipe is written? They are amazing, especially when made with chopped up great dark chocolate, and plenty of fresh ginger grated in.

Yes, California Pizza Kitchen. Sorry for the abbreviation!

I don't have an answer to best. But, I have tried pumpkin cheesecake this year from La Farine (okay, too much nutmeg I think) and CPK (I'm ashamed to admit, but I was there... Very gingery crust, two layers that taste the same, limited pumpkin flavor). Neither were amazing.

There are lots at Berkeley Bowl and West Berkeley Bowl. Prices vary based on type of figs and organic vs. conventional.

These cookies are fabulous (even if you eat gluten and dairy and eggs!):

!
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup rice bran oil (or coconut oil)...(coconut butter is even better!)
3/4 cup agave nectar
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (65% or higher)
1 cup fruit-juice-sweetened dried cherries optional

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large
mixing bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder. In a medium
bowl, whisk togehter the oil, agave, and vanilla. Fold the wet ingredients into the
almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in chocolate and cherries (if
using). Spoon the dough 1 heaping TBSP at a time onto the prepared baking sheet,
leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the tops of the
cookies look dry and start to crack—be careful not to overcook. Let the cookies cool
on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then serve warm. Makes 2 dozen.

I am feeling blessed to be on the West Coast with no power or other weather concerns.

This weekend I made the new Salted Caramel Apple Tart from Smitten Kitchen. It tasted good, but was not mind blowing. We were 10 for dinner and ate about half (I made about 1.25 recipes). it got a little soggy as leftovers. (I will not mention burning the caramel as I was putting my children to bed, and the ensuing fire truck, as that is certainly not the recipe's fault...)

I also made a cake for my son's birthday - per his request I made chocolate butter cake (3 layers), filled with a mocha filling (quite sophisticated for a 7 year old, no?) and vanilla buttercream. It was decorated with homemade chocolate and red "white chocolate" legos, to look like a baseball. The kids and parents seemed impressed.

I have room temp roasted veggies, including brussels sprouts, at Shabbat lunch all the time. I think they will hold just great. Not quite as crispy as fresh, but still delicious.

I've eaten vegetarian from MexiKosher and it was quite good. We did takeout to do a burrito bar at home. Mexican lends itself well to vegetarian - beans, rice, cooked veggies, guacamole, etc.

I made a chocolate birthday cake this week. It needed to be dairy-free, so I made the German chocolate cake from Rose's Heavenly Cakes as the base. I cooked up a coconut cream / brown sugar dulce de leche-ish concoction which became the filling. I made an almond milk based chocolate ganache for the frosting. I added some extra fat in the form of earth balance shortening. It took a long time to firm up, but ended up good.

The cake was well received. Quite good for no butter or cream. The birthday girl was pleased.

And FYI, Oakland no longer has kosher supervision. This is a big loss for folks who only eat kosher meat - there are no places in the East Bay now, save Oakland Kosher Foods, which is more of a butcher shop than a restaurant.

This statement has appeared in several local Jewish publications:

After lengthy consideration, the ownership of Holy Land Restaurant in Oakland has decided to discontinue kosher supervision. Unfortunately, the need for a Jewish owner to be closed on Shabbat and Holidays impacted business too much and the owner felt that it was impossible to continue after so many years of effort trying to make this work. I would like to emphasize that she has acted honorably throughout; there were no breaches or specific kashrut concerns that led to this decision. However, please note that there will not be any kosher supervision whatsoever going forward on the meat, the other ingredients or the restaurant's processes and cooking.

yes, exactly. This most recent batch was again well received - very appreciated by kids and adults like, with just chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.

Yesterday I made three batches of "infinitely adaptable blondies" - one with chocolate chips, one with white chocolate and macadamia nuts, and one with reduced coffee and cappucino chips. They all turned out delicious, except the coffee ones kind of burned, and I needed to remove a layer from the sides and bottom.

Tonight I need to make a peach crisp, with the last of the fall peaches, and lots of oats and nuts.

Tomorrow I will make more blondies or chocolate chip cookies, plus a giant plum tart, with the last of the plums and pluots.

(Due to Jewish holidays, early fall is my busiest baking season!)

I think the back room at Pizzaiolo would be great.

I will confirm, but I think they'll think of it like eating in someone else's kosher home. (The kosher folks identify as Conservative if that helps give a guideline.) If you have reasons to think they will not actually be kosher please let me know.

Thanks you for the specific ideas. These are all worth exploring.

I would be okay with "self-supervised" as long as the folks are using a kosher kitchen, kosher ingredients, etc. I definitely think hiring a mashgiach to supervise one meal would be cost-prohibitive.

Thankfully I am not paying! The host really wants kosher catering to accomodate the needs of some parts of the group, so I think she is okay with paying.

Thanks! I did see this list when I googled, but it's hard to know how to really navigate it. I appreciate your help.

Anyone have ideas about a kosher caterer or a kosher place for takeout for Thanksgiving in San Diego? We are looking for turkey, traditional side dishes and desserts, but are very flexible about the exact menu. An elderly relative really wants to host Thanksgiving, but she can't cook, and doesn't want me to. to that end, I think we are fairly flexible about pricing, and would be happy with anything from very casual to very formal.