Langdon Hall

This week my wife and I went to Langdon Hall in Cambridge for dinner. What an amazing experience. The food was incredible, and the service was top notch as well. As a Celiac, you are in great hands. I mentioned to the server that I had Celiac disease and I didn't have to explain anything about what I could and couldn't have. She knew exactly what that meant.

They started me off with in house baked gluten free bread. It was a cinnamon-nut bread, which the waitress commented on as being 'different' for dinner but was great nonetheless. (I wouldn't say it was the best gluten free bread I've ever had, but certainly very decent and a welcome treat at a restaurant.) The only other restaurant I've ever had this treatment at was Verses in Kitchener.

Anyway, the menu seemed to have lots of choices for Celiacs - though you have to be a real 'foodie' to understand some of the things on there. There were lots of 'high' end food options like foie gras, duck, seafood, lamb, and items you don't usually find even at upscale establishments.

I wasn't too adventurous, and ended up choosing a salad to start (which was wonderful) and followed by a main course of beef two ways. The beef was served with mushroom quinoa, and steamed spinach and other veggies which was actually really good. The presentation of the food was so well done.

My wife chose a scallop appetizer (which was also gluten free) and tasted amazing. Probably the best scallop I've ever eaten, and cooked perfectly. Her main entree was duck, which I didn't try since we didn't ask if it was gluten-free.

We were too full for dessert, which actually turned out ok since this was one area that Langdon Hall didn't do very well for Celiacs. The only option was gelato (which apparently is very good there), but we decided against it. Lots of non-GF options though.

All in all, it's definitely a great place to go as a Celiac - highly recommended! But be warned - it's probably one of the most expensive restaurants in the area. Our meal, which was 2 appetizers, 2 glasses of wine and 2 entrees was almost $190 after tip! You could almost eat twice at Charbries or Verses for that price. But it's definitely worth a try for some special occasion.

Feel free to leave a comment if you've been to Langdon Hall yourself, or want to share any other restaurant information here.

Aroma Cafe in Uptown Waterloo

It's been a while since my last post - life has been busy. But one of the gems that I found in the last few months was a little cafe in Uptown Waterloo called the Aroma Cafe.

Besides having excellent coffee, the Aroma Cafe has a wide selection of gluten-free products. They have muffins (the types change regularly: I've tried blueberry, poppyseed, apple cinnamon, and others), cakes, desserts, soup, and even sandwiches that are all GF. I haven't yet tried a sandwich or dessert there - if you have, please feel free to leave a comment.

I spoke to the owner and I was impressed with her knowledge about eating gluten free. One thing to note though: because it is a small cafe, they will use the same knives and cutting boards as they do with non-GF products. They seem to be careful, but it may make sense to ask them to wipe down the cutting board and knife to be extra careful.

The Aroma Cafe is located in the Atrium, which is beside Angie's on Erb Street.

33 Erb Street West
519-884-0411