Eastside Mexican Food Just Got Easier: Don Tequila

I've lived around the corner from Don Tequila for about a near now, and still hadn't eaten there. Sure I like Mexican food, but being a vegetarian celiac in the land of cheese, rice, tortillas, and well, more cheese is not only calorie crazy version of dinner but decidedly heart unhealthy one. Plus, like so many of you, I have a fragile tummy and there's only so much sour cream or guacamole I can eat before I can eat no more (it's about five bites, if you're keeping count).

Sure, authentic Mexican is great, veggie laden, full of protein rich beans, but authentic Mexican food is harder to find than it's Americanized, cheese covered cousin. But this isn't about bad Mexican food, it's about good Mexican food, it's about Don Tequila on Green Road in University Heights.

Taking over Jack's Deli's old space, this unassuming Mexican restaurant has thrived where once a Jewish deli reigned supreme. Their menu is extensive and options plentiful (so you can your dinner, and smoother it in cheese too, should you wish). Best of all, though there is certainly a language barrier, they very clearly understood me when I said "I have a serious allergy to flour. Corn is okay but no flour. Can I eat this?"

Sometimes, when I get the head nod or when waiter assures me something "will be fine", I just don't feel so secure. You've had similar experiences, no? You want to believe them that those corn chips really are just corn, but your gluten-free paranoia takes over and suddenly your sipping water and pushing food around your plate to make it look like you've eaten something. We've all been there. Sure, I was worried, too, but when I ordered spinach enchiladas (actually filled with spinach, not gobs of cheese with a bit of spinach mixed in), I double checked to make sure the sauce didn't have flour in it, too.

"Oh. Yeah, enchilada sauce is made with flour," the waiter with a sudden wash of understanding of just how pervasive the whole wheat allergy thing is. I bit my lip trying to figure out how to navigate the menu, not being sure what was safe."Don't worry. We'll just put another sauce on it. One with no flour." With that, he took my menu. Problem solved!

When my food arrived - smothered in a delicious green sauce - it was not only gluten-free goodness, but one great meal. Actually two great meals, considering I took my leftovers home and had 'em for lunch! Not bad a bad deal for $6.75, not a bad deal at all.

Lopez Bar and Grill

Dearest gluten-free friends, sometimes life gets busy. My to-do list was filled with projects I felt I could safely push off 'till spring and, idling in my free time I baked, I slept, I lazily did laundry, and I aimlessly sipped coffee at Caribou, reading up on how to use Flash Animation. Sleeping when I liked, writing when I liked, catching up on the entire cannon of Desperate Housewives, I'm not going to lie, it was a mighty nice existence. 

Thing is though, I happened to gaze at the day and month time stamp on my computer and was shocked to discovered that time has in fact slipped into mid-March! Suddenly, "recently graduating from college this past May", doesn't seem all that recent and it's high time I get myself back into high gear. 

With that in mind, I present to you (a rather quick review of) a way for us gluten-freers to get dinner fast: take out. 

Or, okay, eat there if you've got the time - but either way, Lopez Bar and Grill (on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights) provides a mighty nice dinner for the gluten-free and gluten eating among you. A menu of Southwestern delights made from fresh ingredients, from what I gathered from the menu and my waiter, there were few places for gluten to hide on my plate. 

I enjoyed the fajitas  - which basically meant a lovely plate of grilled zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, tomatoes, onions, and red and green peppers accompanied by corn tortillas - very happily and was thankful for such a plain, yet delicious, meal. (It came with a side of re-fried beans that I can't say I ate - due both to not knowing how they were prepared, and because I could smell the hot spice from a full foot away. A true horror for my acid reflux-y stomach, though a god-send for some, I know.)

I got the impression that the Lopez staff were more than willing to accommodate their customers and convey their food concerns to the kitchen. It was also nice to get a plate of Southwestern food that wasn't piled high with questionable sour cream or guacamole (delicious as they are when you're safe in the knowledge that the one you're about to enjoy is gluten free, but treacherous when they appear on your plate without an ingredient list to accompany them). 

On the whole, Lopez is a nice alternative to cooking at home, or another dinner at Cafe Tandoor, Tommy's, Sun Luck Garden, or Maggiano's -- all of which are great food allergy friendly dining establishments, but variety is the spice of life, right? Of course it is, and at Lopez you can have it, mild, medium, or super hot. 

I La La Love Luchita's

(I know it's been a long while since I updated - I have an excuse! I've been sick! And I wrote it all up plus a long discussion of latkes and kugel only to find all of my pictures of my delicious Jewish potato goodness were on my boyfriend's camera, left in Michigan. So until I can get them, my explanation, and my latkes, will have to wait. Till then, please enjoy this offering...)

Do you remember the first time you went to a restaurant after your diagnosis? 

You scanned the menu, mentally ticking off the items, Can't eat that. Can't eat that.  Can't eat that. And the few menu items that may have been a possibility? Well, you were pretty sure they either had hidden gluten in them or that the restaurant staff would probably screw up and put croutons in your salad or lie to you about thickening their soup with flour. You told the waiter about your food allergy 500 times before ordering, asked to speak to the manager, double checked that the kitchen knew how very serious your gluten intolerance was when the now annoyed waiter placed your iceberg lettuce salad and boiled potato in front of you ...and then didn't eat any of it because you saw a speck of "might be gluten, might be pepper" on your plate. 

While that might be an extreme example, the first few times you eat out, it's like walking into a gluten minefield. 

I guess that's why I was so surprised when I went to Luchita's last week and almost forgot to tell them about my gluten issue. That's right, I've become so comfortable eating there, I practically assumed I was going to be safe. Of course, I double checked with the waitress if my favorite dish - the vegetarian enchiladas, stuffed with potatoes, spinach, and cheese and covered in a green sauce - was still made with gluten free, all corn tortillas (and yes, it was), but its a good feeling to be so secure at a restaurant that I knew I'd be as safe as if I'd ordered that iceberg lettuce standby. 

Luchita's has a pretty sizable menu, with three or four dishes they're happy to provide vegetarian versions of. Of course, if you eat meat, the menu opens up a great deal more to you as it does at most any restaurant. But if you steer clear of typical gluten strong holds - the floury tortillas of quesadillas come to mind - you're pretty sure to be safe with almost any dish you choose. As you should before ordering anything, you should always ask your server just what is in the food - and on that note, I've always food the waiters and waitresses at Luchita's more than happy to double check with the cooks on anything they weren't sure about. 

Luchita's has four locations - three on the Westside and one in Cleveland. Us Eastsiders used to have a Luchita's at Shaker Square, but it closed its doors earlier this year (as did most places at Shaker Square, but that's a whole other topic for another time). While it might be a bit of a hike (or a schlep, depending on just what part of the Eastside your on), it's well worth it. Authentic Mexican food at it's best, that is, the kind that's naturally gluten free. 

Mi Pueblo - Good Mexican Food Near University Circle

It has been 17 long days since I've reported on a gluten free place for Clevelanders. To be fair, some of those days included multiple trips out of state (restaurant reviews included), some included unwritten about trips to already reviewed favorites like Cafe Tandoor and Pearl of the Orient, and some included the prep for and the actual day of Thanksgiving. So, I deserve a little eensy-teensy break on this, right? 

Yeah, I didn't think so either. 

So, in order to get back into your good graces, gluten free Clevelanders, I bring you dinner from the delicious and surprisingly fun Mi Pueblo. 

From beans to rice to corn tortillas and tacos, Mexican cuisine offers a wide array of naturally gluten free food. It's kind of freeing to open a menu and labor over it in a positive way - deciding what to get rather than trying to find the least offensive offering. Despite my usual good luck with Mexican food, I called ahead see if they could accommodate my gluten free

 needs, as it is always best to do. I was assured corn tortillas would find their way on my plate and, though still a little leery of the language barrier, off to dinner I went. 

Before we continue, let me just take a moment to re-point out that Mi Pueblo is not a gluten free establishment. Cross contamination can and probably is an issue here so you will need to have a conversation with your server and place your order according to your comfort level. 

It didn't take long for me to settle on the quesadillas. Normally made with flour tortillas, I thought it would be a nice treat to get something I usually couldn't. While I sat back and munched on the corn tortilla chips, we were unexpectedly served a small cup of soup - chicken for my brother and father, vegetable for me . (I must say, my soup looked suspiciously like theirs so I didn't dare try it, guessing it would be chicken broth. The family gave it positive reviews, though.) Not bad for about seven dollars a dinner, not bad at all. 

My cheese filled corn tortillas arrived with a side of Spanish rice, refried beans, ...and Mariachi musical accompaniment. Yes, really! Two elderly gentleman (perhaps, Senior Seniors? ba-dump!) played their way through the restaurant, strumming out intricate melodies on their guitars and serenading the diners in Spanish. It was quite an experience. 

The food was good, ooey, gooey, cheesy, and just what I wanted. It would've been nice if there were vegetables somewhere on my plate, but I suppose I could've ordered a side (the prices are definitely right for adding on sides, or appetizers, or desserts, or some of their famous margaritas...) 

All in all, I have no complaints about my dinner at Mi Pueblo. It was great to get out, to get away from some of my Thanksgiving leftovers, to have someone else cook for a change, and to experience more of Cleveland!