Gluten Free Dining at the Great Maple in La Jolla

Gluten Free Dining in San Diego 

The Great Maple 

Located in the UTC Mall

The Great Maple Restaurant in the UTC Mall in La Jolla is a great place to go if you are looking for gluten free food. Chef Joe Guerra will modify dishes to fit the dietary needs of guests. Consider The Great Maple when you are looking for a place to meet friends, take out-of-town guests, go on a date, have a business meeting, or celebrate with your group.  The UTC Mall is a hub of activity as it remodels and expands into a San Diego destination. Check out the restaurant and explore the mall!

Happy Hour

Happy hour is every day from 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM. A cannot miss item on the happy hour menu is the 1/2 Cobb Wedge (the full size pictured above is available on the main menu). The chef prepares each dish like a work of art. Not only is it plated with care to make a delightful presentation (after all, we eat with our eyes first) but the dish is filled with layers of flavor and texture to satisfy your appetite. 

Another cannot miss dish on the menu is the Charred Cauliflower Hummus. To make it gluten free you omit the flatbread and add additional veggies for dipping. The taste is unlike any hummus I have ever had. The charred cauliflower’s earthy taste and the honey’s sweetness add to the chickpeas to create a flavor masterpiece.

Starters

The Truffled Devil Eggs are a must-try, rather a must-share! They art artistically served on a bed of frisee lettuce and topped with a delicate parmesan lace.  Although, the portion is enough to share; the taste is so good you will not want to share! The whimsical looking presentation made me want to eat this appetizer with my fingers.  I did with a big smile on my face. The flavors and textures were delightful. The food is comfort food that mom used to make, elevated with sophisticated flavors and artistic presentation. 

Mains

A new dish to the menu is the Grilled Chicken Bowl. It can me made gluten free by swapping the ancient grains for snap peas. This dish is a delight; it is light and satisfying. The chicken was tender, the brussels sprouts delicate, the snap peas crispy, and the cauliflower hummus spicy. I could come back for this dish on a daily basis! Other proteins can be substituted for the chicken so that you can keep coming back for more and not have the exact same dish each time! 

Brunch Classics

Another new dish added to the menu this fall is the Breakfast Smash. This warm and hearty dish is definitely sharable! The savory dish has soft fingerling potatoes, crunchy onions and red bell peppers, and creamy cheese melting down the potatoes. The depth of flavors and textures is satisfying. This hearty dish will prepare you for a workout at one of the fitness facilities in the mall!

Signature Dishes

Two of Great Maple’s signature dishes are the French Toast Logs and Fried Chicken and Doughnuts. Both dishes are not gluten free but give you a sense of the elegant comfort food on the menu. The Great Maple has something for everyone. Make plans to go there today!

Visit The Great Maple for locally sourced food that is made-to-order.  The portions are large and sharable and the dishes remind you of food mom used to make, turned elegant.

Gluten Free in Budapest

Gluten Free Travel to Europe

Plan Ahead

Food

Traveling to Europe with food allergies is something that requires planning.  Prior to travel, I have been downloading and printing Gluten Free Travel Cards so that a language barrier does not stop me from communicating my dietary needs to food service personnel. These cards have been a tremendous help!

I pack gluten free snacks for the long flight and trips through the airport. Many airlines will provide gluten free meals on international flights, check with the airlines as you research.

Lodging

My husband and I seek out vacation rentals so we can have a kitchen to cook. This provides us with the opportunity to prepare gluten free meals and have snacks on hand. Not only is this a "safety net" as it may be difficult to find a plethora of gluten free restaurants in the city in which we are traveling, but it also is a cost savings!

Gluten Free in Budapest, Hungary

Budapest is a beautiful, cosmopolitan city. It has been nicknamed the Paris of the East and the Bangkock of the West.  The Danube flows through the city separating Buda and Pest. The city is busy in the summer as many cruise ships dock and the passengers get out and explore the region. My husband and I found the city very BIKE FRIENDLY but found the cost of bike rentals to be higher than in other cities we have visited. The city has beautiful architecture to explore as well as historical monuments/sites. The market is a wonderful place to explore as well as the caves and thermal baths. 

Below are pictures of the Holocaust Memorial (near Parliament), Parliament at night taken from the Castle, and the Cave Church.

Everywhere you turn in Budapest there is a beautiful building. Along the river you see one beautiful bridge after the next. My husband and I enjoyed visiting Margaret Island, a local getaway in the middle of the Danube. There is even a small zoo on the island!

Gluten Free Cooking

My husband and I enjoyed finding different gluten free products in the store and cooking in our apartment. The vegetables were excellent and we found great pasta and bread too!

This yogurt was excellent ... with fresh fruit and toast!!

The abundance of paprika was a delightful addition to a meal!

Sandwiches always taste better on great bread. Gluten free breads in Budapest were easy to find and high quality.

Gluten Free Dining

PadThai WokBar is a restaurant we visited often. The food was great AND healthy, the prices reasonable, the restaurant had a steady stream of patrons, and the employees were very friendly. The employees went out of their way to teach us simple Hungarian terms to help us with our communication!

Each dish was gluten free, tasted great, and was prepared within minutes! The desserts were a treat too!

Travel with a food allergy requires planning. Do not let a food allergy stop you from exploring a new place. Focus on what you CAN eat. Focus on the CAN and you will have an enjoyable trip and learn invaluable lessons about other cultures! Travel is a great teacher!