McMenamins Deliciousness

Before going GF, I did love me a communication breakdown burger from McMenamins.

McMenamins is a cool local Pacific NW chain of restaurants, hotels & venues. One thing I love about McMenamins is that they are a local company that supports other local companies.  They get all of their food sources from Oregon & Washington based companies. 

On a side note, we have stayed at Edgefield and it was wonderful.  We have also had my husband's union banquet there for the past few years.  It is just a cool place.  Even if you don't stay the night, go check it out for the funky artwork!

http://www.mcmenamins.com

I went into the Happy Valley/Clackamas area on at:

9757 S.E. Sunnyside Rd.

• Clackamas, OR 97015
  
  
  I was pleased as punch that the server was knowledgeable about gluten free food. I was seriously hoping I could get their delightfully delicious shoestring fries with my meal....and I could! They have a dedicated for their tater-tots & if you ask really nicely, they will put a batch of fries in there for you. Yay! They even brought me a local GF ketchup. 
  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  I decided to try their GF bun. Normally I get burgers lettuce wrapped because I don't care for most GF buns. Our server told me that their buns were different so I decided to give it a try. 
  
  
  My mouth was watering when I got my meal. Beautiful!
  
  
  
  
  
  Because I was on a date with my husband and we had a lot of errands to run that day, I decided not to get my much loved communication breakdown burger.  It is delicious, but not the best for your breath.  I got the Dungeon Burger (mushroom & Swiss cheese) instead. 
  
  
  The bun was very different. It was more like ciabatta bread than a traditional bun & I really liked it! 
  
  
  
  
  
  On a non-GF note, we took my son there for his 22nd birthday. He had never been. He decided to try a beer sampler. McMenamins originally started out as just a brewery and they brew some pretty awesome beer. (They do offer a couple of GF beer and hard ciders) 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  He was so impressed with the seasonal Kris Kringle that he bought one of their famous growlers. It was $4 for the refillable jug and $13 to get it filled. He can take it into any McMenamins for refills. Our server told us that every Monday they offer a discount on the bartender's choice for refills as cheap as $8 for the gallon!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  As always, please ask your server about their fryer and GF options at each location. You know what they say about assuming..
  
  
  

Copper Pot Caramels with sea salt

My thoughtful Mother-in-Law, who lives in Yakima, Washington, brought me these local caramels to try. I haven't had a caramel in years!

These salted caramels by Copper Pot Caramels are amazing!! First off, they don't stick to your teeth (which is a bonus because I am a bit OCD about my teeth). I also love supporting small local business. 

You can buy their caramels online or locally in Yakima. I will definitely be eating these again!

http://copperpotcaramels.com

Here are the ingredients listed on the box

Burgerville' GF friendly menu items

Burgerville is a delicious burger chain in Oregon & Washington. It's quite a bit spendier than, say, McDonalds, but the food is a million times better!

One day as I was out & about, I was craving a milkshake and Burgerville makes pretty delicious shakes. I decided to look up their nutritional information online. They had a section specifically addressing GF issues.

http://www.burgerville.com/wp-content/uploads/burgerville-gluten-free-menu-items-and-ingredients.pdf

The website also said that some locations have a GF bun. I decided to investigate further. I was happy that the girl I spoke with was fairly knowledgeable. I placed an order for the Pepper Bacon Burger gluten free. I asked and at my location, they have a separate fryer for just fries (no breaded items) However they did inform me that the fryers were right next to each other, so there could be cross contamination. I decided to go for it anyway. Be sure to ask at your location if they have desperate fryers.

I was given a container that was marked GF. Inside was the fixings for the burger and an individually wrapped Udi's GF bun. I love that it was sealed.

I built my burger and it was delicious!! I haven't had luck with GF buns, but this was big, fluffy & delicious. (I went back a couple of weeks later & the bun wasn't as fresh, but still not bad)

I also got the rosemary shoestring fries & they were tasty. I love that in the fall they have sweet potato fries!!

Their milkshakes are pretty amazing too. I love the Mocha Perk milkshake the best. Burgerville is known for having fresh local seasonal items on a regular basis. I would recommend checking it out!

Find a Burgerville near you;
http://www.burgerville.com/find-a-restaurant