Restrictive Diet Restaurant Reviews

Ken Peng loves Trader Joe’s truffle brie cheese and smoking meat. He also loves dining out.

Peng, creator of Ken Eats Gainesville, gives the inside food critics review on where to eat when you think there’s nowhere to go out because of your diet.

Fortunately, Peng does not have to eat according to any diet, but he is still the go-to guy in Gainesville for all things restaurant.

Ken Peng, 28-year-old food writer and employee at Trade PMR in Gainesville. Photo courtesy of Ken Peng.

His story began in childhood. Peng’s father owned an Asian supply company, and he grew up dining out in restaurants and traveling. He’s eaten cuisine in the United States, Canada, parts of the Caribbean, China and Japan. Like many students, when Peng moved to Gainesville in 2004 to attend UF, he knew nothing about the food here besides chain restaurants like TGI Fridays and Chili’s. When Peng was a student at UF, Yelp didn’t even exist. His resources were very limited, so he had to do all the searching himself.

He slowly learned about the local cuisine and started writing restaurant reviews on his personal Facebook page. “I would just rant about stuff,” Peng said.

Peng made his first review on his Facebook page, Ken Eats Gainesville, last year while in between jobs. “I didn’t think anyone would actually wanna read it, but at one point people actually started to read it,” he said about his reviews. He said his goal with the Facebook page is to appeal to college students like himself, when he was 18, who don’t know where to find good food.

So far, he has reviewed 24 restaurants in the Gainesville area, and he doesn’t plan on stopping.

On the topic of restrictive diets Peng recommended a number of diverse restaurants, all with different cuisines and different things to offer.

Interesting diets:

Bangkok Square, a new Thai restaurant at 6500 SW Archer Road offers authentic Thai food and a whole section on the menu is devoted to Macrobiotic diets, which are popular in Asia. The diets emphasize dishes rich in vegetables with whole grains and zero processed food. If you can tolerate grains, this is a great option to consume your carbs without all the additives that often come with them.

Vegan/Vegetarian:

Peng also mentioned a number of restaurants that offer vegetarian and vegan food. The Top, the Jones, Vegan2go  and Tempo Bistro To Go are excellent choices for vegan and vegetarian eaters.

I used to eat “The Burger” at the Jones B Side (there are two Jones restaurants) with black beans and quinoa before going on the SCD. If you are a vegetarian I highly recommend it with garlic aoli and cheddar cheese.

Gluten-free/Grain-free

For gluten-free eaters, Peng said Dragonfly Sushi has lots of gluten-free choices. People on the SCD and Paleo diet can also dine at places like The Daily Green and Designer Greens, which make great salads.

Peng’s recommendations are worth a try. His Facebook has over 3,600 likes, and it is clear Peng is passionate about food and dining. Be sure to visit http://www.keneatsgainesville.com to see what Ken eats next!

Banana Pancakes

One thing I truly miss from my old carbohydrate-filled life is eating pancakes at restaurants on Sunday mornings. My breakfasts now mainly consist of eggs – every day for weeks on end. Lucky for me, when I get a pancake craving, I just make banana pancakes (minus the flour)!

These pancakes are sugar and grain free. They do contain a small amount of butter, which can be replaced with coconut oil or any other type of oil, and eggs. They don’t have the same texture as your average pancake: They are softer and egg-y-er than their flour counterpart. This does not make them bad. They have a great banana flavor, and the cinnamon and vanilla makes them reminiscent of bananas foster.

Here’s how to make them:

Gather all your ingredients: bananas, eggs, coconut flour, baking soda, vanilla extract, salt (not pictured), cinnamon and butter. The measurements are down at the bottom.

Photo by Shayna Tanen

Next, peel your banana and and crack an egg into a medium or large bowl. I am only using one banana and one egg, which leaves me with no left-overs. But you can certainly make more, just double up the recipe!

Mash the banana up with the egg. I use a whisk to get everything nicely combined.

Photo by Shayna Tanen

Once your batter looks thin and goopy, it’s time to add the flavorings. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and coconut flour and mix it up. Now you are ready to cook.

Allow your pan to come up to medium heat. NEVER put food in a cold pan. It inhibits browning and makes your food soft and much less delicious than if you had waited for your pan to get hot. Coat the pan with a generous slab o’ butter and pour out your pancakes. They are hard to flip so I like to make little silver dollars, but if you are brave go ahead and make a big one.

Photo by Shayna Tanen

So my banana pancakes might not be as gorgeous as regular pancakes, but when you are on a restricted diet you get used to that. They taste different too, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing!

Make sure to wait until the pancakes are golden brown on one side to flip them. Once they are done, serve them up with more butter and honey. I also like to sprinkle on more cinnamon because it makes them look nice.

Photo by Shayna Tanen

Banana Pancakes recipe:

• 1 very ripe banana
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tbs. coconut flour
• pinch of salt
• butter
• honey

1. Peel banana and crack an egg into a medium or large bowl. Mash the banana with a whisk until it is broken up well and the egg is combined.

2. Add vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and coconut flour and stir well.

3. Pour the pancakes into a hot, buttered pan.

4. Cook on medium heat until brown on both sides.

5. Serve with honey, butter and cinnamon if desired.

Tips

• Coconut flour has a tendency to be very absorbent. If the mixture still looks too wet and runny after adding the flour, don’t worry. Adding too much coconut flour makes the pancakes very fibrous and less tasty.
• If you do not adhere to the SCD, but follow the Paleo diet, you may use maple syrup on your pancakes.
• Never overcrowd your pan. Keep the pancakes well-spaced out and at least half an inch from each other.
• You can serve them with yogurt or berries or bacon for a more filling meal!

Enjoy!

Chipotle is good for the SCD soul

I love Chipotle.

It is by far my favorite restaurant chain. I don’t care if the employees at the University Avenue location see me there one to three times a week without fail. When I feel a pang of hunger and a craving, Chipotle is the first place I go to.

I’ll start at the beginning:

I remember the first time I experienced Chipotle. It was wonderful. I got a burrito and it was VERY hard to eat, and I didn’t know what to do with myself but that was okay, because I had discovered the most delicious Mexican food a Florida girl could find.

Fast forward to 2014, and my love affair with Chipotle has grown exponentially. Not only do I appreciate the flavors, freshness and integrity of Chipotle food, I can eat it without breaking the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

Living in a college town, I am constantly faced with beer and pizza, neither of which I can eat. Chipotle is the only restaurant in Gainesville where I am 100% positive of the ingredients I am consuming. It is a huge relief when I can rely on Chipotle for sustenance when my fridge and pantry are depressingly empty. 

If you are on a restrictive diet like the SCD, Paleo or gluten-free diets, Chipotle is unrivaled in its ability to cater to you. Gluten-free? Opt for rice instead of a tortilla. If you eat according to the SCD order lettuce, extra beans and guacamole to replace a tortilla, rice and sour cream.

There’s another important factor that contributes to my love for Chipotle: I have an obsession with all things food, and I’ve seen Food, Inc. That should sum up my view on food — artificial ingredients do not belong anywhere near my plate.

Chipotle campaigns for food with integrity which “is our commitment to finding the very best ingredients raised with respect for the animals, the environment and the farmers,” according to Chipotle’s website.

Chipotle’s transparency is astounding, considering it is a profit-making company on the New York Stock Exchange. Its website includes a comprehensive chart of special diet information and a full list of ingredients for every dish.

Lastly, Chipotle is making its own campaign against inhumane and unnatural practices in an original series called “Farmed and Dangerous.” Once you watch it you will understand why my love runs so deep; It’s witty, informative, hilarious and insightful.

Chipotle amazes me in so many aspects, and that is why I will always love it.

 

http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/Default.aspx

http://farmedanddangerous.com/