Last night we found ourselves tired and hungry after our day of birthday party planning, and neither of us felt like cooking. On a whim, we decided to try a Mexican restaurant that we've passed by almost every day for the last two years. La Taquizza is a small family run restaurant with an extensive menu. Their online menu does not list all of the options that are found in the restaurant. The restaurant is an open, family-friendly spot. All but one table was occupied with parents and children when we were there. Their motto is "...a place where you can eat good, eat healthy, eat happy".
The decor sets the mood. The colourful walls display Mexican statues, tapestries and ponchos, but the effect is laid back and comforting rather than tacky and overpowering. The owner hails from Mexico City, and was personally serving the tables. He quickly made friends with our son and even got him dancing in his high chair to the music while waiting for his meal.
The food? Really, really good. And much of it gluten free. Traditional Mexican food uses more corn than wheat flour, but it's not uncommon to see a mixture of the two. The menu specifically indicated which flours were used in which dishes, and there were many dairy free options as well. We started the meal with the in-house tortilla chips and guacamole. The guacamole was a soft green with the perfect accents of lime and salt, and the tortilla chips were light and crispy. My son had quickly claimed the bowl of chips for himself.
We ordered Mexican rice and refried beans for the little one, both of which he used as dips for his tortilla chips. None went to waste. My husband ordered the Sopa Azteca, a broth based soup with chicken, hominy corn and tortilla strips. He followed that up with beef tacos. The tacos come plain, and patrons garnish their own from a variety of homemade sauces. The tortillas are thicker than the ones found in most grocery stores, and have more texture as well.
I ordered the chicken mole enchiladas. Corn tortillas stuffed with pulled chicken and smothered in a chocolate sauce. Mole is not sweet like milk chocolate, but is a sauce made from cocoa and infused with tomatoes, chilies and a variety of spices. The sauce was the best I've had, and the chicken was moist and flavourful. The dish came with beans and rice. The dish is a little heavy, so perhaps next time I'll order a salad on the side, perhaps the cactus salad that looked so appealing in the photo. Unfortunately we were too full for dessert, but online reviews are claiming that their tres leches cake is something special. It's my husband's favourite, so I'm sure he'll want to go back to try it.
This is definitely a place that will get our repeat business. The atmosphere was relaxed and very family friendly, and the food was authentic and delicious. It's not a cheap hole in the wall place with greasy food, so it's not the place to go if you're looking for a $2 burrito. If, however, you're looking for a family friendly restaurant that services authentic Mexican food in a relaxed atmosphere, this is the place for you.
La Taquizza
3175 Rutherford Road, Unit 28
Vaughan, Ontario
Showing posts with label Gluten Free York Region. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gluten Free York Region. Show all posts
Friday, February 18, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Infinitea Tea Room and Gluten Free Bakery
Today I had the chance to stop by a new gluten free bakery and tea room just around the corner from my house. The tea room, Infinitea, is part of a larger natural health store and clinical practice, all under the banner Body and Mind. I stopped in today because I received a flyer in the mail about the gluten free items available in the tea room.
The store is located near the back of a strip mall, making it a little difficult to see from the street, but the tea room is spacious and clean and is attached to a small health food store, stocked almost entirely with gluten free foods.
Tea Room: The tea room offers loose leaf tea for purchase, as well as an assortment of tea pots, portable cups, and other accessories. The baker is in during the week only, and bakes fresh gluten free muffins, cookies, scones and other treats. The bakery also offers gluten free meal options, such as a GF chicken sandwich with goat cheese. They only serve lunch, so I'll have to return on a week day to try it out.
Store: The store was packed with many of the most popular gluten free brands, at competitive prices. The selection of Bob's Red Mill had mixes that I haven't been able to find at any other store. The frozen section had a great selection of frozen breads and baked goods, as well as frozen GF entrées at reasonable prices.
The tea room and store are not open most evenings, which can be a bit of an inconvenience, but I'm hoping that as they get established they will increase their hours. The clerk was knowledgeable and polite, and the selection was quite good. The website focuses mostly on the medical practice and health products available for order online, but does provide some information about the tea room. A link to a separate website for the tea room is under construction.
Definitely a place I will go back to, especially if I want to take my son somewhere close by to have a quick lunch or a fresh baked treat!
The store is located near the back of a strip mall, making it a little difficult to see from the street, but the tea room is spacious and clean and is attached to a small health food store, stocked almost entirely with gluten free foods.
Tea Room: The tea room offers loose leaf tea for purchase, as well as an assortment of tea pots, portable cups, and other accessories. The baker is in during the week only, and bakes fresh gluten free muffins, cookies, scones and other treats. The bakery also offers gluten free meal options, such as a GF chicken sandwich with goat cheese. They only serve lunch, so I'll have to return on a week day to try it out.
Store: The store was packed with many of the most popular gluten free brands, at competitive prices. The selection of Bob's Red Mill had mixes that I haven't been able to find at any other store. The frozen section had a great selection of frozen breads and baked goods, as well as frozen GF entrées at reasonable prices.
The tea room and store are not open most evenings, which can be a bit of an inconvenience, but I'm hoping that as they get established they will increase their hours. The clerk was knowledgeable and polite, and the selection was quite good. The website focuses mostly on the medical practice and health products available for order online, but does provide some information about the tea room. A link to a separate website for the tea room is under construction.
Definitely a place I will go back to, especially if I want to take my son somewhere close by to have a quick lunch or a fresh baked treat!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Nut'n Gluten
I live just north of Toronto, so going into the city to find gluten free stuff is an option, but not something that I want to worry about every week. When I first started looking for gluten free items for my son, I realized that there was a one-stop shop not 5 minutes from my house. I am not personal friends with the owners and they are not even aware that I am writing this personal post. The purpose is not to provide a review of the store, but to begin providing some resources for people in my area who are looking for gluten free products.
Nut'n Gluten is a small but fully stocked shop located in Vaughan that carries a wide range of gluten free products. They are family owned, and after asking the clerk why his family decided to open up such a specialty shop, he told me that one of the owners is celiac, so it's personal to them. All the staff is friendly and knowledgeable and I didn't feel uncomfortable asking them questions when I was just starting to figure this out. I loved that I didn't have to worry about what I was picking up off the shelf because it was all gluten free! Another thing that I found very comforting was the range of products free from other allergens as well, such as dairy and nuts. The dairy was important to me personally as my son reacts badly to it, and the nut-free requirement was essential for any product that would be going to daycare with my son.
Some grocery/ shelf stable product offerings:
-cereals, cereal bars, granola, muffins
-mixes: pizza dough, waffle and pancake, cookies, brownies, etc.
-chips and cookies
-pastas and noodles, canned soups and boxed meals
-sauces and condiments
All of this is offered in a variety of brands, so I wasn't limited to the one or two choice usually found in a regular grocery store.
Their freezer section contains cupcakes and cakes, waffles, muffins, frozen meals, meats, hamburgers, fish, popsicles and ice cream, and GF bread.
The store also gets fresh bread delivered daily, including GF baguettes, and makes in-house breadcrumbs that I use for everything. I noticed the last time that I was there that they also had gift baskets.
Their prices are comparable to the local grocery store that I also shop at. Some products a bit more expensive, some a bit less, but the selection is much better. And that's saying something, because my local grocery store has a pretty good selection. I might cover it in a future post. The store doesn't sell produce or fresh meat, so I can't do all of my shopping in one place, but I'm ok with that. The kicker for me is simply the convenience. Everything is in one spot, I don't have to search for a specialty aisle, or read every label I see to know that what I'm buying is gluten free. The peace of mind alone is worth a few extra cents in my book.
What would I like to see improved? The website is still very sparse. Hopefully over time it will expand to allow for better comparison shopping or for online ordering.
Nut'n Gluten is a small but fully stocked shop located in Vaughan that carries a wide range of gluten free products. They are family owned, and after asking the clerk why his family decided to open up such a specialty shop, he told me that one of the owners is celiac, so it's personal to them. All the staff is friendly and knowledgeable and I didn't feel uncomfortable asking them questions when I was just starting to figure this out. I loved that I didn't have to worry about what I was picking up off the shelf because it was all gluten free! Another thing that I found very comforting was the range of products free from other allergens as well, such as dairy and nuts. The dairy was important to me personally as my son reacts badly to it, and the nut-free requirement was essential for any product that would be going to daycare with my son.
Some grocery/ shelf stable product offerings:
-cereals, cereal bars, granola, muffins
-mixes: pizza dough, waffle and pancake, cookies, brownies, etc.
-chips and cookies
-pastas and noodles, canned soups and boxed meals
-sauces and condiments
All of this is offered in a variety of brands, so I wasn't limited to the one or two choice usually found in a regular grocery store.
Their freezer section contains cupcakes and cakes, waffles, muffins, frozen meals, meats, hamburgers, fish, popsicles and ice cream, and GF bread.
The store also gets fresh bread delivered daily, including GF baguettes, and makes in-house breadcrumbs that I use for everything. I noticed the last time that I was there that they also had gift baskets.
Their prices are comparable to the local grocery store that I also shop at. Some products a bit more expensive, some a bit less, but the selection is much better. And that's saying something, because my local grocery store has a pretty good selection. I might cover it in a future post. The store doesn't sell produce or fresh meat, so I can't do all of my shopping in one place, but I'm ok with that. The kicker for me is simply the convenience. Everything is in one spot, I don't have to search for a specialty aisle, or read every label I see to know that what I'm buying is gluten free. The peace of mind alone is worth a few extra cents in my book.
What would I like to see improved? The website is still very sparse. Hopefully over time it will expand to allow for better comparison shopping or for online ordering.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)