Oh Yes You Do.

Crimini Mushroom Burger (Not GF)

There’s a new restaurant in town and I’m obsessed.   That’s right, your neighborhood dietitian is obsessed with a hamburger joint.  I’ve never been a huge burger fan, much preferring a chicken sandwich.  In my previous life, when I ate gluten by the boatload, I used to go out for burgers only during road trips.  Ben loves burgers and grills them often in the summer, but I have to be a BBQ bummer and admit I put up with them because he likes them so much (and someone else is cooking).

Enter: Uneeda Burger of the erstwhile area of Fremont.  The patties are handmade and slightly misshapen just like Ben might make, and oh my are they scrumptious!  Cooked with just a hint of pink in the center, they have s slight sheen of fat that leaves the burger moist and tender.  Eating their basic burger with just a patty, lettuce, tomato, pickle and the special sauce catapults me back to my childhood and roadside stops on camping trips.  Seeing this burger makes me crave a dirty picnic table and a chocolate malt.

I should also mention they have gluten-free buns.  Yeah, baby.

Basic Hamburger, GF

Wheatless in Seattle provides the buns, and for a hefty $2.50 extra, you too can eat an actual hamburger with your hands instead of sandwiched between lettuce leaves or cut into dainty bites with a fork and knife.  I may provoke outrage and ire by saying that Wheatless in Seattle isn’t my favorite GF bakery, but please don’t get me wrong: I LOVE that they exist and I can now order pizza and eat GF hamburgers.  It’s just that in the years I’ve been eating there, I find that their quality control leaves something to be desired.  I never know if what I’m purchasing is fresh or stale, dry or moist, drenched in sugar or soaked in fat.  The hamburger buns at Uneeda taste greasy to me, but I don’t know if it’s a result of their ingredients or how they are heated in the restaurant.  However, like most GF people the world over, I willingly pay the price to have a somewhat-normal dining experience.

Should you go to Uneeda?  Definitely.  But remember to ask the right questions if you’re concerned about food allergies.  They’ve only been open a month and they’re still getting their process down.  The girl at the counter didn’t know if their French fries were gluten-free, and after a nice conversation with the owner we determined it might be better to warm the GF buns on the grill instead of with the other buns.  In other words, buyer beware.  But what else is new?  Give it a try.  Let me know what you think!