Oh, Butchers & Bakers. It has been two weeks because you vacated the Tontine Mall and left a boule-shaped gap in my coronary heart. If you opened this previous yr, I had simply been recognized with Celiac Disease, and the considered a gluten-free secure haven within the wake of my new dietary restrictions put a smile on my face—and in my abdomen. Nonetheless, even within the wake of my pleasure, I could not assist however marvel, “Is there a real demand for a gluten-free cafe and grocer like this in Brunswick?”. I hoped, in useless, my fears can be unfounded.
Do not get me flawed—this is not an “I-told-you-so” article; quite, fairly the other. You had been the specialty vendor that no Brunswick Celiac thought to ask for, however that each Brunswick Celiac appreciated. Permit me to have a good time you under.
To start with, let’s all take a second to understand this gluten-free breakfast sandwich. Two over-medium (learn: completely jammy) eggs, cheddar cheese, and a smashed potato (you learn that proper) sit between two fluffy slices of rosemary focaccia. Who however you’d have thought to place a smashed potato on a breakfast sandwich, or to bake gluten-free focaccia in-house? Once I went gluten free, I got here to phrases with the truth that I might by no means once more eat heat bread (a lot much less bread that does not disintegrate whenever you contact it). For the previous couple of months, you’ve got spoiled me with simply that—not solely along with your breakfast sandwiches, however along with your lunch choices as nicely. Now you are gone, and I am again to squishing my sandpaper bread into the too-small panini press at Moulton. Yum.
It is also value noting the infinite number of gluten-free delicacies you carried. In your glory days, I dined on delicata squash full of vegan risotto, mouth-watering Philly cheesesteaks, burgers, and roast beef sandwiches (certainly one of which is pictured above), nostalgic pasta and potato salads, take-and-bake frozen meals like Moroccan shepherd’s pie and roasted peach pork, and infinite inexperienced salads with delectable and complicated selfmade dressings. The most effective—and now worst—half? None of them had been misses.*
*Okay, so perhaps the baked Italian mac and cheese was uncharacteristically gross, however that was so left-field that I am selecting to erase it from my reminiscence (by immortalizing it in writing).
I have not even talked about your intensive dessert record. I by no means knew that any sort of bread pudding—a lot much less gluten-free bread pudding—may style so good. From tartlets, to donuts, to truffles and pies, you served up as many sweets as savory eats. Whilst somebody and not using a candy tooth, I marveled at your big selection of flakey, creamy, and sugary choices.
Many occasions, I puzzled to myself how you probably did all of it—and how you probably did all of it so nicely. I can not think about the quantity of labor that your group put into brainstorming, crafting, and perfecting these ingenious recipes. Every dish was utterly distinctive; no dish was a riff off of one other one. How did you pull it off for so long as you probably did?
When you may need bitten off extra gluten-free meals than you can chew, I communicate for all gluten-free foodies in Brunswick after I say that we deeply appreciated your brief, however very candy, keep within the Tontine Mall. I will always remember all the scrumptious dinners, simple lunches, and outings with buddies that I had inside your doorways. Thanks for creating an area the place, early on in my analysis, I may really feel safe when consuming. I will all the time be glad about it.
P.S.: I would like to provide an honorable point out to this “Devoted Gluten Free House” signal, which all the time made me really feel like I used to be strolling into an unique membership. I will attempt my finest to match this vitality, although you are not with us.
