Thursday, August 8, 2013

Toasted - Winter Park

Laying in bed this morning, not wanting to get up, I grabbed my iPhone and decided to check out the Find Me Gluten Free App.  I was pretty surprised to see a restaurant named Toasted as #5 on my local business list, and it was less than 2 miles from my house on Aloma in Winter Park, right near the Whole Foods I shop at on a weekly basis.  On the way home from dropping off the girls' school supplies, we decided to stop for lunch and check it out.  Toasted is conveniently located right next to Menchie's Frozen Yogurt, which has many tasty gluten free options.


First off, I found the staff to be very friendly and helpful.  Thankfully, we got to Toasted before the lunch rush hit.  I was told they use DeLand Gluten Free Millet Bread for both their burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches. I can get a gluten free burger in numerous restaurants in Orlando, so I decided on the Pesto Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich.  The girls ordered kids burgers, and we split 2 orders of truffle oil and rosemary fries.  Update - Toasted is now using Udi's bread.  


We all enjoyed the fries, which were made in a dedicated fryer and were shockingly not greasy at all.  I thought they lacked salt, but that was easily remedied with the salt shaker on the table.  


As I ate my sandwich, I realized that it was the first sandwich I've had in 5 years that tasted like a regular sandwich.  I am really fussy about gluten free bread, and it seldom meets my high expectations, but this bread was perfect for this sandwich.  By the way, you can find a great selection of DeLand Gluten Free Bread right next door at Whole Foods, and it comes fresh, not frozen!  My Pesto Chicken grilled cheese sandwich had mozzarella, pulled chicken, pesto, tomato chutney, and arugula on it.  It would have been perfect with just a little less cheese.  I know, it's a cheese sandwich, but I wanted to taste all the other flavors too!  

Overall, we had a really enjoyable lunch.  Both my daughters raved about the kids burgers, which were huge!  Next time, they will be splitting one.  

Final clarification - my daughters and my husband do not have celiac or gluten intolerance and make no effort to avoid gluten when we eat out.  Those burgers my daughters loved were not gluten free, though they could have been made that way, if we had asked.  

Update 10/25/2013

My daughters and I paid Toasted a visit after school today, because I was craving a gluten free cheese sandwich.  


Today, I ordered the Autumn Melt with cheddar, pumpkin, bacon, granny smith apples, and dried cranberries.  The combination of flavors was amazing!  My bread could have been a little more toasted in parts, but it was fresh, and tasted like gluten-filled bread. We will definitely be going back soon, before this fall special disappears! 



The truffle fries with rosemary were perfectly seasoned and cooked.  They are some of the best french fries I have ever had in a restaurant. 

The staff at Toasted is well trained to deal with gluten free orders.  They have a separate cooktop and utensils for gluten free sandwiches.  I always mention that I have celiac, like I do in every restaurant that I eat at.

You can view Toasted's website here.  They have a great Gluten Free Quick Reference sheet that you can download to see all of their gluten free options.

October 12, 2014 Update 


After church, we headed to Toasted for an early lunch.  I was so excited to see that the Autumn Melt was back!  This sandwich is really the best grilled cheese I have ever had, and I love that Toasted is now using Udi's bread, which is larger than the DeLand bread they used to use.  The truffle oil & rosemary fries were just as amazing as they always are.  The five of us shared two orders of fries, but the next time, we are getting three.  :-)


January 23, 2015 Update


A couple of weeks ago, we had lunch at Toasted after church.  This time, I decided to try the Blackberry Melt with fontina, applewood smoked bacon, blackberry mash, and arugula.  I enjoyed my sandwich, but found myself wishing it had a little sharper cheese than fontina.  A sharp white cheddar would be really delicious with the bacon, blackberries, and arugula.  Next time, I might try the Truffle Melt, or the Roasted Vegetable grilled cheese. 


After lunch, we went next door to Smallcakes, where I had a gluten free chocolate cupcake.



Update - you can read my latest review of Toasted here.

What are your favorite gluten free dishes at Toasted?



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