The G Free Spot - Hilton Head Island, SC
Caleb's tours never take him past HHI so when we found out it was happening on this one, we couldn't believe it! We got to spend an entire day at his parent's house eating everything you could ever want and more. And when Caleb's mum Julie told me there was a new GF bakery in town, I was excited that I'd be able to have a peek at what they had to offer!The bakery was actually quite large and had so many items I didn't know what to do! There were the obvious - cupcakes, brownies etc. but then there were some not-so-usual items too. After a lot of pressure, and umming & ahhing I decided to go with: a mini key lime pie, a chocolate chip scone (which the owner told me to heat up a little for maximum yum), a slice of cinnamon sugar pound tray cake (I think? I honestly can't remember what it was called) and a fudge brownie (I just needed to try one ok!) They also offered plenty of other mini pies, slices of tray bakes, cake pops, swiss roll etc etc. It was endless!
My favourite of it all was probably the key lime pie. I was slightly worried as the crust had cinnamon in it and I wasn't sure how well that would go with the lime, but it was all truly great. The crust was crumbly (but in a perfect normal way, not a GF way) and the filling was tart with a hint of sweetness from the meringue. Yum. The scone was only OK in my book. The brownie was delicious (they actually had four different kinds for sale that day!) soft and (I hate to say it) moist. The tray bake cinnamon cake thing was also really gorgeous. Buttery, crumbly, and all round brilliant.
If you have a family vacay to HHI planned, make sure to stop by this place and find more gems. I wish I could've tried more of what they had to offer (the mini german chocolate cake...heyyyoo) but from what I did get I would suggest trying any of the tray cake things they have going that day and definitely, definitely buy a Key Lime Pie!
Vida, Mexican Kitchen & Cantina - Charlotte, NC
OK, so we actually found this place by accident. Caleb, Luke (Caleb's brother) & I were walking around downtown Charlotte just to try and find some tacos and were heading to a different spot when we walked into this one. And boy am I glad we did! First up, the salsa (to go with chips obv) was so good, I couldn't believe it. And I couldn't stop eating it! I ate way more chips than I usually do because I seriously couldn't get enough of the stuff. Our waiter was great and told us they make it in-house and then bought some extra spicy salsa they also make, which the boys loved but I don't think beat the original (in my opinion.)Next up I ordered the Red Chile Chicken tacos in soft corn tortillas. These were made up of: grilled red chile chicken, caramelized onions, a blend of cheeses topped with cilantro, pico and a chipotle crema. They were glorious. The chicken was so tasty and had a slight heat, helped along with the chipotle crema. I added guacamole because I add that to everything if I can, and the whole thing was just wonderful. I didn't eat my sides because I don't love refried beans (and we can't always trust them!) and I never eat rice, but I was SO full from deliciousness that it didn't matter.
Our server was great, the chips and salsa were out of this world and I still think of these tacos to this day. If you're in central Charlotte, head to this place and enjoy a taste sensation, right now!
In & Out - Anaheim, CA
Listen, I've spoken about In & Out on here before. We all know there are people that think it's overrated, but I genuinely enjoy it and think most people would too - if they just ordered the right thing. This is not my favourite fast food joint in the world, but I do appreciate it, and when people try and say that something like Wendys is better, I get a bit annoyed. Of course their fries are never gonna beat McDonalds, but as something to enjoy once, maybe twice a year? I'll take it!Everyone knows the key to In&Out is the secret menu. If you don't know this by now, then WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING! If you visit here and don't order things "animal style" (cheese, fried onions and spread) then I can't help you. It's the only way to do things. There's also an added bonus if you're GF - you can order burgers "protein style" which means they substitute the bun for lettuce! Sure, it's annoying having to list off items from the top of your head, but if you want the good stuff, it's the way to do it. So, I ordered a Protein Style Animal Style Cheeseburger with a side of Animal Style Fries and I enjoyed every last piece. 10/10 would do again. And you should too.
Shake Shack - Atlanta, GA & Las Vegas, NV
I have a confessions to make. I had this on both of my visits to Caleb on tour. Once in Atlanta when I had the worst hangover ever (don't ask) and once when we were in Vegas because it was quick and right there and I had been craving it ever since Atlanta.
Shake Shack can be tricky... their fries are not always guaranteed GF because they sometimes offer fried chicken, so make sure to ask at your location if they fry them separately. They also sometimes say their "ShackSauce" in their burgers is created in a factory that makes other stuff that's not GF and warn you if you have an allergy. Now, I hate the "factory sentence", because to me that would mean we'd never be able to eat anything ever, but that is something you'll have to decide on your own. Places tend to say this to cover themselves fully and definitely rightly so, but I risked it and was completely fine. (Do make sure to ask your server about more info if you're worried!)Now the Shake Shack I ate in Atlanta was a ShackBurger (single cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato and shack sauce) and was exactly what I needed after a rough morning - nothing too wild and something that was basic enough to settle my stomach. I'm not sure where they get their GF buns from, but they are brilliant. Soft as can be, don't fall apart in the slightest and I even had to question if they had given me the right bun. What an absolute hero of a food chain! The second time I had the Shack (it was 3 weeks later, so that's not too bad is it?) I ordered a SmokeShack (single cheeseburger topped with bacon, chopped cherry peppers and ShackSauce). I added onions and lettuce because I felt like getting wild and once again, it was all glorious. The bun, the burger, even the pile of tiny chopped cherry peppers. I would highly endorse Shake Shack to everyone. (Side note - I didn't get it this time, but I'd even recommend their frozen custard because that's bloody beautiful too.) If they could figure out the fries situation in all their locations I'd be happier, because I love a crinkle fry, but I'll take what I can get right now. They're even opening up one here in Columbus in January... uh oh!
Ps. I don't just solely eat burgers... I was obviously just on a burger kick for a few days. Maybe.
Pushkin's Bakery - Sacramento, CA
This was the last place I visited on tour. Literally. I went from here to the airport to fly home and actually because of that, I ended up not getting what I really wanted to try from here...a sandwich! I found this place from a quick search online and after initially heading towards the restaurant (there are two locations, don't get confused like I did) I corrected my Uber driver and went to the bakery. Their sandwiches sounded great and how often do we even get to each sandwiches?! Unfortunately, I had forgotten it was a Saturday and after waiting in a lonnnggg line and then ordering one, I asked how long the wait would be and had to cancel because it was going to take too long! So, I ended up buying some classics instead. Sad times. Sad face. I ordered a Lemon Blueberry Cupcake, a Meyer Lemon Pound Cake mini "loaf", and a couple of some things called No Names and Awesomes (lemon poppyseed mini cakes.)
Overall, the cupcake and frosting was delicious, the pound cake was enjoyable and the mini items were whatever to me. I wasn't sure why people were so excited by the No Names or the Awesomes. The Awesomes were fine, but the No Names were dry and chewy to me and I would not recommend. I probably would go back here, but mostly so I could try a sandwich and perhaps a cobbler or a scone or two.Ps. This place is dairy free too!
It's now not long until Christmas in Finland & England! I'm getting really, really, ridiculously excited! Anyone else love Christmas as much as me? In the meantime we have Thanksgiving and hopefully a few days away somewhere like Mexico - I'll keep you updated! Have a great week!
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