Cafe Chocolade

Cafe Chokolade

Get the chocolates!!  You won't be disappointed!

This is a great gluten free place.  Everything is gluten free.  Well, except the beer cupcakes.  But you already know that!  So, where do I start?   I wanted to buy everything here.

This place is really tiny.  It's cute with a lot of character, but having more than two groups of two people felt crowded and like you were in someone's way.  There is outdoor seating, so if you can, go on a nice day & enjoy your lunch outdoors.  You can also take your order to go.  I think I'd call ahead if you were going to do that, so you don't have to wait in the way of everyone.  They are not open for dinner, so plan your trip accordingly.

The menu changes every week.  Chef Aniko Kaufmann posts the week's menu every Monday night on the website, which is a little hard to read and navigate because of the font & design, but he also emails out the week's specials if you sign up for the mailing list.  http://www.cafechocolade.net

I couldn't decide on the flavor of dried pasta, so I bought the mixed bag of basil, tomato, and regular pasta to-go.  I later made a wonderful grilled chicken pasta salad with it.  The pasta was vegan & gluten free.  There are a lot of vegan choices, too, so if you know someone with multiple food allergies or aversions, this is the place for them.

I bought some of the house made chocolates to go, but many of them didn't make it out the door.  I ate them as an appetizer, because you only live once.  You must get the chocolates!!  I also bought a Grand Marnier walnut bite.  It wasn't bad, but not as wonderful as I expected after trying the chocolates.

So what did I actually order for lunch you might ask.  I got a pierogi pizza.  I once had a pierogi pizza before I had to go gluten free.  It was a combination of two things I love & was wonderful.  This was certainly a match for that memory.

The crust was fluffy & doughy.  It has a hint of whole grains mixed into it giving it a rich, full flavor.  The sauce was creamy mashed potatoes topped with a cheddar cheese.  Instead of having pieces of whole pierogi on the pizza, noodle pieces were arranged like a topping.  This was a well thought out pizza.  It was delicious.  It was pretty amazing.

Fluffy, Doughy Pizza

They also have house made fresh mozzarella, which I love.  I needed to take the flavor of the week, basil, home to enjoy.  And I enjoyed it!

There were bagels, donuts, cookies, cupcakes, bread, and more.  There was even gluten free dog biscuits!!

7061 Steubenville Pike
Oakdale, PA 15071

Open Tues -Fri 8-6
Sat 8-3

Sunny Bridge Natural Foods Cafe

 Sunny Bridge Natural Foods Cafe

 The cafe has a limited amount of choices, but that's the definition of a cafe, right?  You can pick out a salad, pizza, wrap, or baked goods from the case, or you can order your wrap, salad, or sandwich to be made to order. 

I had to try the custom order sandwich, and I'm glad I did.  I picked a turkey sandwich, with romaine, cucumbers, dill pickles, and provolone cheese.  It was a little expensive, I thought, but after receiving the sandwich that didn't even fit in the box, I was satisfied. 

The turkey was real turkey.  It wasn't lunch meat, as I expected.  It was actual chunks of turkey, that tasted like someone actually roasted it.  The lettuce was fresh!  The pickles were good.  They make the pickles in house, too.

I was worried about the vinegar used to make the pickles.  That is something that worries me a lot about eating anything pickled.  I asked the woman behind the counter about the vinegar & she assured me that everything behind the counter was gluten free.  The entire kitchen at Sunny Bridge is gluten free.  I know, it's hard to believe.

 

I ate my sandwich at the tables outside.  They also have tables inside, but it was a nice day and it's always nice to enjoy food outdoors when possible.  The bread was dry & flaky, but that comes with the territory in gluten free breads.  The taste was really delicious.  It was a pretty good sandwich.















I also ordered the bacon & seafood chowder.  After the huge sandwich, I couldn't even start on the soup or the cheesecake, so I took them home.  Everything was packaged in to go containers, so it wasn't a big deal.  The soup was a bit pricey, but chowders are have to find gluten free, so I splurged.

The soup was really good.  It had big chunks of bacon, medium shrimp, and pieces of tilapia in it.  The only odd thing about it was there were three whole bay leaves in it, which I removed because I was under the impression that you weren't supposed to leave them in the soup after you finish making it.  They are usually in there for flavor, but are tough & hard to chew.  I get the feeling they weren't supposed to be there.

 

I thought this was a bit expensive for a slice of cheesecake.  I love cheesecake & that's what I came here for, so I wasn't leaving without a slice.   It had a thin almond crust.  I thought the texture was extremely fluffy and the taste was very sweet.  Maybe it was too sweet.  I was only able to eat half in one sitting.  Although that wasn't a bad thing, because I had some for later.  I ate the whole thing.  None went to waste.  It wasn't bad.  It was good, but I'm not sure it was what I expected.  

I hear they will do whole cheesecakes, baked goods orders, and wedding cakes if you order in advance.  That's perfect for graduation parties & family reunions!!

130 Gallery Dr

McMurray, PA 15317

 724-942-5800

http://sunnybridgenaturalfoods.com/