My west coast travels this year also led me to San Francisco for the first time in many years. It was a crunched schedule but I was bound to eat as much as possible. We discovered a couple of really good gluten-free friendly gems. I feel like we barely scratched the culinary surface of this unique city but we had some success.

Mariposa Bakery and Miette. There is not much more in the world I love than a good gluten-free macaroon (the Parisian kind) and cookies. Walking around the Ferry Market, we stumbled upon a little gluten-free bakery which had a bunch of baked goods with tons of all gluten free cakes, cookies and more! And then a few steps down the hall...jackpot! Macaroons!!! That made my afternoon. We picked up a couple of flavors and then sat outside watching the boats roll in from Alcatraz.

Fog Harbor Fish House. We decided at the last minute to have dinner at Fisherman's Wharf, despite it being super touristy. I did a simple google search for 'gluten free fisherman's wharf' and we ended up at Fog Harbor Fish House. The menu was marked with handy little symbols to let you know what could be made gluten-free. I went with the pan-seared scallops served with warm quinoa, arugula, pine nuts, dried cranberries, tomato relish, citrus butter and balsamic glaze. It was really good. And the waiter was extremely knowledgeable. It also seemed to have a big local crowd which made us feel more at ease right away.

Umami Burger. This gem came highly recommended to us by a couple of people. While the menu isn't gluten free, the wait staff was very knowledgeable and guided me in the right direction as far as burgers (served of lettuce) and which sauces to avoid. The incredible sweet potato fries were also gluten-free. The burgers are really good here - they are pretty unique as far as burgers go. Not sure what makes them taste so different/good but they just are. The sauces were awesome, too!

Pica-Pica. We walked FAR for this place (bad directions judgement call). But it was well-worth the walk and it's a must visit if you are a fan of arepas. Everything at this restaurant is gluten-free. Easy peasy! The arepa's are all handmade from corn. I opted for the sweet corn and shredded beef. Delish. To top it off, the coconut rice was YUMMERS. I think I need to attempt that at home one of these days.

Puccini & Pinetti. We ended up here by accident but it was fantastic Italian food. After we arrived in S.F. (and it was really 1am for us), we were starving and would eat anything. We hoped into the restaurant and asked if they had any gluten free options and much to my surprise, they had a whole gluten-free menu with tons of options, including Italian. I had the bolognese with gluten-free pasta. It was authentic Italian bolognese - I haven't had that in a long time. I was super happy to stumble upon it.

Deschutes Brewery. Two words.... tuna melt! Make it 4 words.... tuna melt on bread! Don't ask me the last time I had something like this. Something so simple and yet so delicious. Aside from the plethora of gluten-free options, they also brew their own gluten-free beer. Did I mention I topped all of this off with sweet potato fries? Mmmm. This will likely be my first stop when I had back this summer.

Bob's Red Mill. What's a trip to the Portland area without a trip to THE Bob's Red Mill store?? After a nice little trail run, we stopped here for some breakfast. I did it up with the gluten-free pancakes. They were pretty good. It was just nice ordering them out instead of making them myself for a change. I also loaded up on a bunch of gluten-free oats and other pre-baked goodies to take home with me. If you have time, I suggest taking a cooking class or touring the "mill"- not that there is anything you can have there.

Ruby Jewel. Are you a sweets junkie like myself? Then this is a REAL treat. Gluten-free ice cream sandwiches! Homemade and fresh, gluten-free cookies with your ice cream flavor of choice smothered in the middle. WOWZA. The ice cream flavors were all homemade and unique flavors. Like, caramel with salted dark chocolate, honey lavender or Oregon berry with chocolate flakes. You are welcome. Enjoy.

Mississippi Pizza. One of the thickest gluten-free pizza crusts I have ever had. The gluten-free crust is made offsite in a gluten free facility to ensure safety. You can eat in and have a yummy pizza, as I did, or you can pick up the gluten-free dough and bring it home. I had myself a veggie pizza. Fantastic. The atmosphere was fun, too. We got there just in time for a live band. But beware, the lines will end up out the door. Well worth the wait, though!

My fiance and I were strolling the aisles of Costco yesterday when something caught the corner of my eye. I normally go right past the dessert aisle since there isn't much for me there but for some reason we did. It was fate. I saw boxes of Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars in strawberry and blueberry flavors. Not only are the bars gluten free but they're healthy! They are all natural, fat free and include 8g of protein and 4g of fiber. And no corn syrup!!

I could NOT wait to try them. I went for blueberry first. Holy yuminess!! They are amazing. Not to sweet, not too tart. If you see these on your next shopping trip, I suggest you definitely snag a box!

If you haven't heard the exciting news yet, Katz Gluten Free baked goods has hit 40 products offered, ranging from challah breads, rugelech (my personal favorite) and PIES... all gluten free! And to celebrate to momentous occassion, the bakery is offering some pretty sweet (pun intended) deals.

First off, from now until Aug. 15, 2011 you can enter Katz's Gluten Free giveaway of ALL 40 products. Yep, all 40! Simply click HERE and enter. Be sure to enter Gluten Free Appetite in the referring blog source box.

In addition, Katz's is offering free shipping on orders over $30 and special coupons on Cherry and Apple Pies.

Coupon Codes SummerPie1 (apple) and SummerPie2 (cherry) and SummerPie3 which save $4.00 off one pie!

And stay tuned over the next few weeks for a Gluten Free Appetite and Katz's Gluten Free giveaway! I'll keep you posted.

Thanks to my trusty and well-trained gluten free spotting eyes, I found these gluten free chicken nuggets in the frozen food aisle. I was strolling down the aisle down to where the gluten free stuff normally is, and lo and behold, mixed with the regular chicken nuggets were Applegate Farms Gluten Free Chicken Fingers.

I was SO excited to try them out. Not only are the chicken fingers gluten free, but they're casein and dairy free too. (Added bonus) They're made with a blend of rice and corn flour and organic white meat chicken. I followed the instructions on the box, baked the nuggets and they surpassed my expectations. They turned out crunchy and delish. I definitely recommend these, whether for your children or for the inner kid inside of you who still craves food like this from time to time. And as you can see by the label below, they really aren't bad for you. So enjoy!