Re: Food - Chico and Hoptown

[Guest guest]

Someone in this group was kind enough to give me suggestions for food in Chico. My computer erased all my saved mail, so I don't know whom to thank. As a form of thank-you, I'd like to pass on the name of an extremely good place to eat in Chico, about a block from the college. It's Monk's Bar and Bistro, on Second Street. The main chef is the owner, along with his wife, who tends bar and takes orders. They listened intently to my needs for gluten-free food, and they cooked meals to suit those needs, mentioning that they were cleaning the counter and cutting board before preparing my food. I ate there two nights. It was extremely good, and I felt quite confident that I could eat safely. The owners are lovely people. I think the place was on a PBS program Monday night.

I also ate at Chipotle in Chico. It worked out okay, but next time I definitely wouldn't go at 12 noon. Then, the place is too noisy and rushed for my mention of GF needs to be understood at all, especially as the server didn't speak much English. If I'd gone in an hour later, I think the situation would have been much different.

In Hoptown, (in Valley) the Raw Bakery recently opened. Bakery isn't really a particularly appropriate name for the place, as it sells only packaged food made elsewhere. I'm not a proponent of raw food, but I was impressed by the fact that they carry only gluten-free food, produced in dedicated GF facilities. They sell GF granola, trail mix, cracker-like snacks, nuts, dried fruit, spreads, that sort of thing.

H.

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