I’ve been to quite a few pop-up dinners in the last few years and I have to say, they are some of the most fun I’ve had while dining out. They’re always centered around great food and for the most part, great people.
The one problem that I’ve had at many of these pop-ups is that there’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to eat everything on the menu as they’re rarely a dedicated GF event — I then of course find myself in the never ending Q&A session with either the host or the server. While I’m used to this sort of thing, the thought of going to an event centered around gluten-free food — put on by somebody who understands why I’m gluten-free and by someone who appreciates awesome food — seems like a dream come true.
Enter Simone Shifnadel of Zenbelly Catering. She’s not someone who has celiac disease herself, but is a die-hard devotee of the paleo diet which is of course 100% gluten-free. She gets the importance of the gluten-free diet to both those with celiac disease and those who follow a gluten-free diet out of choice. This being said, I feel safe.
While I’m in L.A. and these pop-ups are in San Francisco, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it this time around, but if you happen to be in San Francisco, you’d be crazy not to try and make it to one of these events. Simone’s menus are really amazing and something that I’ve been sharing here for a while now. If you do happen to make it to one of her dinners, please do share your experiences with us here.
In the mean time, take a look at this sample menu Simone has put together:
Zenbelly Catering Presents
Organic farm to table dinners at Food Lab in downtown San Francisco
The Menu:
100% gluten-free & predominantly Paleo, sourcing grassfed meats from Fallon Hills Ranch in West Marin and organic produce from Miramonte Farms in San Juan Batista.
ONE
fresh nectarines | arugula | crispy pancetta | plum vinaigrette
early girl tomatoes | fresh herbs | reduced balsamic | unfiltered CA olive oil
grown-up greens | feta cheese | strawberries | toasted almonds
TWO
Moroccan spiced bone-in Fallon Hills pork chop | Stone Fruit Slaw
Grilled Fallon Hills Flank Steak | Chimichurri | tallow fries
Wild salmon | coconut green curry | cauliflower rice
PEI mussels | white wine, garlic & grassfed butter | tallow fries | Bread Srsly sourdough
Moroccan Chickpea & roasted vegetable stew | cauliflower rice | mint yogurt [v]
THREE
grainfree brownie | coconut ice cream | coconut whip
summer berries & whipped cream | almond shortcake
grain-free carrot cake | cream cheese maple frosting
artisan cheeses | figs & marcona almonds
3 courses | $32
additional sides | $7.
tallow fries
sweet potato fries
collard greens with ham hocks
Bread Srsly bread basket | grassfed butter
Food is prepared in a kitchen that is not gluten-free.
We will take all precautions to avoid cross contamination.
menu subject to change.
