We recently visited San Luis Obispo, CA for a college graduation.  This event was planned months in advance with the hotel and restaurant chosen by the family of the college grad.  I was a bit skeptical about what the options would be for my husband and I who are both gluten free.  We were pleasantly surprised.

We checked in to the Apple Farm where the entire family was staying.  The receptionist proceeded to tell us about the fresh pressed apple cider (delicious), lemonade, coffee, tea and cookies offered in the lobby every afternoon.  We of course told her that we were gluten free.  To our surprise, she said, no problem and gave us coupons for the bakery.  They had gluten free chocolate walnut cookies, what a treat!

From there we headed to the free wine tasting from a local winery.  The wine was delicious and we had a pleasant afternoon sitting outside on the patio with the family.

Apple Farm



www.applefarm.com

For dinner that night we decided to get pizza and enjoy the fireplace in our room.  We went to Woodstock's Pizza.  They have a huge selection of pizza including appetizer and dessert pizza.  The pizza was really great and compare's to BJ's Pizza which is my favorite in our area.  Woodstock's red pizza sauce is exceptional.  If you are highly sensitive to gluten, exercise caution when eating here as the pizza is not made in a dedicated area.

Woodstock's Pizza


www.woodstocksslo.com

The graduation dinner was held at Palazzo Giuseppe's.  The restaurant was so busy on the Saturday night of graduation and they still managed to serve thirteen of us successfully.  My husband started with the Roasted Beet Carpacio: Golden & Red Beets with Goat Cheese, Candied Walnuts & Finished with Arugula in Strawberry Vinaigrette.  I had a taste and I would recommend this if you like arugula.  He finished with the Risotto di Pollo: Range Chicken, Porcini Mushroom Risotto & Shaved Grana Padano.  This dish was good but needed salt and parmesan cheese to add flavor.  I had the Butternut Squash Gnocchi: Slow Braised Pork, Cippolini Onions, Pecans, Local Apples and Wild Boar Bacon but with a gluten free rice gnocchi.  This dish was amazing and not like anything I have had before.

Palazzo Giuseppe's


www.palazzogiuseppe.com

For dessert, we walked down the alley to Powell's Sweet Shoppe.  For those of us who are older, this is a wonderful trip back in time to remember all of the candy you ate as a kid.  They have every type of candy you can imagine as well as a great selection of Jelly Belly's and Gelato.  They keep a book of the Gelato flavors behind the counter and each description lists the major allergens.  There is also a list of gluten free products on their website but I had trouble trying to open it.

Powell's Sweet Shoppe



www.powellsss.com

We finished our trip with a walk around downtown and late breakfast at the Apple Farm.  I really enjoyed the weekend in this charming college town.  I would recommend stopping if you are ever in the area.  I believe that Oprah named San Luis Obispo "one of the happiest places on earth" and I can see why.  With cute local shops, great restaurants who are gluten aware, local wineries and college kids with a bright future ahead, why wouldn't you be happy in SLO?

Thank you to the Central Coast Celiacs for the restaurant list on their website:

Central Coast Celiacs