Finding bliss: Pierre’s paleo connection | Local News Stories

Every morning, around 10:30, I pull up Facebook to find out what’s for lunch. This will come as no surprise to those who know me — I am nothing if not food-driven. For as long as I can remember, my family and friends have teased me for my uncanny ability to recall moments, not by what was said, not by what occurred, but by what everyone was eating. One of my earliest memories revolves around a pot of spaghetti.

Most days, I don’t even intend to pick up lunch, knowing that there’s a perfectly mediocre, turkey sandwich on gluten-free “bread” waiting for me at home. But, I still want to know. The anticipation always catches me.

Last Thursday was no different. The clock struck 10:30, and my fingers began to itch, craving to pull up my Facebook menu. I pushed it off until 10:45. I started with Chops, knowing their salad bar always to be a good standby, but pregnancy had me particularly sensitive to food odors, and BBQ recently had made its way onto my no-go list. They were serving BBQ.

Next up was the Branding Iron. An easy favorite, only two doors down from my own place of business, with a fantastically friendly staff. Alas, 10:45 was still early for their daily post. Never fear, I knew that within the hour, their street-side blackboard would be sitting outside my window with all their specials clearly marked.

Finally, I pulled up Pure Bliss. Here was the true test. Most days, my reasonable, fiscally solvent side can talk me out of a purchase and into a homemade lunch. But, I always know that if something on that Pure Bliss menu catches my eye, there aren’t enough bank statements in the world to convince me to eat a soggy, gluten-free sandwich.

While several of the dining establishments around town take the route of a singular, daily luncheon special, Pure Bliss always offers two. The first is a home-cooked standard, think the best darned chili and grilled cheese you ever did eat. The second is a paleo option, and it’s the paleo option that really makes Pure Bliss unique.

Now, if you’ve never faced a food allergy, you might see “paleo” and think of it as a diet. A “healthy” option. Something trendy that your friend down at the gym might preach while treading the elliptical. Besides the real science showing myriad health benefits from a paleo lifestyle, for many with food allergies, a paleo option is a bit of a dream. Can’t have gluten? Paleo covers that. Dairy intolerant? Paleo covers that. Soy sensitive? You get the picture.

For someone like me, who is five-months pregnant and battling a gluten sensitivity, Pure Bliss means not having to substitute a gluten-free bun (because, let’s be honest, that ain’t no bun). It means not having to check and double check that the chicken broth and the cream-of -mushroom soup are additive-free, or having to rely on a staff that has no knowledge of food allergies to understand that yes, those ingredients really can harbor gluten, and yes, I really do need to know. Pure Bliss means my lunch was a complete, satisfying meal without gluten in the first place. It was never meant to have gluten, so I don’t have to rely on something gross or artificial to take it’s place. Pure Bliss is my kryptonite.

Thursday’s offerings were no exception. “Chicken Cabbage Salad,” Laura Anderson’s menu read, “tossed with Fresh Blueberries, Apples, Toasted Pecans, and Poppy Seed Dressing.”

She had me at blueberries.

A quick call, and my order was on reserve, ready for pickup at 12:30. Let it be known that I take a sixty-minute lunch, but my meal? It was devoured in ten.

Quelle:

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