Sunday, October 2, 2016

Mission Heirloom - Berkeley, California

Update - this restaurant is permanently closed 

Last weekend, we drove up to Berkeley to see the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley, and to explore the university that is so famous for its protests in the 1960s.


Using the Find Me Gluten Free App, we found Mission Heirloom, a 100% gluten free restaurant in Berkeley, a short distance from campus.


Mission Heirloom's whole menu is organic, non-GMO, and gluten and grain free.  They use locally sourced ingredients, and healthy cooking methods.  If you follow the Paleo or AIP diet, you will find plenty to choose from at Mission Heirloom.


We ordered our food at the counter inside before finding a table outside in their beautiful edible garden.


We decided to eat family-style, sharing four entrees.  Our burger salad arrived first.  It features a grass fed Kobe beef burger patty on top of a seasonal garden salad with a shot of dandelion pesto.  The pesto was incredible, and we ate it on the burger and the salad.  We all loved this dish, and would order it again the next time we eat at Mission Heirloom.


I was really excited to try the Moroccan beef empanadas with a shot of pesto, and they did not disappoint.  The spices in the beef filling gave it so much flavor, and the shell of the empanada was very good.  This dish was my favorite of the four we ordered, and I would be at Mission Heirloom eating them at least once a week if we lived closer.


I am never one to pass up a chance to have chicken and waffles, which I first tried at Boatwright's at Disney World on my birthday two years ago, thanks to my friend Chef Tony.  Mission Heirloom's version features coffee and paprika dry rubbed chicken on top of a savory waffle with coconut syrup, maguey sap, and blueberry reduction.  I asked whether anything on this dish tasted like coconut, which is my number one most hated food, and I was assured it did not.  I prefer fried chicken with my chicken and waffles, but this dish was still delicious, and a big hit with my whole family.


The only dish we would not order again is the egg & scone, which features organic creamy eggs sous vide for 2 hours with a savory almond scone, topped with dandelion truffle pesto, crispy kale chips, and sea salt.


We liked the eggs and the kale chips, but we did not love the crumbly texture of the scone.  It wasn't bad, but we much preferred our first three entrees.


For dessert, I ordered a chocolate chip cookie with almonds, egg, cacao, honey, coconut sugar, coconut oil, cacao butter, chocolate chips, baking soda, and salt.  I really regret not buying a bunch of these cookies to bring home, because they are about as close to cookie perfection as you can get.  I loved the combination of the chocolate and the nuts, which gave the cookie a great taste and texture.


Before we left, I bought a bottle of Liquidology Juicy Wellbeing what's up doc, which contains organic carrot, orange, apple, lemon, and ginger.  I could start every day with this amazing juice, which is made in Sacramento, California.


I was excited to see Otto's Cassava Flour in Mission Heirloom's market.  I have been following Otto's for a while on Instagram, and am always amazed at all the pictures of beautiful baked goods made with this Paleo gluten and grain free flour, which can often be subbed one to one for wheat flour in recipes.  Mission Heirloom uses it to make their waffles, and I regret not buying a bag, but I held back, because I have been doing so little cooking and baking since we moved to California.


Mission Heirloom's market also features meals packed to go, like chicken curry and braised kale & beets, a variety of juices, bone broth, probiotic coconut yogurt, and Jone's Gourmet Gelato, a Paleo non-dairy frozen dessert made in San Francisco.


I really wish we had a restaurant like Mission Heirloom closer to where we live in Watsonville.


Overall, we had a great dining experience at Mission Heirloom, which you can read more about on their website here.

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