If there's one thing the world needs, it's more dedicated gluten-free bakeries. These magical cafes are places where sweet and savory treats are in abundance and fear can be left at the doorstep.
The latest gluten-free bakery to pop up in the DC region is The Red Bandana Bakery in Bethesda, MD. While not a newcomer by any means (they have been a Bethesda farmer's market staple for years), their brick and mortar location is a newcomer to the city's bustling Wisconsin Ave corridor.
Although The Red Bandana Bakery opened in November of last year, my college graduation, moving, and starting a new job in D.C. have consumed all of my spare time recently. This past weekend however, I made sure to carve out time to stop by and see what they were all about. I have previously tried and enjoyed their treats at the 2016 D.C. Gluten-Free Education Day and Expo, and was eager to get the full experience of this bakery-cafe in its full glory.
Subs. Hoagies. Heros. Submarine sandwich.
Whatever you call them, they're really hard to find gluten-free options at sub shops, much less find one that knows how to prepare them safely (shared knives and counters are a cross contamination danger zone!).
In my six years of going gluten-free, I have never found a place where I could walk in and order a sub and reclaim the normal experience I so enjoyed in my pre-gluten-free days. Of course I have made subs at home on a few occasions, but I have longed for this every time I pass by a sub shop or the deli counter at my local grocery store.
That's why I was floored when Jersey Mike's Subs, a nationwide chain, announced that they were going gluten-free. I met the news with skepticism, after all, I can point to plenty of examples of chains rolling out gluten-free options that are dangerously cross-contaminated or are considered "gluten-light" for those who follow the diet due to preference rather than medical necessity. Could Jersey Mike's boldly go where no sub chain had gone before? Even more, could they pull off the taste and texture of these iconic sandwiches minus gluten?
