Panne Rizo Bakery Cafe
http://www.pannerizo.com/
1939 Cornwall Ave
Vancouver, BC V6J
In September 2009, I took a wonderful trip to Vancouver, BC. I had never been in the Pacific Northwest before so I traveled out to Seattle and Vancouver before I started my new job. Seattle was nice, but I LOVED Vancouver. It was honestly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The juxtaposition of the mountains, water, and city made for some really gorgeous scenery. I went hiking, biking, and shopping. I also managed to seek out at least two gluten-free venues while I was there. There was one bakery in Northern Vancouver that was non-existent, I probably should have called ahead. On my last day in Vancouver, I wanted to go to Kits Beach and I knew there was a gluten-free cafe in that neighborhood.
From before I even walked into Panne Rizo, I was impressed. Right in their front window was a sign for a monthly Celiac meeting hosted by the restaurant.
I knew I was in a “safe” place when the next thing I noticed when I went inside was the Gluten-Free Premises sign.
This place definitely was a place I could dine without worry. Their menu is small but enticing. All of the items on their menu are 100% gluten-free. On the menu that day was chicken pot pie, macaroni and cheese, grilled paninis, soup, and sandwiches made on their rice bread.
I chose the goat cheese with pesto and pine nuts sandwich. The goat cheese was creamy and the rice bread was toasted, an almost must for gluten-free breads. I thought the bread was typical gluten-free bread in terms of a slightly crumbly texture, but the flavor was nice. The goat cheese actually held the open-faced sandwich together pretty well and the pesto added a nice flavor to the whole sandwich.
In addition to the lunch menu, Panne Rizo also has a wall full of gluten-free products including cookies, breads, and locally produced gluten-free flours and mixes from the Sweet Rice Baking Company.
Since I was leaving Vancouver to drive back to Seattle to catch my flight, I thought I would get some goodies for the road. I picked up two gluten-free carrot muffins. I am a sucker for sweet cream cheese frosting, so this was a good choice. It was just the right amount of sweet nice with nice bits of carrot throughout the muffin.
If you are headed to Vancouver any time soon, I highly recommend stopping here to pick up lunch before hit Kits Beach which is only two blocks away. Kits Beach was empty the day I went, but it has one of the most beautiful views of the city and mountains while sitting on the beach!
