Originally, I was going to write a post about how fantastic the foodie scene is in Santa Rosa: rich with traditional breakfasts, gluten-friendly restaurants (even Italian), cute little cafes, and how there’s a feeling that eating out is meant to be an enjoyable experience and not a rushed event where you stuff sustenance into your mouth as quickly as possible and hurry away.
I will point out though, that many of the gluten-free restaurants listed on Yelp for Santa Rosa are not; it seems some places have figured out that attaching gluten-free to the offering will attract patrons. In this regard, nothing makes a glutino angrier than showing up and finding out that “gluten-free” means some lettuce with a few tomatoes on top with no dressing (and charge $15). When this happens in Santa Rosa, you merely need to wander a bit and you’ll find a real gluten-free restaurant.
But, I digress. I’m not actually writing about the foodie scene in S.R.
In our adventures, there was one cafe that really stood out: the Undercover Baking Agency (Yelp). This cafe is a member of the SOFA district Criminal Baking community (or is “the” member… it’s difficult to say).
At the Undercover Baking Agency you’ll find food that is locally grown, baked in house, and meals that use what is seasonally available. The baristas really know their coffee and made me a fantastic latte… just the right amount of caramel aftertaste and caffeine.
Beyond this, the cafe positively vibrates with warmth, community, and an overall welcoming feeling. For a few hours, we sat and played our favourite travel game: Tintin (found in Belgium) while we enjoyed conversations, coffee, eggs and salad, cupcakes, bacon and housemade bread. At no point did we feel rushed or out of place.
Never get a glutino angry. They will shank you with a repurposed bread knife.
Maybe I should have used the word “hangry” when describing gf anger ;).