Telluride Blues & Brews Festival from a Glutard's View

We hit up the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival this weekend. It's a beer lover's paradise- that is for GLUTEN drinking beer lovers. There's not a single gluten free beer to be found within the town park during the 3 day festival. This year I did find some great options for enjoying the festival in gluten-free style.

 I know what you're thinking... why would any gluten free person look at a Pizza booth at a beer festival? Is that just asking for trouble?

But a closer look reveals the truth... this booth is done by the local kid's ski & snowboard club and club members decided to do a gluten free offering this year.

 And just down the way was a booth offering Skinny Girl Margs- not the best Marg I've ever had but it was nice to enjoy a drink with friends on a chilly night as we listed to moe. and Big Head Todd & the Monsters in Telluride Town Park. The morning had torrent of rain and even snow which stuck to the peaks so the pristine grassy fields of town park became a muddy mess. I capped off my evening with Telluride Truffles which are locally made with Belgian chocolate and inspired by the mountains.

 

Today I went back for more gluten free goodies at the park after a hearty breakfast of french toast made with Rudi's.(More on Rudi's later this week- stay tuned...)

I hit up the pizza booth again for a slice of peperoni then swung over to the cotton candy booth for a pink bag of sugary goodness. Plus it matched my shirt... can you read it?

"Gluten Makes Me Grumpy" (You too can wear your gluten free status...) I had a few laughs from fellow festival patrons today and met some other gluten free people as well.

We even got the see Willie Nelson take the stage... how often do you get to see a legend like Willie in your town and see the alpenglow over snow capped peaks like Ajax Peak at the end of the Box Canyon. 

Are you coming to Telluride for a festival, read through my series a bit of love....Telluride for some gluten free options on your visit. Be sure to always double check... things change quickly in a small mountain town.

Festivals, Movies and Eating Good in the Neighborhood?

I'm pretty far behind on blogging and it's for a few reasons. First Telluride has finally sprung from late winter into early summer and we've been playing outside with the puppy monsters a lot. Along with that comes the start up of the summer season. We have a free gondola that runs in the summer from Memorial Day to Late October and it brings in lots of visitors to our tiny historic mining town. Telluride also has a plethora of festival and events for the summer as well.

Last week brought my favorite, Mountainfilm Festival. It's a weekend long event with incredible programs all weekend long. I saw 7 movie blocks in four days and enjoyed everything from climbing films to movies on Everest and documentaries. I also saw my hero, Ed Viesturs, the first American to climb all of the world's 8,000 meter peaks without bottled oxygen give a few talks as well. We listened to his book, No Shortcuts to the Top on a cross country drive and it's been a favorite on my ipod ever since.

It's a big weekend and is always and inspiration. I'm not into fishing but loved the latest from Felt Soul Media film Eastern Rises (love all their stuff), was blown away with the composure of Alex in Alone on the Wall (I freak out on a small boulder) and enjoyed watching a young man come into his own during The Edge of Never. I saw a lot from Sender Films and hope to catch more as they air on Nat Geo tv. Mountainfilm goes on tour and if it comes near you I'd highly recommend it.
I delayed my viewing of the Sex in the City 2 premier due to Mountainfilm as climbing and adventure films mean more to me then Manolos. I'm more of a Patagucci(Patagonia) then Gucci person. Last night I went as part of a big group of girls in a limo to Montrose as it hasn't made it to our tiny mountain town yet. After the film we hit up Applebee's as they were open late. I've never heard or read much from the gluten free community on Applebee's and last night I found out why.
I have to give our server credit as it was a table of 12 ladies. This did cause me a bit of panic as I know as a glutard it's always best to have good communication with the server about my needs and there isn't much attention to be found in a group of 12. I asked the server if she had any GF recommendations. She gave an eye roll and a sigh of disdain and produced this card:

From think outside the breadbox

I had some panic but since I'm lucky enough to not be super sensitive I decided to risk it. I had made a good choice and eaten a small afternoon meal before the trip so I wouldn't have to worry about being starved and making bad choices. I chose a 1/2 sized Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad and was sure to state no croutons.

From think outside the breadbox

My salad was fine and I had no reactions. I can't say I'd ever go back as I didn't feel safe and my health isn't worth the risk. There are enough places who actually care enough to let me know if something is really gluten free so that I don't feel the need to go to a place who really doesn't care about my health. I was appalled at how much dressing covered the salad. I've never been a huge lettuce fan but this was excessive even by my standards. I think I'll stay out of this neighborhood...