322 E Kirkwood Ave
Bloomington, IN 47408
(812) 323-2233
Laughing Planet Cafe is a California-style burrito joint in downtown Bloomington, conveniently located a few blocks from the Indiana University campus at the corner of Kirkwood and Grant Streets (in the large stone building shared by Cactus Flower, Moon Stones, Soma Coffeehouse and TD's CDs and LPs).
A special feature of the restaurant is its Daily Special burrito, typically emphasizing local produce and often with an international theme. (My personal favorite is the Holiday Burrito, available only in November and December. It has mashed potatoes and cranberries!) They offer an extensive menu with soups, salads, and the aforementioned burritos, as well as quesadillas and freshly made veggie burgers.
A sample menu can be found at: http://www.campusfood.com/restaurant.asp?campusid=48&mlid=20025.
I used to eat at Laughing Planet all the time, until I went gluten-free. I just learned today that they are now offering gluten-free tortillas, and after speaking with one of the long-time employees, I feel comfortable recommending this restaurant as a possibly safe place for Celiacs and gluten-intolerants to eat.
As with all establishments that handle gluten-containing ingredients alongside those that are gluten-free, I strongly recommend using your best judgment, asking lots of questions, and making sure that your meal is being prepared in a manner that is safest for you. (This might be easiest at less-busy times, as any server is likely to be less able to accommodate special requests when there is a line of 20 hungry customers waiting to place their orders.)
In the case of Laughing Planet, the server I spoke to said that they can make accommodations to help minimize (or eliminate) cross-contamination. First, I can attest that they are not making their own tortillas, and you can see the burrito-production area just behind the counter: no airborne flour to worry about. The server also told me that, due to the friable nature of their GF tortillas, they can't actually make a wrapped GF burrito, but they simply line a large bowl with the GF tortilla and place the filling ingredients on top. It's a step between their traditional (wheat) burritos and the "naked" burritos, which are actually just the fillings, no shell.
Other good news for the gluten-weary: the food preparers can put on fresh gloves before handling your tortilla, and will put down a layer of foil between your GF tortilla and the prep counter -- but make sure you ask first. Even better: unlike some sandwich chains we are all familiar with, the ingredients at Laughing Planet are in separate containers with their own utensils - no hands, gloved or otherwise, are going from one container to another. Or from a wheat tortilla into your spinach. So that reduces cross-contamination risks further.
Laughing Planet is also vegetarian- and vegan-friendly, so if you have any questions about their menu items, just ask the person taking your order to help you choose non-meat or non-dairy ingredients.
A word of caution: the quesadillas (for those who eat dairy) would NOT be recommended for those concerned about cross-contamination, even with a GF tortilla, because the cooking surface will be the same as the one used for wheat tortillas. Caveat emptor.
Also, in the past I thought the tofu might have been seasoned with some ingredient that I reacted to, though it could have been a shared prep surface that caused the reaction, not the tofu itself. I have not tried it recently, so it may be fine.
The Laughing Planet Cafe does not have a website (however, there is a website for a different chain of the same name - they might be lovely! but they're not the one in Bloomington); inquiries can be directed to (812) 323-2233. Street address is 322 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington IN 47408.
Happy eating!!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
About this blog
Hello there!
Finding a good place to eat can be hard enough when you're traveling, and if you're gluten-free it can sometimes feel insurmountable. For a while now, I've been thinking about putting together a website with reviews of different places in Bloomington, Indiana where you can find gluten-free menu items.
And then today, as I was standing in a local restaurant (review forthcoming) asking about the tiny sign advertising their new GF tortillas, wondering why I had never heard about this great development in B-town GF dining, it hit me:
I COULD BLOG THIS, and everyone would know about it.
A couple of you ;) might have seen my other blog for my own nascent food business, Kat's Kitchen. (If not, you can find the link on the right-hand side of this page.) I'd love for you to check out that page too. But this blog will be different, focused only on brick-and-mortar establishments where you can buy ready-made (or packaged, in some cases) gluten-free foods in Bloomington. I'll make occasional posts about places I've found that have gluten-free menu options, and will try to do some in-person investigating to give you a better idea of what to expect when you get there.
Your comments will make the site even more useful for others - so please, if you have had personal experiences with any of the establishments I write about, please add your comments to the post!
You can also email me to suggest other places you've found that you think I should review. The more participation from locals and visitors, the better this list will be.
So. Onwards and upwards. Please keep reading, and do write to tell me how you think this list is doing!
yours gastronomically,
Kat
Finding a good place to eat can be hard enough when you're traveling, and if you're gluten-free it can sometimes feel insurmountable. For a while now, I've been thinking about putting together a website with reviews of different places in Bloomington, Indiana where you can find gluten-free menu items.
And then today, as I was standing in a local restaurant (review forthcoming) asking about the tiny sign advertising their new GF tortillas, wondering why I had never heard about this great development in B-town GF dining, it hit me:
I COULD BLOG THIS, and everyone would know about it.
A couple of you ;) might have seen my other blog for my own nascent food business, Kat's Kitchen. (If not, you can find the link on the right-hand side of this page.) I'd love for you to check out that page too. But this blog will be different, focused only on brick-and-mortar establishments where you can buy ready-made (or packaged, in some cases) gluten-free foods in Bloomington. I'll make occasional posts about places I've found that have gluten-free menu options, and will try to do some in-person investigating to give you a better idea of what to expect when you get there.
Your comments will make the site even more useful for others - so please, if you have had personal experiences with any of the establishments I write about, please add your comments to the post!
You can also email me to suggest other places you've found that you think I should review. The more participation from locals and visitors, the better this list will be.
So. Onwards and upwards. Please keep reading, and do write to tell me how you think this list is doing!
yours gastronomically,
Kat
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