Review: Locali

 This weekend I had the supreme pleasure of finding a new hidden gem in the gluten clogged landscape that is Los Angeles. The gem is called Locali. Now I liked this place right off the bat - anything with "Cali" in it has to be good and if you break it into two words, it sounds like I am being discovered: "Lo, Callie!"

I came across this magical wonderland through Groupon. Groupon is a website/daily e-mail that offers coupons for things to do in LA and other cities (restaurants, events, discounts at stores, etc.) The way it works is that a certain number of people have to agree to buy it for it to be valid. If enough people sign up to purchase each day's Groupon, everyone who signed up for it gets it, if not enough people do, no one gets it. So far I have bought some awesome things at great discounts including massages and yoga and pilates classes. I also got a $30 gift certificate to Locali for $15. Sorry for the rambling infomercial-esque explanation but the great deal I got made me love Locali all the more.

When I got the Groupon e-mail I glanced at Locali's website and saw that they seemed to basically be a deli/cafe that offered gluten-free options. That was enough for me. I bought it and have been holding onto it for a few months. Locali isn't exactly in my neighborhood but that won't stop me from frequenting it in the future. When I finally hauled my butt over there, I was impressed as soon as I walked in the door.

It's a tiny place but it's packed to the brim with all kinds of goodies. Not just any goodies, gluten free goodies! Donuts! Cookies! Pizza Dough! Pasta!

 They even purvey vegan goodies for you crazy kids who go nuts for the daiya cheese and chia seeds! I was like a kid in a candy store. This place is not just some deli/cafe; it's a fully stocked haven for anyone with dietary restrictions. They even sell hooch! Gluten free hooch! My sous chef and I were not there for hooch though, we were there for lunch so we perused their lengthy sandwich/salad/soup menu and made our choices.

I got The Peaceful Warrior Sandwich (on G-FREE bread!!!) It was a herbed turkey sandwich with arugula, red bell pepper, swiss cheese, mango chutney and a curry spread. It was the bomb dot com.

MQ got a tuna salad wrap with some tasty balsamic dressing.

 We both picked crazy sodas from the massive beverage selection. 

I got some stawberry buttermilk(!) ice cream for dessert and MQ had an avocado vanilla ice pop from The Popshop (more about these in a future post. Love 'em.)

I also picked up some Glow Gluten Free cookies for the road. I had heard good things and couldn't wait to try them (they rocked my socks.)

We settled in at one of two alfresco tables in front of the store and dug into our meals. We were happy campers. That is probably an understatement for me.

I was giddy. The sandwich was phenomenal and I felt great knowing everything was organic and humanely raised (Food, Inc. has ruined me!) That fact means the prices are a bit steep but they aren't more than you would expect and with the Groupon deal, we made out like bandits.

I will wrap up this post by saying, my effusive review may leave some of you crafty readers smelling a rat but I swear that I have not been given any compensation in return for these words. I just get overly excited when I can share such a great discovery with people who I know will cherish it as much as I do. If you have any dietary restrictions or you just like really tasty, eco-conscious food: get thee to Locali! And please bring me back a sandwich. And some cookies. And doughnuts.