Las Cruces' Celiac's Answer to Fine Dining: De La Vega's Pecan Grill and Brewery

                 



               A Las Cruces' Celiac's Answer to Fine Dining: 
                    De La Vega's Pecan Grill and Brewery

The Springer Family didn't have any plans to ever go into the restaurant biz, but when the restaurant renting the space from Tom and Jeanine Springer moved on, they decided to give it a try. The outcome of their novice effort has been nothing short of remarkable. A million dollar renovation that created an upscale dining environment and the building of a strong team has made this eatery blossom into something extraordinary.

Tom and Jeanine brought back their daughter Ashley from her life as a journalist to run the restaurant operations and marketing. Thanks to Ashley the restaurant has become highly aware of the need to  provide fine dining fare to gluten free and vegetarian diners. Ashley has worked with Executive Chef and Catering Manager Bob Brainard to develop a menu that rivals some of the best, with more gluten free options than any place I have yet to dine.


Chef Bob, staying true to the agriculture of the area, builds his menu around fresh, seasonal ingredients. He has dedicated twenty years to the restaurant business and the proof is in every delectable bite.  The team has been made even stronger with the addition of the new pastry chef, Scott. Scott is making gluten free desserts that no one could recognize as gluten free. The Gluten Free desserts at De La Vega's are truly divine.

I have sampled and will recommend all of the following gluten free dishes (though I have yet to try something that I did not fall in love with, so don't be afraid to branch out and forge your own way through the menu!) :


Hatch Chicken Pasta: Pecan wood-grilled chicken over GF linguine with green chile alfredo, bacon and fresh parmesan.












Smoked Beef Brisket: 8 oz. of thinly sliced brisket smothered in house made chipotle BBQ sauce.


Stuffed Squash:  Squash (seasonal) stuffed with seasonal vegetables white and mozzarella cheeses topped with fresh basil. 


Portabella: Filled with Feta and white Cheddar cheeses, artichoke hearts and red bell peppers.


 Green Chili Turkey Melt: Roasted turkey, whole Hatch green chile and Swiss cheese, on gluten free bread.








 Green Chili Stew: Spices, green chile, and pecan wood-smoked pork, topped with white cheddar cheese.


 Summer Strawberry: Roasted chicken breast, sweet strawberries, blackberries, apples, goat cheese and candied pecans in house-made strawberry vinaigrette. (yum!)




That, my friends, is just a sample of what De La Vega's Pecan Grill and Brewery has to offer. Gluten free, Vegetarians, and carnivores alike will all find many options to thoroughly enjoy, I promise.


They also cater. They have an on-site bakery and will even make birthday and wedding cakes!


One last recommendation, dare to be bold and try the blackberry jalapeño margarita you will not regret it!

Peace and happy gluten free exploration,
Angee

  

Aqua Reef Las Cruces' Hidden Gem

Aqua Reef - EuroAsian Cuisine is Las Cruces' Hidden Gem

       You wouldn't guess by the understated exterior that a fine dining experience awaits the special needs diner (non special need diners as well) but I assure you, you'll be blown away. 

      Aqua Reef features Euro Asian cuisine offered in an east meets west theme. From the elegant floating boat sushi bar to the intimate dining room, the unique and warm ambiance will keep this gluten free explorer coming back. 

      Let me tell you about the AMAZING 100% GLUTEN FREE MEAL I shared with my husband this past weekend. We started out our meal with hot sake for him and Moscato for moi. 

     For our appetizer we shared a Baja roll (shrimp, avocado, cucumber, and sesame seeds wrapped in rice and nori) and a smoked salmon and mango roll (smoked salmon, mango, cream cheese, and scallions wrapped in rice and nori) served complete with pickled ginger, wasabi, and gluten free soy sauce.

     For our entrees, he had rice paper salmon (pan seared salmon wrapped in rice paper with cilantro, pesto, and spices) and I enjoyed green tea curry chicken (Chicken and vegetables in a coconut green tea sauce with jasmine rice).

     I can tell you that I really did not want to stop eating that curry, the sauce has such a depth of flavor that kept me saying mmm.  However, I knew if I ate all of my curry I wouldn't have room for dessert and nothing was going to keep me from  the kahlua chocolate mousse (a delectable pillow of chocolate mousse that has been infused with rich kahlua and topped with fresh whipped cream served in a spectacular smoke and ice display. 

    
       I will be completely honest and say when I saw that mousse heading to our table, I did not want to share any of it with my Mr. Being the loving life partner I am,  I did share nicely. As long as I am being honest I will also let you know that I had quite an inner struggle going on when we reached the end of the mousse. I really wanted to lick that bowl clean. I managed to rein myself in and be content with making sure I  got all of it off of my spoon and okay maybe I trailed my finger along in the bowl a little bit.

      It was a great experience. The food was truly wonderful, the service was attentive, and the prices we very fair. It is this explorer's opinion that Aqua Reef has set the bar pretty high Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Suite B
900 South Telshor Boulevard, Las Cruces, NM 88011
(575) 522-7333

Open Mon-Thu,Sun 11am-9pm; Fri-Sat 11am-10pm