Hello minerswife,
How exciting, planning for a holiday vacation! I?m sorry to say
that finding a number of restaurants in which your daughter can safely
dine is not easy to do! You would have had better luck in Canada and
Australia I?m sorry to say! Seems the US has not caught on to
accommodating folks with allergies very well, even though 15-20% of
Americans have the same. I was able to find some restaurants and fast
food restaurants that have natural/gluten / flour free items. After
researching further however, I can tell you will have to be selective,
choosing the better restaurants, as they are more likely to meet your
needs.
I also don?t know which part of the country you will visit, but
you should have an easier time in the larger cities. Perhaps you could
stock up in the larger cities!
Your best bet, along with the tips I have gathered for you, it
seems, would be to use a cooler, and pick up foods for your daughter
at large grocery stores, and natural food and specialty markets. These
stores have lots of treats; cookies, cakes, puddings, etc. that you
can carry as you travel. Most larger grocery stores in the US carry
specialty food items now. Even restaurants and venues that prohibit
bringing in your own food will allow you to bring in a special diet
for your daughter, especially with if you travel with a card
identifying her as having severe allergies. Almost all grocery stores
now carry soy milk in the refrigerated section, and smaller drink
boxes that require no refrigeration.
===================
Tips for dining out
===================
?Make sure that you are able to control your allergies at home before
going away from home.
* Traveling with food allergies, even if you have little time to plan,
can be fun and safe.
* Carry around a laminated paper with a list of your food allergies, a
list of acceptable foods that you CAN eat, and a note about the
dangers of cross-contamination.
* Bring a medium (carry-on size) soft-sided cooler with some safe
snacks (e.g. fruit leather, rice cakes, chips, dried fruit), salad
dressing, fruits and veggies (if traveling domestically). These are
expecially needed on the plane rise, lunches with buffets, etc.
* Know what type of restaurants you can eat in (especially if you are
so sensitive that inhaling food proteins causes reactions). For
example, those allergic to wheat, should stay away from Italian and
pizza restaurants. Those allergic to corn shouldn't go to Mexican
restaurants and those with peanut allergies should stay away from
Asian restaurants.
* Eat at nicer restaurants. I know this is expensive, but you will get
safe service. Most fast food or chain restaurants have much of their
food brought in pre-manufactured and packaged. At nicer, more
expensive restaurants, the chef can prepare something for you in a
clean saute pan and you can be confident that the restaurant is
watching out for you.
* Find a "hole in the wall", small restaurant that will take the time
to take care of you. Smaller, non-chain restaurants, usually do not
buy premade food. Frequent the restaurant so the owners get to know
you. They will appreciate your business and you will get the service.
·Find a nice hotel that will be able to accommodate your food
allergies and special requests if on a short trip. If going on a long
trip, get a hotel with a kitchen that has pots & pans and cooking
utensils?
Thi spage also has tips for packing food to eat on the plane.
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/FAST/travel.html
Choosing a restaurant
=====================
The best way to pick a restaurant is to go by recommendation. Ask
other people with food allergies where they like to dine out. Your
allergist or dietitian might also have suggestions.
Another way to narrow your choices is to avoid those restaurants that
are most likely to cause problems for you. In general, avoid:
·Buffets. Foods in the buffet line are kept very close to each other.
Oftentimes the serving utensils for one dish are used for another.
Your allergens can easily spread from one dish to another.
·Bakeries. Baked goods are often kept next to each other in large
display cases. In such an enclosed environment, allergens from one
food can spread to another. Also, tongs and utensils are often reused.
·Restaurants that don't cook from scratch. Some restaurants don't make
your meal from scratch. They instead serve you an already-made meal
that they heat up. It's sometimes impossible to special-order meals at
these restaurants. If you're not sure if a restaurant cooks from
scratch, call ahead and ask.
·Obvious dangers. Depending on your allergy, you can automatically
cross some restaurants off your list. If you're allergic to shellfish,
avoid seafood restaurants. The chances for cross-contamination are
increased in these restaurants. If you're allergic to peanuts or tree
nuts, avoid Asian restaurants, since nuts are commonly used in Asian
recipes.
Use your best judgment when selecting a restaurant. Don't let
temptation overrule your instincts.?
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/HQ/00709.html
?If you're on a special diet and planning to try a new restaurant,
call ahead to see whether it offers suitable menu choices or if
substitutions can readily be made. With the exception of fast-food
restaurants, where everything is already prepared when you get there,
most restaurants are happy to modify their dishes by changing the
cooking method, leaving out an ingredient or serving part of the dish,
such as the gravy or dressing, on the side so you can control the
amount you eat.
If you have a food allergy or sensitivity, you should be extremely
careful about eating out. Common allergens and irritants include milk,
eggs, shellfish (crab, lobster, shrimp), fish, citrus fruits, legumes
(soybeans, lima beans), peanuts, spices, artificial food dyes, molds,
sulfites and wheat. Ask specific questions, and be sure your waiter
understands the different ways an allergen can get into a dish. For
example, the stock base in a harmless-sounding corn chowder may
contain clam juice, a disaster for someone allergic to clams and other
members of the mollusk or shellfish family.?
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtPrint/WSIHW000/325/24100/34081.html?d=dmtContent&hide=t&k=basePrint
Some sites seems to repeat the same dining out tips, but I appreciate
the first tip on this Canadian site:
?Suggestions for dining out safely
·Dine at off-peak times. You will receive better service and staff
will be more willing to accommodate your needs.
·Plan ahead. Call the restaurant and review the menu and ingredients
at an off-peak time.
·Carefully check the entire menu to determine possible sources of
cross-contamination with allergens.
·Ask questions about food preparation, ingredients, cleaning
procedures and the chance of cross-contamination at each and every
visit. Menus, ingredients, suppliers, preparation procedures and staff
may change.
·Always ask about ingredients. Be aware that while chain restaurants
may have standard menus, ingredients and suppliers may vary by region.
·If the server cannot answer questions to your satisfaction, ask to
speak to the cook, chef or manager. If still not satisfied, go
elsewhere.
·Order meals that are simply prepared such as by broiling. Avoid
sauces, coatings, desserts, or baked goods.
·Avoid buffets or "pot luck" meals due to the risk of cross-contamination.
·Never share food, utensils, straws, or drinking glasses.
·The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association has a National
Symbol Program called Allergy Aware. They can be reached at (900)
387-5649 or at www.crfa.ca.
·Taste testing is dangerous. A "little taste" can cause a serious reaction.
·Always wear a MedicAlert bracelet or necklace that identifies your
allergy and states that you carry epinephrine.
·Reinforce to the restaurant staff that this is a life-threatening
allergy. Accidental ingestion could result in a serious or fatal
allergic reaction
http://www.pharmaprix.ca/english/health_wellness/health_information/health_conditions/e-l/life_threatening_allergies/dining_safely.html
?We enjoy dining out, but whether we're eating at a white-tablecloth
restaurant or one that hands the food out a window, I have to screen
what I feed Ryan. Even if a restaurant says they provide a milk-free
dinner, ask how it's cooked. It's simple for servers to forget butter
or margarine, but you need to know. Carrying a pre-printed card makes
it easy to provide the clerk/waitress/cook all the terms for "milk
products," as a restaurant employee will usually look for the word
"milk" on a label. Many fast food outlets put milk products in items
such as: Hamburger and hot dog Buns; the hamburgers themselves; hot
dogs; french fries (many put whey powder on the fries); fried chicken;
cookies; and pies.
?Authentic Chinese restaurants are usually a good bet for safe eating,
as milk use is uncommon. Some other ethnic restaurants may also use
low or no milk products. As always, check and double check. I am happy
to say that my son can eat at McDonald's. Their "Happy Meal" contains
absolutely NO MILK PRODUCTS.
I recently asked a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet for an ingredient
list. It was wonderful to see how extensively they broke down each
menu item. I discovered that although the majority of their chicken
dishes are deep-fried with batter, they do not all have the same
ingredients. My son could safely have the "Chicken Strips" as well as
their french fries. But that was all.
Consider writing to thank restaurants and chains when they make it
safe for those with milk allergies to eat there. And of course, it's
easier to check out a restaurants without children in tow. Knowing
ahead of time where and what to avoid saves disappointment.?
http://www.newhomemaker.com/health/milkallergy.html?print=yes
Markets and Grocery Stores
==========================
Whole Foods carries food items that will be safe for your child. If
you travel with a cooler, you can find soy-based yogurts and puddings
here as well. (I?ve bought them for my granddaughter here)
http://www.wholefoods.com/
Enter the states you will be visiting to find if a store is in that area.
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/index.html
?Sprouts? is another chain that carries specialty foods.
http://www.sprouts.com/index.html
Located in California and Arizona
http://www.sprouts.com/storelocations.html
Trader Joe?s carries a line of allergy-free foods
http://traderjoes.com/locations/index.asp
Here?s a directory of numerous Natural Food Stores/Coops/Health Food
stores across the US
http://www.greenpeople.org/healthfood.htm
Enjoy Life Stores carry foods for allergy sufferers.
Store locator
http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/cart/StoreLocator/store.asp
These dairy-free products are often found in natural food markets, and
many larger chain grocery stores.
http://www.imaginefoods.com/pages/info/dairyfree.php
This page has a list of stores that carry allergy diet products
http://www.futtersnutbutters.com/stores.html
Nutrilicious Bakery carries egg, dairy and flour free products. Locate by zip code.
http://www.nutrilicious.com/retail_outlets.htm
?I'm not sure it's gluten free, but it is wheat-free and dairy-
free: Mochi. This is available from grainaissance and is sold
at Whole Foods near tofu and the wheatfree refridgerated
breads at the back. My daughter loves the raisin cinnamon
flavor and I like the seeded ones. Plain is too blah, and
garlic a little to garlic. You slice or break it into little 1''
x1'' squares, pop it in the toaster oven for about 6 minutes at
450 and you get these puffy chewy steamy little muffins. I also
like a wheat free corn thin that is like a super thin rice
cake. They come in a bright yellow-y package just like rice
cakes. They are organic, made in Australia or New Zealand and
my tot likes them too. We use the rice pastas sold at Whole
Foods. Lundberg tends to be super thick and taste different.
The asian brand is smoother and more similar to wheat pastas.
We also like the Quinoa pastas that also contain corn sold at
Whole Foods and Berkeley Bowl. It's a better deal than the rice
ones. None of these pasta products store well. You can make
wrap sandwiches from corn tortillas. You can do a lot of baking
with bob's redmill oat flour. Great pancake recipe on the
package. There's a bakery in petaluma that makes gluten free
cookies. occasionally wheat free
http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/where2buy/gluten.html
Foods Online
============
This online merchant carries a line of cookies, breads, doughnuts and
snacks. This site may be useful if you have a location in the US where
they could be sent prior to your arrival.
http://www.missroben.com/
MotherNature carries plenty of useful products, especially if you can
order online and have the items shipped to someone in the US.
?We are proud to say that all of our products are gluten-free,
casein-free, corn-free, wheat-free, fish & shellfish-free, nut-free,
dairy-free, egg-free, and soy-free. As always, they?re 100%
vegetarian, contain nothing artificial, and no animal by-products.?
http://www.mothernature.com/shop/sections/index.cfm/s/105127
http://www.mothernature.com/shop/detail.cfm/sku/31439
Glenny?s Chocolate Cookies are egg, milk and flour free
http://www.glennys.com/store/product1.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=197&Category_ID=187
Simple Treats, in Vermont
?After a brief restructuring period, the fabulous Simple Treats vegan
bakery is back and better then ever. Run by sisters Jill and Ellen
Abraham, the duo has opened a bakery in Seattle and will soon be
opening a second location in Vermont. All of their dairy-free goodies
are wheat-free and organic, and their specialties include cookies (we
love their Oatmeal Raisin and Mint Chocolate Chip), fudge brownies,
and blondies. Their brownies were voted #1 by VegNews readers in the
2002 and 2003 Veggie Awards.?
http://simpletreats.com/
Gluten Solutions has quite a few wheat-less, dairy-less and egg-less
products, online.
http://www.glutensolutions.com/store.asp?maintag=qs
Kinnikinnick?s has products in over 500 US stores.
?Products will begin being placed in these Natural Market Stores
beginning immediately. Kinnikinnick Foods produces a line of highly
quality foods for people with special dietary requirements, allergies
and intolerances. All Kinnikinnick products are Gluten Free/Wheat Free
and are produced in a dedicated Gluten Free/Wheat Free facility in
Edmonton. Products will range from frozen baked goods; such as breads,
buns, bagels and donuts, to mixes and cookies. This stocking
represents a major breakthrough for people coping with food allergies
and intolerances, specifically people with Celiac Disease, wheat and
dairy allergies and people with Autism, ADD and ADHD. Increasing the
local availability of a variety of high quality, palatable Gluten Free
and Gluten Free/Dairy Free products has been a key factor in marketing
and growth of Kinnikinnick Foods Inc. ? Kinnikinnick products are
widely available in Canada in over 500 health food stores, major chain
stores, especially those with natural or alternative food sections and
other specialty retailers.
Click on cities/states you are visiting to locate a store.
http://www.kinnikinnick.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/home.finder/Partnercountry/us/menu/find.html
Should you visit Baskin-Robbins, a very popular ice cream chain, it
appears that all their products contain milk, except Daquiri Ice
http://baskinrobbins.com/about/nutrition/Product.aspx?Category=The%20Lighter%20Side&id=0905
and
Margarita Ice. Even fruit sherbets contain milk.
http://baskinrobbins.com/about/nutrition/Product.aspx?Category=The%20Lighter%20Side&id=0934
McDonalds
This page shows the allergens in McDonalds food items, and shows few
foods for your child, with French fries and juices being all I found
at first glance.
http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.categories.allergens.index.html
Dairy Queen
?The following items do not contain any dairy products: Lemon
Freez'r®; Cherry Lime Freez'r®; Misty® Slush?Flavors available are
Cherry, Grape, Blue Raspberry, Lemon Lime, and Kiwi Strawberry;
StarKiss® Bars?Flavors include Grape, Orange, Cherry, and Lemon
LimeDairy Queen® restaurants are very busy and cross contamination may
occur between ingredients. Thus a 100% confidence level cannot be
guaranteed. It is important that you ask your local Dairy Queen
restaurant for an ingredient listing of the specific item in question
and let them know of your special needs.
http://www.dairyqueen.com/en-US/Menus+and+Nutrition/Special+Dietary+Needs/Dairy-Free+Products.htm
http://www.dairyqueen.com/en-US/Menus+and+Nutrition/Special+Dietary+Needs/default.htm
Avoid Kellogg?s Rice Krispy Bars. I looked them up because I certainly
thought they might be something you could easily carry with you, but
the contain milk products.
http://www.kelloggs.com/cgi-bin/brandpages/product.pl?product=45&company=3
Avoid:
Chick-fil-a
http://www.chick-fil-a.com/allergen.asp
Here is a list of restaurants, many in theme parks and tourist areas
that cater to folks with allergies.
http://www.allergicchild.com/good_experiences.htm
Restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area, California:
El Polo Loco, fast food chicken franchise, guarantees the following
are gluten free: whole chicken (including their sauce) off the grill,
their tomato sauce products and their pinto beans. Hopefully they will
certify additional items as gluten free at a later date.
P. F. Changs has several locations in the bay area, their gluten free
menu is on their website and also available at the restaurants.
www.pfchangs.com
?Belmont
Max's (on El Camino) - grilled chicken breast topped with tomato
vinaigrette, calamata olives and feta cheese on steamed vegetables &
potatoes
Narita's (Carlmont Shopping Center, Ralston Ave.) - great sushi,
especially Hawaiian Roll and Rainbow Roll.
Berkeley
Chez Panisse Cafe
1517 Shattuck Ave. (upstairs)
Berkeley 510-548-5049
Check out Rick and Ann's on Domingo street in Berkeley near the
Claremont Hotel for rice flour blueberry pancakes right on the menu.
It's a wonderful breakfast/brunch place and the pancakes are heavenly
and worth the trip. It's crowded on weekends.
Café de la Paz in Berkeley?s gourmet ghetto (Shattuck near Cedar)
worked very well for me the other week and we will be going back next
week. But I may not have checked as thoroughly as I could have ? I?m
new to this. I had the pumpkin seed crusted fish with the garlic
mashed potatoes and fried bananas (not breaded) and tasted the two
deserts ? a lovely flan and a decadent mocha pot au crème. No
consequences.
Burlingame
First Watch Restaurant
841 El Camino Real, 650-403-0244, open for breakfast, brunch, lunch.
Owners have a celiac daughter so have added a gluten free menu.
Lafayette
Duck Club Restaurant
3287 Mt. Diablo Boulevard
Lafayette 925-283-7108
Livermore
Wente Vineyards Restaurant
5050 Arroyo Road
Livermore 925-456-2450
Marin County
La Maison de la Reine located at Town Center in Corte Madera (next to
See's Candies). Lovely Vietnamese restaurant preparing many dishes,
including a filled rice flour crepe, that will please anyone celiac or
not. The owners are extremely nice and happy to go over the menu with
you to identify safe options. Bring your own soy sauce. 415/927-0288
Orchid Thai in San Anselmo is well-versed on gluten free cooking
options given it's a favorite with a few celiac locals. 726 San
Anselmo Ave. 415/457-9470
Tabla Cafe in Kentfield is an unexpected surprise for celiac dining.
The owner of this little cafe makes a variety of dosas from chickpea
flour. Perfect for lunch or hearty snack. The cafe is located on the
border of Kentfield and Larkspur at 1167 Magnolia Avenue 415/461-6787.
Woodlands Market in Kentfield carries a growing selection of gluten
free food items on a regular basis due to demand from us locals. They
also have a large selection of take-out food and the executive chef is
happy to assist you in choosing safe options. 735 College Avenue
415/457-8160
Cheesecake Factory in Corte Madera (near Nordstrom's) has created a
very abbreviated menu featuring its gluten free menu items. Call ahead
and specifically ask for that menu and assurances of its preparation.
The Village Shopping Center 415/945-0777
Kitti's Place in Sausalito at the north end of town is a quaint and
casual cafe open for lunch. It serves some of the best Thai-inspired
soups, salads and entrees you'll ever have. Bring your own soy sauce.
3001 Bridgeway 415/331-0390
Sushi Ko in Larkspur (near the ferry) offers fresh sushi and rice
noodle dishes. Bring your own soy sauce. Larkspur Landing 415/461-8400
Menlo Park
I find Carpaccio's very willing to listen to my questions, investigate
ingredients and follow requests. I usually order the Sole Picatta and
always ask the waiter to request that the fish not be floured or
cooked in a pan in which flour has been used.
Mountain View (your celiac webmaster lives in Mountain View and
frequently dines out along Castro Street with her Boston Terrier,
Chloe)
Cascals on the corner of Castro and California. Excellent Spanish
tapas bar, many tapas are GF as well as their main dishes. Just ask
the server. The chef is trained and the owner, who is there most of
the time, can also help choose menu items. Outdoor seating, huge wine
selection, very crowded during peak times so make a reservation.
Zuccas on Castro, excellent food, outdoor seating, best restaurant in town.
Fiesta Del Mar, two locations in Mountain View. Lots of Mexican
dishes. Homemade sangria.
Several Indian restaurants with many GF dishes. Sue's on Castro Street
is highly rated. A new Indian restaurant opened at the corner of
Cascals and California called Shiva's, very upscale, many, many gluten
free items to choose from. Great food.
Sushi Tomi, 635 W. Dana St. 650-968-3227, www.sushitomi.com,
chef@sushitomi.com. First sushi restaurant I've found that does not
use any imitation crab. Take your own soy sauce.
Global Blends is a wonderful coffee house/café haven for any celiac to
feel comfortable going into to have a delicious muffin with your
coffee or a tantalizing sandwich for lunch. I had heard such great
things about the place, so a fellow celiac and I decided to have lunch
there. Patsy is the owner of the café and also a celiac, so she has
schooled her help quite well in the specialized art of making celiac
food safe for us to eat. We when saw "gluten free breads" listed up on
the
board, we felt so "mainstream" that we even jumped up and down a bit
with excitement in front of the counter! We each ordered two of her
"famous" blueberry muffins, a slice of spinach quiche and a
three-cheese sandwich with tomatoes grilled on a dedicated grill. She
also serves gluten free soups, but we figured we had more than enough
to eat at that point! We sat in big overstuffed chairs next to the
window and enjoyed our lunch. It was wonderful, relaxing and
liberating! The bread Patsy uses in her GF sandwiches is made by
Michael Groff of "I Can Eat That!". Patsy stocks his frozen bread
products in their own tins ready to bake at home for that fresh-baked
taste and smell. Call ahead to make sure the kinds you want are in
stock. I just wanted to share our great experience with other celiacs
because I know how much it means to go into a place and order food
without asking one, single question! (Global Blends is located at 650
Castro Street in Mountain View, 650-254-1110.)
Oakland
A Cote 5478 College Ave (510) 655-6469.
Cafe Rustica on College Ave in Oakland has rice flour pizza, you need
to call the day before. Then when you get there, you order whatever
toppings you want. It's not fabulously delicious crust, but still,
where can a celiac order up a pizza!
We ate at Saysetha Thai restaurant (Oakland, Telegraph Ave.) last
night and the waiter was also one of the chef?s and was quite willing
to think through the recipe. I?m not sure if the fried sweet potatoes
(breaded with coconut milk and rice flour) were deep fat fried or not,
but no visible consequences.
Orinda
Casa Orinda Restaruant at 20 Bryant Way (Highway 24 at the Orinda
exit) will make whatever they possibly can for celiacs. We try to keep
a bag of rice flour in the fridge there. Call ahead (11 am or so) and
ask for Hiro, the head chef. Tell him you have the same disease as
"Christopher and Barbara" and he'll understand what you mean.
Palo Alto
Janta Indian Restaurant, 369 Lytton Ave., 650-462-5903. Small Indian
restaurant where owner hovers over your table and knows the
ingredients of every dish. Many items are gluten free as they use
lentil flour. Try the papadum, a lentil flour flat bread that is
garlic flavored, just delicious. Many of the main dishes are gluten
free and the also have many vegetarian dishes. They have many gluten
free desserts, rice pudding, carrot cake (not American style).. The
buffet at lunch is almost entirely gluten free except for one dish
that last time I was there. The lunch buffet includes hot chai tea.
Buffet is $8.95 adult, $5.95 child. They do not serve the lunch buffet
on Sunday. Janta is repeatedly voted the best Indian restaurant in
Palo Alto with great service.
Redwood City
Max's (on El Camino) - grilled chicken breast topped with tomato
vinaigrette, calamata olives and feta cheese on steamed vegetables &
potatoes
San Carlos
Kabul Afghan Cuisine (ElCamino) - many options, including Mater
Challaw (lamb, vegs, rice), Korma Challaw Badenjah (beef, eggplant,
rice), Lawang (chicken, mushrooms, rice), Kadu (pumpkin garnished with
yoguert & ground lamb - those are just my favorites.
Sai Vietnamese (Laurel St.) - spring rolls & vermicelli
Noodle dishes.
San Francisco
Boulevard
1 Mission St.
415-543-6084
1) Boston Market
2) Hawthorne Cafe
3) Chic's Seafood Restaurant (Pier 39)
4) Haegen Daiz
5) Alioto's Fish Market (upstairs Fisherman's Wharf # 8)
For those going to Fisherman's Wharf area, there are wonderful
crab/fish restaurants. Just exercise the same cautions you do in any
restaurant. Or you can buy a steamed crab (unfortunately without
accompanying loaf of sourdough bread), make sure they crack it well,
and sit in the nearby park and enjoy.
?For Asian food, I skip Chinese food because they use lots of soy
sauce, but you can eat well in Thai restaurants and of course, there's
sushi in Japanese restaurants. Just watch out for imitation crab.
Bring your own soy sauce. You can eat crab at Fisherman's wharf, no
problem, and there's lots of seafood there and elsewhere, just make
sure there's no breading on the fish or even dredged in flour. I like
to stop in Chinese bakeries for dessert. They have all kinds of sweet
rice flour products some with bean paste filling. Hopefully there's
someone who speaks enough English to ask, but there are lots of
pasteries you can eat (and lots you can't). For example, there's a
round ball which has been deep fried (yes it's greasy, but really
good) about the size of a golf ball with sesame seeds all over it.
Inside there's bean paste or lotus bean paste. There are also rice
flour savory things which are rolled out rice flour dough in a circle
which are then filled with shrimp (fresh or dried) and green onions,
and then the rcle is rolled up. These either come in a package in an
Asian market, or in a Chinese bakery, they are in the deli case. Very
yummy. I add a bit of shrimp paste from the Thai market and g-f soy
sauce and heat in the microwave or if it's from the deli, we take it
to the park and just eat it up. You may also see triangular packages
wrapped in dark green leaves and tied with string. This is rice with
savories inside. It's been steamed. Also nice to eat in the park.
There are some dim sum goodies you can eat, and lots you can't. I like
to go to Yank Sing on Battery Street in SF. It's crowded on the
weekend. Talk to the main person in advance about which dim sum
goodies you can eat there. There are really good taro root dim sum and
lots of others made from rice flour. Generally those with translucent
wrappings are rice flour and the others are wheat flour. You may want
to bring your own soy sauce here too. I should also add that any nice
restaurant should cater to your dietary restrictions, no problem.
Wendy's won't but if you can afford to eat out a few dinners at nicer
places, the waiters should take very good care of you, especially if
they speak English.?
San Jose
Thepthai, 23 N. Market St., (at Henry)
Great inexpensive Thai restaurant in downtown. Great service and nice
variety. Understand the concept of NO gluten.
Picasos restaurant is a Spanish (Andalucian) food. Great variety
62 West Santa Clara St (Between Market and First Sts)
San Jose, CA 95113
Maggiano's Little Italy Restaurant (take your gluten free pasta and
they will gladly prepare it)
Santana Row
3055 Olin Avenue, Suite 1000
San Jose, CA 95128
(408) 423-8973
Executive Chef - Eric Martin
San Mateo
Fish Market (Norfolk Ave.)- any grilled fish, steamed shellfish,
steamed or fresh vegetables, shrimp cocktail, mussels/clams marinara
without the pasta (it's on the menu that way!); ask for no croutons on
the green salad and vinegar & oil for dressing. The steamed artichokes
are wonderful & the dipping sauce which comes with it is safe to eat.
Uncle Chen's (42nd Ave. near El Camino) - will prepare any chow fun
without soy sauce, and can recommend other soy-sauce free dishes, such
as cashew prawns or chicken.
Papagaya (Crystal Springs Shopping Center, Polhemous Road) fish
(salmon) tacos, will prepare prawn or other meat quesadillas using
corn tortillas instead of wheat; there are other options, too - those
are just my favorites.
First Watch Restaurant
201 2nd. Ave, 650-342-2356, open for breakfast, brunch, lunch. Owners
have a celiac daughter so have added a gluten free menu.
Santa Cruz
Eating out Gluten-Free in and around Santa Cruz - by Pam Newbury
?Unfortunately there aren't any restaurants that I can consider
absolutely safe for celiacs, but if you are careful and alert, you
will greatly reduce your risk of contamination. Here are some of the
restaurants that are popular with members of the Santa Cruz celiac
support group: Vasili's Greek food on Mission (great lemon-chicken
soup); Ristorante Avanti on Mission; Ristorante Italiano on Soquel
Ave.; Ideal Fish on the Wharf (check out their weekly lobster special;
I think it is on Wednesday; they have been good about substituting
ingredients if you tell them you have a medically required diet); Thai
House on Soquel Ave.; Little Tampico in Soquel; Pallapas in Aptos.
Taqueria Vallarta on Soquel Avenue. Also, all the Mc Donalds in the
Santa Cruz area are used to serving hamburgers with no buns, as our
family has been to all of them many times. The french fries are OK at
Mc Donalds as well.
In Scotts Valley, all on Mount Hermon Road, you can find several great
places to eat gluten-free: Scotts Valley Chinese Cuisine (ask the
owner, Mary, to make your food without soy sauce or bring your own GF
soy sauce); Bruno's Barbecue (the best ribs around and the sauce is
gluten-free!!!!! you CANNOT eat the french fries, but the chili,
coleslaw, and potato salad are OK); right across the parking lot from
Bruno's is El Faro Mexican Food (they have excellent Mexican food,
much of which is GF or can be made that way; you can eat the sauce on
the enchiladas and the tamales, and if you want the flautas they will
cook them in fresh oil if you ask); Tuscon Taqueria is across the
street and has a large dining area but the food is not quite as good
as El Faro (the tamales are NOT GF but you can have the sauce on the
enchiladas).
Going farther afield, you can find a good selection at La Cabana in
Davenport (their tamales are gf but not the sauce; make sure that
their griddle is cleaned before cooking anything: they also heat up
bread on the same griddle and I have gotten bread crumbs in the carne
asada). The Davenport Cash Store (this is a store, restaurant, and B&B
in Davenport) has been accommodating in the past, but I haven't been
there in years. I don't recommend El Palomar because, even though they
clamed no gluten was in our food, we had problems with it; this was
several years ago and I haven't tried it since, so they may have
changed. There are many sushi restaurants that are great if you bring
your own soy sauce. Sorry there are so many Mexican food places, but
that and Chinese seem to be all my kids like. Also near the mall in
Capitola is Marie Calendars. I haven't ever been there, but others in
our group have said they are accommodating to celiacs. Please remember
to check the ingredients of your meal since things can always change.
******A special warning********: be cautious of Chevy's restaurants:
they have big machines where they make flour tortillas right out in
the restaurant. They flop the tortillas in a big pan of flour and then
put them through the machine. Large fans above the machine make sure
the flour gets spread throughout the restaurant. I know someone who
got sick from eating at Chevy's even though what she ate was supposed
to be GF.
The wharf has fresh fish restaurants and Cafe Mare in Santa Cruz
downtown has nice option. Bring your own pasta and they can do a sauce
at a time when not busy.?
Stanford University - all places below are open to the public and take
cash, some take credit cards.
Linx in the Clark Center: pre-made salad rolls (there is one sauce
that is not GF), pre-made sushi without the soy sauce, meat and
vegetable dishes vary, caution - all the salmon is marinated in soy
sauce. The wait staff are also the cooks, so they know what is in
everything. They have a new salad bar that is great, one price for a
big plate of mostly GF items.
Thai cafe in the basement of the main quad, math corner: peanut sauce salad.
Wilbur Hall dining: salad bar, yogurt, fruit.
Manzanita Dining Hall: salad bar, other choices.
Tressider Union has a Jamba Juice with a big book that contains one
page on their gluten free items. All smoothies are gluten free but not
all the boost is.
Alumni Center has a small cafe. Breakfast items include boiled egg,
cheese, yogurt, Starbucks coffee. Lunch includes spinach salad,
tomato/mozarella salad, and the hot dishes vary each day but usually
include meats, rice, vegetables, sometimes polenta, Dirty chips,
sodas, Dreyers ice cream.
Museum Cafe- the menu varies but I always find something to eat,
usually a salmon salad. They also serve wine, soda, chips, and a
risotto cake that is GF.
Pete's Coffee on the third floor of the Clark Center has excellent
coffee but nothing GF to eat. Worth a trip just for the coffee.
Lagunita Dining Hall - one price for all you care to eat. Many GF
choices, hot and cold.
Sports Cafe inside the Arrillage Sports Center - the owner and cooks
know nothing about gluten so be careful. The salad bar only has
lettuce, tomato, a couple pieces of fruit, and I'm not sure if the
dressing is GF. Their hot menu varies so there may be a meat dish or
mashed potatoes that are GF on some days. I usually get the smoothie
(the Arrillaga) and ask for whipped cream on top - what a treat. They
also serve Pete's coffee.
Various Locations
TODAI is a great sushi buffet. many of the warm foods are battered but
all the raw stuff and sushi, fruits and vegetables are with gluten
free materials. Several places around the bay area.
As far as markets go, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have large stores
in SF and around the Bay Area. Both have lots of goodies for celiacs
Walnut Creek
Prima (Italian)
1522 North Main Street
925-935-7780
Roya (Afghan)
1510 N. Main Street
925-943-1289
Walnut Creek Yacht Club (Seafood)
1555 Bonanza Street
925-944-FISH
Vic Stewarts (Steaks)
850 S. Broadway
925-943-5666
Whole Foods (eat there or take out)
counter /booths inside & tables outside
1333 E. Newell Street
925-274-9700
Stanford's (next to Macy's men's store)at the Broadway Shopping Plaza.
Great Chicken Fajitas...ask for a bake potato and their fresh
vegetables!)
China Village on Ygnacio Valley Rd across from Heather Farm (it's in
the shopping center next to Albertson's Super Market.) Ask for
Alicia...request no SOY Sauce. Great Fresh, inexpensive Chinese food
...bring your own Gluten Free Soy Sauce and you will be a happy
Celiac!
Yountville
Bistro Jeanty (French)
6510 Washington St.
707-944-0103
http://celiacsupport.stanford.edu/restaurants/restaurants.htm
This page has a downloadable Chef?s Card (in MS Word format) you can
fill out and hand to the restaurant chef.
http://www.foodallergyinitiative.org/section_home.cfm?section_id=5
You can order pre-printed cards here:
http://www.dietarycard.com/
and here:
http://www.selectwisely.com/select%5Fwisely/
Traveling with Food Allergies
http://www.allergicchild.com/images/traveling_with_allergies.htm
Additional Resources:
Do you have an Epi-Pen kit to bring along? I would certainly
travel with an Epi-kit and or liquid diphenhyramine (Benadryl)into
unknown dining facilities. Bring a long your prescription and/or a
letter from your child?s doctor, to avoid customs hassles.
http://www.allergicchild.com/epipen_jr.htm
http://www.allergypack.com/
Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=HQ00709
http://www.restaurant.org/rusa/magarticle.cfm?articleID=736
http://www.foodallergyinitiative.org/section_home.cfm?section_id=9
http://www.selectwisely.com/select_wisely/links/index.cfm
http://www.foodyoucaneat.com/food/default.asp
http://www.region.peel.on.ca/health/environ/htmfiles/e_aller.htm
http://www.allergypreventioncenter.com/news/July02dining-food-allergies.html
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/FAST/funfood.html
http://home.comcast.net/~ifast/diets.html
http://fankids.org/FANTeen/He_Says_She_Says/archive/heandshe3.html
?Can I rely on Kosher symbols to determine if a product is milk-free?
The Jewish community uses a system of product markings to indicate
whether a food is kosher, or in accordance with Jewish dietary rules.
There are two Kosher symbols that can be of help for those with a milk
allergy: a "D," or the word dairy, on a label next to "K" or "U"
(usually found near the product name) indicates presence of milk
protein, and a "DE" on a label indicates produced on equipment shared
with dairy.
If the product contains neither meat nor dairy products it is Pareve
(Parev, Parve). Pareve-labeled products indicate that the products are
considered milk-free according to religious specifications. Be aware
that under Jewish law, a food product may be considered Pareve even if
it contains a very small amount of milk. Therefore, a product labeled
as Pareve could potentially have enough milk protein in it to cause a
reaction in a milk-allergic individual.?
I read on another site that the following site will send you resources
for eating out. Please contact them and request such information.
The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
Via Mail
11781 Lee Jackson Hwy., Suite 160
Fairfax,VA 22033-3309
Via Phone
800-929-4040
Via Fax
703-691-2713
Via E-mail
faan@foodallergy.org
http://www.foodallergy.org/allergens.html
Traveling with Allergies
http://www.selectwisely.com/select_wisely/traveling/dsp_traveling.cfm
If you travel into Canada, your quest for allergy safe restaurants will be easier:
· Look for restaurants that display the Canadian Restaurant and
Foodservices Association's Allergy Awareness Program Logo. This
program identifies food service operators that follow the program
guidelines. In order to qualify for the program, restaurants must
supply three main menu items with complete ingredient information.
· Call ahead and as the restaurant if they participate in the Allergy
Awareness Program or similar program, whether staff are trained to
accommodate people with severe food allergies and if menu items have
detailed ingredient lists available.
http://www.hotelfun4kids.com/parenttravel/allergy.htm#EATING
Double Check Ingredients
http://www.newhomemaker.com/health/milka2.html
http://www.newhomemaker.com/health/milka1.html
Inquire at restaurants if they carry this soft-serve ice cream like
treat ? dairy free.
http://www.twistandshake.com/
I hope this has made finding appropriate foods for your daughter
somewhat easier! I don?t think you?ll have a difficult time finding
foods in large grocery stores or the markets I have listed. Toting
along goodies for your daughter will ensure she?ll have something she
likes when you can?t get the proper foods for her in restaurants.
If any part of my answer is unclear, before rating, please request an
Answer Clarification. By doing so, you are leaving the question open,
and I can assist your further, if possible.
Bon Voyage and I hope you find the US an enjoyable place to visit!
Sincerely, Crabcakes
Search Terms
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