Schlitterbahn-ing Gluten-Free

I went to Schlitterbahn for the first time this weekend in New Braunfels. Since I knew it would be an all-day affair, I looked up food options on their website. The bad news is that almost everything they sell at the park has gluten in it (except for ices, slushees, ice cream and cotton candy.) The good news is you can bring one of those giant wheeled coolers.

So, I talked with my friends ahead of time and that's what we did. We brought our own drinks, snacks and lunch and picnicked. Afterwards, however, I had to throw myself on the mercy of Omas Haus Restaurant a couple of miles away. I did have some backup sliced turkey and cheese, but I was hoping for a real meal.

Despite the waiter's trepidation - he had never heard of gluten - he checked for me and I was able to eat the lemon, dill grilled chicken, corn and German potato salad. Just about everything else on the menu was glutinous, though. They even had used flour in their coconut haystacks and fudge on sale in the lobby (which probably saved me from an unwanted 1,000 calories.)

Still, I didn't get sick and the food was very tasty. I was able to feel like part of the group instead of eating my turkey and cheese while they sampled local specialties.

Since I couldn't get dessert there, we all went for ice cream afterwards at Austin-favorite Amy's Ice Cream. When I asked if their ice cream had gluten in it, the server said, "Well, it has eggs, milk and sugar, I would think so."

Normally, I would expect something like this, but not in Austin, which is usually such a well-informed place. I asked to see an ingredients list, made sure it was OK and then just ordered Mexican Vanilla to be safe. It was fine, but this makes me so angry. I'm sure the Amy's owners would be appalled, too. They could be missing out on lots of potential sales.

TGI Fridays in downtown Austin - very accommodating for gluten-free eating

Saturday night I was eating with friends at the TGI Fridays in downtown Austin.  I tried to pick something off of the menu and told the waiter I had Celiac disease.  Minutes later, a manager appeared and let me know that if I wanted to be really careful, I probably shouldn't eat there since they use the same oil for breaded and non-breaded items and have no segregation of grilling surfaces, etc.  

I told her I would risk eating something off of the grill and she suggested a plain burger with a side of steamed broccoli and fruit.  I thought that sounded fabulous and was amazed and pleased that she had immediately warned me about possible contamination issues.  Also, she admitted that they had no idea what ingredients were in their salad dressing.

Of course, it wasn't my favorite meal ever, but I was full and felt fine for the rest of the night.  The fact that the manager was so well-informed made me feel comfortable enough to eat there.

More scrumptiousness at Wildwood Art Cafe in Austin

Wildwood Art Cafe in Austin lived up to its reputation again this afternoon.  I brought a gluten-eating friend with me and she loved it, too.  I had one of their ding-dongs, which was quite tasty and I plan to eat a cream puff tomorrow.  I had my fav, the turkey and provolone sandwich and it was just as good as I remembered.  I sampled my friend's order of herbed focaccia and it was worth the nibble.  I'll order it next time!

Wild Wood Art Café: Worth the drive

Location: 3663 Bee Caves Road, #4A  Austin, Texas 78746

Café Hours: Café hours:  Monday - Saturday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm CST  Sundays – closed

1-800-420-4207 or 1-512-327-9660

Walking into Wild Wood Art Café was like entering a gluten-free dream. There were reasonably-priced, gluten free delectable chocolate cupcakes with buttercream icing, sugar cookies in the shape of Texas, personal-sized bundt cakes in a variety of flavors and loaves of fresh-baked bread.

Better yet, I was able to order a turkey sandwich with basil mayonnaise and it tasted every bit as good as I’d hoped. The bread tasted great and had the mouth-feel of “normal” bread. It was so tasty, that I bought an extra one for the next day and saved it in a cooler I’d brought.

Although I didn’t eat breakfast there, I did notice that they offer gluten free pancakes and waffles until 1:00 PM. They also have a full coffee and tea bar including lattes ranging from the traditional vanilla to the more unusual pumpkin.

The friendly staff was happy to help distinguish between which of their dishes were vegan and which were gluten free.