Baatar in Bedford

Baatar - 1925 Airport Freeway, Bedford, TX

Last night I ate at Baatar for the third time and felt no gluten symptoms, so I feel confident in recommending it even though a shared grill is a risky situation. Baatar calls itself a Mongolian BBQ, but it's one of those places where you put whatever you want in a bowl and they stir fry it on a huge griddle for you. I was able to go on their website and figure out which sauces are gluten free.

I've eaten their Sweet and Sour sauce and Peanut Sauce. Whenever I go there, I tell the cook that I have a serious food allergy and that the grill needs to be cleaned before my food gets put on there. For simplicity sake, I tell them my problem is soy sauce.

Then, I watch while they clean it. They are always very nice about it. They also have some vegetarian options, which is nice.

The buffet, which costs about $8 also includes a salad bar, fresh fruit and Blue Bunny ice cream for dessert. On the Blue Bunny website it says all Blue Bunny products are GF unless they contain an obvious wheat-containing ingredient like cookie dough or cookies and cream.

Van's Gluten-Free Waffles are not bad

From time to time, convenience wins out and I buy frozen GF treats vs. making my own.  The other day, I found Van's Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free Flax waffles in the freezer aisle at my neighborhood Kroger in Bedford at Central and Harwood.  The waffles themselves are actually pretty healthy for you.  Alas, I added some butter and cinnamon sugar.  Although they are a little crumbly and dry, even with the butter, they taste pretty good and are a lot faster than making your own from scratch!

Thai Jasmine - Flavorful and Gluten Free

Thai Jasmine at 3104 Harwood Road is within walking distance of my house, but that's not the only thing I like about it.  Most of their dishes are flavored with gluten-free-friendly fish sauce instead of soy sauce.  Of course, you should always check yourself every time, but generally, the fresh rolls and all of their curries are safe, including their peanut sauce for dipping.  However, the pad thai has soy sauce in it as well as any of their stir fry dishes. 

On the first Sunday of the month, they have a vegetarian all-you-can-eat buffet with plenty of Gluten-Free options.

If you're curious about exploring naturally Gluten-Free cuisines like Thai and Indian, try getting a few cookbooks and looking at traditional recipes.  That will give you a good idea what is most likely safe before you go to the restaurant.

Gluten-aware at Spring Creek Barbeque

Recently, I ate at Spring Creek Barbeque in Bedford at: 1509 Airport Freeway (817) 545-0184.  

It's on the access road at the intersection with Forest Ridge. 

When I told one of the guys behind the counter that I had an allergy to wheat, they pleasantly surprised me by asking if I were gluten intolerant. 

I said I was and they sprang into action.  New knives and cutting boards were brought out and the manager quickly identified which side items I could have.  

There was a wide variety of foods that were gluten free, including, Bluebell ice cream (Homemade Vanilla is GF) for dessert!