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NVLife_JulyAug_2013

Photos by Kari Ruel J U LY / AUGU S T 2 0 1 3 21 Special menus Instead of making their whole menus glutenfree, some restaurants have special menus that feature those dishes. Perhaps most notable is Hurley’s in Yountville. The extensive special menu would likely appeal to any diner whether he has diet restrictions or not. Fish Story has a gluten-free menu that changes nightly and reflects those items on the regular menu that are or can be done glutenfree. Fish Story also serves Daura gluten-free beer from Estrella Damm. Much Greek and other other near-Eastern food doesn’t contain wheat or other grains. Tarla Mediterranean Grill offers many items on its menu that are gluten-free. “Most dishes that do have gluten can be adjusted to respond to most dietary restrictions,” says owner Yusuf Topol. Likewise, Greek-Med Rockabella offers a gluten-free menu. Gluten-fre dishes on the menu Other restaurants offer gluten-free items on their regular menus. Carpe Diem has a small gluten-free menu, for example, while other restaurants may offer more choices just because of their food, like at barbecue specialist The Q. A great deal of its menu is gluten-free. Downtown Joe’s offers twelve gluten-free menu items. Mark’s the Spot Mobile Kitchen serves lots of gluten-free options including Oooh Girl fried chicken (no bun), California rice bowls and Mac Daddy Mac N Cheese with rice noodles. Some of the places that serve gluten-free food may be surprising. Two categories of restaurants that would seem unfriendly for those avoiding gluten are bakeries and Italian restaurants with all their pasta. In fact, many bakeries prepare glutenfree food. ABC (Alexis Baking Company) makes carrot apple muffins, English muffins, cornmeal pancakes, chocolate Jack Sprats cookie, coconut macaroons, white chocolate almond cake and flourless chocolate cake gluten-free. It also offers other dishes without gluten, like eggs. Caffe Molinari also has gluten-free pastries. Think of Italian food and pasta comes to mind, but pasta doesn’t have to be made from wheat flour. Many Italian restaurants can substitute gluten-free pasta. Chef Donna Scala from Bistro Don Giovanni serves gluten-free pasta from Italy on request. “It’s incredible. I enjoy it as much as the other pastas,” she says. Ca’Momi offers gluten-free pizzas for $2 more, though they’re cooked in the same blazing hot oven as wheat flour pizzas. They also offer a garbanzo flour pizza and many appetizers and main courses that are glutenfree. Siena carries gluten-free pastas, pizza dough and wheat and white bread, but warns, “Depending on the item, the guest may have to wait for food. Having to cook pasta may take up to twenty-five minutes.” Alex and Bottega are two upscale Italian restaurants that offer gluten-free pasta, though all also have many other gluten-free options among appetizers and main courses. Il Posto always has gluten-free pasta available. Hapy to prepa re dishes gluten-fre Finally, many restaurants are happy to accommodate diners if they ask, though it may be a good idea to do so when you make reservations. La Toque has happily accommodated gluten-free diners (and almost every other possible request) for years. “It’s pretty easy in La Toque as we make virtually everything fresh from scratch, and there just isn’t much hidden gluten in what we do. In my opinion any top professional kitchen should be able to easily respond to whatever dietary concerns a guest may have.” Other restaurants happy to accommodate diners include Angele, Auberge, Bardessono, Bistro Jeanty, Farmstead, French Blue, Goose & Gander, Market, Napa Valley Bistro, Siena and Silverado Solage. The Napa Valley Wine Train regularly accommodates guests with all sorts of dietary restrictions. “We serve about 5,000 people per year who have very serious dietary restrictions or allergies,” says marketing director Kira Devitt. “Our signature beurre blanc sauces are gluten-free, and nearly every item on our menu can be adjusted to be gluten-free.” She added that recently, they’ve unveiled a new dessert, a coconut-lime panna cotta topped with fresh blueberries. “It’s gluten-free, vegan and delicious.” The message for those avoiding gluten is clear: you can eat well in Napa Valley. Just make sure to make your wishes known, preferably in advance, though that’s not necessary at restaurants like Hurley’s who make it just as easy as ordering other food. Pica Pica’s Vegetariana Maize Wich C Casa Chicken Taco made with fresh ingredients is gluten-free Chef Bob Hurley has a complete gluten-free menu july /au gust 2 0 1 3 2 1


NVLife_JulyAug_2013
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