The Essential Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide, 3rd Edition (2008-2009)

The Essential Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide, 3rd Edition (2008-2009), published by Triumph Dining, is a lot more than I expected it to be. I thought it would be merely a list of restaurants with gluten-free menus. Really, a more descriptive title would be:

"Thousands of Restaurants Where They Know What Gluten Is, Plus Useful Tips For Safe Gluten-Free Dining, Plus Extensive Lists Of Gluten-Free Menu Items At Chain Restaurants."

If you have celiac disease, like me, you'll understand why I've been taking this book to bed with me every night to read and re-read the lists of what's gluten-free at the chain restaurants.

When my review copy of The Essential Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide, 3rd Edition arrived, I didn't rush to read it. I had other work to do, and besides, I already have my favorite restaurants.

In fact, the book is far more useful than I expected.

On the Road

When I traveled to Tucson, I took the book along to try it out in a place where I didn't know all the local restaurants. I was pleasantly surprised to see 15 restaurants listed, of which 14 were new to me. The book offered notes such as "the manager advises that the servers have all been trained about gluten by the chef" or "the owner reports that gluten-free diners are welcome and he advises that they choose potential dishes from the menu and then speak with him to see if it's gluten-free or can be made gluten-free." This kind of information is what saves you from having to subsist on bland meals, or worse, in strange cities.

I also looked up restaurants in Maine, where we visit regularly. Sure enough, in my sister-in-law's town of Topsham there's a restaurant with a gluten-free menu. That's news to me.

Next: At Home

Even here in central New Jersey, the book lists some restaurants I hadn't heard of. I'd expect it to have lots of restaurants in nearby Manhattan (and it does), but it revealed restaurants in the New York suburbs, too.

The book's most exciting feature, however, and the one that will make it useful for celiacs no matter where they live in the U.S, is the lists of gluten-free items at more than 80 chain restaurants. Now I know, for example, that the Market Ranch Dressing at Fresh City is safe, as is the Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad at Panera Bread Company.

Any Complaints?

The symbol key is tricky to find. I wish they'd list places by region of the state. But these are minor. The book has a spot in my library now, and on my list of gifts for people on gluten-free diets.