St. Thomas/st. John

[sunshine264]

I will be going to st. John, USVI in a few weeks. Anyone been there? I will be renting a villa, and doing most of my own cooking, except for a few nights out. Any recommendations for gluten-free restaurants? I do plan on eating a lot of seafood.

Also, anyone know if Starfish Market carries gluten-free foods? Any health food stores? or should I pack my own stuff?

[wonkabar]

I will be going to st. John, USVI in a few weeks. Anyone been there? I will be renting a villa, and doing most of my own cooking, except for a few nights out. Any recommendations for gluten-free restaurants? I do plan on eating a lot of seafood.

Also, anyone know if Starfish Market carries gluten-free foods? Any health food stores? or should I pack my own stuff?

We were just on St. John in March with the kids...literally the week we put our son on a gluten-free diet. It's absolutely beautiful there. We had one suitcase filled with diapers, wipes and gluten-free foods. We hit the Starfish Market a couple of times. Boy is it expensive!! I don't think they had any gluten-free brands per se. (ie, Gluten Free Pantry) However, we stayed at the Westin and were able to find Pirate's Booty at the little deli on their grounds. We were shocked!! I would personally pack a lot of your own stuff. If you're staying at one of the resorts, the concierge should be able to help you. I'd try giving them a call, too.

My brother and sister in-law had a villa down there..that's how we were able to afford going for a week with two kids!! I'll ask her for some resturaunt suggestions. I know we went to Margharita Phil's for mexican (the BEST margharitas ever!), La Tappas, Chloe and Bernards and a couple others I can't remember. They were all very receptive to helping us keep Zachary gluten-free, however I can't guarentee that there wasn't any cross-contamination. You'll be able to get seafood anywhere. We just needed burgers and fries for him!!

[Guhlia]

Just be sure that the seafood, if boiled, is boiled in ONLY PURE WATER. I know some places that do crab, shrimp, etc. put beer into the water and that would contaminate the whole pot. Also, if they're grilling fish or something you may want to ask them to either do it in a clean pan OR clean a small section of the grill AND then do it on top of foil. Be sure they use clean utensils for your food. Good luck!