besttoro

Welcome, gluten free guy! I'm in U-District. Some of my favorite places: Chaco Canyon Cafe (they specialize in raw food, but they have cooked food too. Always various gluten-free options. If you sign up for their e-newsletter you get announcements about their seasonal "special" dinners, which are pre-fixe course menus which are often mostly gluten-free...

Just so it's known... the manager who said he would send me a comp gift certificate never sent me one. I guess he figured he scared me away. Still it could've been used by my family/friends -- how rude not to keep his words!

That's so great! Nice to hear that Koi is up to speed on wheat-free tamari :-) Now I'm sooo tempted to go there when I'm in LA! I'm learning to speak up myself, since I was just diagnosed this year, so I totally knew what you meant about feeling like you're making a scene. I guess if more of us speak up then people would be more aware and life would...

I haven't eaten there, but I did used to work at a fancy Japanese restaurant in L.A., so these are general tips. (I just realized your post says you're going tonight, so this may not help you tonight, but maybe for future reference.) - Miso - you'd have to ask if there is any barley (mugi, or 麦) in it. Many good restaurants switch miso's depending what s...

Hi :-) I'm a Japanese ex-pat celiac living in Seattle, so I can't provide you with much local information at this point, but I can tell you this: my mom shops at Natural House（ナチュラルハウス）to find a lot of stuff I can eat. Here's the location list on their website; depending on how much kanji you can read you might want to get help: Open Original Shar...

True (about food coming from China)... I kind of took offense when he grouped all "Asian" ingredients rolled into one, because I'm Japanese and I know Japanese food manufacturers typically have high quality control standards. I used to work at a Japanese restaurant, too, and if you carefully work with a good supplier you get consistent quality ingredients...

After I went on gluten-free diet, I kept eating at Zao Noodle Bar at University Village, because (1) they were mentioned in Triumph Dining Guide, (2) they were nearby, and (3) they had a "no gluten" menu. But I also kept having a hard time ordering and sometimes got sick. Some servers knew about the menu but others didn't, and when I tried to order off the...

A question I can answer! I have taken my parents (from out of town) to have brunch there this past summer (Aug 25, 2007), the Alki Beach location. I inquired with them beforehand (about 3 wks prior) via email, because I need to be gluten- dairy- and egg-free. To my delight, Chef Levi Palli responded (this took a while because the email was forwarded to...

Additional info on pickled ginger: As I mentioned before, most pickled ginger (gari) used at Japanese/sushi restaurants in the U.S. is bought wholesale, pre-packaged in a bag. There are a few better/larger restaurants in bigger cities which make their own, but they are few and far in between. These wholesale, pre-packaged foods contain "flavoring" or...

Hi everyone, a new celiac here... as I happen to be Japanese and have worked at a rather fancy sushi restaurant in L.A., I thought I'd put in my two cents. Yes, I'd say ordering sashimi and a la carte temaki (hand rolls) would be the safest option. While what I call ghetto sushi (i.e. super market sushi) often contain food additives such as MSG and corn...