For those of you in the St Louis area here are some of my favorite Gluten Free locales:
New Day Gluten Free:
New Day is a bakery/cafe in Ellisville with a full menu of tasty things from pancakes to lasagna. The entire facility is 100% gluten free, and the owners are a Celiac and an intolerant so they know and LIVE the lifestyle. The whole staff is very informative and helpful. They have baked goods like cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies and muffins for purchase. They offer daily food specials, pastas, soups, sandwiches, breakfast items, and pizza and bread-sticks. You can place orders for sack lunches, specialty cakes (including wedding cakes), as well as pick up prepared foods like pasta dishes and lasagnas to replace the HORRIBLE gluten free TV dinners. They also provide information on Celiac Disease and living gluten free featuring books, pamphlets and other resources. It is a GREAT, friendly gluten free atmosphere. If you're lucky you may even run into me having lunch! (You get bonus points if you ask for an "Angela sandwich"!)
Stores:
Dierberg's
Whole Foods
The Natural Way
Schnucks
Restaurants: (Note: there are a lot more restaurants in the area that offer gluten free menus. I only list the ones I have tried their food, and not gotten sick from. I'm working to try more and more new places so keep checking back for additions.)
~Cecil Whittaker's: They get their pizza crusts from New Day Gluten Free and are prepared by management who all have been personally trained by the owners of New Day Gluten Free. And if you live close enough you can have it delivered to your front door!
~The Pasta House Co: The Pasta House Co. has the best GF pasta at a "traditional" Italian restaurant that I have tried. Their pastas and sauces beat out Olive Garden in my opinion!
~Outback Steak House
~Chipotle
~Hard Rock Cafe: Locations are now offering sandwiches and burgers served with Udi's Gluten Free Hamburger Buns! (St. Louis is not yet one of those locations!)
~Olive Garden
~Pei Wei: They are owned and operated by P.F.Chang's and have a similar GF menu!My favorite is the spicy chicken. It is all prepared fresh in front of you and if fabulous!
~Sage
~P.F. Chang's: I recently tried P.F. Chang's GF menu for the first time. I hadn't eat Chinese food in over 5 years. IT WAS AMAZING! Prices are a little high, but the food was extremely fresh and full of taste. GF dishes are served on separate plates so there is no mix-up in the kitchen.
~The Original Pancake House: They use the pancake batter from Andrea's Gluten Free in Chesterfield, MO. The prices are extremely high. A plate of pancakes will run you about $13. They were very tasty, the staff very knowledgeable. All GF foods are served on bright red plates so there is no kitchen mix-up.
~Red Robin: I finally got to try Red Robin's burgers with a gluten free bun and it was FANTASTIC! There is a $1 surcharge to order your burger GF and they automatically fry the fries separately and free of seasoning!
(I cannot personally guarantee there will be no cross contamination when dining at places that serve gluten. Use your best judgement, communicate with the staff, and when in doubt don't put your health at risk!)
Other St. Louis Area Resources:
Bi-State Celiac Support Group
Specialists in Gastroenterology
*Pi has been removed from the list as I recently learned no steps are taken to prevent cross contamination. I had eaten there without getting sick, but now that I know I will never do it again!
