Escape to the Coast: Mendocino

My husband and I are planning a nice getaway to the northern coast of California and spending a weekend in Mendocino. We picked our destination based on the knowledge that the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek offers gluten free breakfast, as the owner has Celiac, and we went from there. The one downfall of vacationing in a somewhat desolate area is finding safe dining options for anyone with food allergies.

I searched the gluten free forum, as it typically is a great resource for anything related to being gluten free, however since Mendocino is such a pinpoint area I did not find much, so I turned to a slightly more involved option: Contacting any and every restaurant I could in the area. As of now I have several responses that in case anyone else is interested in traveling to the area I wanted to share. And if any of you out there have more information about the Mendocino/ Fort Bragg area, regarding gluten free food options, please leave me a comment.

Here are the email responses I have received thus far:

Rendezvous Inn & Restaurant
"One of our kitchen workers has celiac disease, as does one of our good customers. We have no problem accommodating the dietary restrictions. Many starches we prepare are gluten-free. Many of our sauces are finished with butter, or cream, or are simply reductions. Some are thickened with flour. Also, about half of our desserts are okay. Our fruit cobblers and crumbles can be made without the pastry topping. Our ice creams are gluten free, as is our caramel custard. If you let us know when you arrive, we will take good care of you.

Regards,
Janice & Kim Badenhop"

Mendocino Chocolate Company
"Thank you for your inquiry. Our truffles are gluten free, however the truffles are made on the same mixers used to make our cookies and Bundt cakes. Although all of our equipment is thoroughly cleaned between uses, the common use of this equipment could be a problem. We have other chocolates, our originals, which include chocolate covered fudges, caramels, almond barks, raspberry barks, toffee and nut clusters. None of these are made on our mixers."

The Restaurant
"Hello: Yes we can accommodate your needs. We have had other customers on a gluten free diet. You can have rice or polenta instead of pasta; you can have any of the fish or meat choices cooked without flour. We have gluten-free salad dressings. I know that gluten is found everywhere today - we use very few processed foods and make everything from scratch. I will be happy to help you order.

Susan Larsen"

Cirino's Sandwich Shop
"We make some great salads, and all of our dressings are gluten- free."

The Moose Cafe
"Yes, we can work with customers on gluten free. Just make sure you discuss your concerns with your waitperson. They will work with the chef to ensure we meet your needs.

Thanks.
Carolyn"

Raven Restaurant
They offer vegetarian and gluten free dining options for dinner. Gluten free options are denotated with an asterisk on the menu.

Blue Wing Saloon & Cafe
"We always make food accommodations for our guests at there request. Please pull up our menu on our web-site. I would not suggest any of our appetizers except for the Calamari because we
can do this with corn starch. All of our salads are gluten free with the exception of the Caesar Salad because of the croutons.

Fish of the Day & All of our entrees with the exception of the Chicken Parmesan & Garden Cake are gluten free if you do not order the potatoes as your side dish. I hope this is helpful."