USVI-On-Line

A new challenge on our next trip will be finding gluten free meals. We will bring down the basics but hope to be able to eat out.

Any experience with restaurants that were particularly helpful (or unhelpful) with special meals that were gluten free?

Thanks!

I have found all of the restaurants to be extremely helpful in responding to my requests about gluten-free entrees and sides. In particular, La Tapa, Lime Inn, High Tide Grill, La Plancha del Mar and Rhumblines were very helpful during our most recent trip (April). All seemd to be aware of the condition and the needs related to it. The waiters/waitresses were very willing to ask the Chef or others about particular entrees or sides and in many cases offered to modify the preparation in order to insure the was item gluten-free.

I will second La Plancha del Mar. These guys bend over backwards to accommodate. My family has three members that all like to eat different things and they always make sure our needs are met and our taste buds dance.

The newest market, the St. John Market near the Westin has a lot of gluten free shelf and freezer items. The biggest selection on island. So be sure to check them out for your eat in times.

What kind of gluten free products do they carry? It will help my food packing list if I can get some things there!

I will have to take a closer look. I noticed a lot of prepared frozen food in their case that said "Gluten Free" What kind of items would you be packing? I'm not too familiar with the products, and a shopping list would help!

Things like bread, pasta, cereal, crackers, snacks. Please don't make a special trip but if you happen to be there, maybe you would notice. Thanks!!

Patty, in April I saw a few Pamela's frozen products (pizza, etc.) in the Gourmet Market across from Starfish. I looked for and didn't see any crackers. In the past we have made and frozen a loaf of GF bread and brought it in our carryon luggage. I also bring GF crackers and cereal. It's very easy to toss them in our checked luggage, and I know he'll have them when we're there. I've never been in the market near the Westin, so would be interested in hearing what they carry.

As bayer mentioned above, the restaurants have been very helpful and understanding when we tell them about his menu restrictions. I'm sure you'll find the same to be true as well.

I have made 3 trips to STJ since my diagnosis with celiac disease. I was worried that I'd have issues eating at my favorite restaurants but in actuality it's probably easier there than in most restaurants in the states. They seem to be more aware in many of the restaurants for some reason.

Cafe Roma does an awesome dish with a white sauce and vegetables and chicken. It's not on the menu, you just have to ask for it. The former owner and one of the current waitresses there can't have gluten so they are very aware.

I'm also had good luck at the Lime Inn, Rhumblines, Morgan's Mango, and Banana Deck. Oh, and Jake's for breakfast (used to be Chilly Billy's).

I haven't been to Plancha Del Mar (the weird location and the fact that we have so many other favorites has kept us away) but the owners told me that they can accommodate gluten free dishes.

I did get sick after eating at Shipwreck Landing. I had the ribeye that came with a strange sauce (what a horrible thing to do to a ribeye!) that must have had gluten in it because I got pretty sick.

As far as staples like crackers go, I would bring your own. One of the rules of island living is that you can never count on what will be in stock at the stores, and I wouldn't want to risk going without an essential item.

I know this is really off topic material but just wondering which bread mix you have found to be the best? A good bread seems to be the hardest product for me to find...at least one that I really enjoy. I keep trying different ones but haven't found one that I like.

Patty wrote:I know this is really off topic material but just wondering which bread mix you have found to be the best? A good bread seems to be the hardest product for me to find...at least one that I really enjoy. I keep trying different ones but haven't found one that I like.

Patty, we've tried lots of different brands and the best one so far is Pamela's. We have a bread machine which makes the process very easy. Just toss in the ingredients and it mixes and bakes the bread on its own. We've also used Bob's Red Mill which I like, but bayer prefers Pamela's. Pamela's has brownie, cake and cookie mixes that are quite good, too. If you can't find them at your local market, I believe you can order on line.

Ok, made it to St. John Market yesterday and found they didn't have much of anything! They have been doing a lot of changing around in this store and Dolphin (managed by the same person) and I have noticed that they are shifting the merchandise from store to store. So I will check Dolphin next time I am there and see if they have it there. The only things I saw at St. John Market were a handful of prepared frozen foods and some gluten free flour and cookie mix. I know I saw more than that before, but it's just not there any more!

Starfish Gourmet carries some, but I will have to take a peek in there and see what kind of stuff they have. I remember seeing frozen foods, but don't remember anything about crackers and cereal.

Since you have a lot more knowledge about all of this, maybe after you return from your vacation you could follow up on this post and tell about your experiences. I'm sure you are not the only gluten free visitor on St. John!

Julie, Thanks so much for checking!!!