Wildflowers, sun, sea and friends
We’ve just returned from a week’s adventure to Southern California where we saw friends and family. It was our first trip in many, many months not connected to a medical test, evaluation, or procedure. What bliss.
Anyone with celiac, food allergies, or just general eating problems probably finds traveling challenging. I usually think I’ll have an easier time eating stateside than I will in a foreign country but my belief frequently isn’t born out. In all honesty, I’m not just a person with celiac; I follow a veganish-pescatarian diet which means I can be tricky to feed.
We started our trip visiting friends in the Newbury Park-Westlake Village area. These friends are not only excellent hosts but thoughtful, careful planners. Ahead of our visit, they provided a list of recommended gluten free friendly restaurants, places certified and frequented by one of their careful gluten free friends.
Within a few days, we visited Deliteful, Holdren’s Steaks and Seafood, Lure Fishhouse, The Landing Grille and Sushi Bar, and Mediterraneo. These are all upscale restaurants in sophisticated areas with educated staff that know the difference between just gluten-free and celiac, a perfect combo for safe eating. At these restaurants, I ate lots of delicious seafood, roasted veggies, salads, and vegan bowls; nothing overly fussy, just excellent food.
After a hike at Point Dume on a gloriously clear, sunny and just warm enough morning where we spotted migrating whales, admired wildflowers (see photo above), marveled as brown pelicans flew so close overhead that we felt like we could almost touch them, we needed lunch. Our friends had limited knowledge of restaurants in the area so two of us went on Yelp looking for suggestions. We found Coral Beach Cantina in Malibu, a Mexican restaurant with a sketchy, weathered sign and outside seating. Even though the menu did not explicitly state gluten-free, I was fairly certain at a minimum I could put together a vegan meal.
While the chips were off-limits to me because they shared the fryer with gluten items, I enjoyed the fresh guacamole on my succulent Mahi-Mahi tacos served with a side of vegetarian beans.
Yummy and safe Mahi-Mahi tacos.
Although Coral Beach Cantina is not an upscale restaurant, though apparently some A- list celebs dine there, an educated staff and a menu that included fish made the experience a safe and delicious one.
Next time, tales of what did not work so well with food in the desert.
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