Elephant Walk - Menu
Elephant walk really has it together with their GF menu. There are great selections and they seem very confident and knowledgeable in their GF awareness. With locations in Waltham, Cambridge and Boston they are easy to find. Elephant Walk also offers a variety of cooking classes including occasional classes on cooking gluten free. It's been a month or two since I've eaten there so I won't review any dishes in detail since this blog is new and the memory isn't fresh. But since it is one of my favorite GF friendly restaurants a detailed review of my next experience dining there is sure to come soon.
Elephant Walk Home Page
Elephant Walk Menu
Geofrey's Cafe - (GF Menu not available online)
Geoffrey's Cafe in the South End does have a GF menu though it currently isn't available to view online. The menu is confusing as it is color coded and it isn't particularly clear which dishes and substitutions make the choices GF. The staff seemed unfamiliar or untrained with the menu and confused by it as well. Geofrey's does have a nice friendly, upscale-casual atmosphere that seamlessly combines Back Bay/South End dining with a neighborhood bar feel. If they improve their GF menu to make it simpler to read and understand, train the staff better on how to serve guests with gluten health issues, they will be a great restaurant for GF guests to patronize regularly. (My dining experiences there were prior to creating this blog. I will review again in more detail after I visit Geoffrey's Cafe again).
Geoffrey's Cafe Home Page
The Franklin Restaurant Group - (GF Menus not available online)
Great news from the Franklin. I contacted Executive Chef/Owner Brian Reyelt of the Franklin Cafe (South End), The Franklin (Southie), Tasty Burger (Fenway), and Citizens Public House (Fenway). He assures me that all of his restaurants are very sensitive to the needs of their GF diners. Here is the breakdown:
The Franklin (Southie)
Yes printed GF menu available on request
Yes dedicated GF fryolator.
Franklin Cafe (South End)
Yes printed GF menu available on request
No separate fryolator at this location
(This location has very limited kitchen space so they are not able to accommodate a dedicated unit)
Citizens Public House & Oyster Bar (Fenway)
Yes printed GF menu available on request
Yes dedicated GF fryolator
Tasty Burger (Fenway)
No printed GF menu.
Yes dedicated GF fryolator.
(And even better news, they are developing a GF burger bun! I've asked them to let me know when it becomes available. I personally can't wait to get back there for a late night burger run or a morning after hangover cure with a hot juicy burger and steaming crisp french fries.)
The Franklin Home Page
Restaurants without GF Menus
The Gallows - No GF Menu
The Gallows in Boston's South End gets a big F. When my friends decided that's where they wanted to meet I looked online to see if they had a GF menu. They did not so I called in advance to get an idea of what my options would be. The person who answered the phone made it sound as though they were very GF friendly and that there would be many or at least several options. Once I arrived the bartender who was our server (we sat in the bar area) looked at me like I was crazy for even coming there. She had few ideas of what could be modified to be served GF and was very unhelpful, discouraging and seemed put out by my questions. For those of us who hate to be high maintenance but are forced to by our need to avoid getting sick by accidentally eating food containing gluten, it's a very uncomfortable and somewhat embarrassing position to be in. Needless to say, I won't return. No link to their site. You don't need one.
