One of the reasons that I started this blog was because, while there are many other great gluten-free blogs out there, there are not any that are Atlanta based. When you first get a diagnosis, or decide you need to eat gluten-free, the learning curve is steep. It takes awhile to learn what you can eat, what products you like, where to shop, and even longer to learn where you can eat out. So, in addition to sharing my own gluten-free cooking with you, I also want to highlight some good options for gluten-free eating in Atlanta.
Last month I schlepped out to to the suburbs for a gluten-free meetup at Lavender’s Asian Bistro in Lawrenceville, GA. Lavender’s serves Thai and Chinese food and they are able to offer almost all of their non-fried food to the gluten-free customer. The secret is, they keep wheat-free Tamari on hand. If you go with a large enough group, they might also be willing to dedicate a fryer for you, opening up even more of their menu. When the gluten-free meetup group met, we had 18 people, so we got a fryer, and we were in heaven. Most of us hadn’t been able to have real Chinese food since our diagnosis, let alone calamari, and sesame chicken (which is what I ordered…or at least what I consumed…somebody else actually ordered the calamari).
One thing you have to be careful not to do, is accidentally order something not on the gluten-free menu. Even though our whole table was gluten-free, the woman sitting next to me asked if they had a vegetarian spring roll. What she expected, was a fresh spring roll, what she got was a fried Chinese spring roll that was not gluten-free. It was an honest mistake on the waiter’s part, and he did realize and come take it away, but not before the woman had eaten a few bites. So, do make sure that as you order you reinforce the fact that you are ordering gluten-free. You might also want to chat with the owner about your dietary restriction and concerns, as he was very friendly and helpful. Some members of the group eat their weekly with great success, so the owner, at least, is very knowledgeable about what is allowed and what is not.
Overall, I had a great experience, and will probably make the trip back out to Lawrenceville again. The food was good, maybe not the most amazing Chinese food I’ve ever had, but definitely far above average. It was a little far away for the traffic on a weeknight though, and if I go back it will probably be on a Saturday or Sunday night. Even though next time I go, I probably will have to forego the calamari (which was particularly fantastic), the menu offers such a wealth of choices that I’m sure I will find a new favorite.
Lavender’s Asian Bistro
1195 Scenic Hwy. Suite C8
Lawrenceville, GA 30045
770-982-3887
http://www.lavenderasianbistro.net/
Lavender’s Gluten Free Menu
I would recommend that you call ahead and let them know that you or your party will be gluten-free. If you are going in a large group, try to convince everyone to eat gluten-free if it will earn you your own fryer… everything still tasted great with the cornmeal batter, and it is such a treat to get fried gluten-free food.
* Mild ** Medium *** Hot
Appetizers
Soft Shell Crab w/Salt & Pepper 8.95
Chicken Song (wrapped in lettuce) 7.95
Mandarin Ribs 6.95
Thai Appetizers
Fresh Basil Rolls (2) 3.95
Non-fried rice rolls w/shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, basil, Cilantro & rice noodles w/ plum sauce
Nam Sod * 5.95
Minced pork mixed w/chili, ginger, onion, and mint, roasted peanuts & lime juice
Nam Tuk * 6.75
Sliced char-grilled sirloin steak, mint leaves, scallions, lime juice & chili
Larb * 5.95
Minced chicken w/ground chili, mint leaves, cilantro, lime
Fried Calamari 6.25
Lightly battered (w/cornmeal)
Squid Salad 5.75
Soup
Hot & Sour Soup (2) 1.95
Egg Drop Soup 1.95
Velvet Corn & Chicken Soup (2) 5.25
Velvet Corn & Crab Meat Soup (2) 6.95
Snow Flake Seafood Soup (2) 6.95
Seafood Hot & Sour Soup (2) 6.95
Sizzling Rice Soup (2) 4.95
Seafood Sizzling Rice Soup (2) 6.95
Thai Soups
Chicken Coconut Soup * 3.25
Chicken soup w/mushrooms, galangal, lime juice, coconut milk & spices
Spicy Hot & Sour Shrimp Soup * 4.75
Most favorite spicy shrimp soup w/lemon grass & mushrooms
Special Seafood Soup (2) * 10.75
Poultry
Kung Pao Chicken * 9.25
Shredded Chicken in Garlic Sauce * 9.25
Cashew Chicken 9.25
Fresh Mushroom Chicken 9.25
Lemon Chicken 9.25
Sugar Snap Pea Chicken 9.25
Broccoli Chicken 9.25
Hunan Chicken * 9.25
Sweet & Sour Chicken 9.25
Chicken w/Mixed Vegetables 9.25
Chicken w/String Bean 9.25
Empress Chicken * 9.25
Chicken in Szechwan Sauce * 9.25
Asparagus Chicken 9.25
Tangerine Chicken * 10.25
Sesame Chicken 10.25
General Tso’s Chicken 10.25
Seafood
Sautéed Shrimp 11.50
Kung Pao Shrimp * 11.50
Braised Shrimp in Szechwan Sauce * 11.50
Sugar Snap Peas Prawn 11.50
Asparagus Prawn 11.50
Prawns w/Mixed Vegetables 11.50
Fish Fillets in Black Bean Sauce 11.50
Fish Fillets in Hunan Sauce * 11.50
Shrimp in Lobster Sauce 11.50
Sweet & Sour Shrimp (sweet w/fruit) 11.50
Hunan Shrimp * 11.50
Kung Pao Scallop * 11.50
Prawns & Scallop in Garlic Sauce * 14.95
Beef/ Pork
Fresh Mushroom Beef 9.75
Mongolian Beef 9.75
Sugar Snap Pea Beef 9.75
Broccoli Beef 9.75
Beef & Bell Pepper (Pepper Steak) 9.75
Shredded Beef in Garlic Sauce * 9.75
Beef Hunan Style * 9.75
Beef Szechwan * 9.75
Shredded Beef w/String Bean 9.75
Asparagus Beef 9.75
Twice Cooked Pork * 9.75
Pork w/String Bean 9.75
Shredded Pork in Garlic Sauce 9.75
Spa Cuisine: House Special Sauce on the Side. Served w/ brown rice
Steamed Assorted Vegetables 7.25
Steamed Chicken w/Vegetables 9.25
Steamed Shrimp w/Vegetables 11.50
Steamed Fish Fillet w/Vegetables 11.50
Steamed to Fu w/Vegetable 7.50
Steamed Fish, Shrimp, Scallop w/Veg 14.95
Vegetable
Sautéed String Beans 7.25
Eggplant in Garlic Sauce * 7.25
Sautéed Assorted Vegetables 7.25
Sautéed Spinach 7.25
Broccoli in Garlic Sauce * 7.25
Bean Curd in Hot Spicy Sauce * 7.25
Home Style Braised Bean Curd * 7.25
Pasta
Singapore Rice Noodles * 8.75
Rice
Vegetable Fried Rice 6.95
Chicken or Pork Fried Rice 7.50
Beef or Shrimp Fried Rice 7.50
House Fried Shrimp * 8.75
Chef’s Specials
Dragon & Phoenix * 15.95
Stir fried vegetables w/lobster meat & fish filet w/white sauce & chicken chunks lightly battered (in cornmeal) and fried in hot spicy sauce
Seafood in Bird’s Nest 15.95
Stir fried lobster, shrimp, scallops, & fish filet w/vegetables in a white sauce in a crunchy potato nest
Crispy Whole Fish Hunan Style * 19.95
Fresh red snapper battered (in cornmeal) & fried w/hot & spicy Hunan Sauce
Triple Delicacies * 14.95
Prawns, chicken, scallops w/bell peppers, sugar snaps, water chestnuts & dry mushrooms in a spicy sauce
Golden Crispy Prawns 14.95
Prawns lightly battered & fried (in cornmeal) in grand maridra & orange sauce
Glazed Mango Prawns 13.95
Prawns sautéed w/mango in wine sauce (A gourmet favorite)
Jade Mounting Scallops 13.95
Marinated scallops sautéed w/sugar snaps, carrots, broccoli & fresh black mushrooms in a light wine sauce
Steamed Red Snapper w/ Ginger & Scallion 19.95
Seafood Hot Pot 15.95
Assorted seafood w/garden veg. served in a hot pot
Shrimp & Scallop w/ Pine nut Sauce 14.95
Sautéed shrimp & scallops w/black mushrooms, water chestnuts & spinach in a white pine nut sauce
Surf & Turf 23.95
Two items: beef tenderloin in black pepper corn sauce & lobster claw in savory wine sauce
Fillet Mignon 19.95
Premium beef tenderloin sautéed in black pepper corn sauce
Halibut filet 19.95
Steamed halibut in ginger & scallion or w/ black bean sauce w/ black pepper corn sauce or red curry sauce
Thai Noodles & Fried Rice: Beef, chicken or pork 8.95 Shrimp 9.95
Pad Thai (Traditional Thai Noodle)
A flat rice noodle sautéed w/egg, bean sprouts & scallions & topped w/ ground peanuts.
Pad-See-Ew 13.95
Flat rice noodle sautéed w/eggs, broccoli & garlic in a special Thai Sauce
Special Seafood Basil 13.95
Sautéed squid, mussel, scallops, & shrimp w/rice noodles and basil leaves in Chef’s special sauce
Spicy Thai Fried Rice *
Chef’s favorite fried rice w/choice of meats in special Thai recipe
Veggie Tofu Fried Rice 7.50
Thai Entrees: Beef, Chicken or Pork 9.75 Shrimp 11.75
Green Curry *
Mild spicy green curry paste w/ coconut milk, green & red bell peppers, bamboo shoots & basil
Red Curry *
Curry of red chili paste w/ coconut milk, basil, bamboo shoots & bell peppers
Panang Curry *
Lightly sweet & curry w/ coconut milk, bamboo shoots, bell peppers & basil
Masaman curry *
Spicy Basil Leaves **
Your choice of meat sautéed w/ bell peppers & onion in special basil leaf sauce
Spicy Special Garlic Sauce **
Stir fried w/ snow peas, mushrooms, bell peppers in Chef’s special garlic sauce
Pad Prik **
Recommended w/pork. Spicy dish in Thai pepper sauce. Sautéed w/ bell pepper, onion, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and string beans.
Spicy fresh Ginger *
Fresh minced ginger sautéed w/bell pepper, mushroom and onion
Cashew nut
Sautéed w/onion, mushroom, bell peppers & cashew in special sauce
Thai Vegetables 8.25
Basil Tofu
Stir fried tofu w/ basil leaves in Chef’s special sauce
Curry Tofu *
Stir fried tofu w/ red curry and coconut milk
Spicy Tofu **
Stir fried w/ broccoli in Thai spicy chili sauce
Mixed veggie w/ Tofu
Sautéed assorted vegetables w/ tofu in homemade sauce
Dessert
Green Tea Ice Cream 2.95
Coconut Ice Cream 2.95
Mango Ice Cream 2.95
July 24, 2008 at 10:40 am
I organized the Meetup event at Lavendar in April and was not told about the spring roll incident. I’m sorry that happened but it never occured to me that anyone would order something not on the gluten free menu – very odd. Also, Lavendar stocks LaChoy sauce which is gluten free, not the brand you mention in your post.
July 24, 2008 at 11:03 am
TJ – Thanks for organizing the event, it was a lot of fun and introduced me to a restaurant I would never have tried on my own. Tamari isn’t a brand…it is just another name for soy sauce… I didn’t know what brand they carried… I definitely agree that the incident was unfortunate and I would never have ordered something off of the menu… but I do think you have to be extra vigilant whenever you eat out gluten-free, which was the real reason I mentioned it in my post. Hopefully, I’ll see you out at another event.
August 6, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Yes – I totally agree with you. Unless you are in a gluten free restaurant (which are far and few between and there are none in GA that I know of), you have to be very careful when eating out. I’ve finally convinced Lavendar to PRINT a gluten free menu but it’s not ready quite yet. I was there last weekend and they were slow. The friends I was with really wanted gluten free soft shell crab and so I asked the owner for it and it was done. It took a while to heat up oil in a clean pan for us but the cornctarch batter only takes him a moment to whip up. There is a little spiciness to this dish but if you want to kick it up a notch on any of their dishes, just ask. I got an appetizer portion of the crab and could not eat it all, but it was amazing!
September 27, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I am glad to see this. I am currently researching to open a gluten free bakery in Atlanta. I haven’t found any open gluten free bakeries so far. I hope that maybe I can get the head start. I would love to keep your blog on my favorite list so I could possibly invite you and yours for a nice lunch. If you know of anyone who would be up for sampling some menu options I would love honest feedback. I am currently mucking through many many recipes for breads, pie crusts, cookies, and cakes. I could mail them with self addressed comment cards. I am striving for the goal to have a bakery where GF people can bring their friends and family to enjoy a meal together with out the complications of searching for the gluten free items… Good luck with the continued hunt.
September 27, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Cassandra – It is great that you are thinking of opening a gluten free bakery in Atlanta. It would be nice to have more options. I’m also happy to be a taste-tester!
November 20, 2008 at 12:43 pm
By all means, open the bakery
I live in Grand Rapids, Mi and we have a Gluten Free bakery here and they are doing VERY well. Funny how the desperate desire to have breads and cakes will make you pay 7.99 for a single loaf of bread! Here is bakery’s website if you are interested in checking out their menu. http://www.coco-charlotte.com/index.shtml
February 17, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Thank you for your blog. I was recently diagnosed with CD and have found the restaurant issues the hardest to deal with. Particularly because I really enjoy trying new places. I live in Buckhead and would love to hear of your experiences with in-town restaurants. So far I have had successful meals at Chipolte and PF Changs. I have been hesitant to try any of the local “mom and pop” places although these tend to be my favorite. Anyway please continue to share your experiences…it is a great comfort to hear of others in my position.
March 28, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Ellen
i also live in buckhead area and i was diagnosed with dematitis herpetiformis(gluten intolerance condition related to skin). i am gluten free for 6 months now. there are few places around that i would like to suggest. there is an outback steak house on roswell road. they have proper training in GF recepies. that was first place where i mentioned gluten free and they knew what it is. otherwise awareness here in georgia about gluten free is far less than in north eastern states. you can try thai foods but be careful to mention GF before ordering. No fried rice(it has soy sauce). most of indian curreys are safe provided you have them with rice. boneheads is a eating place in perimeter center, offering gluten free menu and it tastes awesome. taco mac offeres gluten free beer(redbridge) and ask for their allergen menu for gluten free food items. their wings are gluten free which is awesome. buffalo wild wings have allergen menu but they dont offer gluten free beer.
thats what i can think of right now. i hope it helps. i’ll give you update if i find something else. takecare.
July 2, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Hi! I just wanted to let you all know that Buckhead Pizza Co. (Buckhead, Buford and Cumming) are now serving gluten free pizzas, beer and vodka! Woo Hoo!
Come check us out!
Thanks,
Amber