Las Palomas is a gem of a restaurant, almost hidden by the post office in the West Woods Plaza at Walsh Tarleton and Bee Caves Road in West Lake. There is a lot of history associated with this wonderful establishment. The current owner/manager, MariCarmen Dale, learned the business from her talented parents, who originally decided to bring the family recipes to our area in 1983. Meeting MariCarmen is one of the many joyful experiences associated with a visit to this restaurant, which celebrated its 26th anniversary this year.

Las Palomas does not have a gluten-free menu, so it would be a good idea to print a copy of this review and take it with you to use in determining which items on the menu you can safely order. Don’t forget to mention to the waitstaff that you will be ordering gluten free and also make a point of going over your proposed order with them to identify any gluten-containing ingredients. Alamo Celiac member Laura Kooris, a loyal visitor to Las Palomas, has successfully “tested” most of the recipes on the menu, so the lack of a dedicated menu should not keep you from eating gluten free at Las Palomas. (Laura and her family are all gluten intolerant and have happily eaten there for years.)

MariCarmen, Laura, and I participated in a thorough review of the menu offerings and their associated ingredients. MariCarmen shared her information on the sauces and marinades, as well as on all of the purchased items. We also checked into the quality of the dried seasonings that are used. They are from Durkee/Tones, and the company stated that the particular ones used here are gluten free.

The majority of dishes are safe for us to eat.

All meat, poultry (with one exception noted below), and fish arrive fresh at the restaurant and without any additional seasoning. In the beef department, we can confidently order the beef tenderloin “Chimichurri” which contains pure olive oil, white vinegar, dried parsley, jalapeño, salt and pepper. We can also eat the “Puntas a la Mexicana” and the “Tacos A la Parilla” versions of the beef tenderloin, which contain fresh onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Ground beef is used for the tacos and is safe for us with onions, celery, salt, and pepper. For the taco shells, you can have the soft gluten-free corn tortillas or the crispy corn tortillas. Both have been stated as gluten-free from the local supplier, Fiesta Tortilla Company. The Carne Asada beef also has safe ingredients, however, the plate includes an enchilada with mole, and the mole is not acceptable to us. Request a different sauce on this enchilada. Gluten-free choices are Verdes sauce, Rancheras sauce, and Potosinas sauce. Note. The menu says “No substitutions.” This does not refer to the sauces, just to things like changing rice for salad, etc.

Currently the fajitas are not safe for us, as the marinades contain both a gluten-containing Worcestershire sauce and a soy sauce with wheat. However, MariCarmen will be experimenting with gluten-free versions of both sauces, so in the future we are likely to be fine there as well.

The majority of the chicken dishes are safe for us too. MariCarmen boils her own chickens daily. This also provides for fresh, homemade chicken stock that is used in all the soups. You can safely order the Chicken Tampico, the Chicken Tortilla Soup, and the Chicken Tacos and Nachos. The chicken fajitas, the Chicken Pecan, and an occasional daily special salad dish with a pre-purchased grilled chicken breast contain gluten and should be avoided.

The “Cochinita Pibil”, a pork dish, is also safe.

Seafood consists of fresh shrimp, salmon, tuna, tilapia, and orange roughy. Various sauces are added to these dishes. The dried lemon pepper seasoning is gluten free. All other sauce ingredients, such as onions, tomatoes, jalapeños, capers, garlic, lemon, and some cream and margarine, are both fresh and safe.

The enchiladas are fine too, with the exception of the enchiladas with mole. However, you must identify yourself in advance as needing a corn tortilla that is not fried. There is not a dedicated fryer, so there is a chance some cross-contact could occur.

Other fried items that are not safe for us include the chile relleno, empanadas, the sopapillas, and the flautas. All of the fried items are prepared using a dedicated prep area. A very small amount of flour is used in that same area as well for those dishes, but no flour is used elsewhere or to thicken any sauces at all. All employees know to change gloves if they change the type of food they are preparing. For the most part, they remain dedicated to a given station throughout the meal time, which increases the safety factor. When flour tortillas are used, they are put directly on to a plate. The other ingredients are then added at that station.

The rice, beans, and guacamole are all on the acceptable list too. Cheeses and creams are used in some dishes, though, so the dairy intolerant must watch the menu for those items.

Salads never contain croutons, so that is not an issue. We were unable to determine whether the ranch and blue cheese dressings are safe or not, so avoid them. You may use the restaurant-made Italian dressing; it contains only olive oil, distilled white vinegar, honey, mustard, and salt and pepper. Also, they will offer oil and vinegar separately if requested.

With regards to the desserts, the flan is made on-site with milk, eggs, sugar, and Grand Marnier. The mango mousse contains milk and mangos. We can only dream about the tres leches.

MariCarmen takes her work seriously. She wants to accommodate those of us with food allergies and intolerances. She welcomes phone calls in advance, particularly if there are large groups involved. In order to plan properly, they would be happy to take advance orders, answer any questions, or learn about special needs. And, if someone becomes sick afterwards, she asks that we call and let them know. It’s worth noting that has not happened yet! Her father followed a strict diet himself, so the family learned how important it is to monitor the ingredients and the process.

In summary, Laura and I heartily recommend this somewhat hidden restaurant, and we believe those of you that visit will come back and ultimately develop a loyalty too. (JW 09/09)