Update – April 2009

Many of our long time members have enjoyed eating gluten free at Paloma Blanca for years now. We go often and enjoy the celiac menu they have created to make it easy for us to order. Imagine my surprise when I went to our Web site and noticed that the last review for Paloma Blanca was written in August 2004! Fortunately for us, not a lot has changed. Same owners, same day to day management, but over the years there have been a few menu changes and policies have evolved, all designed to make it easier and quicker for them to serve their gluten-free customers.

Ask for the celiac menu when you are being seated. There is a celiac lunch menu and a celiac dinner menu. On weekends, they have a brunch menu from 10 am to 3 pm, but we are welcome to order from the regular celiac menu as well. You will find the Paloma Blanca menu to be one of the best in the us. Everything is clear about what you can order, including what to watch out for. Substitutions to make the item gluten free are indicated on each listing. For instance, poblano corn white rice is substituted for Spanish rice.

They only have one fryer, so we cannot eat the chips they prepare in house. Paloma Blanca buys special gluten-free corn chips especially for us, and they will arrive at the table in a white porcelain bowl. The regular chips (not for us) are in a brown basket weave bowl. Gluten-free corn tortillas arrive in a red plastic tortilla holder, while the gluten ones arrive in a brown plastic holder. Your server will bring you your own individual dish of salsa, so there will be no cross contamination from your gluten eating companions.

At Paloma Blanca there are five soups that are naturally safe, except ours will not have the fried tortilla strips. You are welcome to add the celiac chips that are already on the table. Be forewarned: there is a choice of cup or bowl, but their cups are larger than many bowls, so unless you are really hungry for soup, the cup will probably be sufficient.

There are choices of enchiladas with salsa verde or queso, and grilled chicken breast with your choice of crema cilantro, crema chipotle, or salsa guajillo. But one of the nicest things about dining at Paloma Blanca is that while they can satisfy your craving for Mexican food, if you are not in the mood for that, you can find plenty on the menu to satisfy your desire for soup, seafood, or a hearty salad with fresh homemade dressing.

The lunch and dinner menus are similar, but there are a few additional things to choose on the dinner menu, like their baked Chile Relleno, available either with shrimp or vegetal. They offer shrimp or fish tacos and shrimp or chicken fajitas. Or enjoy fresh grilled filet of red snapper topped with your choice of salsa or sauces, served with Ensalada Esmeralda.

Seasoned, steamed vegetables may be substituted for rice and beans.

Almost all of the margaritas are gluten free. The only one to watch out for is the frozen House Margarita. It has a few unidentified ingredients, but you can safely order any of the others, including the House Margarita on the rocks. They also serve gluten-free Redbridge Beer.

Paloma Blanca has a lovely patio with fountains and tropical plants. The sound of running water, exotic music, and the hacienda-inspired architecture will encourage you to think you are in Vera Cruz instead of the heart of San Antonio. (AB April 2009)

As most of you know, Paloma Blanca in San Antonio has had a celiac menu on the back of their dinner menu for quite some time now. The latest news is that they have increased the number of choices for celiacs, and we are getting our own printed menu! Be sure you tell the person seating you that you will need the celiac menu before you are seated, and they will be sure to seat you where there is a “celiac experienced” wait person.

I went over the complete menu with Nelly Mendoza, who is the manager there. Almost everything is made fresh and is very well prepared. They take great pride in their menu. We spent two hours in the kitchen with the head cook, going over the different ingredients to determine which ones are safe. One key matter involved a certain kind of base they use to make some of their dishes. It is hard to tell by assuming that since one thing is okay, then a similar one is okay too, so do order from the celiac menu.

Most of the meals at lunch and dinner are served with Spanish rice, borracho (whole) beans, and handmade corn or flour tortillas. Be sure that you have them substitute poblano corn white rice instead of Spanish rice. (The base used for the Spanish rice has wheat in it.) You can ask to substitute a green salad or cooked vegetables instead of the beans if you prefer. The refried and borracho beans are safe for us.

There are several different kinds of gravies or crèmas that we must avoid. Some of the dishes come with a choice of the crèma you choose, but the wheat based ones will not be listed on the celiac menu. The crèma cilantro or crèma chipotle are both safe. Crèma poblano is not safe.

As before, you can have certain enchiladas, but be sure they are served without the meat gravy. Remind them to steam the tortillas instead of dipping them in the oil.

The fajita plates are safe except for the beef. Chicken or shrimp are fine.

Almost all of the soups are safe, but they need to omit the fried corn chips that garnish them. The only soup that is off limits is crèma de Aguacate.

There are still certain things we cannot safely order. Items that are cooked in the hot oil will possibly be contaminated by breaded things that are cooked in the same container. This eliminates things like tostadas, chalupas, and flautas.

When you receive your corn tortillas, ask to be sure they are not warmed or served in the same container as the wheat tortillas. They should come to the table in a different kind of serving container.

Another improvement is that there are prices listed for each menu selection, whereas before you had to look back at the regular menu to compare the prices. This makes it easier to decide and to order.

Many of their bar menu items are okay for celiacs. I checked out the margaritas because that is what interested me. I suggest you order the “Heights,” “the 09”, or “the Frida.” These are made with fresh ingredients, and there are no mixes in them.

Go often and enjoy yourselves. (AB August 2004)