In Austin for a birthday party, I ate at Wild Wood for the third time and had a great gluten-free meal. I went up to the counter and asked for Mariah Justice, the owner, who was in. She remembered from my previous visits that I have celiac disease. She asked “How about lasagna?” I boggled, then quickly replied “Yes, Yes!” or words to that effect. She had used rice pasta in making the lasagna. It was meatless, with tomatoes, mushrooms, and zucchini. She asked if I could have cheese. I am not lactose intolerant, so no problem. And I didn’t really miss the meat, the lasagna tasted so good! The cheese was delicious, as were the flavorings. And a man-sized portion, filled the plate.

I had a salad to go with it. Fresh greens; I didn’t recognize what they were. A couple of cherry tomatoes and lots of carrot strips. She asked if I could have vinegar, then offered two different vinegar dressings. I took the balsamic vinegar; it was served separately in a covered plastic container. A good sized salad, nice and fresh.

She had several different gluten-free cookies. I took the big crispy one. It was very good. She also had gluten-free peanut butter cookies and gluten-free chocolate cookies. The cookies were not labeled gluten free as they had been on previous visits, so when you visit you should ask Mariah which ones are gluten free. She uses a clear covered cake display for the gluten-free cookies; they are not mixed in with non-gluten-free ones.

As on my previous visits to Wild Wood, the two soups of the day were gluten free. These are available by the cup or by the bowl. I had ordered the bowl of soup on each earlier visit, and the soups were hearty and filling; a meal in themselves. The second time I was there, she had fresh gluten-free bread. I had a slice with my soup. I could have had a sandwich instead of the soup.

Mariah is allergic to wheat. She told me that at first she started offering a few items that were wheat free, but she got requests for gluten free, so she began offering gluten-free items as well, such as whole loaves of gluten-free rice bread, cookies, and muffins.

I mentioned to her that one of our San Antonio members had eaten there on my recommendation. Mariah wasn’t there, and the experience was not so good as mine. Mariah said she is working to familiarize the other employees with the gluten-free diet. However, it would probably be a good idea to call before you visit and ask if Mariah is there . You could also get a preview of what gluten-free café and bakery items are available that day when you call. (OM May 2003)

When I wasn’t watching, Wild Wood extended their hours. They are now open until 7 pm Monday through Saturday. So prior to a recent trip to Austin from my home in San Antonio, I called Wild Wood on their toll-free number and said I would like to order dinner. I asked what they would recommend from the menu of the day. They inquired “Do you like spicy food?” I enthusiastically responded “Yes!” They suggested enchiladas, either pork or vegetarian. I chose the pork. When I arrived, my salad was served almost immediately, and the enchilada plate was ready by the time I finished the salad. The enchiladas had a mild verde sauce, but a cup of spicy sauce was provided and liberally applied by me. Delicious! The accompanying black beans and rice were both tasty and not your usual Tex-Mex fare.

In conversation with Joan Griffith, Mariah’s mother, she said mention the option of “Dinner to go” and explained that many people in the Westlake area like to order their evening meal as take out and enjoy it at home. (Several people picked up their orders while I was eating.) The café does its cooking early in the day, and the day’s menu items are then available until they are sold out. This is a good reason to call early in the day if you plan to have an early supper at Wild Wood or would like to order dinner to go. Joan said that their family includes both wheat allergy and gluten sensitivity among its members. She has been eating gluten free for 15 years, although she does not have a diagnosis of celiac disease.

Several diners have recently provided information on their experiences at Wild Wood on the Austin List (see our Forums and Discussion Groups page for instructions on how to subscribe to the Austin-TX-Celiac group) and I thought I would share some of these with you.

Diner One. My family and I ventured to Wild Wood Café on Bee Caves Road last weekend. My husband and I shared (cheddar) cheese enchiladas with red sauce (not on the menu, but I asked and they made them for us). They were fabulous and came with a salad and black beans. My husband tried a sweet potato tamale and a pork tamale (both gluten free) that he said he will be going back there for more. Also, my husband and son tried the gluten-free pumpkin muffins, and they loved them (and my son is very picky! – he’s not even the one in our family with celiac; that’s my daughter).

Diner Two. Wild Wood Art Café and Bakery has the best gluten-free bread in Austin, as far as I’ve found. Their hamburger buns are very tasty, and when cut in half make great open-face sandwiches. I enjoy their varieties of muffins too. They will make gluten-free and casein-free pies and cakes on order. At Thanksgiving and Christmas season they make up to 300 pies! They even make wedding cakes! The owners, Mariah Justice (who invents the recipes and cooks) and her mother, Joan Griffith, (the manager, who started the store 30 years ago to sell Mexican folk art) are very concerned about the healthy foods they serve, and try to get the best products for them. The dough conditioner she uses is non-GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) too. I buy two weeks worth of buns and cut them, wrap each half in paper towel, and bag them, and put them in the freezer. A quick toast and it’s ready.

Diner Three. My family eats at Wildwood often. It is close to my daughter’s school and our church. We often stop in between school and choir to get a snack. Sometimes on busy nights, we get dinner on the way home. My 10-year-old celiac daughter’s favorites are the vegan rice chocolate chip cookies, the ding dongs, the donuts, and the French toast. Sandwiches on either the gluten-free bread or the gluten-free hamburger buns are also big hits. (OM, January 2006)