I will get this out in the open right at the start: I am not from Texas. Not even close. Nor did I get here as soon as I could. Two previous trips to the Lone Star State, both during Texas’ notorious scorching summers, left me wondering how anyone could live in such a place. Lucky for me, Texas doesn’t hold a grudge against first, or even second impressions, and I have been afforded the opportunity to discover all the wonderful things about living in Texas, such as the food!

San Antonio offers a cornucopia of food choices. But one can’t really be a Texan without having knowledge of where to go for the best of barbeque. It gets even trickier when trying to find restaurants that offer gluten-free barbeque. When a newly diagnosed Alamo Celiac member reported a favorable dining experience at County Line, it seemed like a good idea to check out this place.

The County Line Barbeque has two San Antonio locations (on the Riverwalk at West Crocket Street in the South Bank Complex, and on I-10 West between Wurzbach and Huebner) that are convenient for residents and visitors alike. These two restaurants offer an identical menu that consists of grill selections and barbeque platters. The weekday lunch menu also offers sandwiches and daily specials.

Prior to dining at either of The County Line Restaurants, I e-mailed both locations as well as the corporate headquarters in Austin to plead for assistance in selecting gluten-free food from their menu. I did not receive a single response before I found myself on the Riverwalk for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities with a group of hungry people, namely my non-celiac husband and three non-celiac sons.

The manager at the Riverwalk location, Michael Paul, looked at my list of “forbidden” foods and then the list of “acceptable” foods. He acknowledged that even though he was a 20-year employee of the restaurant, he thought the general manager of the I-10 location would be more helpful to me, and tried to contact this other manager, but to no avail. So for this day, I dined on an unseasoned grilled chicken breast marinated only in a salt-water solution, a baked potato with freshly grated cheese and chopped chives, and a skewer of unseasoned grilled vegetables. I wasn’t licking my fingers like all the other patrons with their plates full of ribs and sauce in this self-described “funky Texas roadhouse,” but the sun was shining through the open patio doors, the Riverwalk activity was inches away, and my tummy felt happy.

A few days later, with the allure of smoked meat still lingering about my senses, I made further attempts to talk with someone at The County Line who could give me the lowdown on some of their menu ingredients. That person turned out to be Randy Goss, “The Rib King” of San Antonio, or so his business card says. Randy is one of the owners of the 12 County Line Barbeque Restaurants that now extend beyond Texas’ borders to Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Colorado. He spent a considerable amount of time with me on the telephone reviewing the menu, and then an hour in person at the restaurant where Defensive Dining Chair Anne Barfield and I entreated him for information and a gluten-free lunch.

To his credit, Mr. Goss answered our questions, told us product names, showed us products, and explained how food is prepared. The trick for us was asking the right questions, and then continually probing until we felt satisfied we could or could not safely eat the item in question.

Our Q&A session went on too long, however, and we ended up placing our order amid the lunch hour crush. This was not a good thing. Even though our waitress supposedly wrote down our specific instructions and flagged our order with a “see me” note for the cook, our meals were not prepared as ordered and another waitperson, who had no inkling of our needs, garnished and delivered our meals. The owner, Mr. Goss, was on the floor but also not attending to our order. Two of our three meals were sent back with more instruction, re-delivered to our table, and then sent back once more. When we finally set about eating, Mr. Goss arrived at our table to announce a product change on an item already consumed that, providentially, was still gluten free.

Given the difficulties that Anne and I encountered at The County Line Barbeque, the following is provided as a general guideline for ordering gluten free off their menu.

• The Grill – Select grilled steak (T-bone, rib eye, tenderloin), salmon steak, chicken breast, or grilled vegetable kebob. The meats arrive at the restaurant unseasoned and in sealed plastic packages. The chicken is marinated on premises in a saline solution. Request that an area of the grill be brushed down for your selection and determine whether you want the grill sprayed with a non-stick vegetable oil coating. Specify that the food not be seasoned with their regular lemon pepper seasoning, ask for pure salt and pepper if you desire, and decide if you want your meal sprinkled with paprika as a garnish. Avoid the meat kebobs since these are marinated with unacceptable ingredients.
• Barbeque – Only the brisket is recommended because salt and pepper are the sole seasonings on it. Even so, you must ask for slices of fresh brisket rather than the meat that’s in the holding pan with a bouillon broth. For now, avoid the barbeque sauce. Cattleman’s is the gluten-free name brand base of County Line’s barbeque sauce but more information needs to be forthcoming about the ingredients added to the sauce by County Wide. All other barbeque platters must be avoided because the meat is rubbed with a pre-packaged rib rub, the sausage ingredients are questionable, and it has not been determined if the smoked peppered turkey breast is pure.
• Sandwiches and Burgers – Grilled chicken breast (no bun), sliced beef brisket (no bun), and the burgers (80% pure beef/20% fat) are acceptable. Again, ask that only salt and pepper be used as seasoning.
• Salads and Sides – Garden salad with olive oil and wine vinegar on the side, and baked potato are gluten free. Ask for pure butter and sour cream on the side for the baked potato but verify the brand names used by requesting to see the containers. The Line Salad with grilled chicken is also acceptable. Just be sure to request proper handling of the chicken breast and no croutons.
• All of the food handlers wear latex prep gloves. To avoid any cross contamination issues, request that clean gloves be worn when your food is handled.
• Finally, ensure that the server flags your order with a “see me” notice and the restaurant manager is aware of your special dietary needs.

As we boxed up the remains of our meals Anne commented that this County Line location on I-10 has a great live music series every Wednesday night. I made a mental note to myself to next learn about Texas music. (AB/MP April 2003)

It had been roughly a year since the last time I ate at The County Line Barbeque on the River Walk in San Antonio, yet manager Michael Paul said he remembered me and my celiac diet. This time he made a copy of my restaurant card and personally oversaw preparation of my meal, the Line Salad with grilled chicken. He stressed that any time a celiac dines at his restaurant, that person should ask to speak to him because he doesn’t want anyone getting sick on his watch. Selections from the grill are still the best bet for celiacs, excluding the meat kabobs. Mr. Paul also acknowledged that County Line’s barbeque sauce should not be considered gluten free, but since the base of their sauce is gluten-free Cattleman’s, a celiac can ask for just the base. Again, this request should be made to management. (MP June 2004)