Do you like having your meals cooked-to-order? Want to taste the freshness of whole foods prepared with your good health in mind? How about uttering the phrase “cross-contamination” and not get a blank stare in reply? If all this sounds tempting, then Pacific Moon is the place for you!

Pacific Moon had been on my list of places to try for quite some time. I was intrigued by a review in the San Antonio Express-News Weekender section that said, “Service is slow, but everything is made to order.” Celiac translation: a place where someone knows exactly what ingredients go into each meal, and whose priority is pleasing the customer. As it was, several other Alamo Celiac members already had dined at Pacific Moon and passed on the news that it was indeed a place to check out. That was all the encouragement I needed to finally make my way to this place of Asian gourmet food.

Stir-fry meals are the specialty at Pacific Moon. They are a pleasing blend of owner Han Olmstead's native Korean cuisine with Chinese and Asian-Californian influences. Maybe even a little Tex-Mex, too, if you count the jalapeño peppers that were used to lend spice to my lunch of Mongolian Pan Fried Noodles. This was a vegetarian dish consisting of rice noodles mixed with crunchy carrots, onions, spring onions, mushrooms, snow peas, and bean sprouts, all tossed in a light ginger-garlic sauce. A large portion of the lunch menu is devoted to specialty sandwiches, but they don't appear to be the reason for Pacific Moon's faithful following. According to Han, most of the restaurant's customers are repeat customers, and she tries to personally greet or visit with them when not in the kitchen cooking. Han's customers seem to be equally captivated with her personal touch in managing the restaurant as they are with her cooking.

Han says she does not pre-marinate any of the meats served at her restaurant, and that rice noodles are a staple in the kitchen. The dinner menu offers several entrées with noodles, including: Pacific Moon Pan Fried Noodles (with shrimp and chicken), Shrimp Lemongrass Noodles, Korean Chop Chae Noodles (glass noodles with choice of beef, shrimp, chicken, or pork), and Singapore Noodles. There is also a seafood mixture of shrimp, scallops, and squid sautéed with mixed vegetables and rice noodles. The meals always include a healthy dose of mixed vegetables. And, there is no risk of cross-contamination from other ingredients as each individual meal is cooked in a clean wok.

Han has noted an increase in customers with special dietary requirements, and she strives to meet their needs. Healthy and low-fat dishes are at the core of her cooking, so she is readily able to accommodate those dietary needs. Dinner for me one night was an order of stir-fried beef with brown rice and steamed vegetables. It was not on the menu like that, but that's what I wanted, and that's what I got! The beef was thinly sliced and stir-fried with garlic, ginger, and just a splash of Tamari Wheat-Free Soy Sauce, which she always has on hand. A small condiment container of soy sauce accompanied the meal. Han explained that soy sauce adds salt to the meal, and so she cooks sparingly with it. She then lets customers add additional soy sauce if they desire.

A choice of steamed white rice or brown rice comes with all of the Asian dishes that are not made with noodles. Both kinds of rice are prepared without any salt, butter, or flavorings. I personally like the slightly nutty taste of brown rice, and know that with its high fiber bran coating, its nutritional value far exceeds that of white rice.

Soups and salads are offered on both the lunch menu and the dinner menu, and many appear to be safe for celiacs. The soup broth is homemade, without the addition of any bouillon or other ingredient that might contain gluten. I did not verify the ingredients in the two salad dressings offered, house oriental vinaigrette and house honey mustard, but I feel confident that Han would come up with a substitution if needed. The spring rolls are made with rice wrappers, but because they are deep-fried in the same oil as wheat products, Han does not recommend them for celiacs.

Pacific Moon also has a large selection of teas, and regular customers have discovered the contentment of lingering over a cup while chatting with Han. I particularly enjoyed one afternoon when Han shared with me her memories of actually making soy sauce when she was a child in Korea. It was a four-month-long process that did not include wheat as an ingredient. She was shocked to learn later in life that commercial soy sauces contain wheat, and she wonders why. I told her I wonder the same thing. (MP December 2004)

Pacific Moon Restaurant has noticed a big increase in requests for gluten-free meals since they were featured in our December 2004 newsletter, as well as in the San Antonio Express News Weekender section a couple of weeks ago. In order to handle this increase and confidently minimize any potential for cross contamination from gluten-containing ingredients, they purchased a new wok system and utensils for the sole purpose of gluten-free cooking. Pacific Moon only has the capacity to be a two-wok kitchen, so dedicating half of their kitchen to gluten-free cooking is quite significant. They also now must order gluten-free ingredients in bulk. As a result of all this, however, Pacific Moon's operating expense has increased, and they have had to add a $1.00 surcharge to all gluten-free meals. As the saying goes, success has a price. (MP February 2005)