What a mistake! I've driven past Fire Hut Grill & Bar practically every day for nearly two years without ever once stopping there to eat. Located in the Northwoods Shopping Center on Loop 1604 East near the intersection with 281 North, it lies in a direct path between my house and almost every place I need or want to go. Committing such a tactical error has needlessly deprived my family and me of one of the easiest places to get great tasting, healthy, and gluten-free “Mongolian barbeque.”

Fire Hut Grill & Bar does not label itself a Mongolian barbeque restaurant, instead opting for the phrase “a creative (stir-fry) dining experience.” The décor, too, is decidedly more tropical/Polynesian rather than Asian. As far as the cooking is concerned, though, it is similar to what many people traditionally call Mongolian barbeque.

According to legend, and some say accounts by Marco Polo himself, 13th century Mongol warrior hunting parties celebrated their successes with communal feasts that consisted of meat and vegetables. In true warrior style the food was thinly sliced with swords and then rapidly cooked on overturned shields set over an open fire. The fiercest warriors and the Khan, the leader, ate the same foods but theirs was cooked on a large hot griddle. This style of cooking (on hot griddles, not shields!) eventually spread around Asia, and today, Mongolian barbeque/stir-fry restaurants are enjoying a surge in popularity around the globe.

Eating at Fire Hut does not require expert swordsmanship. It does require, however, that you select from over 50 items on their refrigerated food bar to create your own personal feast. It's that easy, and fun, too. First, one of the exceptionally cheerful and capable staff will seat you at your table and have you write your name on your meal stick (a.k.a. a popsicle stick). You will then be instructed to proceed to the food bar, obtain a large bowl, and begin filling it with cooked rice or noodles, fresh raw vegetables, and condiments. Next, fill a small bowl with meat. When your bowls are satisfactorily full, select from an assortment of sauces to sweeten, add tartness, spice up, or otherwise flavor your food. Then, place your bowls in the hands of Fire Hut's grill masters, along with your meal stick, and return to your table to await the delivery of your custom made stir-fried work of art.

With such a vast selection of ingredients, it can be difficult to know which items to choose and in what combination. Knowing the gluten-free options whittles down the choices a bit, but not by much! Skip the two soups as they contain soy sauce and wontons. Also, stay away from the fried rice, Chinese noodles, pasta noodles, crispy rice noodles, and fried noodles. Instead, try steamed white rice or rice noodles. Both are available at the food bar, but to avoid possible cross contamination ask your server to use a clean utensil to dish up some from the kitchen. Some people choose to avoid the rice and noodles altogether, filling their bowls with a myriad of fresh veggies and one of the meats. The vegetables available include lettuce, bean sprouts, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and baby corn. It's probably a good idea to avoid the fried tofu because very likely it is fried in the same oil as the wheat products. Ask to be sure. Top off the vegetables with spoonfuls of cooked eggs, chopped peanuts, aromatic cilantro, garlic, green onions, pineapple chunks, chili peppers, or another variety of mushroom for some extra zing.

The extensive meat selection consists of lamb, pork, light and dark chicken, beef, and seafood. Teriyaki chicken, the only meat that is precooked, is also the only meat to avoid due to the sauce in which it is cooked. If crab is available, remember that imitation crab contains gluten and should not be consumed by celiacs.

Finally, be the master of your dinner destiny by mixing and matching the sauces. Of the twelve available, more than half are gluten free, and they are all located at or near the top of the group to minimize the risk of drips from the gluten-containing sauces. A total of two-to-three scoops of sauce is generally recommended, with choices being cucumber, tamarind and garlic, tropical, both the green curry and the red curry, peanut, and tiger cry. If you have concerns about the sauces, or are just puzzled about which ones to combine, talk with the manager on duty. A staff member is always conveniently positioned near the sauces to assist in any capacity.

While confidently selecting gluten-free items off of Fire Hut's food bar is critical for a celiac, ensuring that the gluten-free meal is not cooked on the communal grill is equally important. Rather, ask that the meal be cooked on a modern-day shield (a wok!) set over a separate flame, to protect the gluten-free meal. Then settle in to celebrate!

In the near future, Fire Hut will have a new menu board that clearly identifies all gluten-free options. The business partners who own and manage the restaurant took it upon themselves to study Alamo Celiac's website, along with one of my celiac dining out cards and an article in the Fall 2003 edition of Sully's Living Without magazine about a similar type stir-fry restaurant to learn more about the requirements of the gluten-free diet. When they realized how well their restaurant style could accommodate the needs of celiacs, they didn't hesitate to analyze their ingredients and cooking methods and enthusiastically commit to making gluten-free dining just as easy and fun as it is for non-celiacs. Remember, though, that it is ultimately your responsibility to verify ingredients according to your needs. If you have any questions or concerns, speak with the owners: Jordy, Janram, and Bob.

Fire Hut Grill & Bar is an all-you-can-eat food bar. Dessert is not included in the price of the buffet, but you may want to save room for one of the two tropical gluten-free selections – Mangos and Sticky Rice, and Coconut Rice Cream. There is also a full bar with seemingly endless possibilities of its own! (MP July 2004)

True to their word, the owners of Fire Hut Grill and Bar in San Antonio have installed a new menu board that identifies food selections for those who must maintain a gluten-free diet, are vegetarians, or choose to follow the Atkins diet plan. Fire Hut, which was featured in the July Alamo Celiac newsletter, is an all-you-can-eat stir-fry restaurant with over 50 fresh food bar items from which to choose for your meal. Remember to ask that your server obtain rice or rice noodles from the kitchen in order to avoid cross contamination of these items from the food bar. Also, verify that the sauces you want to use are gluten free and have your meal cooked in a clean wok. Then enjoy! (MP September 2004)