Lunch

When it rains, it pours. Or so it seems as of late with the rains in San Antonio. It also applies to recent Defensive Dining experiences around town. When restaurants actually contact us about gluten-free foods at their establishments, it's a downright deluge!

Such were my thoughts on the day I meandered down Lockhill-Selma Road. Heavy rain clouds darkened the city sky, but my spirits weren't dampened because I was on my way to one of the newest restaurants in town: Pam's Patio Kitchen. The owners, Pam and David Strain, had contacted San Antonio Celiac Support Group Chair Anne Barfield with news of their opening. The Strains were personal friends of Anne, so they knew a little about celiac disease and hoped some of the items on their wholesome menu would meet the dietary criteria of the celiac community.

Pam's Patio Kitchen is a soup, salad, and sandwich kind of place. True to its name, an outdoor dining area graces the restaurant entrance. Inside, the atmosphere is a reflection of the philosophy behind the menu: colorful, fresh, and uncomplicated. The service is cafeteria-style so walk right up to the counter to discuss your celiac needs with either David or Pam Strain and to place your order.

Nearly a third of the menu is devoted to sandwiches, and it's easy to bypass them since gluten-free bread is not served at the restaurant. But if you just like cold cuts, you can safely order any of the offerings of Boar's Head brand meats and cheeses. Selections include peppered turkey breast, roast beef, Genoa salami, Black Forest ham, pastrami, and imported Swiss, provolone, and pepper jack cheese. All are served with lettuce, tomato, and marinated red onion.

For something a little different, there is Claire's Turkey Avocado sandwich, which consists of peppered turkey breast, avocado, Philadelphia brand cream cheese, sprouts, baby spinach, and tomato. Just remember to order sandwiches without the bread! Also, discuss any concerns about cross-contamination of items at the sandwich making counter. Of further note, the chicken salad and tuna salad are both mixed with Pam's own Russian dressing, a blend of Daisy sour cream, Kraft mayonnaise, Heinz chili sauce, fresh dill, and capers. The only questionable ingredient here is the chili sauce because Heinz won't guarantee it is gluten free, even when the components appear to be safe. Whether or not to consume this product is a personal choice.

A tempting addition to any meat and cheese order is a serving of Pam's tortilla chips. Anne calls them “the ultimate corn chips.” Made on the premises, they are cooked in a dedicated pan, and then stored in a big container away from possible gluten contamination. All of their salsas are also homemade and range from sweet to spicy hot.

Anne's favorite dish is the Guadalajara Special Chalupa, a huge made-from-scratch crisp corn tortilla with beans, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and fresh hand mashed guacamole. She likes to personalize it with the restaurant's own mango salsa or the smoky roasted chili salsa. A plain Bean and Cheese Chalupa is also available.

I was drawn to the prodigious array of colorful salads – four in all. The Thai Beef Steak and Romaine Salad is a compilation of marinated chilled grilled steak, romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red onion, and cilantro. It's served over steamed Thai Jasmine rice, with a spicy oil-free dressing. Both the steak marinade and the dressing contain Squid brand fish sauce, which is made from water, anchovy extract, salt, and sugar. Attempts to confirm the gluten-free status of this Thailand-made fish sauce company have not been successful, though from all appearances, it should be gluten free. Again, a personal choice must be made about whether or not to eat this particular salad.

Every ingredient of the Chinese Chicken Salad is gluten free; though the accompanying soy sauce based sesame ginger dressing is not. Pam's Patio Kitchen prepares their own boiled chicken for their salads and soups, which is a wonderful healthy alternative to the marinated and pre-packaged poultry used by many other restaurants. The chicken is served atop crisp romaine lettuce, rice noodles, cilantro and toasted almonds.

Both the Mediterranean Field Greens Salad and the Spinach Strawberry Pecan Salad are wholesome light meals. The Field Greens Salad is topped with tomato, Mediterranean olives, Caramia brand artichoke hearts, feta cheese, and olive oil balsamic vinaigrette. The Spinach Salad, a combination of fresh red strawberries, mandarin oranges, and toasted pecans tossed with baby spinach leaves, is refreshing and sweet. It is served with orange honey mustard dressing. (I am still waiting to hear from Sysco if the mustard used in this dressing is gluten free).

The next time I visit Pam's Patio Kitchen I will sample their homemade soups. Chicken Tortilla soup, available daily and made without the addition of any soup base or bouillon, is a blend of chicken, tomatoes, spices, and hominy. Ask about the “Soup of the Day” to determine if it is gluten free. In the past, Tomato Basil Soup has been served, containing nothing more complicated than tomatoes, fresh basil, and cream. The restaurant also has served a Cream of Asparagus soup that is made with Gorgonzola, a cheese similar to blue cheese. As many brands of blue cheese are still made in the traditional method of growing mold on breadcrumbs, deciding whether or not to eat Gorgonzola cheese must be a personal choice. Most are not gluten free. (MP October 2003)

Dinner

Many of you are familiar with Pam's Patio Kitchen at the corner of Lockhill Selma and Wurzbach Parkway in San Antonio, tucked away in the corner of this small shopping center. It has been a favorite for lunch since they opened and we had one of our first Dining Out luncheon meetings there a few years ago.

Recently, Joe and I had just waved goodbye to houseguests who had been here for 28 days and decided we deserved a nice evening out where we could linger over dinner without preparing it ourselves. Since it was a Saturday night, we decided to go over to Pam’s Patio, which we remembered offers dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. What a surprise and what a treat that was! First of all, they are now open on Thursday night also, so there are three nights to enjoy their extensive dinner menu. Last time we were there, there were only three or four choices on the menu, but now there are at least fourteen entrées, plus starters, salads, and soups. Usually there is at least one gluten-free dessert on hand.

I ended up having a starter and salad. Each plate was as big as a platter and quite a visual feast to look at. The Guacamole Salad must have had a whole avocado, mashed with lime juice, fresh garlic, and chili arbol. Served with their divine homemade corn tortilla chips, it looked pretty as a flower, surrounded by sliced tomatoes and cups of three different salsas. It was a full meal.

Next came the Adriatic Sea Grilled Shrimp Salad, which had eight grilled shrimp on kebab sticks sitting on top of a large mixed greens and tomato salad, dressed with a lemon olive oil dressing, and topped by feta cheese and chopped purple onions. Everything was as fresh as could be.

Joe opted for Bistec Tacos, which were three corn tortillas filled with grilled Angus beef and green onion, served with grilled zucchini, Mexican rice, guacamole, and the three homemade salsas.

The greatest thing about the menu is that almost everything is gluten free or can be prepared gluten free. When we talked about options for the dishes that come served with pasta, David had an idea. He went back to the kitchen and consulted with Ryan, who agreed to prepare gluten-free Pad Thai noodles for me to be served with pesto sauce. They were delicious. Before long, there will be a gluten-free menu for us to choose from.

If you have been to Pam's Patio for lunch, you can be assured you will find some of the same choices, but you will recognize the same serendipity of the menu. There doesn't seem to be a “theme” to their menu, but you get the feeling that each dish is probably a family favorite. Some have a Mediterranean influence, some have a Latin flair, and there are also a few Asian wok options to choose from. Theoretically, you could eat here every night they are open and have something gluten free with different geographic flavors.

You may remember that when they first opened, all three of their children were involved and working there. Their daughter Claire has taken her nursing degree and moved off to Chicago for now, but Alex and Ryan are there in the kitchen, developing their own style and opinions. Another source of the best gluten-free options would be Val, who has also been there since the doors opened.

Word seems to spread, because they now have gluten-free requests daily. Occasionally, Pam or David will tell some new diners about Alamo Celiac, and I will get a call from them. The most unusual referral came when I was in Virginia for the GIG Conference in June. I sat down next to a nice woman, and we got acquainted as we waited for the seminar to begin. When I said I was from San Antonio she got all excited and asked me if I knew about Pam's Patio! It turns out that she and her husband visit here often because several of their grown children live in San Antonio, and they always go to Pam's when they are in town. She is the only celiac, but all her family members like to dine at Pam's Patio. It gave me such a thrill to be so far from home, but connected in this way. I hope you will go to Pam's for dinner soon. You might see us there too. (AB August 2007)