Photo copyright Tiffany Janes

It is common knowledge that gluten-free people routinely arrive in NYC and head straight to Risotteria in Greenwich Village from the airport. That is why there are often weary looking travelers, complete with luggage, in the cozy Italian restaurant at any time of day or night. Though many places in NYC now serve gluten-free pizza, Risotteria was the first place to do so.

San Antonio, Texas has its own version of Risotteria called The Little Aussie Bakery which is owned and run by Texas transplants from Australia. The most amazing thing about LAB (local nickname) is that the entire restaurant is gluten-free. It is so gluten-free in fact, that the staff can’t even bring in gluten items for their own personal lunch. We had a wedding to attend in Dallas so we added a couple of extra days to the trip so we could visit San Antonio – a Texas gluten-free gem of sorts.

Upon our arrival to San Antonio, we picked up a rental car and headed straight to The Little Aussie Bakery for an early lunch. We entered the house turned restaurant, to find a very quaint space and immediately noticed a bakery style dessert case. Upon closer inspection, we realized the case was filled with very fancy looking cakes. They looked like cakes you’d find in a gluten bakery in NYC. The presentation was more impressive than at Babycakes, in case you're been there before.

The 100% gluten-free menu is not extensive, but it includes varied sandwiches (made with on site baked bread), pizzas, soups, salads, lasagna, garlic bread and even a leg of lamb. To say it was overwhelming to stare at a menu that had nothing off limits to me is quite an understatement. It would be hard for anyone being able to keep from getting teary eyed the first time they are able to do this. It sounds like a silly reaction to people that don't have any dietary restrictions, but the reality is that in our world, every social event (client lunch, company party, wedding, funeral, etc.) is a mine field full of something that is poisonous to us.

At least at the Little Aussie Bakery, the gluten-free set get to do what most people do on a regular basis - walk into a restaurant, sit down, read the menu and order whatever the heck they want. The feeling of doing that is one I’d assume winning the lottery might match ; maybe even better since money truly can not buy happiness. After ordering, customers get to nosh on house baked gluten-free garlic bread that is soft in the middle with a crunchy crust. There is no odd taste or texture to the bread - it is simply wonderful.

The lasagna of the day when we were there was chicken with béchamel sauce, which was outstanding! My husband enjoyed his personal size gluten-free pizza, though the spices on it were a little too hot for my taste. The side salad served with the lasagna had an interesting sweet citrus dressing. The portion was not too large so I had room for dessert.

Since we could not decide on anything we wanted to share, my husband and I each ordered a dessert. Choosing which of the six cakes to have was quite challenging, but I finally settled on the passion fruit sponge cake since I'd never had gluten-free sponge cake before. My husband chose the lemon cake with lemon icing. He loved his cake and I thought it was excellent but the sponge cake made me fantasize about playing (and winning) the lottery so I could fly to San Antonio any time I wanted, just for that cake! Shipping it frosted would not work well and the frosting was almost outstanding as the cake itself. I can not accurately describe how great this cake was, except to say is was without a doubt the BEST gluten free cake I'd had to date and after many cakes later, it still ranks in the top five! It was also the best sponge cake I've ever had, regardless of ingredients.

We left The LAB and headed to Chicken Paradise, a 100% gluten-free B&B. Look for my upcoming review of that gluten-free jewel, but just know that if you live anywhere near San Antonio you need to treat yourself to a stay at Chicken Paradise. Even if you live in San Antonio you might consider going for at least one night.
  

For more info: Visit The Little Aussie Bakery website to learn more about the delightful restaurant and the charming owner Rita from "down under". Consider dining the the LAB and staying at Chicken Paradise when visiting the San Antonio area - even if you can eat gluten!