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Start with the flight: US Air's gluten free meal was a platter of sliced
melon, strawberries, and grapes....with a package of non-gf banana bread!
(Dummies) The packaged peanuts appeared safe, but since I was just beginning
the trip, I skipped them.

Anaheim/Buena Park area (real close to Knotts Berry Farm, not far from
Disney).  Stayed at Holiday Inn on Beach Blvd., Rt. 39 North exit of
Interstate 91.  Their restaurant is called Ventana's. I had the swordfish
dinner with roasted potatoes, steamed vegs, and salad. No problem
accommodating wheat-free. Waitstaff seemed accommodating.

Breakfast....I liked the buffet....fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, hash browns.
(Bring your own cereal and get a bowl with milk.) Be careful when regular
bacon strips are in the same warmer as sausage and Canadian bacon, which may
not be gf. You can order special omelets that all looked safe. Waitress
assured me that the has browns were gf.

There is a Fuddruckers next door. Someone assured me that there is no filler
in their burgers, but I've never eaten at the Fuddruckers near my home, so I
can't comment on how celiacs would fare there.

Santa Monica--Ate at the Enterprise Fish Company. I had skewered scallops and
shrimp, (Not the teriyaki version), salad, cole slaw. They do have other
grilled fish. No problem accommodating wheat-free.

Another seafood restaurant at the beginning of the Santa Monica pier had an
"A" (top) rating from the local board of health, and plenty of gf-looking
choices, but I had a bad feeling about the place (kind of cafeteria or al
fresco style), and we left without ordering.

There is a Mexican restaurant at the end of the pier that looked inviting,
but we're not big on Mexican food, so we didn't go in. The menu looked fairly
comprehensive though, if you like Mexican foods.

Seal Beach---Ate at Kinda Lahaina Broiler...on the main street facing the
pier. Had grilled sea bass, salad, baked potato. Steamed green beans were
overcooked, but gf. There were other choices of fish to order, and steaks,
too.

On to San Francisco:

Fisherman's Wharf-- We ate at No. 9 Fisherman's Grotto. I had garlic
poached salmon and garlic boiled potato. For $20.95, that's all you get.
I'm a garlic freak, so both were great, but you can find more economical
meals even in the wharf area.  The waiter seemed to know the menu and
contents well.

Another dinner in the wharf area... at Rainforest Cafe. I had steak and the
infamous garlic mashed potatoes, and grilled portobello mushroom, but was
hesitant to eat the vegetable slaw. I was very specific about no sauces, but
the steak appeared to have some juice on it and the slaw had absorbed it. I
don't think I reacted, but I'd be more insistent next time. It's a chain...so
I'm planning on writing to the company for info on their menu. I found it
limiting, but would go again for special occasions.

Had lunch at Horizon in Sausalito. Great salmon and garlic potato and salad.
Waiter accommodating. View incredible of the city. Right on the water.
Watching sailboats racing at the top of the bay.

We stayed at Cathedral Hill Hotel in San Fran, because I had a conference
there. We ate breakfast at their coffee shop. I survived, but the service is
terrible.

One lunch was at a bar with atmosphere, called Tommy's Joynt...on the corner
of Geary and Van Ness. Lines of people come through at a cafeteria type
counter. Prices are cheap. Food is good.  I had the corned beef platter with
string beans and a salad. The speed of dishing stuff out and the attention
span of the help prevents you from really asking about gluten. I took my
chances. I don't recommend this place if you're worried about reacting.
Usually I'm paranoid, but this time, I threw caution to the wind.
(The corned beef was heavenly! I did specify NO SAUCE. My husband had roast
beef in gravy...definitely not gf.)

On our last day, we stopped at the Cliff House for lunch. This historic site
is worth the expense. View of the ocean and Seal Rocks, the beach, and the
mountains.

I had pan-seared swordfish on a black bean/corn medley, with salad. Waiter
assured me all was wheat free. I was nervous about the crispness of the fish,
but he seemed knowledgeable and insisted there was no flour on the crust,
just oil and butter.

Their cola is RC Cola, and I'm not sure about it's status, so I passed.

Last minute meal...due to unexpected plane cancellations...we had dinner at
the San Fran airport, at the Terrace Cafe near United Airlines. Waitress
truly seemed to follow my needs. I actually had a decent tasting steak, plain
baked potato, steamed vegs.

Except for Tommy's Joynt, all of the above places were $$ to $$$. We did hit
a couple of McD's on occasion. We did see quite a few In n Out burger places
that so many of you told me about, but never got to try them.

I was very explicit with all waitstaff and was very careful to order grilled,
broiled, etc., without sauces or coatings. Salad...no croutons, etc.  But, on
the way home, I started reacting to something. I'm not sure it was the corned
beef or one of the other meals, but it seems to be the coffee I had before
our red-eye flight. I felt like it was making me ill right after I drank it.
Usually I feel funny about a half hour to a few hours or so after eating
gluten.

Note: I packed canned fruit (pop-tops, don't forget a couple of spoons),
dried fruit things, cashews, and gluten-free cookies in a crush-proof
container (Mi-del's ginger bread and choc chip cookies travel extremely
well.)

Also..mid-trip, I restocked my gf snacks at Whole Foods in Mill Valley, which
I suspect is the same as Fresh Fields back here in New Jersey.

Bottom line...Trip was great. The heartburn I have now will pass, and may not
even be gluten-related. Could just be the running around, the jet-lag, too
much coffee, or eating such fancy meals every day.

Thanks for your support and suggestions. I can't wait to go again.

Linda Goldkrantz