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First I want to say thank you to everyone who suggested restaurants with GF food in Las Vegas.  My wife and I are just back from a short trip there and every one of the suggestions we tried worked out.  It was wonderful to be on a trip away from home and still be able to eat safely.

Following is where we ate (and one place we did) and how our experiences went.

We went out there to meet up with friends who'd moved out west and friends-of-those-friends (15 people in all, so finding places where everyone could eat was important).  We stayed at the Paris.  

The first night we ate at the steak house at the Paris, Mon Ami Gabi.  As promised on this list, they were incredibly attentive and understanding.  The waitress went back into the kitchen to talk with the chef about precisely which sauces I could and couldn't have.  I had one of the most tender filets mignon I'd ever had, drenched in a delicious GF sauce.  

For breakfast, we went exclusively to the buffet at the Paris.  They advertise themselves as an alternative to the standard Vegas buffet in that the food is all lower-calorie and healthier.  This, I think also makes it easier for a Celiac because they don't offer any fried food.  I was able to heap my plate with smoked salmon, cheese and citrus fruit and top it off with a omelet that I got to watch the chef make.  The omelet station is separate from the pancake station so there's no fear of cross contamination.  The only omelet fillings offered are cheese and vegetables.

For lunch we ended up eating at PF Changes (inside the Aladdin) a couple of times.  They have a GF menu and a wide variety, so we didn't feel bad about eating there multiple times.

We went to Mandalay Bay for dinner one night.  Mandalay Bay has my favorite bar in Las Vegas, the vodka bar Red Square.  I got a "flight" of potato vodka, which is four good-sized shots of potato vodka (two Polish, one Norwegian, one American) served in a frozen block of red Jell-O.  Everyone at our very large table kept walking over to touch the block and see if it really was frozen and really was Jell-O.  It was.

We wanted to go for sushi.  But at the Coral Reef Lounge and Sushi bar I gave my Japanese Triumph Dining Card (thanks Ross!) to the chef.  He read it several times and then turned us away saying there was nothing he could guarantee was safe.  But at least he checked and at least he was honest about it.

So we ended up at the Border Grill Restaurant for Mexican food.  They were amazingly attentive.  The waiter asked and answered multiple questions and went into the kitchen to check with the chef about everything, including the chips on the table which were baked and delicious. 

Another night we ate at the buffet at the Aladdin.  They specialize in cold seafood so I was able to eat a lot of crab legs (they're real legs, in the shells, not surimi -- I asked) and when I asked the server at the shish-kabob station about the ingredients in the shish-kabob he was able to tell me every ingredient.  They were all GF so I had lamb, peppers and tandori chicken.  Delicious!  I topped my dinner off with cold asparagus and green beans.  The most wonderful surprise came at the dessert station.  I told the servers that I couldn't have wheat.  They looked over their array and frowned and said, "No, there's nothing you can have."  I saw that they had flan and Crème Brule, which I know are sometimes GF so I asked "Well what about the flan and Crème Brule?"  The women at the station said, "Hmm, maybe.  Let me check" and she got on the telephone and made a call.  Apparently the folks at "the Mother Ship" or "Buffet Central" or wherever she called gave her the "all clear."  So I had a really good (for an ala carte buffet) Crème Brule for dessert.  One piece of news is that the Aladdin is about to change management.  They've been bought by Planet Hollywood.  I don't know what impact this will have on the buffet.  But right now it's great.

Even though the temperature never dipped below 103 degrees we had a terrific trip.  We even ended up ahead by $7 -- that's just on gambling, not on all the other stuff you spend money on in Vegas!

Again, thanks to all of you for your help.

Richard Paul
Washington, DC

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