<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Overall, an excellent experience visiting Vancouver. Why are europe and
canada so g-f friendly compared with the US?...

Some places to head for:

Cardero's -- waiter knew g-f, chef took necessary steps. Food not all that
great, but nothing to do with g-f issue.

Rodney's Oyster House -- staff unfamiliar, spoke with chef who was
reasonably helpful. But keeping it simple (raw oysters, boiled lobster and
creme brulee) made for an excellent, albeit overpriced, meal.

Rain City Grill -- in every way, outstanding. Thoroughly g-f knowledgable,
only had to rework one dish (pan-seared the scallops instead of grilling
them). Rest of the meal off the superb menu. Brilliant yet unflashy
cooking, great wine list, warm ambiance. They may even have a "g-f" button
on the computer they use to track orders, though they may have been being
cute to say so. Not cheap, but worth every penny.

Panne Rizo -- like everyone says, go there. A g-f bakery. Muffins are the
real winners. Chicken pot pie quite good too.

In Victoria, near the ferry dock (technically, it's in Sidney), go to
Stonehouse Pub and Restaurant. Tine, the owner, and her chef, "read every
label" as soon as I explained g-f. They even put up a special vat of oil to
fry some excellent home-cut french fries, once I explained
cross-contamination. Food was pub food fare, generally well done, and quite
cheap. A great pub feel. People like this deserve our business...

Finally, re accomodations in Vancouver, go to the Fairmont on the
waterfront. Each morning, their chef, Shane Newman, cooked me an awesome
breakfast to complement the normal buffet, being as attentive to
cross-contam issues as I would be at home. Even if the item in the buffet
was g-f (e.g. freshly cooked asparagus), he still insisted on making a
special order for me. He may have left the job by the time you stay there,
and he was exceptional, but even so, the staff was helpful and knew their
sunday brunch buffet items well enough to be able to easily guide me to
what was OK.

Enjoy!

* Please remember some posters may be WHEAT-FREE, but not GLUTEN-FREE *

------- Jim Lyles --------
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-- Holly, Michigan, USA --