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Wednesday, October 18, 2006

DINING OUT, GLUTEN FREE

Eating out while following a gluten-free lifestyle might be easier with "The Essential Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide: How and Where to Eat Gluten-Free," from Triumph Dining.

The 2006-07 edition, first published in January, includes upwards of 400 District, Maryland and Virginia restaurants among the more than 3,800 listed by state; in many cases, it lists specific menu items or featured foods. Twenty-something husband and wife Ross Cohen and Kay Inamine of McLean crafted the guide and its eating strategies based on personal experience: His celiac disease caused him to avoid dining in restaurants, and she wanted to keep him as a dining partner.

The paperback also contains information and an order form for the couple's Triumph Dining Cards, in 10 languages, which offer specifics on how to prepare a gluten-free meal in 10 different cuisines. The reusable trifold pocket-size cards are meant to be conveyed to a restaurant kitchen via the server. You'd think chefs might not take kindly to such a practice, but Inamine reports that of the hundreds of restaurants in which she and Cohen have used the cards, they've had only one negative response.

An updated guide will be published in mid-December. Cost $20.95; call 609-564-0445 or order online athttp://www.triumphdining.com,http://www.amazon.com or http://www.celiac.com.

-- Bonnie S. Benwick