First of all, I’d like to apologize for the pictures taken while I was overly excited about dining out and getting my gluten-free on. Jeez, these are NOT good. Because when I’m dining out, I usually just shovel food in my mouth then remember to take a picture after I’ve chowed on half of my pork chop. Or in the case of Firefly, have one too many specialty cocktails beforehand and forget how to use an iPhone camera. But the important thing is that I’ve found two new (to me) restaurants that are easy for this celiac to dine in, and they are both super-duper rad. Hooray!

Just in time for the Chinese New Year, Buddha’s Belly is a Asian-ish joint in Hancock Park and Santa Monica (and they also just opened in Thousand Oaks!) that has its very own gluten-free menu. See?

You can’t really see, because it’s too freaking dark. But trust me, it’s a gluten-free menu. If you’re a gluten-hater, you know how difficult it is to get your Chinese fill since soy sauce will make you sick. Luckily the Buddha is all over that and  they know how to make substitutions in case you want to order something that isn’t on the gluten-free menu. Which I did. You can order the Baked Alaskan Cod and skip the spicy cucumber salad and be a-okay, gluten-wise. The Pad Thai is also a delicious choice that is easily made gluten-free as well. What I’m saying here, is these people know how to accommodate difficult folks like us. Hoo-rah!

Firefly in Studio City is another place that is all about being accommodating. So much so, that the man and I went back pretty quickly after our first visit because it was also incredible. From the house made chips with bacon creme fraiche (yes, it’s as good as it sounds), to the butter lettuce salad with poached rock shrimp in a buttermilk dressing, you can start your meal off with amazingness and a side of lychee martini and be perfectly happy. But I recommend you keep plowing through that menu and enjoy the roasted chicken with truffled white corn, crispy potato skins, and hazelnuts. I also had this crazy delicious cheese terrine and pork chop, which is no longer on the menu so I don’t have the fancy words to describe it. Perhaps this dark, blurry, photo will do it justice?

No? Then you’re just going to have to trust me that Firefly is the bomb — celiac or normal person. They may not have a designated g-free menu, but both times I dined happily at this establishment, the wait staff was incredibly knowledgable and accommodating.

So there you have it g-free peeps. Two other places you can waltz into without fear of a blowout following dinner. Yum!