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Wow! Has it really been since May that we talked? To say my summer has been busy would be an understatement! Summer just ended here in Las Vegas and the holidays are just around the corner! My daughter who frequently eats out with us is allergic to something in gluten. Finding gluten free dining in Las Vegas is crazy hard. One day while out in Summerlin, I noticed a restaurant I hadn’t heard of before. It piqued my interest because …. beer…. so I stashed that in the rolodex of restaurants to visit sometime in my brain. So on a warm Friday evening, while we were heading to Sur la Table, we checked out Public School 702. Little did we know just how many gluten free dining options they had.
Why Gluten Free is Hard to Find
Nowadays, finding gluten free restaurant options isn’t as challenging as it was years ago. The challenge today is finding more than just one or two items to choose from on the menu that don’t contain gluten. Restaurants face different obstacles when adding gluten free options in their establishments. First and foremost, no two gluten allergies are the same. Celiac disease affects an estimated 1 in 133 people in the United States and many don’t even experience many symptoms. Then there are those with allergies to not specifically gluten, but all of the chemicals that are associated with the processing of wheat. If a restaurant truly wants to serve gluten free customers, then they have to limit cross contamination. Luckily for us, my daughter seems to only be allergic to highly processed gluten so cross contamination isn’t a factor. However for a celiac, cross contamination can be very problematic. Also, Public School is careful to label their items gluten friendly. Gluten friendly is a term used by restaurants who also serve gluten dishes.
Public School 702 is not a gluten zero establishment so celiacs will want to ask some additional questions before placing an order to ensure cross contamination doesn’t happen. But for those that are either choosing to stay away from gluten or have some reactions to the chemicals, Public School 702 has a plethora of items that are full of flavor. I was shocked to see at least 4-5 menu items in each category that were noted gluten friendly. It is safe to say that there are enough dining options for gluten and gluten free eaters alike!
Food Review
I was impressed with the items listed in EACH category on their menu, starting with the Crispy Naked Wings. For being wings that had absolutely no batter, these were the most juicy and flavorful wings I had ever tasted. They were so tasty that we placed a second order! The wings were served with house made Blue Cheese dressing and a tangy spicy wing sauce. *cue taste bud tingle sensation* For those non-gluten free eaters, you HAVE to try the Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower and the Bacon Cheddar Tots. The cauliflower was fried in a light batter and provided the perfect crunch to the soft cooked cauliflower inside. And the bacon tots? Salty, cheesy and smokey, all wrapped up in a pillow of crispness! The siracha ketchup was just the right dipper!
My daughter and I shared the Southwest Chicken Bowl. Full of quinoa, black beans, corn, pico de gallo, avocado, cheese, cabbage and poblano crema, it was good. The chicken was flavorful and I enjoyed the quinoa. I do have to say that I was disappointed in the lack of flavor from the rest of the bowl. The poblano crema didn’t lend very much taste to the dish. But it was filling. If you want to control your flavors, ask for more crema and pico. The hubs opted for The Hot Mess sandwich which looked amazing. The au jus is more of a gravy, not so much an au jus for a french dip.
Overall Experience
Our overall experience was great. The service was awesome and when Jacob questioned the au jus, they quickly had the chef make a more traditional sauce. The decor was awesome! It made you feel like you walked back in time to your old school room. Total nostalgia kicked in from the Encyclopedia Brittanica’s lining the bookshelves in the dining area. The bar was hopping with 40 and 50 somethings hanging out on a Friday night with friends.
We would go back in a heartbeat and are excited to try some of their burgers and fish tacos! On the plus side, you can walk off all of your calories in Downtown Summerlin! The next time you’re headed to Southern Nevada and are looking for some gluten free dining options in Las Vegas, check out Public School 702! If you’re planning a trip to Vegas soon, check out my Vacation Planning series, including how to get around town!
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