Pearl #31: Gluten-free at Bailey’s Range, St. Louis

I love burgers. I could write haikus about burgers, I could write sonnets about burgers. I go in phases with the little devils, where all I can think about is eating one 24/7. My first serious burger binge occurred in summer 2011 (potentially due to low iron, who knows…?) As we close out 2013, I’m on a burger binge now. Sign me up for Burgeraholics Anonymous. And as I type this, I realize I haven’t haven’t been taking my iron pills regularly…but I digress.

Bailey’s Range in St. Louis is a champion of said burgers. Specifically, grass-fed, Missouri raised, 100% beef burgers. And they are very gluten-free-friendly. I’ve been to Bailey’s Range a couple of times now (the last being this past weekend with Ken and his family, and the first being shortly after finding out I had Celiac’s). Each time I visit, I can’t wait to go back.

Let me give you a non-eloquent summary of how I feel about Bailey’s Range.

Dear Bailey’s Range, I love you.
Your fries are bomb.com – perfectly seasoned and fried.
Your shakes are bomb.com – salted caramel, ’nuff said.
Your sauces are bomb.com – sriracha catsup, can you ask for much more?
I have faith that the burgers can also be bomb.com. I think I just haven’t met my perfect match yet.

For you, the reader: here’s what you need to know about eating gluten-free at Bailey’s Range.

Overall:

• Servers are very knowledgeable about gluten-free dining.
• They offer gluten-free burgers and gluten-free buns at no upcharge (how great is that?!).
• Their fries are fried in a dedicated fryer. Make sure to check with your server to be safe.
• The chipotle mayo and cheese sauce are NOT gluten-free. (I know, I know…you wanted that cheese sauce on your fries).
• Many of their milkshake flavors are gluten-free (so is their chocolate sauce). Make sure to talk to your server about making sure they use fresh milkshake cups to avoid cross contamination.

Fries:
The fries are perfectly salted and fried. The dipping sauces are divine. You get to choose two sauces with the small fry, and four with the large fry. We got the rooster mayo, the horsey mayo, the sriracha catsup and the chipotle castup. (Disclaimer: their spelling of catsup). All of those sauces were gluten-free.

You can imagine that a sriracha catsup and chipotle catsup would be fantastic, but the biggest sauce surprise of the night was the horseradish mayo. I didn’t think I liked dipping my fries in mayo…until I met the horsey mayo. #rockedmyworld

Burgers:
When I went last week, I got “Dave’s Smoked Burger” – smoked beef patty, grilled onions, fontina, lettuce, tomato and rooster mayo. I didn’t love it. But, this is my fault. I always think I like smoked things. And then I taste them, and realize I don’t really like smoked things at all. However, if you like smoked things, you would love this burger. The meat was perfectly cooked to the medium I requested. With a normal beef patty, I would have loved this.

When I went a couple years back, I got the Ozark Forest burger – beef patty, cremini mushrooms, caramelized onions, black peppered goat cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion. This was a good burger, but the black peppered goat cheese was very potent. So just be warned.

I’m still searching for my perfect burger mate, but I have faith that I’ll find true love the next time I go here.

Shakes:
You must get a shake when you go here. That’s an order. Your server can tell you what is gluten-free – obviously, many of the cookie or brownie flavored shakes are not GF. The first time I went, I got the salted caramel milkshake. I’m a sucker for salted caramel, and this did not disappoint. It’s delightfully creamy, yet still icy – not too heavy or rich.

Ken tried one of their Boozy Milkshakes, called Sweet Sweet Bacon – made with Maker’s Mark and salted caramel ice cream, garnished with candied bacon. It’s a pretty fun concept and worth a try once or twice, but I liked the flavor of the salted caramel milkshake better without the booze.

This last time around, I went old school and got a vanilla milkshake with chocolate sauce, topped off with whipped cream. Note that they blend the chocolate sauce with the vanilla, so if you’re looking for more of a traditional hot fudge topping, you’ll have to let them know that.

My fellow burgeraholics, take note! Get thee to Bailey’s Range.