Gluten-Free at Tasti-D


Tasti D Lite, originally uploaded by A Gluten Free Guide.

 

Tasti D Lite is a New York institution. The chain offers a range of “low-calorie” desserts for a price that’s arguably too high. But despite that and the fact that it tastes only slightly better than the ice milk served in my college dining hall, I still find it holds an inexplicable lure.

When I was diagnosed with Celiac almost three years ago, I went in for my endoscopy after eating a slice of pizza and a large Tasti-D Lite waffle cone. (For a proper diagnosis you should keep eating gluten until you have the endoscopy.) The ingredients at the time included oat bran. Since then, Tasti-D has changed its formula and confirmed via email that the vanilla flavor is gluten-free. I was unable, however, to get a response about the gluten-status of their other flavors.

I don’t feel safe getting any of their toppings – who knows if there was a waffle cone sitting in the peanuts.

And their method for putting on toppings is rife with cross-contamination potential.

Tasti-D Lite survived the Crema Lita attack and the lines are still long even with the current Pinkberry invasion of Manhattan. Its status as a NY institution was confirmed when it made an appearance on HBO’s Sex and the City.

I know that Tasti-D Lite will never taste as good as real ice cream, but the pleasure I find in spending a warm summer evening with a friend walking and eating a cup of vanilla “frozen dessert” makes up for anything it may lack.

 

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s said,

August 31, 2007 @ 3:23 pm

since you seem to be doing a GF yogurt crawl of NYC i think you’d be remiss if you didn’t explore 40 CARROTS at bloomingdales.

don’t let the clothing and sound of cha-ching from the register deter you–40 CARROTS is THE original and THE best fro yo in town.

i can’t vouch for GF-ness as i havent been since i went dairy- and sugar- free. but if anyone can find out it would be Ms. Guide!

http://www1.bloomingdales.com/store/index.ognc?action=STORE_DETAIL&lstRegion=all&storeId=40002&x=7&y=4

Catherine said,

September 4, 2007 @ 2:18 am

Thanks for the tip s – I will look into it and get back with my findings.

Allergic Girl said,

September 4, 2007 @ 12:43 pm

hey “s” is me, that’s so weird that allergic girl didnt come up…odd.

» Ms. GF Guide’s Summer Soft-Serve Summary | A Gluten Free Guide said,

March 11, 2008 @ 9:31 pm

[…] demanded it – so I was forced to deliver. After my reviews of the gluten-free soft serve options at Tasti D Lite, Pinkberry, and McDonalds, I was asked to investigate the gluten-free status of “forty […]

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