Santa Barbara’s newest restaurant is Mesa Verde, a “plant-based” vegetarian restaurant. The first thing I noticed on the menu was that it said “No Modifications. No Substitutions.” These are the worst words to see as a Celiac. However, I saw that they offered gluten-free flatbread. When I asked our server about it, I learned that they share the same surface in the oven as the regular flatbread. When the server asked the kitchen about that, she was told that the gluten burns off in the oven so it would be safe. Wrong. I just wish our local restaurants would participate in gluten-free training to make it more comfortable for Celiacs to dine there. Luckily, I was able to find some tasty alternatives. We started with the Cacao Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos. There was a spicy red sauce drizzled on top that was particularly yummy. Then I had the Fez Seven Vegetable Tagine served on Red Quinoa. For this dish, they omitted the fried shallots that typically accompany it.
It was good, but I would probably try something else next time. Luckily, many items on the menu are naturally gluten-free. If you check Mesa Verde out, make sure that you do not park in the 7-11 parking lot as we watched multiple cars being towed!
gluten-free in sb 
What a shame this restaurant doesn’t have a clue what they need to do for people who really do have gluten issues. Great reporting…thanks for the heads up.