Francesca's al Lago

On Thursday evening we stopped into Francesca's al Lago for a quick dinner. Francesca's is a chain of restaurants that started in Chicago and which opened it's first restaurant in downtown Madison last year. They have a gluten free menu with a fair number of choices, including dessert and carry gluten free pasta which is a corn/quinoa blend. Francesca's has a large bar area with a good wine list and is a fun location for meeting friends and then possibly grabbing a bite to eat after.

After trying the pizza at Greenbush Bar recently, I was left wanting for some good pasta and so I ordered a pasta dish with scallops, mushrooms and asparagus in a cherry tomato sauce. The dish was listed as a shrimp dish but apparently the restaurant does not stock shrimp (at least not the night I was there) because this menu item is not listed on the regular menu and so I was offered scallops as a substitution.

There certainly was a lot of pasta and except for the fact that it was broken up, it was cooked well as was the overall dish. Although, the meal was not particularly exciting, it was hearty and about what you would expect. The service was good and the meal arrived quickly. I was quite full after eating this gigantic bowl of pasta and did not have room for dessert, but would expect that it would have been about the same - satisfactory, but nothing particularly exciting. I'm certainly still in the market for a good Italian restaurant in Madison that can cater to a gluten free diet. So far the leader of the pack seems to be Biaggi's which is another restaurant chain that also has a gluten free menu and is located in Middleton. Other ideas welcome!

Greenbush Bar

Since moving to Madison, I've heard about Greenbush Bar and gotten lots of rave reviews about their menu, particularly their brick oven pizzas. Greenbush Bar is located on Regent Street and easy to miss unless you're looking for it. It's located in the basement of the Italian Workmen's Club and has a rich history in Madison.

Prior to being diagnosed, I spent countless hours eating Italian food, good bad and mediocre because Italian restaurants are everywhere to be found and easily taken for granted. Since switching to a gluten free diet, I've approached Italian restaurants with caution because it seems that it's generally unlikely that I'll be able to make a meal out of the items of the menu unless I'm in the mood for salad while my dining companions eat pasta/pizza. To be sure, with the increase in the number of Italian chain restaurants offering gluten free menus, options for gluten free Italian dining are not as limited as they have been in the past. However, eating Italian food from a family owned restaurant on a gluten free diet is often challenging.

After learning that Greenbush Bar offers gluten free pastas and pizzas, I was excited to eat there. Memories of rich ragus with freshly made pastas from my pre-diagnosis days in New York City came to mind as we were seated and I got a whiff of what the kitchen had to offer.

This past Friday was my first visit there and as I looked at the menu, I was torn between ordering one of their pasta dishes or a pizza. The smell of the pizzas on the tables of the other guests and the gusto with which they were eating convinced me to try one of their gluten free pizzas. At Greenbush, the pizza comes with sauce and cheese and the toppings are ordered individually. After much deliberation, I ended up ordered the gluten free pizza with sausage, artichokes and feta and a glass of wine.

 


First I will say that the toppings were delicious. All three toppings together were a bit much and the pie would probably have been better with just two, but that was my own doing and something I'll keep in mind if I return. The bottom of the brick oven crust was deliciously crispy. However, somewhere between the crispy bottom of the crust and the toppings, the pizza did not meet expectations. I'm not sure whether the pizza was underdone or whether the ratios of the flours used were not appropriate but the crust had an unpleasant consistency that stuck to my teeth and was not enjoyable. Overall, I give this pizza a "B."

I  may yet give Greenbush another try, probably ordering one of their pasta dishes, or another pizza with fewer toppings and requesting some extra time in the oven because if they were able to solve the crust issue, this could potentially be a great gluten free dining option. Hopefully you have some delicious Italian food in your future! Enjoy!

Taste of India

Before being diagnosed and switching to a gluten free diet, I'd eaten Indian food occasionally, but had not been particularly impressed and rarely sought out Indian food on my own. After being diagnosed, I tended to avoid most dishes that were heavily sauced or with gravies because I assumed that they were likely to be thickened with flour or some other gluten containing ingredient and most Indian dishes seemed to fall into this category.

A few years ago, while living in Arkansas, I  tentatively rediscovered Indian food after being convinced by friends to try a restaurant in town. For those following along, these are the same friends who convinced me to try Sushi (they were pretty convincing friends) which as my previous post has shown, I previously refused to eat and now love! Here again, I found a genre of food that is actually very friendly for a gluten free diet and which I am now a huge fan of. It's amazing how much more open minded I am about food now that my choices are restricted by gluten! It seems that in most Indian restaurants, at least the ones I've been to, even the "bread" (papadums) that is typically brought to the table is gluten free as it's made from chick pea flour. Avoid the naan and other breads made from flour and most of the appetizers and it seems that for the most part the other dishes seem to be gluten free. I always double check when I try a new restaurant of course.

Yesterday we went to Taste of India on Monroe Street for their lunch buffet. We eat dinner here regularly and always enjoy our meal. The staff is very friendly and seem well educated about gluten. I don't normally eat at lunch buffets because of cross contamination issues, but since the majority of the food seems to be gluten free, I make an exception here. The menu is extensive and I'm not sure about all the items, but everything I've ever asked about in the entree section has been gluten free. I avoid the dishes on the buffet that are beside the naan and all the appetizers which tend to be breaded and fried and which are kept in a separate area. Even with doing this, there are a number of dishes to choose from. Yesterday I had the chicken tikka masala, goat curry and chick pea curry with rice and coconut and mango ice cream for dessert. Yum!

Taste of India is a pretty inexpensive option for lunch at $9.95 per person. It's served between 11:30am-3pm. For dinner an affordable way to enjoy this restaurant is with gift certificates from Restaurant.com which often has $25 gift certificates for a highly discounted rate (these are only valid for dinner). You can normally get them for $15 but I've gotten them for $2 on sale and saved them until we get a craving for Indian food since they never expire - there is a minimum $35 purchase.

Hopefully there's some delicious Indian food is in your near future. Enjoy!

Sushi Muramoto

As we were running our usual weekend errands, we decided to make a stop at one of my favorite lunch spots - Sushi Muramoto. This is somewhat strange to those who've known me for a long time, because before a few years ago, I steadfastly refused to eat sushi. However, as I've spent more time living gluten free, I've found that I'm far more willing to try foods that before I would never have eaten before such as quinoa, avocado and guacamole and yes, sushi. I now often get sushi cravings and this restaurant is my favorite place to get it in Madison.

What makes it my favorite? A number of reasons. They have wheat free soy sauce available by request which means that I don't have to go prepared with my little container from home which is what I used to do before a waiter mercifully told me that I didn't need to keep doing that since they always have it on hand...

I also like that the staff has a good understanding of gluten and I just have to make my needs known without having to explain what's involved.

The reason I particularly love going there for lunch is their special lunch menu. We always get the #2 which consists of three sushi rolls. Usually there is one inside out roll, one regular roll and one roll with a vegetable such as cucumber or avocado - all for just $10! Three sushi rolls for $10 is even better than what you could get at the grocery store and FAR more delicious. The rolls are the chefs choice, which I like, because I get to try things I wouldn't necessarily order, but if you're particularly picky about your sushi, this may not be a good option for you. I do always let the wait staff know that I'm gluten free when ordering it and they accommodate this request easily. The lunch menu is available between 11 and 3, so it's the perfect stop on a weekend while you're out looking for something delicious, inexpensive and relatively quick unless you get there in the middle of the lunch crowd, which we unfortunately did on this occasion.

These are pictures of our recent orders (mine is below, although they were both gluten free). I admit I can't remember what they were, but they did explain it when they brought it to the table. Mine had spicy shrimp and a cucumber roll - can't remember what the third one was. They were delicious though :)

Although I'm raving about their lunch menu today, I've also been there for dinner a few times and ordered from their regular menu as well as their special dinner menu and I've gone with friends who haven't ordered sushi and we always enjoy our choices. I think it's a solid choice if at least someone in your party enjoys sushi. Enjoy!

Food Week in Review

Last week there were even more restaurants on the agenda than usual. Here's a quick wrap up of the highs and the lows...

On Wednesday I had a fun dinner with a friend at Jacs. Jacs is a fantastic choice for gluten free dining and one day soon I'm sure I'll provide a more complete review since I'm there fairly often. On this occasion I was craving a burger and fries and that's exactly what I had - GF bun and all! With a glass of hard cider which Jacs keeps on tap. The burger was cooked perfectly and the frites and cider were the perfect accompaniment. Yum! I almost want to get another one right now as I'm writing about it.

Did I mention that they have a dedicated GF fryer for their frites and, drum roll please... GF fish fry on Fridays. If they made GF fried chicken, I would have to see about moving in!

Thursday brought us to Nostrano, a fairly new restaurant downtown. Over the past year there have been a number of new restaurants that have opened on the square. This one has had really good reviews which intrigued me, so off we went. Nostrano has an extensive wine list and the bartender happily suggested a red wine to accompany our meal - a wonderful selection. He was not as familiar with the restaurant's gluten free offerings as the staff at Jacs, but after a quick check with the kitchen he was able to offer us a number of choices. We shared the Sea Scallop with Oxtail starter which was delicious. The delicate texture of the sea scallop with the richer, heartier oxtail was a fantastic combination. I would highly recommend it.

We also split the Braised Beef Shortribs (without the gnocchi) which was served on a bed of swiss chard.  The shortribs were, in our opinion, OK and a bit disappointing after the sea scallops left us with high expectations. If you've had the shortribs at Quivey's Stone House I think you might also find the ones at Nostrano to be disappointing. If you haven't and you're a fan of tender, wonderfully flavored short ribs, I'd make a date to try the ones at Quiveys ASAP.

Unfortunately we ended the week on a less than happy note with a trip to The Bayou, a New Orleans style restaurant just off the square. I've been to the Bayou before and got glutened, but the group I was with wanted to go and so I gave it another shot. Let's just say I won't be back. The Bayou has a lot of typical po-boy fare as well as other classic New Orleans dishes. Upon entering I asked the waitress about her GF options. She assured me that the Red Beans and Rice and Jambalaya would be safe options and that neither was made with a roux. Given my previous experience, I scrutinized the menu further only to discover that the red beans and rice listed beer as one of the ingredients. I questioned one of the waiters and was informed that there was probably only "a little" in the dish. Even though that should have been enough for me to give up on eating there, I asked about the Jambalaya (I was really hungry). I was told that he would double check on it and never heard another word about it as my dining companions received and ate their meal. It is rare that I will find a restaurant in Madison that cannot accommodate a GF diet, but this seems to be one of them.

I took myself, half starved to Saigon Noodle and grabbed a quick bite. This is another frequent stop of ours, but on this occasion I was too hungry to take a picture of the meal for you. If you're looking for good, affordable Vietnamese food, give them a try!

I'm not sure where my dining adventures will take me next, but I'll keep you posted. Happy eating!

Bloom Bake Shop

I have a confession to make...I'm in love with Bloom Bake Shop. This is not a secret to those close to me. I've raved about their cupcakes and my obsession with them to most people who know me well and many who don't.

Bloom is a charming bake shop in Middleton, Wisconsin run by Annemarie Spitznagle who herself charms you upon entering. Bloom specializes in cupcakes and strives to use local and organic ingredients as much as possible. Walking into the storefront, you feel welcomed into the "kitchen" by Annemarie and her friendly staff who are always excited to tell you about what new and interesting cupcakes they have baked up that day. Bloom has a number of seasonal cupcakes and are frequently creating new flavors.

Bloom bakes "traditional" cupcakes as well as a variety of gluten free and vegan cupcakes. There is always at least one gluten free item daily and often a few to choose from. You sometimes have to get there early before they sell out, because they're so delicious, non-gluten free-ers are often snapping them up too! Bloom takes a number of precautions to ensure that there is no cross contamination including a separate area for preparation of gluten free items and baking these items first thing in the morning before other items are prepared.

This Saturday, we stopped in (as we do many Saturdays) and I had the difficult task of choosing a cupcake. On this day, I was determined to only order one cupcake after overindulging on a recent trip. As you might have guessed by now, I was not successful and ended up ordering the butternut squash with maple buttercream frosting to enjoy in the store while we chatted with Annemarie.

I also ordered the chocolate, chocolate chip with vanilla frosting "to go." I did surprisingly wait until Sunday to enjoy it, even though this box tortured me all of Saturday knowing what was inside.

It's OK to eat cupcakes for breakfast right? :)

I am unfortunately not an eloquent enough writer to describe the joy these cupcakes bring me. I can only encourage others to try them for themselves. Enjoy!

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

To celebrate the New Year, we braved the aftermath of the blizzard and went to Imperial Garden - West for dinner. In the past it's been challenging finding good Chinese food that's gluten free, but I've always been happy with the selections here and many of the menu items can be made GF as they use gluten free soy sauce and make other modifications by request. The staff seems to have quite a good grasp of gluten intolerance.

We ordered the Three Delicacies Sizzling Rice which is a mild dish of shrimp, scallops and chicken with some veggies in a clear sauce over sizzling rice.

I'm a sucker for food that sizzles or flames at the table and in addition to it being a fun dish, it's pretty yummy too! It was also a nice complement to the spicier Fragrant Pork that we also ordered which is a spicy pork dish with veggies and served with rice. There was more than enough food for both of us to have generous portions of each, and also have leftovers for another day!

I love having a variety of food when I go out to eat and with so many great options, everyone can order their meals GF to be shared family style and no one misses the gluten because everything's so delicious. They also have lots of dishes which remind me of home which makes it even more appealing.


Mmmm, can't wait to eat those leftovers...