RI’s Top Spots for Gluten Free Food
Thursday, January 19, 2012
The last 20 years have seen an explosion in the number of food allergies facing Americans. Doctors believe that a lot of it can be traced to processed foods in our diets. So what do you do if you’re a Celiac who still enjoys eating out? Well, we’re lucky that we have local chefs and restaurants that are addressing these issues and doing it deliciously! Check out these 5 places for a delicious, gluten free meal…
Potenza Ristorante, Providence
Chef Walter Potenza has been on the cutting edge of gluten-free dining for some time now. It makes sense, since chef Potenza himself has a gluten allergy. What does a chef do when his native cuisine is associated with grains and pasta and he can’t enjoy these foods anymore? Well, he researches and develops a menu based around foods that he can enjoy. Chef Potenza found that he could create delicious, Italian pasta dishes with whole wheat flour or rice flour and still enjoy the flavors of home. Most places offer a couple of gluten free dishes on their menu, but not Potenza. His menu features almost 30 dishes that are all gluten free. We recently enjoyed a dish of gluten free pappardelle tossed with a wild boar ragu accented with Chianti, tomatoes and sage. It was every bit as good as any pasta we’ve had recently. The pasta itself had none of the pastiness that we hate and was a very good substitute for the pasta that we’re used to. Chef Walter also uses uber-expensive (and gluten free) Vialone Nano rice in the risotto resulting in a super creamy, flavorful risotto which he accents with shrimp, fennel broth and asparagus. 286 Atwells Ave. 273-2652, www.chefwalter.com
Crazy Burger, Narragansett
We were recently looking for a reason to go sit on the sea wall in Narragansett and we decided to “research” Crazy Burger. Truth be told, no research was necessary. We have long enjoyed the late breakfast--‘till 4 p.m.-- and the creative burgers, and were happy to visit again. We were also told to be on the lookout for all the gluten-free options they have available. And so it was that we found breakfast, lunch and dinner options that fit the gluten-free criteria. Breakfast includes several good options all the way to gluten free toast. At lunch, all of the burgers can be made gluten free by omitting the bun or try the “Just Plain Nuts” burger. This burger is made with lentils, zucchini, cashews and walnuts and served on a sunflower/corn cake that makes it totally gluten free. Add some of the sundried tomato-artichoke pesto and you won’t believe how good it is. From the dinner menu we chose the “Crazy Stir Fry” which is served with fried brown rice and a bounty of fresh veggies. We chose the tofu, which was way out of character for us and thoroughly enjoyable. 144 Boon St. 783-1810, www.crazyburger.com
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One of the best cuisines for Celiacs is Indian food. If you leave out the obvious, like Naan bread, you can find a wealth of good options for gluten-free dining. For 25 years, Kabob and Curry has been providing tasty Indian food to the college set on Thayer Street. Since my days at R.I.S.D., I have been expanding my dining horizons by trying new dishes and Chef Sanjiv Dhar was one of the first chefs I tried. I was drawn by the complex flavors in his curries and the freshness of the ingredients. I used to sneak away at lunch time and take my buddies with me. As we circled back for this piece I was again struck by how good the curry was and how much of this menu was gluten free. Somewhere in the range of 90% of this menu is safe and all of it is good. As I said, chef Dhar is a master at the art of curry. His curries are gluten free because he refuses to speed up the process by thickening them with flour. Instead, he slowly develops the flavors over the course of hours and we are the lucky recipients of all that love. Our fave is the pepper chicken curry with portabella mushrooms, cashew paste, curry leaves and peppercorns. The peppercorns provide a nice bite and the mushrooms richness to this flavorful dish. 261 Thayer St. 273-8844, www.kabobandcurry.com
Caffe Itri, Cranston
Over in the Knightsville section of Cranston, Italians have long known about all the delicious food and drink at Caffe Itri. Owner and Chef Gregg Spremulli has put all of his second generation “Itrian” knowledge to good use in this quaint spot located off Park Avenue. Itri is a much fought over little section of Italy and it produces some incredible products. The olives known as “Gaeta” are actually grown in Itri and shipped from the seaport of Gaeta. Things like Pasta Fagioli and “Fra Diavlo” sauce were created in this region and Caffe Itri brings this inspiration over to our little corner of the world. When you work with tradition, people often get scared to try things that are out of the box, like gluten free pastas, but not here. Any of the incredible pasta combinations can be made with gluten free pasta to great success. We first tried the Penne Itri which featured the true flavors of Itri…Gaeta olives, San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, capers and extra virgin olive oil. It was tossed with the gluten free pasta and served piping hot. It almost made you forget fresh pasta…almost! 1686 Cranston St. 942-1970, www.caffeitri.com
Wildflour Vegan Bakery and Juice Bar, Pawtucket
We know that you’re always on the run. Life today moves at an incredible pace and sometimes you need something fast and good and gluten free. That was the idea behind Wildflour: a place to grab something good and good for you. This is fast food you can really get behind. Owned by the folks who own the Garden Grille (another good choice for gluten free if you’re going for a full meal), Wildflour has all the same heart and soul without the full dining experience. A recent visit found many cool, gluten free foods that caught our eye. Gluten free foccacia bread? You bet. Raspberry cream cheese brownie? Absolutely. When we began this piece we were convinced that you needed the wheat in your baked goods. But if we were in a position that we needed this for our health we could be very happy eating all this tasty goodness. The gluten free banana coconut bread was another winner for us. 727 East Ave. 475-4718, www.wildflourveganbakerycafe.com