So many restaurants now have gluten-free menus! Even the ones that don't are usually familiar with food allergies and can accommodate even the most difficult patron! I feel like one of those difficult people now, you know, the ones I used to make fun of! ; ) Yes, being gluten and dairy-free, I am one of those annoying people! Seriously though, it still takes some work to dine out and sometimes you have to plan ahead, but more and more restaurants are getting on board with a gluten-free menu! It's awesome for us g-free'ers!
So I thought I'd compile a list of my favorite restaurants and give you some recommendations on ordering too!
Happy Dining!!
Kirsten
1) RAIMONDO'S PIZZA - This pizza place ROCKS!!! The owner (Michael) is such a great guy and it is a family business. His mom and dad are both still involved in the business and they put lots of love into it, that is obvious! It is a quaint little place and the best part, they have gluten-free pasta and gluten-free pizza! My favorite: the Pizza Margarita, with Roma tomatoes, olive oil, basil and loads of garlic - YUM!! The gluten-free pizzas are a little pricey, but I haven't come across anything GF that isn't pricey! They are worth it - so delicious - and you'd never know it was gluten-free. I haven't actually tried the pasta there because I am addicted to the pizza, but I'm sure it's great. In anticipation of going dairy-free, I had spoken with the owner about the cheese issue. He said that he has customers that bring in their own "fake cheese", such as Daiya, and he puts it on the pizza for them. Like I said - he rocks! If you live in the area, you've gotta try Raimondo's!! Oh - and they deliver too!
You'll find Raimondo's at: 1033 Kilbery Lane, North Aurora (630) 301-7727 http://www.raimondos.com/
2) COOPER'S HAWK WINERY & RESTAURANT - This is a great place to go for a romantic date night! You can start with a little wine tasting before dinner, and I highly recommend doing so if you are a wine connoisseur! Their wines are delicious! We especially love the Rhubarb Wine and the White Sangria. Both are on the sweeter side. Our favorite appetizer is the Mexican Drunken Shrimp, which is shrimp wrapped in bacon, topped with a tequila lime butter sauce and served over fresh guacamole. INCREDIBLE!!! You've got to try it! My favorite entree is the Short Rib Risotto. Beef short ribs so tender you can eat them with a fork and if you like parmesan cheese and mushrooms - you are going to LOVE the risotto!! My mouth is watering just thinking about this dish - super yummy!! They have a full gluten-free menu with many options to choose from. I would say this is one of the most gluten-free friendly restaurants I have found. My absolute favorite thing about Cooper's Hawk is that they serve an AWESOME GLUTEN-FREE BREAD with butter before your meal! This is the ONLY restaurant that I have found (I'm sure there are others, I just haven't found them yet) that does this! Oh how I've missed my bread and butter since going gluten-free over a year ago! They serve a small loaf of pretzel bread to the non-g-free folks and a little individual loaf of DELICIOUS gluten-free bread for us bread deprived folks! The bread is awesome - I would go here for that reason alone!
I plan to add more restaurants to this list, but please be patient. I have a family to take care of! ; )
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