Gluten Free Travel Blog

Restaurants With Gluten Free Menus Abound -- And Are Easy on Your Pocketbook in this Tough Economy

Gluten free diners have two things to be thankful for right now...the fact that so many more restaurants are jumping on the gluten free bandwagon (finally!) and that many of these restaurants provide affordable options when we're all watching our spending a bit more closely. We recently added a listing of some national and regional restaurants with gluten free menus to our website, GlutenFreeTravelSite.com. We realize this list is not exhaustive, and we will be adding to it constantly. But already, it's a great resource for getting ideas of new and exciting (and safe!) places to dine -- no matter where you live (right now the list is limited primarily to U.S.-based chains, although many also have some international locations). What's great about this list is that not only does it offer geographic reach, but culinary reach as well. Whether you're in the mood for Asian, Italian, Seafood, Burgers, or Gluten-Free Pizza (yes, there are several chains now offering it!), you'll find plenty of options -- some perhaps that you've never heard about. And the majority of these multi-location restaurants offer great values to boot! So take a break from cooking in and try something new. Or search the list before your next trip...it's a great excuse to try a restaurant you may not have in your state. When you visit the Gluten Free Restaurant Menus page on our site, clicking on any one of the restaurants will take you to a page that offers a description of the restaurant, along with links to their gluten free menu and list of locations. If you try a new restaurant -- either in your area or while traveling -- be sure to share your feedback by taking a moment to submit a review to GlutenFreeTravelSite. Bon Apetit!

The Best Gluten-Free Pasta

Tonight our family got to try a new gluten-free pasta which had been recommended to me by a friend. It is called DePuma's Gluten Free Pasta, and WOW...was it amazing! They are made by John DePuma, who is also the Executive Chef at Dolci restaurant in New Haven, CT, where his gluten-free pastas are served. The frozen pasta (tortellini, ravioli, cavatelli) is also sold by grocers throughout Connecticut, including at his own shop in New Haven and numerous Whole Foods stores. For those of us not lucky enough to pick up a container or two in our local grocery store, they will ship on dry ice anywhere in the contiguous U.S. 

We all tried both the Wild Mushroom Ravioli and the Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli (the Three Cheese Tortellini is still in our freezer waiting for another night...). It was the first time since our son Ryan has been on a gluten-free diet (almost four years now) that we've had such good gluten-free pasta. Granted, we've found several good gluten-free brands of plain pasta, our favorite of which is probably Schar's (made in Italy and just recently more widely distributed in the U.S.). However, we have never had such good filled pasta like these raviolis. We tried ordering one or two varieties online right after Ryan was diagnosed, thinking we should try to replace all of our gluten-filled staples with gluten-free substitutes. We quickly found that was a tough task. Not that any frozen gluten-free ravioli we tried was bad...it just wasn't good enough to order again. But DePuma's...well that's a different story. We cooked each of the two 12-oz packages as instructed -- for 7-9 minutes. They weren't quite done...a little too al dente...so we cooked them for just a couple more minutes, making sure not to overcook and ruin this wonderful treat! We seasoned them only with a little extra virgin olive oil and fresh grated parmesan cheese since we wanted to experience the full flavor of the pasta without masking the taste with a strong-flavored sauce. 

The verdict? Perfect pasta...so fresh tasting and with such good, true flavor. You honestly can't even tell it's gluten-free, and remember...that's even without any sauce! I'd recommend enjoying them the way we did, in fact...with just a bit of olive oil and parmesan, because you'll want to savor the wonderful mushroom filling especially. Yum! Our boys prefer plain pasta, of course, but for now, we'll chalk that up to their still-somewhat-unsophisticated palettes (and it's not for Mom's lack of trying!) My husband and I loved it and would gladly opt for it any day over any gluten-filled pasta we've had. Congratulations, John DePuma, you've got some winning recipes!