Gluten Free Travel Blog

There's a helpful new list entitled "Top 25 Blogs for Gluten Free Living" that you might want to check out. Our Gluten Free Travel Blog is listed, along with our sister website of user-submitted gluten-free dining and travel reviews...GlutenFreeTravelSite. There are also many other useful sites, some of which you may not be familiar with. Whether your interest is cooking and baking gluten-free, dining out gluten-free, or traveling gluten-free, you're sure to find some great resources on this comprehensive list! Check it out: http://www.healthcaretechnicians.org/top-25-blogs-for-gluten-free-living/

Gluten Free Restaurant Menus: An Interview with Biaggi's Corporate Chef

Two years ago, while on a ski vacation in Utah, our family had the pleasure of dining at a restaurant that was new to us: Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano. This  21-location chain, which was founded by Corporate Chef Peter Schonman and two other partners 13 years ago in Bloomington, Illinois, has locations mostly in mid-sized towns in the Midwest and West. After several days of skiing in the Park City area, we decided to take a "day off" and head into Salt Lake City for some sightseeing and a stop at the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum in the Gateway Mall area. While there were numerous restaurants in this area -- and many with gluten-free menus -- it was Biaggi's that caught our eye. Our research beforehand revealed that they had an extensive gluten-free menu, including gluten-free pasta with plenty of gluten-free sauce choices. What more could hungry skiers ask for? 

Needless, to say, we had a wonderful dinner -- trying the gluten-free Pasta Di Mare, among other gluten-free and "regular menu" items. We left wishing Biaggi's had more of an East Coast presence, so we could add them to our list of "go to" restaurants back home! The meal still lingers in our minds...

So I was thrilled this week when I had the good fortune to speak with Peter Schonman, the Corporate Chef and co-founder of this unique Italian restaurant. In the course of our conversation, I learned a bit more about their gluten-free philosophy and what makes their food so wonderful. 

Chef Peter shared that he's always had a passion for Italian food and was excited about casual Italian fare, even though he'd come from more of a fine-dining background. He even had the opportunity to live in Italy, where "less is more" when it comes to making sauces and other traditional Italian food. It was here that he gained an understanding of Italian ingredients and how to put them together -- and where he developed a true appreciation for quality ingredients. 

With Biaggi's -- really more of an Italian/American concept -- he's kept that focus on quality at the forefront of everything they do -- whether it's choosing the perfect blend of cheeses or the perfect tomato that offers a consistent balance of fruitiness and acidity without any preservatives. In his opinion, too many restaurants settle for ingredients that aren't that good, and it makes a difference in their recipes. 

Biaggi's is what Chef Peter describes as a "chef-driven" restaurant with 80% of their products made in-house. They'd even make their own pasta if they had the space! 

He believes the average diner is far more sophisticated today, due in large part to the rise of the Food Network's popularity. People have developed a better understanding of food -- and are more intrigued with food. Guests at Biaggi's count on Chef Peter and his team to be creative. This is one reason why Peter prefers not to put things on the menu that people can make at home. 

Their gluten-free menu, which they first launched about 5 years ago, was the direct result of customer demand. After hearing a larger number of people asking for gluten-free pasta, Chef Peter pushed to offer a full gluten-free menu. The number of gluten-free diners served has gone from about one per month to 8-10 people every day in each of their 21 locations. 

The entire staff -- from kitchen workers to servers to the host staff -- goes through a thorough and ongoing training in the gluten-free menu offerings. The spaghetti used is Tinkyada's spinach brown-rice pasta, so the green color helps them differentiate it from the "regular" pasta. The gluten-free penne, also Tinkyada, has a slightly different color and size than "regular" penne, so that prevents confusion as well. And if you miss wonderful pasta, this is something you'd definitely want to order at Biaggi's, because they know how to do it right.  It's not surprising that their pasta dishes are among the most popular items on their gluten-free menu.

I remember tasting their gluten-free pasta two years ago, and it left an impression on me...they cook the pasta so perfectly you can't tell it's gluten-free. And best of all...all the sauces are gluten-free -- and there are lots to choose from: sun-dried tomato cream, scallion cream, marsala, pesto, and bolognese, just to name a few. 

Biaggi's gluten-free menu also has a wide range of interesting gluten-free pizzas. They use a par-baked crust from Venice Bakery and take great care to use different pizza screens and pizza wheels -- and even prepare the pizzas in a separate area of the kitchen with their own sauce and oil. The staff also wears gloves to avoid any chance of cross-contamination.  Entrees on Biaggi's menu include several preparations of chicken, seafood, pork, lamb, and beef. And you don't have to forgo a multi-course dinner...there are plenty of gluten-free appetizers, salads, and even a few desserts (be sure to inquire about their Gluten Free Molton Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, which they occasionally feature). 

Even though it's already one of the best, you can be sure that Biaggi's gluten-free menu will continue to evolve. Chef Peter explained that gluten-free is always in the back of his mind when creating a new menu item. He recently made a slight alteration to the tomato soup to make it gluten-free, and the chefs have been experimenting with "naked ravioli," which is the cheese filling in ravioli served on a bed of sauce, sans pasta (thereby making it gluten-free!). 

If you're lucky enough to have dined at any of Biaggi's locations, please share your experience -- and the dishes you'd recommend -- either as a comment below or by submitting a review to our sister website, GlutenFreeTravelSite. 

Gluten Free Pasta and Gluten Free Ice Cream Cone Review

As you all know, I don't typically review gluten-free products in this Blog...the focus is typically on gluten-free restaurant dining and travel. But recently I was sent some samples of gluten-free products from Goldbaum's, a company based in Brooklyn, NewYork. While I was very familiar with their gluten-free ice cream cones, I had never tried their gluten-free brown rice pasta. 

First...the ice cream cones...

I have to say I've never tried any gluten-free brands other than Goldbaum's, nor can I even recall seeing any other gluten-free brands sold in stores. And that's just fine...in my opinion, nothing could come close anyways!  Goldbaum's cones are really quite delicious and literally undetectable from "regular" gluten cones. Our family especially loves their Cocoa cones, which are like traditional "sugar" cones but are a slightly darker color and have the wonderful taste of chocolate! They are our new "favorite" cones. Goldbaum's sent us their regular sugar cones, in addition to their larger "Jumbo Cones," which look like their version of waffle cones. Both are equally tasty, and oh how great that gluten-free kids can now feel just like other kids, with ice cream dripping out of a giant waffle cone! 

Goldbaum's also makes two varieties of the "cake"-style cone, one called Ice Cream Cups (they look like traditional cake cones) and one called Cake Cones that look like the traditional sugar cones. Confusing, I know...but the point is, there are many varieties. We first saw the cones in our local Giant food store in the suburbs outside of Washington, DC. Goldbaum's retail base has been steadily growing, and their products are now available in Whole Foods, Shop Rite, King's, Stop and Shop, and Price Chopper. All their cones are gluten-free, GMO-free, vegan, and Kosher.

Their gluten-free brown rice pasta is another interesting story...

We were sent the fettuccine and the spirals. It's nice that they sent us the samples, because I probably would not have purchased this product on my own. Nothing against Goldbaum's, but I'm not typically the biggest fan of the brown rice pastas I've tried, even when preparing them "al dente" so they don't end up mushy. Our gluten-free son -- and our whole family -- usually prefer some of the gluten-free pastas that are a combination of rice, corn, and other flours...or a quinoa pasta.

But I have to say...we really enjoyed Goldbaum's brown rice pasta, and I can't put my finger on what was different about it. I think part of it was the consistency...it seemed to "hold up" better than other brown rice pastas, to have a little more "heft," if you will. As always, I veered on the side of undercooking it, following the 7 minutes of the 7-10 minute instructions. (Always test it by taking a strand or two of the pasta from the pot and tasting it before draining. Each gluten-free pasta seems to require a different cooking time.) 

The great thing about Goldbaum's pastas are that they are not only gluten-free, but GMO-free and Kosher, too.  Another recent "sampler" of their pasta was so won over, they will soon be using Goldbaum's pastas at all their restaurants!  I'm talking about Picazzo's Organic Italian Kitchen, with locations throughout Arizona. They currently offer Ancient Harvest gluten-free quinoa pasta to their gluten-free guests and will also be adding Goldbaum's gluten-free brown rice pasta as a second option. I'm sure the addition of any of their tasty gluten-free sauces will make a delicious pasta entree indeed! 

It's interesting how people all have their favorite brands/types of gluten-free pasta. To each his own! What's YOUR favorite gluten-free pasta, and how do you cook it? Have you served it to guests without telling them it was gluten-free? Could they tell the difference? Please share your comments below!

 

Don't miss the new Featured Review posted for March on GlutenFreeTravelSite. We showcase a review by "Celtic Celiac," one of our most active reviewers, who recently took a trip to Los Angeles. She reviews Koji's Sushi and Shabu Shabu in the Hollywood area, where she had a "suburb and relaxed" gluten-free dining experience. In fact, she said she'd eat at that restaurant every day if she could!

http://www.glutenfreetravelsite.com/featured.php