We had fun. The food was good... not fantastic, though.

We ordered garlic bread, and I was slightly disappointed because it was like English Muffins with garlic butter. I've made my own gf french bread and made better garlic bread myself. But, I didn't have to make this . I felt very comfortable about ordering there. The place is very "gluten free" oriented...with a whole wall devoted to gluten free articles, magazines they've been in, etc, and a small cart of gluten free pastas and mixes for sale. Still, we ordered "GF" everything, even though we were clearly ordering off the gluten free menu, and each time they set our plate down, we asked again....lol.

Then J ordered meat ravioli, just because it is something you really can't get gf, and I thought she might like it. Sure she cannot even remember ever eating Chef Boyardi. She wanted lasagna, but I feared the cheese factor for her. So, I ordered that...so she could still have a bite. The ravioli was good. The lasagna was good, too, but the noodles were very spongy (almost bready..so probably homemade) and it was just cheese/noodle lasagna with meat sauce over the top. So, I think my own lasagna is better (made with gf noodles that are closer to the noodles I am used to, and meat in the lasagna, more spices, and rice cheese).

Next time, we are going to order the pizza. We met a couple there, whose husband was diagnosed as a toddler... I think he said at age 2. He spent 9 months in the hospital...was dying..had the huge bloated belly. They finally put him on some sort of high protein diet (just meat...no bread)..and he got better. They finally figured it out, but those were the days they thought that you 'outgrew' it..so they eventually allowed it back into his diet and he did alright...until about ten years ago when he got very sick again. They've been making a one hour drive to this restaurant once or twice a month for years. They highly recommended the pizza and tirimisu cake... so next time. Had I known you could order cakes there (duh!)...I would have ordered her a birthday cake, and taken it home with us. NEXT YEAR...or maybe for my birthday .

So, all in all, it was a very nice outing. There were many things I wanted to try... so for me, the lasagna was a poor choice. I just wanted to let J have a 'taste' since that was what she really wanted. I was spying the pasta primavera, and a pasta/shrimp dish. And the pizza... even when we make pizza at home, nobody else likes all the stuff I do. The gf pizza there is all personal size, $8.50 for a cheese pizza plus and .75 for each extra. Let's just say the extras might add up to more than the base for me...lol. This couple said that if you call ahead they will do anything for you, including having cheese sub on hand or making other subsitutions for other sensitivities, etc, so I'll be ready for next time.

The restaurant itself was quaint, small, and felt very ethnic. They had maybe twelve small tables, in very closed quarters...like a small family diner..which is what it is. It had a nice cozy atmosphere. We liked it. I even had a New Grist on a week night! (came home and fell asleep...lol).

Cara