Gluten-Free Italian?

This may sound foreign (pun intended), but you can have dinner out, at a fancy restaurant, and Italian food at that, while following a gluten-free diet. Go Italian at Il Forniao Restaurant! I was thrilled when an Italian restaurant approached me several years ago – to give a presentation to their chefs and corporate staff about the merits of gluten-free, and the possibility of creating a gluten-free menu. How refreshing to see change come from within the restaurant industry. I’m not exactly sure the reason: whether someone at the top knows someone who’s gluten-free or what, but somehow they realized the importance of providing “gluten-free” as an option to their patrons. As a fellow gluten-free diner myself, I really appreciate this. Il Fornaio offers authentic Italian cuisine at their 21 locations throughout California, Las Vegas, Seattle, Denver and Reston, Virginia. I knew of them from years of working in the corporate world – I used to love going out to business dinners there. Il Fornaio has always served high-end Italian food – made with fresh, whole ingredients using traditional cooking techniques. It’s simply delicious. So, to learn that this gourmet Italian restaurant wanted to provide a gluten-free menu to guests was super exciting to me. I have been consulting to Il Fornaio on their gluten-free menu since 2011. My husband and I have wanted to check out the menu for a long time, and now with our “baby” turning five years old, we had a chance to get away for a special dinner out. I wanted to share our experience and this wonderful gluten-free option with all of you. We visited their downtown San Jose location, situated in the historic Sainte Claire Hotel. As we sat down, I discovered that each table was complete with their standard menu, their regional/seasonal menu options, and their gluten-free menu!  The gluten-free menu is not hidden in the back somewhere, or only mentioned once you ask.  Gluten-free isn’t an afterthought at Il Fornaio, it’s at the forefront of their interaction with diners.                       Our waiter, Sean, was very knowledgeable about items that are gluten-free (and what are not), the gluten-free items available on the seasonal menu, and even what could be made special (that wasn’t on the menu). I had a great confidence that my meal would arrive gluten-free based on their knowledge of the subject. For their gluten-free menu, they had several pasta dishes that are made with their special gluten-free pasta. Their gluten-free pasta is imported from Italy and is made with corn, quinoa and rice. For those that are on a paleo diet or grain-free diet they have salads, as well as grilled chicken, salmon, tuna and more. As it is a rare opportunity for me to have pasta, I couldn’t resist and had their Alla Vodka: Gluten-free pasta with bacon and vodka-cream-tomato sauce. And to start we had their beet, arugula and walnut salad. They even have gluten-free desserts. In our case, we were treated to an array of gluten-free cookies Our dinner was incredible and I look forward to going back with some gluten-free nutrition colleagues soon. If you have a chance to support them by dining out at their restaurant, let us know what you think.