The Wei to Go

Pei Wei Asian Diner is the casual offshoot of P.F. Chang's China Bistro, both of which offer gluten-free menu options. Pei Wei was established in 2000 in Arizona, and now has more than 150 locations in 21 states serving pan-Asian cuisine. Every item on the menu is priced under $10.

One of Pei Wei's four area locations is in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where we've dined in and, more recently, taken out dinner there. (The others are in Moorestown, New Jersey, Springfield, Pennsylvania and on the Philadelphia side of City Line Avenue.)

Pei Wei offers the following gluten-free items: Vietnamese chicken rolls wrapped in rice paper, Asian chopped chicken salad, wok-seared spicy chicken and shrimp salads, spicy chicken and shrimp with chile vinegar sauce, and sweet-and-sour chicken and shrimp. My older son enjoys the Vietnamese rolls and sweet-and-sour chicken, which comes with a side of brown or white rice. While extra chicken and shrimp can be ordered for an additional charge, the regular portions are generous.

When eating in, diners place their orders at a counter, where they're handed order numbers. Customers then place the numbers in stands at their tables in the dining room so that servers can bring the food as it's finished cooking.

Online ordering for take-out is a snap. From Pei Wei's home page, click on "Order Online," then search for the nearest location. From there, select "Online Ordering Available" next to the location you're picking up from. On the next screen, you'll select a pick-up date and time, then click on "Continue." From there, select the "Gluten Free" menu on the left. You'll see the following screen (click to enlarge):

At this screen, you can select the quantity and customize your order. After adding all items to your order, select "Checkout" on the right. If you already have an account, you'll enter your information on the next page; if not, you'll be prompted to create an account. You are then asked for your payment method (at the restaurant or in advance by credit card), followed by a page asking you to review and submit the order. Of course, if you don't want to set up an account, you can always order the old-fashioned way and call it in!

I like ordering online because it allows me to customize orders and ensure that orders are placed accurately. If you haven't already tried online ordering from Pei Wei, you can receive 25 percent off your first order under $100. Hurry, though, because that discount offer expires on November 1, 2009.

Goodies Giveaway 6: 'Gluten-Free Italian' Cookbook

UPDATE (11/2/09): Congratulations to reader Daniella, who is the winner of the cookbook!

No one has ever mistaken me for Emeril Lagasse (or anyone named Emeril, for that matter), but I do whip up some mean pancakes. Despite my prowess at cooking scrambled eggs, french toast and other breakfast foods, I haven't been so bold as to attempt making pasta, bread and other Italian staples. For the more adventurous among us, there's a newly released cookbook that can help.

Da Capo Lifelong Books has just published Gluten-Free Italian, now available at Amazon.com and other retailers. The more than 150 recipes in the cookbook include Gorgonzola Ravioli with Asparagus Sauce, Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi with Sage Butter, Caramelized Butternut Squash Risotto, Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Cookies and Almond-Ricotta Cake. Gluten-Free Italian also includes a gluten-free shopping guide, cooking tips, Italian pantry staples, a glossary of alternative grains and flours, mail-order sources and celiac resources.

The 248-page cookbook is written by Jacqueline Mallorca, formerly an editorial assistant to culinary legend James Beard and a food columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. Ms. Mallorca is the author of The Wheat-Free Cook, which was selected by celebrity chef Sara Moulton on Good Morning America as one of the top 10 cookbooks of 2007.

The cookbook's publisher has been kind enough to offer one lucky Gluten Free Philly reader a copy of Gluten-Free Italian. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment to this post about your favorite Italian food item.

Some brief guidelines: (1) please do not enter unless you or a family member is on a gluten-free diet; (2) one comment per person; (3) U.S. residents only.

Most important is to make sure your comment provides a way for me to contact you. If your comment does not link back to an email address, blog or website through which I can get in touch with you, post your email address in the comment in the following format: "name[at]domain[dot]suffix."

The giveaway runs now through Sunday, November 1 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. I’ll randomly select one winner the next day and will contact them by email. If I don’t hear back from the person with his or her mailing address by the following Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern, I’ll select another name.

Good luck and buon appetito!

News & Notes

Phillies fans throughout the Delaware Valley can momentarily catch up their sleep now as the Fightins ready for another World Series appearance and (fingers crossed) another championship. Having suffered through many miserable summers of baseball growing up in Philadelphia, I'm happy that my kids have been able to celebrate a winning franchise for most of their young lives.

On Monday, I wrote about several gluten-free products imported from Italy, including a fantastic corn pasta called Le Veneziane. The pasta, crackers and cookies I reviewed are available through Quattrobimbi Imports and can be ordered through the company's website. The original post has a couple of discount codes that can be used at checkout there.

In restaurant news, Bugaboo Creek Steak House, with local outposts at the Franklin Mills Mall in Northeast Philadelphia and in Newark, Delaware, has added several new items to its gluten-free menu. I also added a new coffeehouse to the restaurant list: Higher Grounds Coffee House in West Cape May, New Jersey (479B West Perry Street, 609-884-1131). Gluten-free bagels, brownies, scones and cookies are available there.

The Press of Atlantic City ran an article this week on the availability of gluten-free dining options at Calabria Pizza Italian Grill in Absecon, New Jersey and restaurants at Harrah's Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.

Last week, I mentioned that my local Target began stocking gluten-free groceries. There were some other items that I didn't notice the first time around. The biggest bargain was Annie's macaroni and cheese, priced at $1.21! The store is also stocking Betty Crocker dessert mixes, Cherrybrook Kitchen dessert mixes and frostings, Namaste baking mixes, Gluten Free Pantry mixes, Maple Grove Farms pancake mix, Bob's Red Mill oats and Glutino pretzels.

Reader Jen attended one of the Disney on Ice shows at the Wachovia Center last weekend with her son, who was able to enjoy a gluten-free hot dog there. It looks like the gluten-free items are available for all events at the arena.

Next week, I'll have another Goodies Giveaway to announce, so stay tuned. Don't be shy about sending in comments, tips and suggestions to gfphilly[at]gmail[dot]com.

Have a good weekend!

A-maize-ing Pasta

It had been a while since our family last tried gluten-free pasta made from solely from corn. Years ago, we tried DeBoles corn spaghetti-style pasta but were not impressed. So it was with some skepticism that we used Molino di Ferro's Le Veneziane gluten-free penne, made from 100 percent corn flour, as part of a family pasta dinner that also included a lasagne made with BiAglut egg noodles. It was the first time we had used pasta from either brand.

Not only was the Le Veneziane an excellent corn pasta, I thought it was among the best gluten-free pastas of any kind we've had. I added the contents of a 9-ounce package of penne to a pot of boiling water with a bit of salt, cooking it (and stirring occasionally) for 12 minutes to taste.

I cooked the BiAglut lasagne sheets in water for 15 minutes before assembling the lasagne ingredients - pasta, spicy turkey sausage, low-fat ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, and tomato sauce - in a pan, which I baked for 40 minutes. I had some trouble separating the sheets of pasta after cooking them, so I had to double up the pasta layers in spots, making the lasagne a bit uneven. The lasagne noodles are made of a blend of corn starch, eggs and potato flour. The BiAglut was fine (I thought it was better than the Tinkyada brown rice version), but I was more impressed with the Le Veneziane pasta. BiAglut also makes gluten-free macaroni without eggs.

Le Veneziane pastas, BiAglut pastas and crackers, and crackers and cookies made under the ZeroGrano brand by Galbusera, are imported from Italy. These products are distributed in the United States by Quattrobimbi Imports, the company which sent me samples from each brand for review. The ZeroGrano chocolate wafers were reminiscent of glutenous sugar wafers. I happened to enjoy the ZeroGrano rosemary-seasoned club-style crackers, but my older son didn't care for them. While he liked the BiAglut crackers, I thought they were bland.

At the moment, there are no stores in the Delaware Valley stocking products from these companies. The products can be ordered direct from Quattrobimbi's website. The company has two discount offers: for $10 off an order over $60, enter code FALLSALE at checkout (expires November 7, 2009); for 10 percent off your entire order, enter code SAVE10.

News & Notes

I mentioned in my recent Appetite for Awareness recap post that the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia would soon be offering gluten-free concessions at Flyers and 76ers games. I was able to confirm the locations last week when I went to a preseason basketball game there, and on Monday, I wrote that chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, beer and cider are now available. If anyone attends a concert or other event at the arena and finds out that the items are sold then as well, drop me a line at gfphilly[at]gmail[dot]com or post a comment.

On Wednesday, I finally got around to a long-promised post about the many ciders produced domestically and overseas that are gluten free.

This week, I added "Barbeque" as a new category to my restaurant list. The restaurants in that group are Holy Smoke in Philadelphia's Roxborough section (473 Leverington Avenue, 215-482-7500) and Rubb, soon to open in Manayunk (4445 Main Street, 215-482-1900). Both places participated in the Gluten-Free Cooking Spree at the Appetite for Awareness.

The Tortilla Press, a Mexican BYOB in Collingswood, New Jersey, is offering a special gluten-free-friendly menu during Harvest Fall Week next week. The menu spotlights the produce available at the Collingswood Farmers Market. The promotion, running October 18-23, offers four courses for $30 and on Monday through Thursday will feature a special "chef's table" where a different local farmer will dine and discuss farm issues with guests at the table. As seating is limited, reservations are suggested.

A reader emailed me about the gluten-free products available at The Fresh Market, with two Pennsylvania locations in Glen Mills (925 Baltimore Pike, 610-358-4091) and Horsham (100 Welsh Road, 215-659-9432). I've added the stores to the list of markets and bakeries.

I noticed a couple weeks ago that the local Target store near me (in Voorhees, New Jersey) was redesigning its store layout - now I know why. According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, 31 Target stores in the Delaware Valley have undergone renovations so that they have space to offer fresh meat, produce and other groceries. When I stopped by the Voorhees location this week, I noticed the store now carries gluten-free items, including Glutino frozen pasta entrees, bagels, pizza, crackers and cookies, Kinnikinnick donuts and bagels, Amy's frozen meals and pizza, Nature's Path waffles, Envirokidz cereal and crispy rice bars and Ian's cookies. Overall, the prices seemed comparable to Whole Foods and Wegmans, although the Glutino and Kinnikinnick bagels were a bargain at $2.98 a package.

Dock Street Brewery in Philadelphia is once again serving its gluten-free Sudan Grass Sorghum Ale. The beer is made with sorghum and Pennsylvania-sourced wildflower honey and is spiced with hibiscus, rooibos, rose petals, rose hips, and grains of paradise, all native to Africa. According to the brewery, it's "slightly tart and fruity" and "more reminiscent of a cider or mead than a standard ale."

The 12-ounce microwaveable gluten-free pasta meals from Conte's Pasta that I wrote about in my Appetite for Awareness recap will be available on or around November 1.

I recently ordered from Udi's Gluten Free Foods two packages of gluten-free pizza crusts to go with the sandwich bread that I wrote about last month. I made a traditional mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce pizza last night using the crust and it was excellent.

Rami Aharon, the owner of GFL Foods in Merrick, New York, sent me some samples of his gluten-free pita bread a few weeks ago. Rami, whose son who has celiac disease, imports gluten-free flour from his native Israel for his pita bread recipe. His all-natural product, which is made in a dedicated kitchen, closely resembles the wheat version, with a similar texture and even a "pocket" for meats and vegetables. The bread tasted best after being warmed in the microwave oven for 30 seconds. A bag of six pitas are $9 each, and shipping via Priority Mail is $12 for up to four bags. The pitas can be ordered directly from the company through its website.

The gluten-free cooking class scheduled for the Whole Foods Market in Princeton, New Jersey on October 22 has been postponed.

The Mercer County Celiac Support Group will hold its next meeting on October 28 beginning at 7 p.m. at DeLiteful Foods in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. New attendees are welcome.

Have a great weekend and stay dry!