News & Notes

There's been a lot of interest in the current Goodies Giveaway - a copy of Jacqueline Mallorca's Gluten-Free Italian cookbook, just published this month - but there's still time get in your entry. Just write a comment to the post on your favorite Italian food, along with a way for me to contact you if you're the winner, by Sunday, November 1.

On Wednesday, I wrote about Pei Wei Asian Diner's gluten-free menu and the cool option to place a take-out order online. Now all they need to do is offer a delivery option!

I added a slew of dining establishments to the blog's restaurant list this week. I'll start in my home state of New Jersey, where Harrah's Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey (777 Harrah's Boulevard, 609-441-5165) has several eateries that accommodate gluten-free diets: Reflections Café, Waterfront Buffet, Polistina's Italian Ristorante and The Steakhouse. Polistina's serves gluten-free pasta upon advance notice, so request it when making a reservation.

In Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Chuckles Pizza & Pasta Restaurant (160 Lawrenceville-Pennington Road, 609-895-6660) recently added pizza, pasta and desserts to its menu. The pasta includes ravioli, gnocchi and stuffed shells served with gluten-free bread, with brownies and carrot cake for dessert. The owner told me that he uses dedicated pans and slicers for the pizza and separate pots and utensils to prepare the pasta.

In Wilmington, Delaware, Fresh Thymes Cafe (1836 North Lovering, 302-656-2026) offers gluten-free bread at breakfast and lunch.

Last but not least are some new spots in Pennsylvania. Melodia Grill in Souderton (664 East Broad Street, 215-721-4000) is a contemporary Asian-influenced BYOB. The other restaurants, all in Philadelphia, participated in the recent Appetite for Awareness event: Agiato, a soon-to-be-opening Italian located in Manayunk (4359 Main Street); City Tavern, a colonial-style American (138 South 2nd Street, 215-413-1443) and Beneluxx Tasting Room, a Continental restaurant with Belgian influences (33 South 3rd Street, 267-318-7269), both in Old City; El Camino Real, a barbeque and Tex-Mex joint in Northern Liberties neighborhood (1040 North 2nd Street, 215-925-1110); Chifa, a Jose Garces-helmed Latin-Asian fusion in Washington Square West (707 Chestnut Street, 215-925-5555), fish, the sister of Mike Stollenwerk's Little Fish located near Graduate Hospital (1708 Lombard Street, 215-545-9600); Sauté, a New American BYOB in Queen Village (775 South Front Street, 215-271-9300); and Time, a self-described "restaurant, whiskey bar & tap room, and Bohemian absinthe lounge" in Midtown Village (1315 Sansom Street, 215-985-4800).

The just-opened Bella Sera Cafe in Philadelphia’s Fishtown section (2146 East Susquehanna Road, 267-939-5178) sells gluten-free cheesecake among its other menu items. Thanks to Grub Street Philadelphia for the tip.

Bella’s in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania (by appointment only, 484-467-1538) specializes in baking "celebration" cakes for weddings, birthdays and the like. Owner Lauren Cortesi's walnut dacquoise with milk chocolate buttercream and flourless chocolate cake are naturally gluten free, and she also offers vegan chocolate, vanilla and carrot cakes and cupcakes with gluten-free ingredients. Although Lauren does bake desserts that are not gluten-free in the same kitchen, she uses separate utensils and equipment for her gluten-free varieties.

On the other side of the Delaware River, Diane’s La Patisserie in West Berlin, New Jersey (405 Bloomfield Drive, 609-560-4111) also bakes gluten-free special occasion cakes. While the bakery uses the same equipment for gluten-free and wheat products, owner Diane Nussbaum tells me that she cleans everything before preparing the gluten-free cakes and takes care to prevent cross-contamination.

I've also added several area gluten-free friendly caterers in the Delaware Valley to what was previously the listing for Bakeries and Markets.

Joe Palumbo's Mirabella Cafe in Cherry Hill, New Jersey is sponsoring another cooking class with Chef Tammy Hughel. The gluten-free three-course tasting menu will be available at the class, to be held on Tuesday, November 12. The class starts at 6 p.m. and costs $40. Reservations are suggested.

With Fall in full swing, Moondance Heavenly Desserts has released its seasonal pumpkin cheesecake, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, in both 6-inch and mini versions. All of the cheesecakes and brownies made by Moondance, which I wrote about in May, are gluten free. They can be found locally at Whole Foods.

Pei Wei's sister restaurant P.F. Chang's China Bistro is offering 20 percent off to members of its Warrior Card loyalty program on Saturday, October 31, whether dining in or taking out. Just show your card at time of purchase.

GoPicnic has its gluten-free SafariMunch on sale at its online store through Sunday, November 1 for $2.99 each. The ready-to-eat meal comes with tortilla chips and salsa, sunflower seed crunch, strawberry applesauce, snack mix and snickerdoodle cookies. Use code GLUTENFREE at checkout to get 20 percent off your order.

Triumph Dining is offering free standard shipping through November 11 on the newly revised third edition of its Essential Gluten-Free Grocery Guide ($19.95), the fourth edition of its Essential Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide ($23.95) and its Gluten-Free Dining Cards ($18.95), which come in 10 languages for use in many ethnic restaurants. We've used the dining cards successfully for many years in American, Japanese, Thai and Chinese eateries. Just visit Triumph Dining's website, add your items to the shopping cart, enter coupon code NEWS389 in the shopping cart area and click the "Apply" button. All of the items come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Finally this week, I wanted to share the link to a post from Lisa at Gluten Free Foodies, who is a Phillies fan living in the state of Washington. Celebrating the Phillies' World Series appearance, she wrote this week that she convinced the owner of her local pizza shop to create a gluten-free Philly Cheese Steak pizza. From the picture she posted on her blog, the pizza looks like a winner!

Have a great weekend!

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.