News & Notes: January 30, 2015

Sal De Forte's Ristorante in Ewing (1400 Parkway Ave., 609-406-0123) has a gluten-free menu that includes linguini, grilled chicken parmigiana and grilled eggplant. rollentini. Other dishes can be modified accordingly.

Ristorante Primavera of Wayne (384 W. Lancaster Ave., 610-254-0200) offers gluten-free pasta and can prepare a variety of entrees to be gluten free. (Thanks to reader Emily F. for the tip.)

Seventeen Pizza Hut locations in South Jersey are among the first to offer gluten-free pizza. Unfortunately, southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware are not part of the first phase but likely will be added in the near future. You can read my review and check out the full list of participating stores here.

One of my favorite gluten-free cookie brands, WOW Baking, has introduced three new soft cookie flavors: Maple Squares, Key Lime White Chocolate and Butter Toffee. I spotted these at the Target store in Voorhees, New Jersey on sale for $2.99.

First Bite: Pizza Hut Gluten-Free Pizza

Neither rain nor snow nor impending nor'easter stays this blogger from the swift consumption of Pizza Hut's brand-new gluten-free pizza.

The country's largest pizza chain debuted the new option yesterday, utilizing Udi's crusts, in two "certified" versions: cheese and pepperoni. (You can read about the prep here.)

So what's the verdict? It's much better than the Udi's pizza sold at supermarkets for two reasons: Pizza Hut uses its own, hearty marinara sauce - weak sauce it's not - and it's prepped in a commercial pizza oven, which gives the pizza a fuller taste. It also helps that it's not cooked in a foil pan (which I find results in inconsistent doneness) but rather on parchment paper; it doesn't touch the oven surface though.

News & Notes: January 23, 2015

All of the meats and sauces at Exton BBQ smokehouse Something Grilled (260 N. Pottstown Pike, 484-879-4130) are gluten free, as are most of the sides. Proteins include ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, pulled chicken, grilled chicken, jumbo wings and shrimp. Owner Sal Paterno will soon be listing the gluten-free options on his menu and hopes to add a dedicated fryer in the future. (Thanks to reader Terry for the tip.)

Exclusively for blog readers, JG Domestic in University City (2929 Arch St., 215-222-2363) has annotated its bar menu and lunch menu with gluten-free choices.

Rose Tree Restaurant in Media (1243 N. Providence Rd., 610-891-1205) notes gluten-free options like seafood risotto, pan-seared scallops and lobster mashed potatoes on its menu.

Amici in Cherry Hill (306 Kresson Rd., 856-354-1500) has gluten-free pasta on hand and can make many dishes without gluten.

CHOP's 10th Annual Celiac Education Day Set for March 15

(Photo credit: Children's Hospital)

Join Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on Sunday, March 15 for the 10th annual Celiac Education Day, hosted by experts from CHOP's Center for Celiac Disease. Patients and families will learn about celiac disease and gluten-free diets at this free event.

News & Notes: January 16, 2015

Pizza Hut's new Pepperoni Gluten-Free Pizza

Pizza Hut is bringing gluten-free pizza to more than a third of its U.S. locations beginning January 26. Customers will be able to order a Cheese-only or Pepperoni Gluten-Free Pizza at select restaurants nationwide.

Backed by an in-store training process designed by the Gluten Intolerance Group, Pizza Hut is utilizing Udi’s Gluten Free crust for the new products. The Cheese-only and Pepperoni Gluten-Free Pizzas are 10 inches and cut into six slices. Pricing starts at $9.99.

First Draft: Ground Breaker Brewing

By Chris Betz

Much has changed since I reviewed three beers from Harvester Brewing last April. The company has a new name, new brews, and has tweaked recipes of old favorites. Ground Breaker Brewing, based in Portland, Oregon, uses ingredients like Willamette Valley chestnuts and Indie hops to brew a variety of beers. Ground Breaker currently has four beers available year round and three seasonal beers, all available in 22-ounce bottles.

Dark Ale (4.5% ABV): A gold medal winner at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival, the Dark Ale features a reformulated recipe using roasted lentils instead of gluten-free oats. While I can't do a side-by-side tasting of the oat-based recipe to the new one, I can say that this beer certainly maintained its body and roasted flavor. The flavors of cocoa nibs and coffee are great in this cold weather. If you are fan of Glutenberg's Red Ale, be sure to give this year-round beer a try.

News & Notes: January 9, 2015

Blue Duck Sandwich Company in Northeast Philly (2859 Holme Ave., 267-686-4687), which received a favorable "two-bell" review this week from Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan, offers sandwiches on gluten-free bread.

Newtown, Bucks County has a few more gluten-free-friendly options. Italian restaurant La Stalla (18 Swamp Rd., 215-579-8301) serves gluten-free pasta prepared in fresh water, as does Friends Bar & Grill (2821 S. Eagle Rd., 215-579-2970). In fact, Friends notes about a quarter of its menu as gluten free, including pizza. The pizza is also available to-go at sister restaurant Dolce Carini, which shares space with Friends.

Scouting for Cookies

As I reported as an exclusive in the November/December 2014 issue of Gluten-Free Living magazine, Girl Scouts of the USA are debuting two gluten-free cookies for this year's cookie sale, which begins this month. In a press release, the organization announced yesterday that the cookies will be available nationwide from most Girl Scout councils. The two new gluten-free offerings include Toffee-tastic - buttery cookies with toffee bits, and Trios - made with real peanut butter, chocolate chips and whole grain oats. Both are certified gluten free. These are different than the chocolate chip shortbread cookies that were test-marketed last year.