News & Notes: May 1, 2015

Gluten-free Patricia's Cheese Ravioli at Maggiano's

Casual Italian chain Maggiano's Little Italy debuted new gluten-free items yesterday in time for its annual "Eat-A-Dish for Make A-Wish" campaign. The "Eat-A-Dish" menu is available for dine-in or carryout and features the following gluten-free-friendly dishes:

• Shrimp and Avocado Lemonette - mixed greens, smoked bacon with a lemon vinaigrette
• Patricia's Cheese Ravioli (choose this and take a Classic Pasta home for the next day compliments of the chef) - gluten-free ravioli, parmesan broth, spring vegetables and a truffle mascarpone
• Grilled Jumbo Shrimp - sweet corn relish and honey calabrian glaze or Tuscan potatoes, arugula and lemon (available April 30 to June 3) / sauteed spinach, Fontina cheese with a lobster cream sauce (available June 4 to July 8)
• Creme Brulee Trio - chocolate honey, caramelized honey and citrus (available April 30 to June 3) 
• Flourless Chocolate Cake - chocolate cake, mixed berries, hot fudge with vanilla bean ice cream (available June 4 to July 8) 

Information on the kitchen's preparation of gluten-free dishes is posted on the company's website. To participate in this year's "Eat-A-Dish" campaign, guests just need to dine at Maggiano's from April 30 through July 8 and enjoy a gluten-free-friendly feature from the "Eat-A-Dish" menu. In return, Maggiano's will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish for every dish and $.50 for every glass of Wish Lemonade ordered from the special menu. In addition to these giving opportunities, Maggiano's will sell star-shaped cards, which feature inspirational stories of wish children, to guests for a donation of their choice. Guests who donate more than $10 will receive a commemorative star with a $10 coupon to be used during a future visit.

Diners can also get $10 off by joining the restaurant's E-Club. Area Maggiano's locations include King of Prussia (205 Mall Blvd., 610-922-3333), Philadelphia (1201 Filbert St., 215-567-2020) and Cherry Hill (2000 Rt. 38, 856-792-4470).

Morgan's Pier on Penn's Landing (221 N. Columbus Blvd., 215-279-7134) opened for the season yesterday with a new chef ("Top Chef" winner Nicholas Elmi) and a new menu. Both the weekday dinner and weekend brunch menus note gluten-free items. Hard ciders are available on draft and in bottles.

News & Notes: April 24, 2015

Sunday marks the grand opening of mostly to-go Waffles & Wedges in Center City Philadelphia (1500 Pine St., 215-309-3222). As the name suggests, the menu will be comprised of "Liège" Belgian-style waffles (the gluten-free versions will be made on a dedicated iron) and baked potato "fries" (all gluten free). Many of the sauces and toppings don't contain gluten either.

Opening this summer in Wynnewood is a second area b.good (280 E. Lancaster Ave.). Ninety-five percent of the menu at this healthier fast-casual restaurant chain - another location is in Marlton - is gluten free, including Udi's buns, all fries and several desserts.

Fielder's Choice: 2015 Gluten-Free Guide to Major League Baseball Ballparks

The new Hain Celestial Gluten-Free Stand at Citi Field
(Credit: glutenfreefun.blogspot.com)

Another baseball season brings even more gluten-free options. Many Major League Baseball stadiums have dedicated gluten-free concession stands and carts, while others have expanded their offerings.

Here's where you can find gluten-free concessions at each of the 30 MLB ballparks for the 2015 season (bookmark this post and check back throughout the season for updates; you can email me with any additions/changes that you find).

Once again teams are sponsoring Celiac Awareness Days/Nights, with expanded gluten-free options available at many of those games. They include the New York Mets (May 16), Cincinnati Reds (May 17) and the Philadelphia Phillies (May 17).

News & Notes: April 17, 2015

(Credit: Honeygrow.com)

Gluten-free-friendly stir-fry and salad spot Honeygrow opened last week in Cherry Hill (1602-1610 N. Kings Hwy., 856-520-8122). Owner Justin Rosenberg just announced plans to open area locations this fall on Penn's campus in University City (3731 Walnut St.) and in Wilmington (5609 Concord Pike) and Newark (58 E. Main St.).

Short Hills Deli will be opening a Jersey Shore location in Ventnor (5000 Boardwalk) in time for the beach season. The kitchen will keep a separate toaster for gluten-free bread. (Thanks Jared G.)

Colonial Diner in Woodbury (924 N. Broad St., 856-848-6732) notes gluten-free items on their breakfast and lunch/dinner menus. Management says that gluten-free orders are prepared to avoid cross-contact.

An Egg-cellent Breakfast

As much as I like to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, the workweek simply doesn't allow much time in the morning to relax. We live in times that demand a quick fix. Enter Start Healthy's gluten-free breakfast sandwiches, made with breads from Chester County's own Sweet Christine's Bakery.

There are four certified-gluten-free sandwiches in all: a choice of turkey sausage or Canadian-style turkey bacon, cholesterol-free egg and reduced-fat Cheddar cheese on either a gluten-free bagel or bialy. These are the first heat-and-serve gluten-free breakfast sandwiches to hit the market since Ian's since-discontinued Wafflewiches.

We recently sampled both of the all-natural bagel sandwiches and were suitably impressed. If you have the luxury of time, you can heat them in the oven, but we opted for the microwave at a minute and 20 seconds. The savory meats blended nicely with the mildness of the cheese and egg. The bagel was spongy, but that's to be expected from microwave preparation.

The bagel sandwiches can be ordered from Sweet Christine's, which offers nationwide shipping. Both the bagel and bialy sandwiches are also sold in larger quantities from Start Healthy.

DISCLOSURE: While Sweet Christine's provided product samples for me to review at no cost, such compensation did not influence my review. Neither I am nor any immediate family member is an employee, officer, director or agent of Sweet Christine's or its respective parent, subsidiary and affiliated entities, advertising and promotional agencies. Click here for my complete Disclosure.