Maggiano’s, an Upscale Italian Restaurant Chain Cares about Their Gluten Free Customers

My family and I had been planning my mom’s 60th surprise birthday party for months. Our plans for surprising my mother with a visit from her best friend from North Carolina, as well as a surprise visit from me were coming together smoothly until my sister announced our dinner party later that evening would be at Maggiano’s Italian Restaurant in Bellevue, WA. After hearing we had reservations there, I had “reservations” on whether I would be able to eat and enjoy myself.

Instead of worrying or embarrassing my family on the day of the event, I decided to be proactive and call and talk to a chef ahead of time. Fortunately, one of Maggiano’s Sous Chefs personally talked to me. I was extremely surprised at his willingness to accommodate me as well as his knowledge of gluten free food. Usually the typical responses are: “What is gluten?” “Is that sugar?” “No, sorry, we don’t have anything gluten free.” “No we cannot accommodate.” “We could make you a salad.” My reservations about eating there dissipated and I found myself excited for the visit.

The birthday surprise proved to be a success. My sister in law distracted my mother at the Snoqualmie Casino while my sister picked Cathy, my mom’s friend, and I up at the airport. We walked up behind my mother at one of the slot machines and she turned around with extreme shock as she tried to figure out why we were there. It was priceless. Later that evening, we met the rest of the family for dinner at the Bellevue Maggiano’s. When we arrived at the restaurant, I was glad I dressed up as it was very fancy for a Montana girl like me. Now the true test would be if their promises of a good gluten free dinner would pan out. No pun intended.

Maggiano’s serves their meals family style and they charge their customers a flat rate per person. Each meal comes with a choice of two appetizers, two salads, two main dishes, and two desserts. These are all great options assuming everyone can eat the same thing. I mentioned to the waitress I would need a gluten free menu and would be the only person eating off that menu. A chef came out to personally talk to me about my options. He was extremely caring and explained several choices. I was not able to have an appetizer, but probably could have had I requested one, but did get to practically hand pick my dinner dish. I chose gluten free noodles smothered in Alfredo sauce with a mixture of steamed veggies like mushrooms, zucchini, and tomatoes. I did feel somewhat left out with the appetizers portion of the dinner, as my family all ordered appetizers I could not eat. I did enjoy the house salad, but had to pick out the blue cheese. When the waitress saw that I was picking out the blue cheese, she offered me a fresh plate without it, but I declined as I wanted to save myself for the main dish.


My meal was absolutely delicious. I couldn’t have picked anything better. In fact, I think mine looked better than what my family chose for their choices. Mine was also less expensive too, which of course I was thrilled about. The chef offered me a choice of two desserts their house Spumoni or their Crème Brulee. I chose the Crème Brulee. The desert was good, but probably not one I would choose again. Crème Brulee is not my favorite. My eyes actually were drawn to my mom’s cheesecake. A gluten free cheesecake would be a great addition to their gluten free menu if you ask me.
During the meal, the chef came out to ask me if my meal was okay and he also gave me an invitation to a gluten free event they were sponsoring at their restaurant on July 25th. He gave me a decorative invitation that included the gluten free menu for the evening. Wow, a restaurant that cares so much about their gluten free customers that they even host a gluten free event. This is definitely a restaurant to pay attention to. I am overjoyed that this restaurant has noticed the need to reach out to their gluten free customers.

One thing I should mention though is that after reading the menu for the upcoming gluten free event, I did catch a huge mistake. One of the items listed was Mediterranean Cous Cous accompanied with Rainbow Swiss Chard. I was immediately alarmed and requested to speak with the chef. I pointed out the issue on the menu and at first he said that it was gluten free. I insisted that Cous Cous is not gluten free and strongly suggested changing the menu before the 25th. I mention this not to criticize Maggiano’s, but to merely cause you to remember that just because it says gluten free, we still need to read the fine print and be proactive in our dining experiences. Who knows, maybe I saved Maggiano’s the embarrassment of serving that off limit food to its customers, or maybe I even educated their chefs. But either way, it is still nice to know that they have the heart to care and try to make a difference. It is a learning experience and a journey for us all.

Overall, I was impressed with the atmosphere, service and food at Maggiano’s. I would like to see more gluten free appetizer options, or even possibly a choice off each course like the rest of the family would be enjoying. I would also like to see gluten free bread to dip in their balsamic and olive oil plate that regular customers get to enjoy. I have great recipes that perhaps they would enjoy incorporating in their menu. I love the fact that they care to offer gluten free choices and that they care to host special gluten free evenings. I definitely will keep Maggiano’s in mind for future dinner engagements in the Seattle area, and I hope that you will find confidence in eating there too. Maggiano’s has several locations across the US. For more information on Maggiano’s, go to www.maggianos.com.

GLUTEN FREE EVENT: July 25th, Bellevue, WA; RSVP: 425.519.6490 Enjoy a three course meal with a glass of wine of gluten free beer. Price $49.95 per person. Call for complete menu and Reservations.

Mock Rye Bread Gluten Free "Tastes like the real thing"

Mock Rye Dill Bread
This past Saturday my mother in law, Roz, and I spent the day having a garage sale to help the kids raise money to go to camp. Her neighborhood was having a huge neighborhood sale and it really drew big crowds. We had a short window to enjoy lunch before the next group of bargain hunters came up our driveway. I stopped and made Lexie and myself a turkey sandwich on my Honey Flax Bread. It was delicious. However, I couldn’t help but be slightly envious of Roz’s sandwich made with Rye Dill Bread.

It sparked a challenge in me to see if I could do a Mock Rye Bread that would have the same flavor that I am looking for in Rye, yet be gluten free. I know I am not the first person to come up with a mock rye bread, nevertheless, I enjoyed the challenge to make this bread using the Gluten Free Mama flour blends.

I wanted to come as close to the flavor of the bread she was eating as possible. Although, I did not indulge in tasting hers, I could imagine with my taste buds what I thought it should taste like and remember it tasting like. First, I wanted it to have a light brown color. So of course, I used molasses as the sweetener. Molasses is a perfect sweetener to use in breads as it offers great flavor and color as well as helps act as a binding agent much like honey and agave do. I also added ground flax seed for color, texture, and added nutrition. Next, I wanted it to have a light flavor. Some people really like the flavor of a dark rye bread, which is somewhat strong for my taste buds. I prefer light Rye. To make the bread have a stronger rye flavor, just double the caraway seeds.

The batter turned out beautiful and smelled amazing. I put the risen bread in the oven. Already in the oven was my hamburger pie which had about 30 minutes or so left to cook. When I removed the hamburger pie, I covered the bread with foil, and without thinking I turned the oven off. About 20 minutes later while cleaning up the kitchen I noticed my fatal mistake when I peeked through the oven window and noticed the bread had fallen. Immediately, I turned the oven on in hopes to save the bread. I let the bread go for and extra 15 minutes, then turned the oven off and left the bread in the oven for an additional 15 minutes. My bread was saved, although, it did fall. There was nothing I could do about that.

This bread was well worth the trouble to save it. The flavor and texture of this bread was delightful. I ate three pieces in a row and then made a turkey sandwich with two more pieces. My 5 year old enjoyed the bread too. Today, 4 days later, we enjoyed the last few slices with our lunch.

Today, I made the bread again, except this time I did it the Gluten Free Mama way and put it in 6, 4 inch cake pans made by Wilton. For those of you who are new to Gluten Free Mama, this is the way I prefer to make my breads. You can buy the pans in sets of three at Target stores. You will need to sets. I prefer to make my breads this way for several reasons: the breads sustain a better rise, they rolls make perfect sized sandwiches unlike what the loaf breads produce, they can be used as hamburger buns, the breads only take 25 minutes to bake, and the breads stay soft for up to 4 days. Again, the bread was a success! I enjoyed a REAL sandwich this evening. It had perfect texture, just like real bread. Self control kept me from eating two! I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as I do.

MOCK RYE DILL BREAD (Dairy Free)

INGREDIENTS:

1 ¼ cups warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
1 tsp. sugar

2 ¾ cup Mama’s Almond Blend Flour
½ cup ground flax seed
¼ cup dry milk powder (dairy or non-dairy) (I used Better Than Milk Rice Original)
This is optional. I made it with the first time and without the second time, and to be honest couldn’t really tell the difference to much. The milk flavor does make it a little more authentic.
1 ½ tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp caraway seeds
1 tsp. dill weed
2 Tbsp. minced onion

2 eggs
4 Tbsp. canola oil
2 Tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. cider vinegar

Directions:
Mix together warm water, yeast and sugar. Set aside until foamy.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, flax seed, milk powder, xanthan gum, salt, caraway seeds, dill weed and minced onion. With mixer running on low speed slowly poor in yeast mixture. Add eggs, canola oil, molasses and vinegar. Mix on high speed for 2 minutes.

Fill loaf pan, smooth out top and make 3 slashes across top with sharp knife. Or use ½ cup measure of batter into 6-7 4 inch cake pans. Smooth out tops with rubber scraper. Cover with dry towel. Allow to rise for 1 ½-2 hours.

Bake Loaf pan at 400° for 60 minutes, covering bread halfway through.
Bake 4 inch pans at 400° for 25 minutes.

Note: For Dark Rye use 2 Tbsp. caraway seeds.

Lexie, My Gluten Free Baby, Turns 5!

Lexie was all smiles today as she celebrated her 5th birthday. Friends gathered at the local park and enjoyed a birthday party with everything from traditional games like Hot Potato and the Clothespin drop to presents and yes CAKE! Gluten Free Cake that is.

Lexie beamed with joy as the entire group gathered around her while she blew the candles out on her Gluten Free Tinkerbell Cake I made earlier that day. Her birthday cake was a combination of a new chocolate cake recipe(lower tier) featured in Gluten Free Mama’s upcoming cookbook and the Chocolate Sour Cream Cake (cupcakes and top tier) featured in GFM’s Best Baking Recipes Cookbook. The cake was simple, cute, easy to make and most importantly DELICIOUS! The kids and parents alike enjoyed every bite, some coming back for seconds. No one complained or even asked if it was gluten free. They have all come to know that anything we bring to a party is going to be gluten free and going to taste fabulous! Not to brag or anything (LOL).

We ended the party by taking a thrilling ride on the Happy Hippo. The Happy Hippo is a tourist attraction here in Polson, MT. It is one of the land to water boats that the military used to use. The ride starts out at the Three Dog Down, a famous down comforter outlet in Polson. The Hippo drives across the Polson Bridge and all the way through town down Main Street honking its horn while the passengers wave to all the pedestrians. After the Hippo leaves town it heads to the boat launch landing in the water with a light splash. We take a short tour around Polson Bay and then the Hippo drives to the Splashing Launch.

The splashing launch was the most fun. The Hippo drives up on land up this somewhat steep hillside and turns around. The driver determines how fast he will go based on how loud the screams are. The kids and parents scream very loud and the driver takes off, barreling down the hill splashing into the lake. He does this three times. Each splash was fun only, getting us a little wet. Because it is Lexie’s birthday the driver give us a bonus ride. We head back to the boat launch. As we neared the boat launch Lexie yells “We want a bigger one!” The driver turns around asking her, “You want another ride?” She nods with excitement. The driver immediately pulls a U-turn and heads back to the splashing launch. The kids all screaming as the driver speeds up and heads down the hill flying into the water causing the biggest splash of all, drenching every passenger from head to toe. It was a splashing good time. It Couldn’t have been a better party.

Now I reflect back on the last 5 years of Lexie’s life. It was only about 3 ½ years ago when we found out Lexie needed a gluten free diet. She was screaming all day long, vomiting, diarrhea, and rashes all over. She was such a sick little baby. Going gluten free caused Lexie to heal and thrive allowing her to flourish into this beautiful, smart, fun loving five year old. My gluten free baby is not a gluten free baby anymore. She is a gluten free kid. But please, let’s keep that between you and I. I have told her she is still my baby…and she thinks it’s the truth.

Happy Birthday my Gluten Free Baby! May God bless you with many more years of good health and happiness!

















In the Pics...(left/top) Kids fishing Montana style (right/top) Happy Hippo (left/middle) Rachel with Friend Tammy (Right/middle) Gracie (my oldest) afraid of Happy Hippos (bottom/left) Dad and Lexie all wet after last splash. (bottom/right) Cassie (my middle baby) All wet!

Gluten Free Rhubarb Crumble Bars

Rhubarb Crumble Bars

This time of year our gardens are inundated with abundance of Rhubarb. I have to be honest until today, I have never even tasted Rhubarb. That summer I moved into my house my neighbor was trying to get me to take hers and do something with it. Not knowing what to do with it, I declined. She later ripped her plant out and made room for daisies. I regret not taking a start of it, as it is so easy to grow in Montana and as of today I just realized how delicious it is. If you haven’t enjoyed or tried Rhubarb lately you are missing out.

So what is Rhubarb? Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable that has bigger than life leaves and very long stalks. This plant is easy to grow, well at least it is in Montana! Rhubarb is commonly paired with other fruits in pies and various desserts. Rhubarb is healthy, being very rich in vitamin C and fiber.

How do I prepare Rhubarb? Cut stalks at base of plant. Wash thoroughly. Cut of ¼ inch or so off each end. The Rhubarb stalk resembles the stalk of celery. You slice this stalk the same. Depending on the recipe you are using slice from ¼ inch slices to 1 inch slices. Some recipes will actually call for it to be diced finely. Follow your recipes instructions or be safe by cutting between ¼ inch and 1 inch. The plant is naturally sour so it is great paired with fruits naturally sweet and you will need to use a generous amount of sugar too. My next quest is to see how it tastes with agave.

You can cut rhubarb, slice, and store 2 cup portions in Ziploc bags in the freezer for up to 6 months. Whenever you are ready to use it pull it out of the freezer and thaw and enjoy Rhubarb all year long!

I have the pleasure of sharing with you this delightful recipe for Rhubarb Crumble Bars. My friend Anne from Polson sent me this recipe a couple of weeks ago. She emailed me the other day asking if I had a chance to make it. I have been so busy preparing and going to the GIG conference in Seattle that I just hadn’t gotten to it yet. I promised I would make it this week. Only one problem, I didn’t have any rhubarb. Kinda hard to make Rhubarb Crumble Bars without Rhubarb.

So I trusted my friend Facebook to help me out. I posted last night a status that read… “Anyone have any rhubarb you can spare.” And indeed I received a response! My friend Leah wanted some too and drove up to my friend Judy’s house and got some for both of us and delivered it to me. I have such wonderful friends and you also got to love Facebook. Today I chopped it all up and put it in ziplock bags and without hesitation started baking.

Anne is new to gluten free. She recently found her husband needed to be gluten free and has been baking for him. Both of them as a result have felt their health significantly improved. Anne is an excellent baker and has really enjoyed accepting the challenge of baking gluten free. After tasting her recipe, I think she is quite talented at it too! Thank you Anne for inspiring me to bake with Rhubarb. We both hope you enjoy sinking your teeth into these delicious bars.

Ingredients:
Crust and Crumb Topping:
2½ cups Mama’s Almond or Coconut Blend Flour (I used coconut blend)
2 cups gluten free oats
1¼ cups brown sugar (not packed)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup butter or dairy free margarine, melted

Filling:
4 cups rhubarb, sliced ¼ inch thick
3 Tbsp. Mama’s Almond or Coconut Blend Flour
1⅓ cups sugar

Directions: Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl combine rhubarb, flour and sugar. Toss to coat evenly and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine flour, oats, brown sugar, an baking powder. Pour melted butter over flour mixture and mix with a fork until it is moistened and in pea size crumbs. Remove 2 cups and set aside.

Press remaining flour mixture into the bottom of pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven. Spread rhubarb onto crust evenly. Sprinkle with reserved flour mixture, pressing lightly.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown.

Serve by cutting into squares. Tastes great warm or cold.

Recipe by Anne Vert, Polson, MT

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