I grew up in St. Louis and generally spend a week or two there in the summer visiting family. I’ve really watched the gluten-free awareness in the city grow over the past few years. Here’s a brief summary of my restaurant experiences this time around:
MAGGIANO’S LITTLE ITALY – Maggiano’s is a chain restaurant that clearly has an allergy-friendly plan in place. The waiter was unfazed by my request for a gluten-free menu and suggested that a chef would come to the table to discuss my options. First a manager who seemed slightly irritated by the disruption came to the table. He explained that any of the unstuffed pastas could be made with gluten-free pasta. A few minutes later, one of the chefs stopped by. He was fully knowledgeable and helpful with a clear knowledge of cross-contamination. We discussed my options and I ended up with a pasta with sausage and kale, one of the specials. It was quite good and I felt no sense of deprivation as my family downed their lasagna and ravioli.
TASTE by NICHE – Taste is a lovely little restaurant in the Central West End. The menu consists of small plates, perfect for sharing. While the menu isn’t marked for gluten-free items, our waitress was surprisingly knowledgeable about each dish and its ingredients. She listed the items that were either gluten free or those that could be adapted, but followed up with “I’ll double check with the chef, of course”. I enjoyed a braised octopus dish, steamed mussels, a charcuterie plate, salt-roasted potatoes, and a beautifully crafted cocktail.
DEL PIETROS – Del Pietros is one of many Italian-American restaurants around St. Louis. These menus are chock full of gluten at every turn. We were dining here as a large group and luckily I anticipated the problem and slipped a bag of gluten-free penne into my purse. There were truly no gf options on the menu (less a salad), but the waitress was quite helpful and asked the kitchen if they could cook my penne and use it in a simple pasta dish. They obliged without issue, even noting that they cooked the pasta in separate water. I wouldn’t make a habit of dining at such a gluten-heavy restaurant, but it was a nice meal. Mission accomplished.
PI- The kids wanted pizza and my parents knew Pi offers a gluten-free crust. The thin crust gluten-free pie is available in one size (small) with a choice of any of the toppings. My sausage and basil pizza was quite good: the crust was crisp with no overwhelming “gf” flavors, the toppings high quality and super fresh. I would certainly eat this pizza again.
OCEANO – I met an old friend for lunch at this Clayton bistro, putting high hopes in the mostly seafood menu. Interestingly, the owners went to the trouble of labeling the gluten-free items, but there were very few. The only two main dishes were a seafood risotto and a chicken dish (neither of which I wanted for lunch). My risotto was successful, but it seems like a restaurant that claims to be the “premiere fresh fish bistro” would offer plenty of options for simply grilled or sautéed fish. Go figure.
Do you have favorite gluten-free restaurants in St. Louis? Leave a comment below and I’ll catch them on my next journey.