Butcher and The Rye

The Butcher and the Rye

The ambiance was interesting in this little whiskey bar looking establishment.  And they did have a lot of whiskey drinks, but of course, I couldn't have any of them because of the gluten content.  The wine list was typical.  There wasn't anything spectacular on it, but it covered all your bases. 

When I asked the server to ask the kitchen if they could do the scallops gluten free & pepper free, he tried to steer me into the trout.  I'm not much of trout fan because I find it too fishy, but the preparation looked interesting.  I insisted on him finding out about the scallops with the risotto, mushrooms and capers.  He returned with a yes and that was my choice.  My companion ordered the trout.

The scallops were perfectly seared. The outside was almost carmelized while the inside was a medium rare, soft and juicy center.  They sat on a bed of lemon risotto that was creamy and moist and was almost like a mashed potato texture. The lemon flavor was added after the rice was cooked giving it a stronger citrus flavor than it would have been if it had been heated with the rice. Crispy bits of asparagus added an excellent accent to the dish and so did the large succulent wild mushrooms.  The wilted greens added a wonderful edible garnish to this meal. They weren't too wilted either. Every bite had me yearning for more.

The trout, I was told, didn't live up to the hype from the hype from the server.  It was not bad, but also only mediocre. It did have a nice presentation, though.

The Butcher and the Rye succeeded in preparing food that didn't get me sick. As always, if you tell your server up front about your allergies, they can take measures not to cross contaminate or serve you food that will make you sick.


http://butcherandtherye.com/

Alihans

Alihan's

The restaurant was small and intimate.  The decor was cozy Mediterranean and very pretty.  There was outdoor patio seating which was nice.  The girl told me when I came in that almost everything on the menu was gluten free.  After sitting down and looking at the menu, I saw that was an overstatement, but still, there were a lot of kabobs and dishes that looked gluten free. 

I got the North Atlantic Char grilled salmon on a house salad with lemon.  The salmon was over cooked and looked like it may have been squished to the grill to cook it well over well done.  It also seemed to have some sort of Italian dressing on the salmon, but not on the salad.  I think I would have preferred my over cooked salmon plain.

The salad was less than exciting.  It was lettuce and a tomato with a lemon dressing and originally had peppers, but I can't have peppers.  At least they didn't put peppers on the plate.

My companion ordered the salmon and lobster ravioli.  It came on the plate with a small salad consisting of lettuce, shredded carrots, red onions and a vinegar dressing.  His salmon, too, was over cooked.  I even asked what it was and as he was eating it, he wasn't sure.  But the most disappointing part of this dish was that the ravioli was hard and under cooked.  He said they tasted frozen and bland.  You shouldn't have to chew them so much.  If he wanted frozen ravioli, he could have bought them from the grocery store him self and cooked them.  At least they would have been softer and easier to eat.

The saving grace to this place was I didn't get sick.  So at least they didn't poison me with gluten.

124 6th St

Pittsburgh, PA 15222
http://www.alihanscuisine.com/menu.html

Luke Wholeys Wild Alaskan Grill

Luke Wholeys is a charming little restaurant in the strip district.  The space is a great little industrial building that is very trendy for restaurants in Pittsburgh.The murals on the wall are cartoonish sea characters, which are kind of tacky, but at least fit the theme.  There are also aquariums of fish in the small dining area.

I asked about the the gluten content in the lobster bisque.  The server came back from the kitchen with the response they think there is gluten in the the bisque and that answer scared me because if they are not sure what is in the the soup, they means they don't make it fresh in house.  That's OK, I'll steer clear of that.  I could assume it was thickened with flour and not corn starch, but I thought I'd ask.  I was dining in Virginia Beach once and took a shot on asking about the crab chowder and was pleasantly surprised when it was thickened with corn starch instead of flour.

One of the off menu specials was softshell crabs, battered and fried in a lemon caper sauce with mashed potatoes.  I asked if this could be sauteed instead of battered & the server returned with a yes, they would cook it in a lemon butter sauce.  She said, "Well I guess you can't have the mashed potatoes."

I told her the potatoes where no problem & that they could even add the capers to the dish, too.  We waited and waited for the food to arrive.  The place wasn't even that busy.  I feel like we waited way too long for crabs shrimp, and scallops that take less than 5 minutes to cook.

My dish didn't have capers on it.  One of the crabs was cold and the other one was mildly warm.  They were on a bed of wilted spinach and possibly kale or collard greens that were too wilted to be distinguished.  They also weren't very tasty.  It was more of a sloppy mess of green goo on the plate.

Both crabs were slightly under cooked, more soggy than crispy, and probably were cooked too early and sat on the plate fro too long before being delivered.

The mashed potatoes were definitely smashed potatoes.  They were lumpy with large chunks of potatoes throughout.  They were mildly garlic flavored and the whole meal made me think the cooks in the kitchen had little passion for what they were doing.

My companion ordered the shrimp and scallops on a bed of rice with wood fired asparagus.  He said the shrimp, which you only got three of, were fantastic.  The asparagus was charred and over cooked.  It was floppy when picked up and had no crisp left in it.  The scallops, which you got two of, were average.  The rice had clumps of undercooked, hard crunchy rice throughout.  For $26, you should at least get rice that is cooked right and a few more of pieces of seafood.


2106 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
http://www.lukewholey.com/

The Original Fish Market

The Original Fish Market located in the bottom of the Westin has a menu full of seafood and meat.  Each item has its own preparation.  Each dish was on the more expensive side of dining. So for nice night out on the town, this is a reasonable price point, although for just a casual dining experience, I'd say this is a little expensive.

I was torn between the mixed seafood grill, with shrimp, scallops, rice, and halibut and the swordfish with a caper red wine reduction on whipped potatoes and asparagus. The server told me both options were gluten free.  The halibut won.

When it arrived, it was a little hard to believe the sauce was gluten free. It was dark and think with a semi sweet aroma.  The asparagus was crispy. The potatoes were creamy with garlic and a green tint to them. I'm not exactly sure why.  Maybe they had spinach mixed in or something.  Regardless, it didn't effect the taste at all. 

The sauce on the halibut was reminiscent of a beef gravy.  Probably because of the red wine that is used more in beef dishes.  It was sweet with a hint of spice. It was delicious.  I didn't have any problems with this dish - it must have been gluten free as described.  

My companion had the jerk salmon, medium, with beans and rice.  He said the entire meal was delicious and spicy.  I would hope jerk salmon would be spicy.  Both presentations were beautiful. 

1001 Liberty Ave in the bottom of the Westin
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Delallo's Fort Couch Cafe

Delallo's is an intimate Italian restaurant with white table cloths.  To call it a cafe is an understatement.  There are only about 20 tables in the main dining room and in a separate room, a bar with a few more tables.  The menu is quite extensive with fish, chicken, steaks, and pastas in many preparations.  As for gluten free, then menu offers very little unless you want to risk highly modifying the menu.

The steaks are a good option for gluten free diners, as long as you don't chose the option with the breadcrumbs on it.  Looking over the specials, I found soft shells crabs that could be pan sauteed in a lemon cream sauce.  I asked the server to check with the kitchen to make sure it could be gluten & pepper free.  

The soft shell crabs came with a choice of soup or salad, although none of the soups were gluten free.  I didn't feel like risking the dressing, so I got it dry with no croutons.  The first salad came with green pepper and a jalapeno pepper on the salad.  I did mention to the girl earlier that I had a pepper allergy, so I was a little concerned when this arrived.  I sent the salad back.  

I was told that I received an entirely new salad, and I have no reason to believe that it wasn't.  I mean, it's just a salad.

You also get one side.  I got a baked potato.  It might have been the only option for me besides a vegetable and more and more places are mixing red pepper into their vegetable mixes.  The potato came with sour cream and butter packets.  I really prefer the individually wrapped butter packets because I know on one smeared the butter on a piece of bread.  

The baked potato was actually pretty good.  It didn't taste like it was baked yesterday & kept warm for hours.  The skin was actually enjoyable.

Although there isn't many gluten free options, they made an effort to make my gluten free experience pleasant and they didn't get me sick.

http://www.delallosfortcouchcafe.com/

Double Wide Grill

The Double Wide Grill is a great place to sit outside and watch the cars and people stroll along East Carson St.  Their patio is even dog friendly. 

At first glance, I wasn't sure about anything on the menu being gluten free.  Sometimes BBQ sauces are not gluten free ans there was a lot of BBQ on the menu.  I'm not a big rib fan either and I wasn't in the mood for a salad.  Salads are usually a safe choice if you make sure there's no croutons, french fries, or dressing on them.  And I just wasn't feeling a bowl of lettuce.

I mentioned to the enthusiastic server that I needed to be gluten free & he promptly told me about the gluten free bread & menu.   He fetched it from the server station and handed it to me.

It was a bit confusing.  I had to keep looking back and forth between the regular menu and the gluten free menu to see what came on certain sandwiches and entrees, but I decided on a grilled chicken sandwich and an appetizer of mussels with no toast.  

The mussels were in a tomato lemon butter and were plentiful, but there were 3 or 4 left over mussels that didn't open.  I was once told not to eat the ones that don't open, so I didn't. 

My sandwich arrived open faced.  And it was a good thing, too.  I looked at the full green leafy lettuce and saw a dead bug.  I found a server & sent it back for new lettuce.  Yes it was the same sandwich with different lettuce, but that's what I expected.  Nothing was wrong with the chichen or bread.

The chicken was tender, smokey, and spicy.  I feel like it was a fake smoke additive, but I'm not entirely sure.  The spice was just a hint and not over-barring.  The bread was pretty good for gluten free bread.

Except for the extra protein that I didn't order, the Double Wide Grill is a decent place & makes an effort to be gluten free friendly. 

http://doublewidegrill.com/

McGraw's Steakhouse

McGraw's Steak Chop & Fish House

McGraw's Steakhouse is a romantic little place right along the Wabash River.  They have both patio seating and a beautiful view of the river from inside the dining room where the glass windows stretch the entire length. There are about 20 tables in the main dining room and a few less in a separated dining room probably reserved for private parties.  White tablecloths line the wooden tables and set an intimate mood.  This would be a great place for a special occasion or romantic date, if you can get a reservation.

I ordered a salad with no dressing because I was very unsure about the content of the dressings at this place.  I was told that they didn't put croutons on the salads, so that was safe.

I ordered a rib eye steak and garlic mashed potatoes.  I told the waitress that everything had to be gluten free, and I tried to order things on the menu that wouldn't normally have gluten in them and wouldn't have to me modified.  If you flour a steak, you're ruining a perfectly good steak.  This didn't seem to be a place that would ruin a steak. 

My salad arrived and was a bowl of iceberg lettuce, nothing fancy, a cucumber, red onions, shredded cheese, and a couple cherry tomatoes.

My rib eye arrived and I cut into it.  It was not medium rare as I ordered it, it was more of a medium well.  It looked nice in the presentation, but the temperature was over done for my liking.  Large chunks of pepper were sprinkled aver the steak, which I found over barring. There was a lot of gristle and fat, but that is to be expected with this cut of beef.  It added a nice flavor to the tender parts I could actually eat.

The garlic mashed potatoes were evenly smashed and creamy with a hint of blue cheese in them.  They were enjoyable, while still remaining simple.

My compainions had a filet, which was cooked to a perfect medium rare and a prime rib with au jus sauce and horseraddish, also cooked to a perfect medium rare.  I was told the filet was very tender & tasty and so was the prime rib.

Overall, it was a classy atmosphere, a delicious meal and friendly service.  i dont think there is very many non chain classy restaurants in the area, so if fine dining is what you desire, there isnt very many options.  but thats alright because they did it right at this place.  Of course you will pay quite a bit more here than a diner, chain restaurat or mom & pop restaurant.  I didn't get any adverse reactions to the meal served here at McGraw's Steakhouse, so I think it's safe to say a gluten free diner can have a delicious meal here.


http://www.mcgrawssteakhouse.com/

2707 South River Road

West Lafayette, In 47906