Gaucho Parrilla Argentina

Gaucho Parrilla Argentina

I heard a lot of hype about this place, so I had to try it out for myself.  It was a small place.  I waited in a line staring at a chalkboard menu trying to figure out what I wanted.  I couldn’t understand what most of the things on the menu were, so I had a hard time figuring out what was gluten free and what wasn’t.  They said they could accommodate gluten free diners, but they didn’t have anything marked as gluten free.  They only thing I understood was the meat section.  I figured the meat would probably be gluten free, but I’d ask when I finally got to the front of the line. 


I asked the man taking the orders if the small ribeye could be done gluten free.  He looked at me funny and said yes, we just won’t put any toast on it.  I was hoping the marinade or sauces didn’t contain gluten and that it didn’t touch other people’s toast.

I looked around for a seat and finally found one at the counter.  I didn’t care much for the set up of this place.   It’s reminiscent of a cafeteria and there was very little places to sit.  If they added some high top tables, I think they could fit more people inside. 

I didn’t wait long for my food to arrive.  I guess because they are slinging meat all day long they just keep cooking it to keep the momentum flowing. 

The meat was cooked to perfection.  There was a sauce on it that was tangy with a kick of hot.  A salad with a balsamic vinaigrette accompanied the meat.  I also ordered the roasted potatoes.  They were pretty amazing.  When I ordered them, I asked the guy if they went through the fryer with other stuff and he said, “We don’t have a fryer.”

I loved that response.  It was just what I wanted to hear.  That means these potatoes were truly roasted potatoes.  They were crispy and flavorful.  Between the potatoes, salad and the meat, a small was the perfect size for me.  The prices were a bit expensive for the dining experience, but pretty much what you’d expect at a white table cloth restaurant. 

Overall, this was an interesting experience. 


1607 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

http://eatgaucho.com/

Paris 66

Paris 66

6018 Penn Circle South
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
 

Paris 66 is a family owned French restaurant in East Liberty.  It’s dinning room is decorated with French posters and pictures.  The space is cute.

The menu has plenty of gluten free items.  Just ask.  Most of the items can be modified to be gluten free, just ask the knowledgeable waiter.  He told me only things with puff pastries, pastas, and the frog legs were not gluten free.  I was slightly disappointed about the frog legs, but there were plenty of other things to eat.

First they bring out some sort of Brussels sprout cream to clear your pallet.  It was different.  Then they bring out buckwheat crepes with butter.  They were alright, if you like buckwheat or are really hungry.

I ordered the cauliflower soup.  It was pretty good.  I felt it needed a bit of salt added, which when I added it really brought the cauliflower flavor out.  It was creamy and white.  It was just a puree without any chunks of cauliflower in it, which I would have preferred, but didn’t mind.

Then I ordered the raspberry duck with the potato gratin.

The potato gratin was a square layered with potatoes and cheese.  It was moderately warm and probably premade and reheated when I ordered it.  It was ok, but not spectacular. They substituted the tomatoes for me for mixed vegetables.  That was nice.  They had a seasoning on them that I'm not entirely sure I liked, but they were crisp and fresh, and that's what matters.

What was spectacular, was the duck.  It was tender, juicy, and crispy on the outside just like it should be.  The sauce wasn’t overly sweet. It was delicious. There are a few more things I’d like to try on this menu, so I guess I’ll just have to come back.

Eddie Merlots

Eddie Merlot's

444 Liberty Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15222


Eddie Merlot's has a very nice atmosphere.  The service was very attentive from the door to the end of your meal.  The waiter was very knowledgeable about the gluten content of the items on the menu. 

The steaks are why you come here.  Sure, there's seafood and poultry on the menu, but why would you even spend time looking at those things when this place is known for the steaks?  What kind of steak do you want?  Some of the meats are aged.  They have bison or cow in all the best cuts. 

Everything is al a carte.  You can add sauces or toppings to the steak. The waiter said almost all of the steaks come gluten free as they are listed on the menu and we would check on the sauces when we come to that bridge.  I didn't need a sauce to cover the taste of my steak.  I wanted to taste the steak.  I ordered the 7 oz bison filet medium rare. 

It was the beefiest filet I had ever tasted.  It was cooked perfect.  It was the only thing on the plate, except three green leaves of... something.  Maybe it was spinach. I don't know what the garnish was.  The bison looked lonely on the plate. 

The sides came in big bowls.  They were big enough to share.  I was excited about the Brussels sprouts with bacon, but was quickly disappointed by them.  The bacon was undercooked & tasteless. The Brussels sprouts were al dante, nicely cooked but bland.  I didn't try the potatoes because they scared me.  Something about they said not gluten free.  I heard I wasn't missing anything.

I was also disappointed to learn that the sides were already prepared before I ordered them, so there was no modifications that could be made to them.  The pre preparation was apparent in the quality.  I almost expected this from a chain restaurant because they are trying to keep all of the sides uniform throughout their locations.  I had higher hopes for this place.  But like I said before, you don't come here for the sides, you come here for the steaks.

The steaks, no matter which one you order, will not disappoint you!

The onion straws are not gluten free. You can just order the steaks that come with them without onion straws.  This is the beef rib eye.

The steaks are amazing and worth it!

Gandy Dancer at the Grand Concourse

Gandy Dancer at the Grand Concourse

I sat at one of the bars in the Gandy Dancer.  They gave me both a happy hour menu and a menu for the Grand Concourse.  I liked the options on the the grand concourse menu, but was considering some of the happy hour specials.  When I asked about the pecan crusted shrimp, the server checked with the kitchen to see if they could do it gluten free.  Upon return, it was a no and I was given the gluten free menu.

The gluten free menu was plain.  Most of the preparations I was looking forward to were eliminated from the menu.  It was plain grilled fish, shrimp, chicken and steak.  I was a little disappointed.

I ordered the grilled shrimp on rice with steamed broccoli.  The broccoli was just steamed, no seasoning and came as one whole piece. It was good for being so plain.  It was crisp, not mushy.

The rice was cooked well.  The shrimp were a bit small for a feature, but tasted good.  They weren't over done or fishy.  The beurre blanc sauce was mild, but pulled the dish out of totally bland and pulled it together.

The peel and eat shrimp were twelve tiny shrimp with a side of lemon and cocktail sauce.  I think they should either give you more shrimp or buy bigger ones.

A few weeks ago, I went to a bridal shower at the Grand Concourse.  They had a set menu for the guests, but when I told them I had to be gluten free, they did take care of me.  Instead of Chicken Romano or crab cakes, I got grilled salmon.  It was cooked to a very nice medium with a nice crisp on the outside.  The salad dressing was double checked by the kitchen for ingredients with gluten.  And when they brought cake for dessert for the guests, they offered me mango sorbet.  The sorbet was the best part of the meal! It was an amazing finishing touch.


100 W Station Square Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
http://www.muer.com/grand-concourse/

Spoon

Spoon

Tucked in the heart of East Liberty is this little gem.  The lighting is dim and the ceilings are high.  It is a place focused on fresh, local food.  They have an extensive wine list, but the mix of fresh and local ingredients is what I came for.

Instead of bread, for the gluten free diners, they bring out chips.  I questioned the frier these chips went through, but the waiter said they do a pretty good job of keeping things separated. They came with some type of pepper cheese which I declined. 

I ordered the Prosciutto wrapped asparagus with cheese and locally grown strawberries. The peresntation was amazing.  The strawberries complemented the cheese.  The asparagus was grilled and crispy. The strawberries seemed candied, but were good. The figs were sweet. The cheese was fluffy and everything on the plate went well together.

The service was excellent.  The water glasses were constantly being refilled.  The waiter was attentive and knowledgeable about the menu.  

I ordered the bacon wrapped cod. I'm not much of a cod fan, but bacon makes everything better, so I decided to be adventurous. It arrived with a pesto smear across the plate. Then the waiter poured the tomato fennel broth over it and handed me a spoon. I didn't feel that it was soup enough for a spoon, but it made me try the broth first. 

It was unusual. It was heavy on the fennel. He tomato was prominate even though the broth has no red color to it at all. The pesto mingled with the broth in a delightful manor.

I tried the cod. It was flaky and cooked well. The bacon could have been crispier, but that is a personal preference that could jeopardize the moistness of the fish.  There was a bit of corn, tomotoes, and sprouts mixed on top of the fish that complemented the dish.  Also, there was a tangy, citric white sauce on top. I don't know what it was, but it was good.  

The braised short ribs and steak was my second choice.  It came with broccoli gratin, zucchini, and a red wine reduction. 

Because everything is cooked to order here, the kitchen doesn't seem to have any problems with dietary restrictions.  They certainly didn't compromise the integrity of this meal. I was worried about the chips, but I didn't have any reactions so they must be doing something right at Spoon. 

134 S Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
http://www.spoonpgh.com/

Kaleidoscope Cafe

Kaleidoscope Cafe

Upon walking up to the door, I thought this place was closed.  After walking in, I thought I was in the wrong place.  After all, it was 6 O'clock on a Wednesday.  Somebody should be in here besides me.  But there wasn't.  I immediately thought to myself, "Why isn't anyone here.  Is this a mistake?"

The decor was awful.  It needed updated.  The walls needed painted.  If they weren't doing tons of business, they should take away a few tables to make it look less cluttered.  It would look fuller if there were less tables.  Maybe they should get an interior decorator to help with the space planning in here.  I can see why people aren't coming in and staying.

I hear the only server taking an order to go.  Someone must like the food, but I see why they don't want to sit in here to eat.  I see the theme that they are trying to do, but it's not succeeding.  It needs a make over. 

I asked about gluten free items on the menu.  I was handed the lunch menu and told some of the things listed as gluten free, like the pork, weren't gluten free.  And the chicken apple sausage was listed as gluten free, but wasn't in that preparation, but could be prepared in a different preparation.  Obviously, they needed new menus printed, too.

I ordered the cornish hen. I was told it would take 20-25 minutes.  I understood, but was hungry.  It really did take that long.

The cornish hen half was moist with a crispy skin and had a yellow savory sauce.  It had sweet figs, seasoned squash, two cherry tomatoes, and smashed potatoes.  The smashed potatoes were evenly lumpy like they should be, with some skins in the mix.  The chunks were soft enough that they melted in my mouth.  As far as smashed potatoes go, these ones were pretty good.

The pork wasn't gluten free because of the soy sauce.  But I hear was delicious as well.  The presentation was good.  In case you wanted to see the pork, here it is.

Finally, at the end of meal meal, two other groups were seated.  The acoustics were awful and I was glad I was finished with my meal.  Perhaps the odd kaleidoscope triangles on the walls were there to dampen the sound. They make sound dampening ceiling tiles that would probably work well for this place if they didn't want to instal carpet.

Overall, the food was delicious, the service was friendly, but the space needed updated. 

108 43rd St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
http://kaleidoscopepgh.com/

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/

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/

Seviche

Seviche

Seviche has a nice atmosphere.  The lighting is dim and cozy.  To the right is a bar, to the left is an open kitchen where you can watch the chefs prepare your food and even sit at the counter, and in the middle are tables. 

There isn't much on the menu that is gluten free, but they make everything fresh and made to order so adjusting their menu to satisfy your dietary needs is not a problem. I love diver scallops and that is precisely what I ordered, but I asked for them gluten free and no red peppers.  

The presentation is nice.  They were evenly spaced on a long rectangle plate.  Each scallop sat on top of a small pile of grits, has a green sauce on top and was separated by wilted spinach.  Each bite was delicious.  The grits were warm and buttery.  The spinach was a wonderful palate cleanser between the saltiness of the scallops and the sour of the green sauce.  I really enjoyed this meal.  Between the grits and the scallops, I felt it was a sufficient portion for a meal, at least for me.

Seviche succeeded at keeping away the gluten from my meal, giving me a wonderful dining experience, and a tasty meal.



930 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh



http://www.seviche.com/

BD's Mongolian Grill

Although I'm not a big supporter of franchise restaurants, BD's Mongolian Grill is an interesting take on stir-fry.  You get a bowl.  You take the bowl to the buffet of raw meats and vegetables and stuff as much in the bowl as you can.  Then you pick a sauce or two and take it to the grill.  They ask you if you have any food allergies.  If you do, they block off your portion of the grill with something that looks like an over sized door stopper.  After it's cooked, they put it in a different bowl and you proceed to your seat to eat it.

Only a few sauces are gluten free and it's up to your discretion to pick gluten free items from the buffet.  With good choices and communication, this place is a win for being gluten free friendly.

I doubled up on my sauce choice.  I found that when using the gluten free buffalo sauce, it's best to use it as a dipping sauce because if you have the cooks add it to your order, everything tastes like buffalo sauce and you can't taste the difference between anything in your bowl.  I chose to use the gluten free lemon sauce on the grill.

I stuffed my bowl with beef, chicken, scallops, broccoli, green onions, squash, and mushrooms.  Some of the items on the buffet don't always look too fresh.  Sometimes the meats are still frozen or the vegetables are a little wilted.  You have to really look at what you're choosing.  Also, its good to take notice of what items are next to non gluten free items.  Sometimes things can get mixed with gluten items on the buffet.

The cook blocked the grill off, cooked my bowl, and handed it back to me.  I picked a pretty good bowl of food.  I probably wouldn't use the lemon sauce again.  I think I prefer to just have my meat and vegetable cooked plain and dip them in buffalo sauce while I'm eating.

BD's Mongolian Grill is located at 428 South 27th Street in the Southside. 

http://www.gomongo.com/