Legume

Legume

Legume is a nice little fine dining restaurant on North Craig street in Oakland, PA.  Its menu changes quite frequently, which I find endearing.  The menu is small, but covers a lot of options.  The space is nice and the atmosphere is quaint.  The service was attentive and the waiter was helpful.

I ordered the duck leg confit.  It came with rice, but I substituted it with crispy golden potatoes.  There were collard greens on the plate and it was garnished with a cherry sauce.  It was salty, crispy, sweet and delicious.  The rich flavors complimented each other perfectly. 

The menu was a la carte, so if you want a side or salad, you have to order them separately.  I actuality don't mind this style of restaurant because I decide how hungry I am, not the chef.  I thought this meal was the perfect size without ordering any extras.  I didn't even have any room for dessert.

I really loved this place.  I can't wait to come back to try something else.

This was the lamb shank.  Because of the gravy like sauce on this dish, I don't think it was gluten free, but they said they could make several things on the menu gluten free, just ask.  My non-gluten free friend said this was delicious. 

http://www.legumebistro.com/
214 N Craig St, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

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/

Roman Bistro 33

Roman Bistro 33

Roman bistro has a gluten free menu; just inquire. They have a few appetizers, salads, and entrees that are gluten free. I wasn't expecting to see crab cakes on the gluten free menu and that peaked my interest.  It's not every day you can order gluten free crab cakes at a restaurant.

The menu said to pre order the crab cakes, so I asked the waitress how far in advance I needed to order them.  Did I have to order them before I arrived? Could I order them now? She checked with the kitchen and told me I cold order them now and they would be ready with the rest of the table's entrees.  Great! I knew what I wanted.

The lemon risotto was amazing.  It was just the right consistency, have the perfect amount of tangy lemon, and the cheese complimented the rice so well.  The broccoli was steamed and still crisp. The crab cakes, however, were hard and had the texture of a kaiser roll.  It's not what I prefer in a crab cake.  It was more like a crabby cheddar puff.  Sure there was real crab in the middle and it was gluten free, which I appreciate, but it had too much filler. I think I'll pick something else the next time I come here.

I would actually recommend this place for a gluten free diner.  They are careful & the food is fresh.  They even have a gluten free menu.  I'm sure they can modify something that is not on the gluten free menu as well.

In case you wanted to see the Salmon, here it is. It's not gluten free, though.  But they can make a salmon variation that is gluten free.

2104 Ardmore Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15221
http://www.romanbistro.com/

Cork 1794

Cork 1794

This place looked like it had potential.  When I stopped in, one of the servers told me that there were a few items on the menu that could be made gluten free.  She pointed them out and I agreed they looked promising.  At least this place know what gluten free means.

The sign out front says they take reservations.  I made reservations.  When I showed up for the reservation, they didn't save any tables for the reservation and told me it would be about another 45 minutes.  That's irritating that they don't know how to handle reservations.  I guess maybe because it was during the wine festival, but don't take my reservation if you can't plan accordingly for them.

One of the the allure to this place is that it was an old bank and you can eat in the vault.  No one in my party wanted to eat in there.  There was only one table inside the vault.  I don't know, I thought the vault was pretty cool. 

The service was slow.  The waitress forgot our drinks. She was very ditzy, but they were very busy.  I ordered the chicken breast stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese with a fresh mozzarella cream sauce.  Nothing about it was fresh.

The entree was obviously prepared, cooked, frozen, then reheated.  This is not what I expect from a restaurant.  If I wanted to eat a pre-made reheated meal, I'd reheat it myself.  The chicken texture was weird and not pleasant.  The cream sauce made my stomach upset, and the spinach was over cooked, wilted, and mushy.  It's hard to claim something is gluten free when you didn't make it fresh at the time it was ordered.  So although I don't think the chicken was floured or the cream sauce thickened with flour, I do think there was cross contamination in this meal that had me sick for days.

I would not recommend this place for a gluten free diner.  Although, there wasn't much in the area that could accommodate a gluten free diner.  Go here at your own risk.

Unfortunately, their frozen prepared food extended to the the ravioli.  Their pasta was a lumpy ball stuck together and hard, and the flank steak was over cooked, but probably the best thing I saw here.  So I don't even recommend the food here for a non gluten free diner either.  It's just frozen reheated pre made meals.




17 W Main St, North East, PA 16428
http://grapecountrymarketplace.org/cork-1794

Grits & Grace

Grits & Grace

This is an upscale spin off of a southern country diner.  I'm not sure how else to describe it.  The waitresses wore southern home cooking looking dresses under their aprons, but the walls and decor looked like a trendy downtown atmosphere.  The menu consisted of southern dishes with an almost Asian flare.

First they come around with an appetizer tray.  The six dishes were listed on a card, but none of them were gluten free as is.  They said they would make some of them without soy sauce, but nothing looked appetizing enough to go through the trouble.

I asked the waitress what they could do gluten free.  She mentioned all of the salads and the flank steak.   I asked about the short ribs and the confit chicken wings.  Said she'd check with the chef for more options.  

When she returned she said they couldn't do the short ribs or the chicken wings confit.  She mentioned the arctic char, she said they would use a separate fryer with the fritters.  I asked if they could use a separate fryer for the confit, I'd really like to try it.  She returned with an answer.  She said they could, but it wouldn't be as crunchy.  Sold!

The confit chicken wings were amazing.  The herbed buttermilk dressing was creamy and delicious.  It had sliced chili peppers in it that surprisingly enough, chili peppers don't bother me like bell peppers, so they were no issue.   They actually didn't effect the taste unless you ate one.  The wings were moist and crispy with a rich fatty flavor.  Now I want to try to make this at home.

I also ordered the flank steak on the flat rice noodles.  It was beefy with broccolini, bean sprouts, mushrooms, garlic, and onions.  It was pretty good.  They made it without soy sauce to be gluten free, so make sure you tell them to do that if you want to order it.

This is what the short ribs look like.  They said they can't do them gluten free because the cream cheese biscuit takes up too much of the dish.

http://gritandgracepgh.com/
535 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

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/

Cafe Du Jour

Cafe Du Jour

I love this place.  I'm never disappointed when I come here.   It is closed on Sunday & Monday, BYOB, and cash only, but it's well worth it.  It is an outside dining restaurant hidden on East Carson St.  Once in the door, you walk through the kitchen to get to the outdoor patio dining area.  The patio is set up like a secret garden with a waterfall in the back.  It really quite cute.  There are only a handful of tables, so its best to make a reservation. 

We started with a Spinach Asiago dip appetizer.  It came with bread, but to make it gluten free, they added a plate of vegetables for me to dip.  I was uncomfortable with the bread coming directly on the same plate as the dip, but they were separated by a dish so I spooned some dip on my plate and ate it with the vegetables.

I ordered the wild mushroom consumme soup.  It was a pleasant light beef broth with an assortment of wild mushrooms of all different sizes.  It was delicious.

My friends had the meatballs on a baguette.  It wasn't gluten free, but they said it was very tasty. It had a very nice presentation. 

For my entree, I ordered the strip steak with blue cheese, onion crisps, zucchini, spinach sprinkled with a little cheese, and potatoes.  The steak was cooked perfectly medium rare with a crispy outside.  The onion crisps made me do a double take.  I questioned the server about them going into a frier.  He assured me they were gluten free.  I don't know how they cooked them, because they were crispy and flaky, something usually associated with being not so gluten free.

The perfect end to a perfect meal was the flourless chocolate cake.  It was creamy, fudgy, packed a chocolate punch.  I can't imagine a better end to this wonderful meal.

As I was told, everything must have been gluten free, even though it was hard to imagine that it was because it was all so good.

1107 E Carson St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203