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| Gluten-Free Taylor Street Baked Ziti |
About four months ago I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, meaning I can no longer eat any foods that contain gluten. It has been an adjustment, but thanks to an extremely supportive wife (who has completely removed gluten from our house), it has been extremely manageable. Really, the worst part of it is eating out, which has led to us saving a lot of money on entertainment. Still, I travel for work so dealing with it is a necessary part of life. Realizing there are others in this situation, I plan to start keeping track of how I eat on the road in an effort to share ideas with others who have this disease and would welcome any ideas you'd like to pass along.
With that in mind, I will begin this feature of The Ayes Have It with Maggiano's in Tampa, Florida. I live about 10 minutes away from a location in St. Louis, but haven't been since my third year of law school when my parents were in town for a Trial Advocacy Competition. St. Louis is known (at least in St. Louis) for their Italian cuisine in a neighborhood in the south part of town called "The Hill" (though my preference is a pair of restaurants (Trattoria Marcella and Stellina Pasta) in a nearby neighborhood. Whatever the case, Maggiano's just never made the cut when we decided we were in the mood for Italian food. When I received my diagnosis however, several people who have either Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance told us how friendly Maggiano's is to people who do not consume gluten. I was not disappointed.
Upon being seated, I was brought a basket of bread that I immediately asked to exchange for a gluten-free menu. I was surprised to learn they do not actually have a gluten-free menu but instead just list off the things you are not able to have (which was really only a few things, though it did include the lasagna). The waitress was moderately knowledgeable, but could tell I wasn't completely comfortable with what I could order so happily called the executive chef out to talk with me. She explained that all of their stocks and sauces are gluten free. I asked about the chicken parmesean, and they told me that the bread crumbs would be problematic, but they could do a grilled chicken breast with cheese and marinara. I was also told up front lasagna was a no-go due to the meatballs and a lack of acceptable replacement for the layered noodles. The chef eventually told me a lot of people really like the Taylor Street Baked Ziti and the Baked Rigatoni Pomodoro.
I started with a spinach salad without croutons. There was some discussion about what cheeses I could have and the waitress promised she would check with the chef about the Gorgonzola and simply leave it off if it was not gluten-free. My salad showed up with Gorgonzola and I did not get sick, so it seems like this was safe. As for the entree, I opted for the Ziti because I was more in the mood for Italian sausage than chicken (see picture above). The restaurant uses corn pasta for the majority of of their gluten-free pastas, including this one. It is never going to taste exactly like regular pasta, but it was a very nice substitute that held its form well and didn't get squishy like other gluten free pastas I've tried. After I finished I was told I could have another plate to-go and was free to try any other kind of the Classic Pastas. I chose the Baked Rigatoni Pomodoro and ate it the next morning for breakfast at my hotel. It was also very good, though I think I preferred the Taylor Street Ziti.
Now, I was under the impression that some locations of Maggiano's have a dedicated kitchen for gluten free dishes and they make a big fuss about serving such dishes on special colored plates (which in all honesty seems like a little much to me). Tampa's location did not have this, but they did assure me they took very serious precautions to avoid cross-contaimination. Good enough for me, I prefer attention not be drawn to me by the color of my plate anyway.
As a side note, Gluten Free Frenzy reports that the Scottsdale, Arizona location serves gluten free bread that is very good and the chef hosts two gluten-free wine dinners per year.
Upon being seated, I was brought a basket of bread that I immediately asked to exchange for a gluten-free menu. I was surprised to learn they do not actually have a gluten-free menu but instead just list off the things you are not able to have (which was really only a few things, though it did include the lasagna). The waitress was moderately knowledgeable, but could tell I wasn't completely comfortable with what I could order so happily called the executive chef out to talk with me. She explained that all of their stocks and sauces are gluten free. I asked about the chicken parmesean, and they told me that the bread crumbs would be problematic, but they could do a grilled chicken breast with cheese and marinara. I was also told up front lasagna was a no-go due to the meatballs and a lack of acceptable replacement for the layered noodles. The chef eventually told me a lot of people really like the Taylor Street Baked Ziti and the Baked Rigatoni Pomodoro.
I started with a spinach salad without croutons. There was some discussion about what cheeses I could have and the waitress promised she would check with the chef about the Gorgonzola and simply leave it off if it was not gluten-free. My salad showed up with Gorgonzola and I did not get sick, so it seems like this was safe. As for the entree, I opted for the Ziti because I was more in the mood for Italian sausage than chicken (see picture above). The restaurant uses corn pasta for the majority of of their gluten-free pastas, including this one. It is never going to taste exactly like regular pasta, but it was a very nice substitute that held its form well and didn't get squishy like other gluten free pastas I've tried. After I finished I was told I could have another plate to-go and was free to try any other kind of the Classic Pastas. I chose the Baked Rigatoni Pomodoro and ate it the next morning for breakfast at my hotel. It was also very good, though I think I preferred the Taylor Street Ziti.
Now, I was under the impression that some locations of Maggiano's have a dedicated kitchen for gluten free dishes and they make a big fuss about serving such dishes on special colored plates (which in all honesty seems like a little much to me). Tampa's location did not have this, but they did assure me they took very serious precautions to avoid cross-contaimination. Good enough for me, I prefer attention not be drawn to me by the color of my plate anyway.
As a side note, Gluten Free Frenzy reports that the Scottsdale, Arizona location serves gluten free bread that is very good and the chef hosts two gluten-free wine dinners per year.
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