Kitchen On Common - Belmont, MA

A friend of mine recently had a small soiree for her birthday at Kitchen On Common located in Cushing Square, Belmont, MA. This was my second visit to Kitchen On Common and it was no less delightful than the first. This gem of a place is tiny, but delivers big time on flavor. Some bonuses: 1. Chef Jon Kokubo's seasonal menus offer local, fresh ingredients. 2. The food is prepared to order, so if you have any allergy, it seems that Chef Kokubo can handle it. 3. It's BYOB and if you forget that, there's a wine shop right next door (quite convenient!)

Onto the food...

For starters I ordered a salad of roasted ruby beets, radish, baby spinach, crispy shallots, sweet candied pecans, and a crazy-good vinaigrette. The flavors were fresh and earthy and paired well with my Albarino (bought next door). I could have eaten a bowl full of this and called it a day. That being said, my entree was so good that I was happy I did not further indulge. The half chicken is pan roasted as it is ordered, so it takes a little while. The wait is worth it for the perfectly crisped skin and the juicy chicken that follows. Nicely cooked and seasoned chicken is one of life's best delights. Wanting my meal to be both gluten free and dairy free, I kept the brussel sprouts but subbed maple roasted carrots for the potatoes that come with the chicken. I was a big fan of the roasted brussel sprouts and I did like the carrots, though I found it difficult to taste the maple.

This is a great place for an intimate dinner party and a cute place for a date. It's perfect for four ladies wanting to enjoy great food alongside great company, without the fear of having to be slighted because of an allergy.

My only complaint: the Chef's wife had made these awesome GF chocolate peanut butter cookies the last time I was there and they were sold out this time around! Kitchen On Common is definitely a great find for gluten free and dairy free diners.

Four starts out of five.

Tavolino at Patriot's Place, Foxboro, MA

My first visit to Tavolino was during my bachelorette party. My sisters found out that they make gluten free pizza and have a gluten free menu. I was impressed with the pizza enough to return the other night and to share a few slices with my GF brother.

Tavolino has a good sized GF menu, including around 15 different pizzas. It's a thin crust style, but is there every a non-thin-crust if it's GF? We sampled three different pies: sausage with hot cherry peppers, one topped with steak tips, and a chicken & broccoli pizza. The chicken & broccoli pizza is my absolute favorite. It has this luscious garlic cream sauce that compliments the toppings. My brother preferred his sausage and hot cherry pepper pizza, which I must say was a winner. I think the brother & I both concurred that the steak was the least favorite; that being said, proxy glutard loved the steak pizza.

I'd like to head back and try their chicken pasta dish.  I definitely will be back to try out many things on their menu....maybe even during the remaining patio dining season.

For around $11 per GF pizza (no upcharge!), this is a solid date night place or just a great place to have good pizza with your brother. 4 stars from Yelle.