The Red Lentil - Watertown, MA

If you asked me a few years ago if I'd ever think that vegan, gluten free food could be considered a "foodie find" I'd probably have laughed in your face. After my visit(s) to The Red Lentil, I can honestly say that gluten free and vegan absolutely can be foodie finds given the proper, loving treatment. In fact, I posit that this type of cuisine can be completely addicting and deceptively dairy free.

My first trip to The Red Lentil started with one of their most popular appetizers: Gobi Manchurian. This dish starts with cauliflower dipped in chickpea flour battered, then deep fried; it is then combined with peppers, onions, and a delightfully spiced tomato sauce. This dish is on almost every table I've seen in that restaurant...and is always a part of my dining experience. If it came by the bucket-full, I would totally order the largest bucket. It would make converts out of any non-believers in good veg fare.

If I'm seeking a lighter dinner, I generally opt for the greens of the day. My last experience was a combination of collards, chickpeas, onion, tomato, and garlic. My only critique: if you're billing yourself as a vegan/vegetarian restaurant, don't use pre-diced garlic; the real deal would be way better and bring a lot more flavor. Still, it was a delicious dish and I would order it again.

On the more substantial end, there are tomato and mushroom ragout over polenta or pistachio and herb encrusted tofu with tasty corn cakes. These dishes are topped with "creams" of different flavors and though they are made with cashews, you'd swear it's the real thing.

Other notable finds: they always have a gluten free and vegan dessert. Their dessert chef is something of a wizard. The first time I ate one of his cakes I really didn't believe it was dairy free. I asked the kind waitress to check, then double check, and following two confirmations of it being dairy free, I demanded to know what trickery was used to make it so scrumptious. Since then, I just enjoy each bite and secretly hope that the chef will give me private cooking lessons one day...

This restaurant is quite unique and is definitely worth a visit. I enjoy that the gluten free and vegan entrees are clearly marked and I like that there are always daily specials to choose from. For the foodie - there are occasional tasting menu nights!

Three and a half out of five stars.

British Beer Company - Framingham, MA

British Beer Company has a very large Gluten Free menu. I've always been able to find something here that I enjoyed. It's not a GF foodie place, but there are many options. Though I've tried almost all of their salads (which I've found to be full of fresh veg and good protein), I've ordered their pizza a few times and it's been nothing to blog about...until now.

I've recently given up cheese and you might be wondering why, after I've stopped eating cheese, do I care to not only order, but write about the pizza? I mean isn't pizza all about the gooey cheesy stuff? Well, not for this gal any longer. I was swayed to try out BBC pizza again because of the buy-one-get-one pizza deal that even applied to the GF counterparts. I thought that GF Hubs might like to have some and/or enjoy it for the next day's lunch. Here are the results:
1. the shaved steak and veggie pizza is dynamite, even sans cheese. They really loaded the pizza with veggies and shaved steak. It was like eating a Philly cheesesteak with a little red sauce. I would order this pizza again and again - no cheese necessary.
2. the BBQ chicken pizza was redeeming, but the sauce was very sugary. I might order extra red onion and add avocado to the white meat chicken to make it a bit better. (I *may* have added the avocado to the left overs...)

Gluten free pizza hinges largely on how well they handle and bake the crust. While I can't speak for the Walpole, MA location's improvements, I can say that the Framingham people handle the crust adeptly. It's thin crust, but not crispy. As far as crusts go, there are many that take the cake over BBC's, but BBC sure can top a steak pizza like nobody's business!

Two and a half stars 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.