Restaurant Review: Carmine's - Valentine's Day

Carmine's Ristorante and Pizzeria is located at 1800 E. Franklin Street in Eastgate Plaza to the right of Stein Mart. I saw on their website that they can accommodate gluten free diets, so I went to check it out. It says to ask about vegetarian and vegan diets as well. I decided to go to Carmine's at lunch today because I knew they'd be less busy and I wanted to make sure they'd have all the time I needed to talk about gluten free options.

The waiter was very informative and told me that I was able to choose from gluten free ziti and spaghetti. If you ask, the waiter can also advise you on what chicken dishes to order. I was told that several of the dishes are dusted with flour before they're cooked, but that I could request no flour. I was told that Redbridge beer is also available. I decided to order the baked ziti without meat sauce and a glass of water. I was impressed that bread wasn't mentioned and that the waiter didn't bring any wheat bread to our table. Usually, in a restaurant if I ask for gluten free they'll still bring a basket of bread. The waiter apologized that my order took a little longer, but I didn't mind because I know it was because my meal needed more attention. I was just glad that gluten free pasta was an option!

When I got my receipt, I looked twice because it indicated that I was charged an extra dollar for whole grain pasta. The waiter assured me that the marker was only a substitute because there isn't a gluten free button on the register. Only one more dollar for gluten free pasta is a great deal! Two gluten free entrees and two glasses of water was only $30 including tip!


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