Our {Gluten-Free} Trip to Il Fornaio

As you may already know, Superman and I recently celebrated our 15th anniversary. To mark the occasion, we went to a restaurant we had never been to, Il Fornaio. If you haven’t heard of it, Il Fornaio is an authentic Italian restaurant with locations in 5 states and a reputation that precedes itself. I was so excited they had a gluten-free menu for Superman, that I wrote them asking if they would be interested in having me do a review of their restaurant on my blog. They graciously obliged! So, we decided that for Superman’s 35th birthday, we would suffer terribly and return to this amazing restaurant.

First off, just walking into the place, we felt as though we were entering someone’s home. The hospitality was unbelievable. We were immediately greeted, swiftly seated, and tended to as though we were royalty. Now, I know this was not just because I was there doing a review, because we received the same treatment when we had been there a few weeks prior for our anniversary. We were promptly offered drinks and bread (which we politely declined, then asked for gluten-free menus) and our server, Josh, quickly left and returned. The gluten-free menu was extensive and offered an array of choices for our palates:

I ordered the Petto di Pollo al Peperoncino: “Grilled free-range chicken breast marinated with sage, rosemary, thyme, crushed red pepper, white wine, Dijon mustard and lemon; served with spicy peperoncino sauce, sautéed organic spinach and roasted Yukon Gold potatoes.” Yup. It’s pretty much as incredible as it sounds. You’ll see pics soon… Superman? He ordered the Bistecca alla Fiorentina: “Grilled 22-ounce porterhouse steak served with sautéed organic spinach and roasted Yukon Gold potatoes.”

While we were waiting, I noticed this adorable toothpick holder on the table:

I know, I know. It’s a toothpick holder. But I thought it was so cute! Ok, I digress. I was getting hungry…

And Superman was practicing his “fancy” skills drinking…you guessed it! Gluten-free water!

I kid! I know water is already gluten-free…just checking to see if you were still reading!

But before our stomachs even growled, Josh brought out our picture-perfect food. My chicken:

And Superman’s steak:

My chicken was perfectly cooked. The spicy peperoncini sauce added just the right amount of kick, and gave the meat an amazing flavor I’ve never tasted anywhere else. I’m thinking the fact that the chilies used for the sauce are imported straight from Italy may have something to do with that! The spinach and potatoes were a nice complement to the chicken, and rounded out my meal to a satisfying, filling dinner.

I tasted Superman’s steak so I could see how it was, and it was moist, tender, and full of flavor!

But of course, we saved room for dessert! Let me just pause for a moment so you can soak in the amazingness that is the desserts we indulged in…

Ok, you can wipe that drool off your chin now and listen while I tell you about these sweet treats that had us groaning in enjoyment.

I ordered an Affogato al Caffé, which is two scoops of vanilla gelato drenched in espresso and topped with fresh whipped cream and chocolate espresso beans. I may, I repeat, I may have thought I died and went to heaven for a brief moment in time. Oh, if you haven’t been to Il Fornaio before, it is worth the trip, even if it’s just for dessert! This was by far the most delicious dessert I have pretty much ever had. The bitterness of the espresso combined with the sweet creaminess of the gelato and whipped cream made for a sweet party in my mouth.

I wish I had a video of Superman eating his Crema al Doppio Gusto. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so enraptured with a food before. It’s similar to Cremé Bruleé, but as Superman says, “Soooooo much better.” Crema al Doppio Gusto is a fennel-infused custard with chocolate mousse and caramelized sugar topping. Just reading that out loud makes my mouth water. Superman isn’t even a big dessert eater (I know, right? I don’t understand this foreign concept…I’m still trying to figure out how I’m married to an alien), but he is in love with this dessert. I would almost be jealous of this love if I didn’t understand it so much myself.

As you can probably see, I was thoroughly impressed with our meal. So much so, that I asked if the chef could come out so I could give him my compliments myself:

He was completely humble and didn’t seem to fully understand the high I was on from the meal we had just consumed. But very kind and gracious, and I felt honored to have met him.

I really had no complaints about our visit. The only thing I would recommend, if I were to suggest something, is that the restaurant offer gluten free bread as a substitute to the regular bread brought out before the meal arrives. Il Fornaio has a reputation for its bread, and I wonder if they might be able to come up with something amazing to satisfy the palate of those who have to eat gluten-free? If you’re looking for another great dining experience, La Villa is an italian restaurant Lynchburg, VA.

Finally, as we left, I had to get a picture with our great server, Josh. He was quick, attentive, and really quite doting. I kinda wish we could just keep him around our house to take care of our meals all the time:

So there you have it. Our {very successful} trip to Il Fornaio. Will we back? You betcha! Will we order dessert? Heck yes! Would I recommend this place to all of you? Ummm…if you love fresh, quality food and amazing service, YES!

Note: I received two complimentary meals in exchange for this review. This exchange in no way affected my review, and the words I write are true and honest! 

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