Are you unable to eat wheat, dairy, gluten? If you answered, Yes then there is good news-you can have Pizza! Since being wheat/dairy/sugar free, one of the foods I miss the most is pizza, and thought I would forever be deprived of…until this week! If you cannot eat dairy either, they have a delicious vegan cheese alternative.
Believe me, I tested a lot of pizza dough recipes to include in my cookbook, No Wheat No Dairy No Problem, but did not succeed in making one that was worthy of being in the book. However, I am still determined to develop one without the ingredients I don’t like or use so, hopefully it will appear in my next cookbook! Until then, we can enjoy it at Amici’s and not even have to do the dishes!
A friend of mine who does not have food allergies invited me to go to eat gluten free pizza and beer-what a good friend! We went to eat at Amici’s Pizza in downtown San Jose, CA because I heard they had gluten free pizza available! I was delighted to find that not only did they have gluten free pizza, but they also had gluten free beer! Wow! I have visited other pizza places that had gluten free pizza, but it was pre-made off site with cheese so, I could not eat it. I was thrilled to find out that Amici’s could make the pizza with a vegan cheese…yes, it is also available with regular cheese for those who can eat it.
We ordered a veggie(black olives, mushrooms, onion, sun-dried tomatoes) pizza with gluten free crust and vegan cheese. I was skeptical about the vegan cheese since I have never found one that tastes good or melts well. If you have a favorite, I’d love to know what it is-please share with us. To our surprise the 12 inch gluten free pizza was DELICIOUS-the crust was thin, crispy and soft, the topping were yummy too-even the mushrooms were sautéed. We substituted the sun-dried tomatoes instead of green bell peppers with a small extra charge that was worth it. The gluten free pizza is only available in 12 inch size. The price ranges from $21.50-$26.30+. The veggie pizza with sun-dried tomatoes and 2 gluten free beers and tip was just under $40. So, this is not an inexpensive treat, but well worth a dinner out to enjoy something delicious and hard to find. The costs to offer this are higher so, it does get passed along to the customer and understandable so. We will definitely go back and order delivery service!
We had so much fun folding our pizza in half and eating it New York style on the street-brought back old, fond memories. We laughed and felt like we were back in college again-pizza and beer! We had left over and took it home wondering how it would be re-heated. We re-heated it in the toaster oven on 400 degrees for 5 minutes and it was just like the night before-crisp and delicious. Amici’s does have half-baked pizzas available to finish baking at home or they DELIVER!
Gluten Free pizza is ONLY available at certain locations including: San Jose, San Francisco(2200 Lombard St.), Dublin, Menlo Park, Mountain View and Vacaville.
I have not been drinking beer since it seems to bother me, but I decided to try this gluten free beer, made by Budweiser $3.95) everyone was talking about…and it was very good even though it did not have a lot of foam it did make up for that with a light, refreshing taste with a hint of hops. The grain that is used to make the beer is sorghum. BTW, I do not normally care for Bud- I am a beer snob and prefer micro brewed pale ales! Give it a try and see what you think.
A few technical notes for those of you who are interested. This pizza crust is made offsite at Still Riding Pizza in Bridgeport, Connecticut where the kitchen is gluten free. The crust contains: bean flour, rice flour, tapioca flour, xantham gum, salt, yeast, egg, cider vinegar, sugar, canola oil, calcium propionate. I was not thrilled about the xanthum gum, sugar or canola oil, but I figured once is not going to be harmful. And, it was worth it.
If you don’t live near an Amici’s Pizza, go to www.stillridingpizza.com to purchase the dough to be shipped to your home. A 12 inch pizza dough is $9.95, and you can order up to 18 crusts for $80!
Amici’s kitchens take the following steps to ensure there is no cross contamination:
Prepare GF items in designated area that is “clean” away from any wheat/flour products
Pizza sauce, cheese and toppings are stored in a special area away from any other foods
GF Pizza is baked on a raised screen so it does not come in contact with the cooking surface used for other pizzas
GF Pizzas are handled and cut with special equipment/cutters used ONLY for GF pizzas.
Conclusion: Go try Amici’s whether you eat in , take out or get delivery. It is delicious. Let us know how you like it by posting a comment under this article on http://www.NoWheatNoDairyNoProblem.
Have your pizza and eat it too without suffering! Bon Appetit and Cheers, Lauren
NO WHEAT, NO DAIRY, NO PROBLEM! 