Book of Yum

Picazzo’s Organic Italian Kitchen
7850 N. Oracle Road, Oro Valley, AZ 85704
Locations in Flagstaff, *Oro Valley (Tucson), Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Sedona and Tempe in Arizona.
*Oro Valley is the location closest to Dove Mountain Ritz Carlton, and is about a 30 or 40 minute drive.

Four years ago, I heard about a wonderful gourmet pizza parlor in Arizona called Picazzo’s that offered not only gluten-free pizza, but an elaborate full menu to its gluten-free customers. I was suitably impressed and vowed to eat there as soon as I could get myself to Arizona. Happily, on a gluten-free food fest family vacation that took me through Portland, Oregon, I found out that they had opened a branch in Portland. (Sadly, Picazzo’s is no longer found in Portland, but the former Portland Picazzo’s is now called Sellwood’s Pizza Kitchen and still offers gluten-free pizza!) I enjoyed every bite but somehow didn’t manage to blog about my experience. Shame on me! This time around I was determined to blog about my own Picazzo’s experience.

The moment our plane set down in Arizona, I had a mission to find and eat the gluten-free pizza at Picazzo’s. Unfortunately when I found them on a map, the DH shook his head. “Sorry, honey, that is not on our way.” I was disappointed, but comforted myself by sending him on a gluten-free goodie hunting trek across the city. I was also consoled by gobbling down some hot gluten-free In-N-Out french fries and strawberry-vanilla shake. Not exactly healthy, but it took the edge off after a long food-less morning messing about at airports. I was also consoled when I found out that Picazzo’s had branches near Tucson as well as Phoenix, particularly a location in a suburb called Oro Valley that was a 30-40 minute drive from the Ritz Carlton where we would be staying. I was pretty sure I could convince the DH to drive us to a gluten-free dining destination after a few days of overpriced resort meals.

Sure enough, after a few days of buffet breakfasts and dinners we were all ready for a change of pace. We decided to go to the nearby Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and stop at Picazzo’s on the way back. (For a report on the museum, see the end of this post, and fun vacation collage.*) We all know I just went on the excursion to get to Picazzo’s. I’m sorry, that’s just the way my priorities work.

As planned, we went to Picazzo’s for dinner. There is a convenient Trader Joe’s in the shopping complex with the Oro Valley restaurant, so you can get any travel necessities (or gluten-free shopping done if you live in the area). We like to pick up nuts, seeds, cheap wine, sparkling apple juice, and their gluten-free corn-based crackers. Yum. We bought the cheap wine to drink from the balcony of our hotel room while listening to music from the bar below, but actually, the DH was so busy at his conference we never drank the wine. It was just me and Toddler Yum, and we just knocked back a little sparkling (nonalcoholic) apple juice, a salad and ice cream sundae from room service. What can I say. We really know how to party.

I immediately felt welcomed to Picazzo’s by the big “gluten-free” banner on their side gate. We went in out of the blistering heat to a welcoming and modern dark room with air conditioning. Ah, bliss. They had my favorite lavender hand wipes at the door, which was a nice touch. We sat down at a table and opened the menu. It was a bit early so we were just in time for their happy hour of fun, where you could get cheap gluten-free appetizers (!!!) and presumably alcohol at a reduced rate. I was too excited about the food to really pay attention to the alcohol situation. Sorry, guys. Priorities, you know? What really got me was that there was a kids menu- full of gluten-free items like $5 pizza, pasta, and more. At this point we don’t know if Baby/Toddler Yum has issues with gluten, but to err on the side of caution we are feeding her a low-gluten diet. The only gluten she eats is in any non-certified-gluten-free oatmeal. I just about teared up when I saw that we could get her small portions that were naturally gluten-free. Granted, I usually scoff at the fact that restaurants universally assume that all kids eat is tater tots and pizza, with a side of fruit and boring-as-heck steamed veggies (and not the yummy ones) if they are really being “health” conscious. However. The fact is that Toddler Yum does have something of a bland palate, and she loves plain pasta with butter and cheese. Being able to order that for her made my Mommy-heart weep with happiness.

The first time we went we got her this delicious gluten-free corn-quinoa pasta with butter and cheese. She gobbled it up. I think my girl was a bit tired of fancy-shmancy resort food.

The second time we went we got her gluten-free pizza. Look at these adorable baby pizzas! And no, this isn’t a veggie pizza. For various reasons, my girl is not fully vegetarian at this point. It was so nice to be able to order a small portion of what she will eat and then be able to order my own veggie fare too without feeling guilty about spending the money! Toddler Yum was feeling peck-ish and didn’t eat that much pizza, but the DH was happy to help her out. Her favorite thing- and the DH’s favorite thing too was a non-veg appetizer. Cover your eyes, my dearest fellow vegetarians. They love the *BBQ Maple Wings*. Ok, you can uncover your eyes now.

MY favorite appetizer was the spinach-cheese topped artichoke hearts, which came with delicious gluten-free bread (left) which just so happens to be on their happy hour menu. SCORE! The first time I ordered it it had a really rich spinach cheese-sauce topping and the second time they were more skimpy with the cheese, but it was good both times. I love the idea of using a full artichoke heart as the delivery system for cheesy goodness. I also enjoyed the cheesy pesto bread appetizer on our second visit.

But of course, I can’t talk about a gluten-free menu at a pizza place without talking about the pizza! How was the pizza? I like most pizzas, and this was no exception. It had a clearly rice-based crust with a crispy texture that was appealing. It doesn’t beat my favorite pizza crust from Boulder’s gluten-free bakery, but it is very good and the price was reasonable. The pizzas seem to be basted in oil for extra browning and crisp, so it is fairly heavy fare. You better not be on a diet! I enjoyed the indulgence, though, and the DH gave it thumbs up. Also notice the cute little flag. I don’t know why my pizza was patriotic, but it was an interesting little touch. Maybe it signified gluten-free pizza? Unclear.

The second time we went I decided to order one of the many gluten-free pasta dishes. I was torn between a vegetarian portobello mushroom bolognese and wild mushroom penne and I finally went with the latter. So many choices! We had to rush back to the resort for the DH’s conference and so I ended up taking the pasta and eating it in the car. Toddler Yum gobbled up the noodles in a cream sauce with green peas and savory mushrooms. Well, she ate the noodles, and not so much the peas or the mushrooms. I liked them, though.

When the time came to order dessert, the wait staff couldn’t decide which dessert was better- their cheesecake or their giant chocolate cookie. The first time we went I had a crust-less gluten-free cheesecake with a chocolate berry sauce. The DH enjoyed it and we didn’t even miss the crust. The second time I was afraid (rightly) that it would be our last time and so I ordered that giant chocolate chip cookie, sans ice cream because I had no way to keep it in our hotel room and I had no room in my stomach to eat it. When I tried the cookie later, I was a little disappointed. It somehow had a flat flavor, as if it was made with shortening instead of butter or margarine. I saved it, though, with the thought that maybe I’d use it and make smores. On the last night at the resort hotel, I ended up ordering a kids ice cream sundae from room service, having a picnic and putting the ice cream on top of the leftover giant cookie. What a treat!

I really enjoyed our visits to Picazzo’s and appreciated the amazing variety on their gluten-free menu. It appears that many dishes only have a gluten-free version, which makes cross contamination and mix-ups all the more unlikely. And further, they seem really competent and well trained at serving their gluten-free clientele, I felt very safe eating there. The one thing I didn’t know until after I ate there is that the gluten-free bread products (including the pizza) are probably not, strictly speaking, vegetarian because they use the Tom Sawyer flour blend that contains gelatin. Their gluten-free salads and pastas (made from prepared box pasta) are likely to be either vegetarian or easily made vegetarian.

I’m not the only person to love the gluten-free options at Pacazzo’s. Here are some other reviews:
Gluten-free Travel Blog Picazzo’s Review
Celiac Chicks Review of Picazzo’s

*The Arizona-Sonora Desert museum was really very cool, except for the fact that it was about 110 degrees out and I felt like my face was melting. Baby Yum particularly enjoyed the prairie dogs and I liked the agave cactus garden (low right photo in collage). I also enjoyed the gift shop at the nearby state park visitor’s center, where you could buy a plethora of chili-themed and other southwestern cookbooks and exotic prickly pear jellies.

Dharma Restaurant: Natural Organic Vegetarian Food
4250 Capitola Rd
Capitola, CA 95010
(831) 462-1717

Review:
I love finding a new, local restaurant with a well-developed gluten-free menu, and I love finding vegetarian restaurants that have food that I can eat. Finding them both in one place is a rare and exciting event. When I discovered Dharma’s gluten-free friendly, vegetarian restaurant in Capitola, California through an online search, I was thrilled. Dharma’s Vegetarian Restaurant is a very large, almost cafeteria style restaurant with a warm and cozy family dining atmosphere. You place your order at the counter, since it isn’t a traditional sit down and place your order type of place. To tell the truth, this kind of ordering situation always makes me twitchy because I find it hard to make a decision standing staring at a menu above me. It is even harder with a toddler in tow. Baby Yum got a little hyper so the DH carted her off to a table with some of the resident dinosaur toys and left me to pick food for all of us.

As soon as I saw it on their online gluten-free menu, I knew that I wanted the Indian curry, which you can get with gluten-free bread if you order it specially. But I didn’t think Baby Yum would be too thrilled with all the “spice, spice” as she refers to anything with seasoning. So. when I saw the daily special was a dish with quinoa, sweet potato and soup, I had to order it… for the DH to share with Baby Yum. Then I felt bad later, because it really wasn’t the kind of thing he would order for himself. What can I say, I don’t order well under pressure.

The Indian Curry, though, that was right up my alley and exactly what I would order if I could choose anything in the world. When I saw that curry I just about swooned. Lots of fresh veggies married to a creamy, coconut-rich sauce and sprinkled with cashews- yum! The brown rice was fine, the yogurt sauce was tangy, the chutney was sweet, but the curry, now that was a real treat. I would give it a 4 out of 4 stars. It was served with a bit of what I think was Kinnikinnick bread. I don’t know how they manage their toasters, so I still didn’t eat it. I didn’t need it, even with giving Baby Yum some of my plain rice.

Because it was Mother’s Day weekend I ordered the raw foods strawberry cheesecake, too. I have decided that cheesecake is my favorite raw foods dessert. How can you not love that creamy, nut-based goodness that seems so naughty but is full of good things? This was a lovely, silky smooth and delicate raw foods cheesecake with a tangy hint of lime. Even the DH approved.

The quinoa sweet-potato special really got my attention because the specials menu mentioned a tahini sauce. I don’t care what you drizzle it on, tahini makes everything yummy. Between thinking of my quinoa-loving Baby Yum and drooling over the tahini, I couldn’t resist. I selected a potato leek soup that was recommended by the guy at the counter, and it was a nice soup but looked so very plain when it came out of the kitchen that I felt quite bad about having ordered it for the DH. On the up side, Baby Yum gobbled down the rice and quinoa we gave her from our two plates. On the down side, this meal just didn’t look sexy or very hard to make at home. Teach me to order the bargain lunch special!

I can’t tell you how exciting it was for me to find a gluten-free friendly vegetarian restaurant on our little road trip. The first restaurant I ever really enjoyed was a little place called the Creative Vegetarian Cafe in Boulder, which closed a few years later. I loved the international take on vegetarian dining, and I’ve missed having the experience of eating good, thoughtful vegetarian recipes out. Here in Silicon Valley it seems the only vegetarian restaurants are based on Chinese/ Taiwanese Vegetarian cuisine, which is so full of wheat-based soy sauce, wheat flour and wheat gluten that it is completely off limits. Or, they are based in Indian cuisine, which I love but often has mystery spice mixes or cross contamination issues. Finding a place that gives me the international dishes I crave but has gone to the effort to have a gluten-free menu was the best Mother’s Day present ever! If you happen to find yourself in Santa Cruz and take an excursion towards Capitola, definitely check out Dharma’s Vegetarian Restaurant and their fantastic gluten-free menu!

*Please note, they do prepare gluten dishes in their kitchen, so you may want to ask questions about preparation and cross-contamination issues.

How we found the restaurant:

I have a crush on Santa Cruz. I’ll admit it. Santa Cruz is the home of New Leaf Health Food Stores, my favorite REAL natural food store in California, and also the home of Love Apple Farm, an organic farm that produces gorgeous produce for a local gourmet restaurant while also cultivating and selling amazing heirloom tomatoes. Love Apple Farm has become increasingly involved in education, providing classes on topics from backyard chicken-keeping to preserving to summer or winter organic gardening. Ever since we bought our first house with a yard, the DH and I have been burning to start a garden. And, shortly before Mother’s Day, we attended a class at Love Apple Farm to get an education on organic gardening. At that class, we learned about the Mother’s Day Plant Sale at the Cabrillo College Horticulture Center where you can buy beautiful organic heirloom plants the likes of which would never be found at Lowe’s or Home Depot. This is how I found myself in Capitola, California on Mother’s Day Weekend with a car full of gorgeous plants including purple tomatillos, quinoa, and a rainbow of lettuce. I had all this potential food in the car, and yet- I was hungry! Luckily the DH has an Iphone, and so we did a search and I found a vegetarian restaurant in the area with a gluten-free menu. Yippee! I knew I liked the Santa Cruz area.