Pizza...the glorious American food that unfortunately has been off limits for me since October 2008, when I discovered my food intolerances/allergies. Like most gluten-free individuals I see pizzas in grocery stores such as Mother's Kitchen, Foster Farms and Whole Foods and get excited, unitl I read the list of ingredients.... I am not just gluten-free so these pizzas never quite met up to my "standards". After a bit of giving in and trying gluten-free, but not dairy-free or soy-free and finding myself felling...well let's just say, rather nauseaus, I began experimenting with my own recipes. A few months ago I found the recipe I posted on this blog in January and, oh goodness, I was pretty excited. There is always room for improvement, so I am sure I will alter the recipe next time I use it, but for now it gaurentees deliciousness.
Despite my wonderful recipe, I missed the convenience of pick-up or delivery pizza. So I was intrigued when I my Dad emailed me last week about a local pizzaria that claimed to offer vegan and gluten-free pizza. We decided to check it out.
Friday night I pulled into the parking lot eager to find Paridise Pizza. There it was, tucked away in the corner of a small, business complex. In a rather hidden location, I would not have found it if I had not had the address handy. I walked in and was greeted by the friendly staff. I grabbed a menu and began parusing the options. The prices were reasonable, there were many combinations to choose from and they all sounded even more wonderful when I saw the option of a gulten-free crust at the bottom...oh joy! I asked about the rest of the ingredients within the crust and the staf was more than willing to list them off. Good to go! There was no soy, egg, dairy or gluten, only an extra charge of $2. I ordered and walked out of there in 15-20 minutes with one 12" regular Zen pizza, for my family, and two 8" gluten-free pizzas (one Zen as well and one Royal Hawaiian).
The owner, Mychal Dourson was present when I arrived and eager to answer any questions I had. His nephew, I believe...sorry Mychal if I remember incorrectly...is celiac and Mychal wanted to offer him the chance to order a pizza like everyone else. He bought a smal package of pre-made crusts and on a whim included them on his the menu. He shared how surprised he was when he opened to find that his first ten customers asked for the gluten-free crust! Since then, he has been ordering more crusts and trying different brands. He asked me to get back to him about the crust he used for the pizzas I ordered...so Mychal here are my thoughts:
The toppings were delicious, but the crust was unfortunately very dry and crumbly. It did not have much flavor and had a stiff texture.
I would encourage you Mychal to continue searching!
My two requests, Mychal... goat cheese and a thicker, softer crust! I look forward to trying your pizzas again!
0 comments:
Post a Comment