gluten-freelicious

"American" z pizza

Yummy in my tummy!  Z pizza’s gluten-free crust is pretty tasty, and the pizza topping “creations” rock!

Pizza is one of those things I thought we’d never eat out again, and, oh, how it depressed me.  Stuffing myself at Pizza Hut is a fond childhood memory, and it pained me to think I might not get to share that experience with my own children.  I get teary just thinking about it.  Sniff.

So, when I first learned that several restaurants are now offering gluten-free pizzas, I thought I’d jump out of my pants; I was so excited!  Too soon, my hopes were dashed, and our experience at Uno Chicago Grill taught me to lower my expectations for any future gluten-free pizza adventures.  Still, when Kim suggested z pizza, I was thrilled to find out we have several in our area and incredibly anxious to get to one and try it out!

I thoroughly enjoyed our gluten-free dinner at z pizza.  We ordered three creations: Napoli, Thai, and American.  They were all excellent.  The gluten-free crust is simple: light, thin, buttery, and crisp.  The toppings are fresh, flavorful, and plentiful.  I was surprised how much I loved the Napoli, topped only with cheese, tomatoes, and fresh basil.  I rarely cook with fresh herbs (you know, not really being the chef-type), but, WOW, fresh basil is sooo good!!  The Thai pizza was delicious, with spicy chicken and yummy peanut sauce; it had just the right amount of kick.  The American was, well, American…big chunks of sausage, fresh peppers…not quite as exciting as the other two, but still very good.  Z pizzas are light on crust, sauce, and cheese, but packed with flavor.  They are definitely gluten-freelicious.

So, z pizza gets two thumbs up.  I am, however, still on the lookout for a greasy deep dish or New York style gluten-free pizza, loaded with sauce and cheese.  Is it out there?  Is it even possible?

Uno Chicago Grill Pepperoni Pizza

First, kudos to Uno Chicago Grill for offering a gluten-free menu.  They even serve Redbridge gluten-free beer!  Woot!  Woot!

That said, what a disappointment!  I love Uno’s deep dish pizza, and I squealed, literally squealed, when I learned they now serve gluten-free pizza.  I thought, This is going to be so gooood!! Surely a restaurant built on the foundation of delicious Chicago-style deep dish pizza will bring some gluten-freelicious Pizza Genius to the table!  My expectations were high…so very high.

And, oh, how they fell.

The crust is bland, and not at all crisp as you would expect a thin crust pizza to be.  In fact, it was so doughy, I wasn’t sure it was cooked all the way through.  If, like my husband, you think the crust is just a vehicle for the sauce and cheese, you, too, would be unmoved.  “Not enough sauce, not enough cheese.”

Our two boys enjoyed the night out and happily ate two or three pieces of pizza each without complaint.  So, we’ll go back.  Next time, however, we grownups will explore the rest of the gluten-free options.

What a bummer.

UPDATE: Uno’s gluten-free pizzas are made in a dedicated gluten-free facility and shipped frozen to Uno restaurants.