We recently had the pleasure of visiting the American Girl Bistro located in the Natick Collection in Natick, Ma.  By making reservations online, we were able to specify the need for a gluten and nut-free lunch. While there is no menu to view ahead of time, upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised to find that gluten-free pizza (crust is also dairy-free) was offered!  Also, a nice surprise was the fact that the kitchen was tree nut and peanut-free!

The gluten-free appetizers included Fresh Fruit Plate (must omit the mini muffins) with yogurt dip, Salad Skewers, and the Veggie Platter with Ranch Dip and a Dill Dip. For entrees, there was the Roast Salmon with Potato (must substitiute potato for orzo), Chicken Lemon Caper with  Garlic Mashed Potato (must have chicken prepared without flour coating), and of course, the pizza. To designate the gluten-free dishes, two American flags were placed on top of the food.

The dessert menu was large (with lots of cupcakes, brownies, cookies, etc) but the gluten-free choices were limited to mostly ice cream.  A variety of milk shakes, an Ice Cream Sundae, a Banana Split and a Raspberry Sorbet with Fresh Fruit were available.

Overall we had a great experience. The food was tasty and the staff was phenomenal in their effort to accomodate food allergies. We appreciated how our tenacious server made numerous trips to the kitchen to verify menu ingredients and potential substitutions.  The only desire I have is that they take advantage of the ever increasing number of  local gluten-free bakers. In this day and age, there is no reason not to have a gluten-free muffin, brownie, cookie or bread on a menu!

Ice Cream Sundae