When I was in Toledo recently for my boyfriend's drill weekend, I came across Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano via the Find Me Gluten Free smartphone app, and I was quite impressed. I just wish this weren't the only location in Ohio!
The staff is GIG trained. If you're not familiar, this means that the employees have gone through training and learned management practices from The Gluten Intolerance Group. You can learn more about that program for the food service industry here.
When I was there, they had just started using a new pasta vendor. For a while, they didn't have any gluten-free pasta, as they're previous vendor had gone out of business, and they didn't want to serve an inferior product. They were after something of a high quality with a good taste and texture. They found it!
I placed a to go order at the bar and was handed an official gluten-free menu (read: not a menu printed on copy paper). I chose the Pasta di Mare: gluten-free pasta, large shrimp, scallops, and calamari sautéed in a spicy tomato-vegetable sauce and topped with mussels and Little Neck clams. They're right: it is a spicy dish but very filling and satisfying.
The pasta is a different size than their non-gluten-free choices, and the spaghetti is green in color. The bread you see below is a $1 up-charge and totally worth it. It has a slightly sweet taste with a sprinkling of sea salt & black pepper. I set aside a piece for my boyfriend and had to fight him away from eating the rest of it!
If you're in the area, I highly recommend checking them out. They're located in Perrysburg outside Toledo in Levis Commons, an area mall. I will definitely be going there again soon.
Happy eating :)
