August 10th, 2010 marked my big sissy's 20-something birthday. Normally she's bouncing off the walls excited for give Jenni presents and love day (i mean...who isn't??), but she was none too enthused about this particular number and the calories that came with the upcoming B-Day Cake. However, the morning of, armed with a freshly baked princess funfetti reduced calorie cupcake, she ventured off to work feeling much better and getting excited for the dinner to come at Andiamo.
Now, given past experience, we wisely phoned ahead to the restaurant to let them know of my particular dietary needs. Thankfully, they assured us that they have at least one dish that contains neither dairy nor gluten, and, best part: its on the lean menu! Whoot Whoot! Three courses all together under 300 calories and completely gluten and dairy free and delicious! Or so I thought...When we arrived at the restaurant, we sat down and waited for the server to take our orders. And waited... Seriously slowest service ever! Luckily we had all of our sparkling personalities and intellect to keep a stimulating and fun conversation...yeah...Anyway once our orders were finally taken (I got the Petto Di Pollo Arrostito with a spaghetti squash in marinara appetizer) and the first course finally served, I was happy to see a nice pile of spaghetti squash twisted into a volcano shape and topped with marinara sauce. Albeit it was the size of an entree and very well could have served as one. The soft spaghetti squash with the tangy marinara and tomato chunks was a welcomed start and I definitely could've kept eating. Next came the main entree: a chicken breast in a watery ?tomato? sauce with chunks of wilted veggies on top...I wanted my squash back. Even though it looked semi unappetizing, I decided to go for it and cut a piece of the chicken and veggies, dipped them in the sauce and took a bite. Not so great. Between the extremely dry chicken and the unseasoned veggies, I was unable to finish more than a few bites. The cherry on top of the dining experience: the dessert was not dairy or gluten free...so much for three courses.
After the less than satisfying dining experience, I had some hope heading home, knowing that churning in my ice cream maker I had Decadent Chocolate Ice Cream, turned dairy free.* When it was done, accompanying the FunFetti cupcakes, everyone was silent and happy. With my first bite, I literally melted from head to toe. The smooth richness of the ice cream reminded my mouth of Ghirardelli Double Fudge Brownies, something I have missed like crazy since going gluten free. I topped it with some gluten free sprinkles and was in heaven.
Overall ratings: Andiamo so-so (good squash, bad otherwise), Decadent DF Chocolate Ice Cream two thumbs up!
Andiamo's Dinner Menu (Lean Section Contains Specific Dish)
*See Recipes Page
10 thumbs up on the Decadent DF Chocolate Ice Cream! :) xo
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