After two long days at the Gluten-Free Living Conference, I did not have the energy to cook last night, so we decided to go to Winter Park for dinner. While we were walking down Park Avenue, we spotted Prato, and decided to eat there. I had recently learned that they were making their own gluten free pasta, and we hadn't been there in over a year, so it was the perfect spot for dinner. The restaurant is beautiful, and has both indoor and outdoor seating on Park Avenue.
Prato serves Italian cuisine, blending Italian classics with modern techniques and seasonal ingredients. I have always found the wait staff to be incredibly knowledgeable about their gluten free options. In the past, I have had both chicken and pasta dishes, but I was excited to try their house made gluten free pasta, which wasn't available on our last visit. I asked our server about how they prepare the pasta. It is rice based and prepared in a separate area of the kitchen to avoid cross contamination. Prato has even been experimenting with a gluten free pizza, but it is not currently on the menu because they feel it is not up to their standards yet. I was told that they have many customers with celiac and gluten intolerance, and understand the importance of avoiding cross contamination in their food preparation.
I ordered a large portion of gluten free pasta with radicchio, speck & balsamico, which our server recommended. I wish I had written down her full description of this dish, because it definitely convinced me to order it. It was incredibly rich and flavorful, and I loved the balsamic reduction.
I also ordered a small portion of the spring garlic carbonara with English peas & tellicherry pepper. My daughters enjoyed sharing this dish with me. It was probably my favorite of the two, but I enjoyed them both.
Here's a closer look at Prato's gluten free pasta. It was impressive! It was like a cross between a regular pasta noodle and gnocchi or cavatelli. It was soft, but not mushy.
My family sampled my pasta dishes and enjoyed their gluten-filled pizza. Hopefully, some day Prato will perfect a gluten free version of their amazing looking pizza!
You can view Prato's menu here. I suggest you make a reservation, because they are always pretty busy, but we were able to get a table without one around 5:30 on a Saturday night.
June 29, 2015 Update
Last night, we had dinner at Prato with friends. I planned on ordering one of their pasta dishes, but was told that they are no longer making gluten free pasta. Our server, who was incredibly knowledgable about their gluten free options, marked one of their menus for me with all of the dishes I could order. I ended up choosing the salmon, which was incredibly delicious. Served with oyster mushrooms, charred corn, peaches, greens, and a pea puree, it was a flavorful and light dish. After dinner, we headed to Le Macaron, where I ordered two of my favorite macarons, the caramel salted butter. It is hard to eat just one! Overall, we enjoyed our meals, but I am disappointed that Prato is no longer making gluten free pasta.
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