Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano Paleo and Gluten-Friendly Dinner
The last thing any person sticking with a Paleo Diet wants to do is walk into an Italian restaurant. After all, this is the place where you get heaping bowls of pasta and warm, crusty bread. So, what on Earth was I doing coming here to Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano for dinner?
In my quest to find out about healthy dining options throughout Walt Disney World, I braved the wonderful smells and walked inside. My dining partner was thrilled that he could enjoy both a gluten-free flatbread as well as a nice bowl of gluten-friendly pasta. If you have a food allergy, please know that you will likely still find many options on the menus here. As you can see, the appetizers menu features something for everyone.
The Carne D’Italia Flatbread featured pepperoni, house-made sausage, pancetta, and spicy marinara sauce on an allergy-friendly flatbread. It came loaded with meat and gooey, melty sauce. My dining companion downed it in record time.
Paleo and Gluten-Free Dinner at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
Of course, the phenomenal Disney Chefs are always ready to please, and our dinner here at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano was no exception. As you can see on the Allergy-Friendly Menus for adults and children, there are many options available. Do not, however, think that is the limit of what you can get. If you look over the menus, you will see that they offer a variety of vegetables. That fact alone means you will have options for side dishes that do not include pasta. One word of warning for those seeking salads, the dressings do contain sugar. However, you can ask for extra virgin olive oil and balsamic or red wine vinegar on the side.
After looking over the regular menu, I was really craving the Seafood Cioppino. It features shrimp, mussels, calamari, fish, and spaghetti tossed with spicy Cioppino sauce. However, this was not featured on the Allergy-Friendly Menu. That did not stop me from asking if it would be a possibility. When I mentioned this to the Chef, she came up with a wonderful alternative. We substituted an array of vegetables in place of the pasta. It is difficult to see them in the photo as they are covered in a sea of seafood. There were green beans, mushrooms, cauliflower, and squash under that pile of delectable seafood. The chef brought the dish out to me with the spicy Cioppino sauce on the side so that I could add as much or as little as I desired.
Happily, there is no added sugar in the sauce or anything that would make it Paleo-unfriendly – unless you do not consume wine. There is a little bit of Chardonnay in the sauce. I will tell you that the dish tasted great both with and without the sauce. It was hard not to lick that bowl clean at the end of the meal.
My dining companion ordered the gluten-friendly wood-grilled chicken and penne pasta. The four-cheese sauce contains half & half, parmesan cheese, heavy cream, white pepper, kosher salt, asiago cheese, pecorino cheese, olive oil, garlic, and fontina cheese. Their recipe says to add a roux consisting of butter and flour. I am guessing that they eliminate that step when preparing it as a gluten-free version. If that is the case, this dish would likely be fine for many people on a Keto diet. If you are a cheese lover, this dish is for you. This meal is also available with shrimp.
We are getting pretty used to the standard gluten-friendly flourless chocolate cake served at many restaurants throughout Walt Disney World. It does not mean we love it any less. Yes, it contains sugar, but it is still so good! Since I am dairy-free, we opted for the whipped cream on the side for my dining companion.
Having looked over the recipes that I received from the restaurant, there are many dishes you could enjoy on any diet. I highly recommend Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano for anyone with allergy concerns or dietary issues.