Carle Place: Even more gluten-free

Since its opening in 2006, Café Formaggio has always offered some gluten-free selections. About seven months ago, owner Vincent Barbieri decided to create a separate gluten-free menu that features just about every item on the regular menu. Of course, there are the gluten-free pastas and pizzas, but also fried calamari, mozzarella sticks and zucchini, which are all cooked in a separate fryolator. “To tell you the truth,” Barbieri said, “I like the gluten-free fried calamari better than the regular because the rice-flour coating makes it crunchier."

A dish like osso buco requires very little flour—just a light dusting of the veal shanks before they get braised—but at Café Formaggio the kitchen goes to the trouble of making a gluten-free version. “I’m not reinventing the wheel,” Barbieri said. “I’m just making this stuff available for our celiac customers.”

Cafe Formaggio is at 307 Old Country Rd., Carle Place, 516-333-1718.

Here's a list of other restaurants on Long Island with gluten-free menus.