There is no life without pasta for most Italians, and given that some Italians must also grapple with the scourge of celiac disease and gluten intolerance, people have found a way to make delicious pasta, and pizza, without the gluten.<\/p>\n
Still, it remains a rarity to find a completely celiac-safe Italian restaurant, and now San Francisco has one, in the Richmond District. It’s called Clementina<\/a>, and it’s the latest project of restaurateurs Gianluca Legrottaglie and Viviana Devoto, who opened Montesacro Pinseria in SoMa over a decade ago, along with chef Giorgio Brunella. <\/p>\n Legrottaglie and Devoto were inspired first to launch a pop-up at the former Marina location of Montesacro, named Alice after their daughter, which served a gluten-free Italian menu, after discovering that their daughter had celiac disease. And they’ve now expanded the idea into a full-time restaurant on Clement Street \u2014 in the space that formerly housed their casual concept Bettola. (The Marina location of Montesacro is now closed.)<\/p>\n Brunella also has two daughters with celiac, and together they have imagined a full menu of both classic and inventive dishes at Clementina that leaves nothing to be desired in terms of Italian flavors, textures, and of course, pasta and pizza.<\/p>\n A dish of tagliatelle, with the pasta itself made with chickpea and brown rice flours giving it a familiarly elastic consistencey, comes with wine- and tomato-braised calamari. There’s a beautifully layered pesto lasagna with just enough cheese and bechamel. And a classic saffron risotto \u2014 which wouldn’t have had gluten in the first place \u2014 is dressed with bone marrow.<\/p>\n The crust of the pizza has a satisfying crispness from rice flour \u2014 which is also a component in Montesacro’s signature pinsas \u2014 and you can opt for a simple Margherita, a red pie with anchovies and capers named for Alice, or the meatier Clementina pie with broccolini, Calabrian chili, and pork sausage.<\/p>\n And delicious starters include butter-poached asparagus with buffalo mozzarella, a classic vitello tonnato \u2014 thinly sliced beef with tuna sauce \u2014 and baked mussels with gorgonzola cheese, which may sound odd but is actually delicious.<\/p>\n There is even gluten-free focaccia on offer, as well as baguette slices for dipping in sauces, courtesy of Mariposa bakery.<\/p>\n Families with members who are gluten-intolerant, and those with celiac, will no doubt be glad to have this option for dining out without worry, and with a bevy of options to choose from. See the full dinner menu here<\/a>.<\/p>\n