We recently attended the soft opening party at the Z Pizza in Duluth - located about three miles north of Natural Foods Warehouse. It was the place to be on an otherwise sleepy Sunday evening in the burbs. The place was swarming with people of all ages enjoying delicious salads, pizzas and even apple pie pizza for dessert! Yes, they even make a gluten free version of that for us.
What I find strange about the gluten free community is that the number one thing that people miss once on a gluten free diet is pizza (according to surveys in the US and abroad), yet the hardest thing to get gluten free dining customers to try is gluten free pizza. It's true most places are baking the pizzas in one oven - gluten crusts are next to the gluten free ones. But the crust is wet when it goes in the oven and flour is not flying all around in the actual oven. The places I eat - including the pizza joints I enjoy - have taken steps to keep the gluten free pizzas from being contaminated with gluten. While I have no doubt that someone will eventually open a 100% gluten free restaurant in our area, it's quite doubtful that anyone is going to open a 100% gluten free pizza place here.
Please - if you eat gluten free for any reason and are in the Metro Atlanta area, at least give Z Pizza a try. Locations/phone numbers can be found here. If you don't have a good experience you don't have to go back. But the management there would like to make things right if things go awry I'm sure. My bet is that you'll not only like Z's but you'll become a regular customer because there is just something about having pizza with friends that is good for the soul. When you're there you might ask them to bring in Bard's Tale beer for us....or even Redbridge (worst case).
If you haven't tried Z's yet, here is what you're missing....
TOP: something with peppers and sausage...sorry it was my friends pizza and I forgot the name. MIDDLE: Italian without fresh tomatoes (personal choice)BOTTOM: Apple Pie pizza, it's heavy on the almond flavor with a hint of caramel sauce. Loved it!
If you have not tried Z's yet, you should make a point to do so. When ordering there, I suggest repeating 'gluten free' several times so the staff enters your order correctly. Many are young kids and they are not required to study Celiac to get a job there. For reference the 'normal' crust is thick and the gluten free crust is very thin. If you are served pizza that isn't thin, please ask for a manager before consuming.
