Locating on the Crescent street, which is one of the streets with highest restaurant density in Montreal, Wienstein & Gavino’s offers the flavors and traditions of Italy. W&G has been around for 20 years in the food scene, but just like what they’ve stated on their site, they are constantly exploring new and creative dishes as trends evolve, which leads to the introduction of their gluten-free menu! As gluten-free is one of the trendiest diet,the restaurant created the menu for customers who prefer to follow a gluten free lifestyle. However, it is not designed for people who suffer from Celiac disease, therefore, there’s a risk of cross-contamination or traces of gluten.
Though I’ve passed by quite a few times already, it was my first time in the restaurant. It was really spacious, with two floors, as well as terraces! There’s a huge open kitchen, where all the pastas and pizzas are made. They are all homemade from scratch, and the pizzas are cooked in the brick oven.
The ambiance is classy with the dark wooden furnitures, and huge collections of wine bottles are displayed throughout the restaurant. What I liked the most was the faded, rustic walls. It showcased the history of the building.
Started with the polpo alls griglia, which is grilled octopus with lemon-pepper glaze, calabrian nduja-cannellini beans ragoût. The octopus was tender and fresh, but a bit overcooked, which made the tail quite bitter. The beans were flavorful, soft but not mushy, which I preferred it over the octopus.
For the gluten free pasta, there’s only the choice of spaghetti or penne. I had the mist di mare spaghetti, which had lobster meat, mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops, calamari with tomato sauce and white wine. There was generous amount of seafood, and fresh too. The texture of the spaghetti was a bit springy than I expected! It was really similar to the regular spaghetti.
Who would have thought that a gluten free crust can taste so good? I chose the Donna Sarah, which is made with the arugula pesto base, and topped with mozzarella, ricotta, figs, grape tomatoes, and caramelized onions. Upon serving, I thought it looks just like cauliflower crust visually, but doesn’t taste like it. It was thin and crispy. Evenly rolled out. I actually wouldn’t mind this over the traditional crust! It’s less filling, so I could eat more. I’m not sure who Donna Sarah is, but I loved this combination! It’s sweet and savory at the same time with my favorite pesto sauce.
Overall, the gluten-free experience was better than I expected! The texture and the taste didn’t compromise just cause it was gluten free. The waiter was very attentive. You’ll be able to find italian pizza throughout the city, but not every restaurant offers gluten free crust. If I go back, I would opt for the gluten free crust.
Wienstein & Gavino’s
1434 Crescent street, Montréal
Tel: +1 (514)288-2231
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