Recently I had to travel to Lynchburg, VA for work. It’s a large town/small city but before I went it seemed like a middle of nowhere place. Naturally, I did lots of research as to where I could eat safely. Aside from chain restaurants, one of the very few recommendations was La Villa–a small, local Italian restaurant. (I often find authentic Italian restaurants to be celiac-friendly, likely because Italy is!)
The owner was actually the one who sat us and when I asked for a gluten free menu, he took quite the interest. He asked how I learned about the restaurant and proudly shared with me how many options they have and how the chefs are fully trained in Italy. He told me they fully understand celiac and gluten free safety. They essentially have a whole second kitchen area where they do the gluten free prep!
Normally this much tomato sauce would scare me–I like some, but heartburn appears often with too much…or so I thought. The owner convinced me I should try my dishes the way they come–with lots of housemade tomato sauce, made fresh and boiled down 6 hours EACH DAY! (It also didn’t have added onion, another suspect.) Surprise–no heartburn!
Above on the left is the gluten free cheese-stuffed ravioli. On the right is the gluten free chicken parmesan (grilled instead of fried) with Bionature GF pasta. I did not ask about nuts, but I did not have any issues.
The atmosphere was very casual–it reminded me of a remodeled interior of a Pizza Hut, but the food was of a much higher caliber. So know, if you’re ever in the Lynchburg area (for Lynchburg College, Liberty University, or the nearby Appomatox Courthouse) in search of gluten free, be sure to stop in to La Villa! (and tell em Gluten Free VA sent ya)
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