We usually decide to go out to eat on a whim. I’d like to think it’s because we are spontaneous, but the real reason usually has to do with the fact that we don’t want to cook because the kitchen is dirty, or we are tired. This time it had something to do with the time of night, and we had a reason to celebrate an accomplishment of Derrick’s.

This time, for the first time, I tried calling ahead. Though I love driving in the snow, I certainly did not feel like driving all over Spokane for something new. You can only eat so many Singapore Street Noodles before you risk tiring of them.

I started down the list of options and got on the phone with someone from Stir, where I scored a coupon from restaurants.com. They were impatient with my questions about gluten, and warned me to bring my own salad dressing. UGH, I would love to give this a shot, but I did not have the patience tonight.

A few phone calls later, we discovered Savory. The call went something like:

Me: Do you, by chance, have a gluten free menu?

Sweet Savory Phone Answerer (SSPA): Yes, we do.

Me: Really? A stand alone?

SSPA: Of course. We have appetizers, salads and quite a few entrees.

Me: Ok! Sounds good. We’re on our way.

The experience was as sweet as the phone call.

The food, was, well, amazing. The blue menu tipped off our server that we were eating from the gf menu. I asked about cross contamination, and was answered with a lengthy explanation of the efforts to keep things separate, but it is, she explained, a shared kitchen. The fries are in the same cooker as gluten food, so not for celiacs. The rest is good to go.

We started with house made mozzarella, wrapped in proscuitto, topped with chile lime sofrito and a side of dressed arugula. It brought tears to my eyes. I have missed mozzarella sticks for years, and these were fit for kings, so much better than the breaded and fried “sticks” of my gluten years. I could have been done with this plate. I could have been happy with just the puffy little balls of cheesy, sweet, salty and flavorful goodness.

Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella

But we were celebrating.

Citrus Scallops

Wood Grilled Chicken with Cranberry Marmalade

We ordered both the scallops with brown rice risotto, and the chicken with whipped potatoes. I don’t know which one was better. The flavors were complex, especially on the chicken. The seafood was cooked to perfection. Veggies were a little overdone, and the risotto was not the risotto I’m use to, but good. The portions were huge; we got full. So that made the fact that they don’t have a gluten free dessert yet, ok.. It will hopefully include something chocolate.

Five Stars: Menu, Staff, Good Food, Value, Cross Contamination Aware