Speakeasy: A Gluten Free Restaurant Review

New parents don't get out much. It's true.

My husband and I both work full-time (or extra full-time, as pastoring and academia can be) and have a little boy, so free time is rare. Yet we know that if we don't carve out time for one another, our marriage will suffer.

So we've started bi-weekly date nights! We get a sitter (a wonderful, wonderful young woman who we just adore) for the little man and we go out. Out on the town out. Out for three hours out. Out like we used to do before the baby out.

We started this tradition when the little man turned four months old. We wanted out first date night in four months to be extra special. Memorable. Full of joy.

We don't live near many gluten free restaurants, and those we do live near had started to get... old. A chain restaurant, while good in a pinch, doesn't say Happy-Date-Night-New-Parents!

So my husband called around.

And he found this:

--Photo borrowed from Gazlo.com

The Speakeasy! It's a funky restaurant in Janesville, Wisconsin that serves both standard American cuisine (burgers, wood-fired pizza, filet mignon) and funkier fare (fish tacos, butternut squash ravioli).

The setting is really eclectic. Old wooden tables, funky lampshades, and long lists of exotic drinks (including LOTS of delicious hot teas).

They have no gluten free menu, but many items can be modified to be gluten free. Our server was really knowledgeable, and asked the chef when she wasn't sure what a dish's ingredients were. We visited on a Tuesday night, so the restaurant was half-empty and we got lots of individual attention. I don't know how easily I would have been able to eat gluten free if it was a busy night, but I'm willing to try it a time or two.

They even have gluten free pizza crusts, buns, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert!

I ordered the grilled jailhouse salmon with herbed rice, mango mint salsa, and broccolini. My husband ordered the fish tacos. We were both happy, happy, happy and SO sated.

The only thing that let me down was dessert. They were all out of the chocolate chip cookies (boo!). I ordered a hot tea instead. It was tasty, but it was no warm cookie.

We were there two weeks ago and didn't take any photos, sadly, but I know we'll be back. We both commented that it felt like we were all the way in Chicago - far away from the demands of work and baby. Yet we were only twenty minutes from home! It was a great date.

I give the Speakeasy an A-. If they get those chocolate chip cookies, I'll bump it up to a full A.

Where's your gluten free date spot?