Go Here Now: Gluten Free Charleston reviews Burton's Grill

Update: I just received an email from one of the owners of Burton's Grill.  He said one of the other partners is gluten intolerant, so from the very beginning Burton's has had a GF menu and that they "take GF seriously."  I LOVE that about them.

THIS is why I started this blog, y'all.  When I heard that Burton's Grill had opened a location in the Towne Centre mall in Mt Pleasant,  I just knew I had to spread the word.  Everyone living gluten-free in the Charleston area needs to know about this restaurant and go there.  Now!  Any business that goes to such lengths to serve the GF community deserves our support, and the quality of their food definitely deserves our attention.

Despite the gushing nature of the review you are about to read, I am not affiliated with Burton's Grill in any way except as a very happy customer. C and I had visited their Virginia Beach location a couple of years ago, so I knew they were committed to providing a quality dining experience for the gluten-free and gluten-full alike and I was looking forward to our dinner at the new Mt Pleasant location.

First, the menu.  The menu!  A legit, GIG-endorsed, gluten free menu with LOADS of choices. Not just salad ("ask for no croutons") and steak with a baked potato. I'm talking about fried calamari (they use a corn flour batter and a separate fryer.)  Salmon piccata over gluten free pasta.  Burgers on gluten free buns.  SO MANY choices and they all sound amazing.

Sangria!

After finally making up my mind and placing my order, I reminded the waiter that my food had to be gluten free, because I'm annoying like that.  And, you know, a little gluten in the appetizer could have me projectile vomiting by dessert.  He assured me my food would be approved by a manager before being brought to the table, and would be served on special plates to "ensure that every care was taken," and I could tell it was not just in response to me  being a neurotic pain in the ass, this is their standard POLICY.  Nice.

Then he came back with our cocktails and looked right at me when he asked if he should bring some bread for the table.  I laughed, a little pissed off - WTF, I just told you I was gluten free - and said "don't ask me, I obviously won't be having any."  And he said oh, but HE COULD BRING ME A GLUTEN FREE ROLL.  I almost fainted.  It's been over twenty years since I had bread in a restaurant. They didn't offer me any at the Burton's in Virginia Beach, maybe they were out that night, but I had no idea it was even an option or I wouldn't have been so snide to the poor waiter, obviously.

So the rest of the table got slabs of a very yummy looking focaccia, but I didn't care because this happy little lump of warm bread was set before me, along with my own tiny bowl of oil and herbs.  "So that you can enjoy the experience as well," the manager said as he placed it on the table.  I clapped my hands like a child and squee'd just a little.  Did I mention it's been over TWENTY YEARS since I had bread in a restaurant? 

omg, it looks like real bread. 

The little roll was warm and crusty outside, and to be honest a little crusty inside, too.  Maybe it had been warmed in the oven a little too long, or maybe that's just how it is.  But it was flavorful, with a kind of toasted breadstick texture, and soaked up the spicy olive oil nicely.  Best of all, for the first time in decades, I didn't feel left out while the rest of the table was enjoying their pre-meal bread basket. 


For my appetizer I chose the baked stuffed zucchini. Our friend S commented that "anything that comes baked in a little dish with cheese melted on it pretty much has to be good," and it's hard to argue with that.  But this was done to perfection.  The zucchini was firm but fork-tender and the creamy combination of goat cheese and manchego nicely balanced the tangy, garlicky tomato sauce.  It was fresh and delicious.

like a little zucchini lasagna.

And even though I thought the roll was a bit dry, the last hunk of it did a great job of sopping up the final drops of cheese and sauce, and it's a good thing, because I think it would have been wrong of me to just pick up the bowl and lick it clean.
 
All my food was hand-delivered by the manager, and served on fancy square-edged plates, unlike the rest of the table whose glutenated food came out on regular round dishes.  It was a subtle reassurance that even though my dinner looked just as scrumptious as everyone else's, it really was gluten free.
 
Main course: fresh catch risotto.  A generous piece of cobia, coated in a light crust of spicy but not-too-hot cajun seasoning, served over a creamy risotto with shrimp, corn and peas in a light lemon butter sauce.  Holy crap, that's good eating.
 

Go fish!

Dessert?  How could I refuse?  I was bursting at the seams but they had gluten free CHOCOLATE TORTE.  The presentation, alas, was a little uninspired.  It was plated unceremoniously alongside a dollop of whipped cream and a mint leaf, and came out on a round plate, but the manager apologized and assured me (before I even asked) that the Chocolate torte was ALWAYS gluten free, regardless of the shape of its plate.  Hahaha, all you gluten eaters.  When you order the delicious chocolate torte at Burton's Grill, you're eating gluten free WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.  And I defy you not to like its dense chocolately goodness.  

 gluten free chocolate cake for EVERYONE

In all, my meal at Burton's Grill kicked gluten free ass.  My gluten-eating companions enjoyed their dinner, too.  The restaurant has a warm and cozy decor, thanks in part to the expert carpentry job that just coincentally was done by my friend J. Brooks Custom Woodworks.  I highly suggest you stop whatever it is you're doing and get to Burton's Grill post haste.