Donato Enoteca, Redwood City

Donato is a rather odd little restaurant on the main strip of Redwood City. It’s one of those places that looks expensive, feels expensive, is expensive, but is missing something that you can never quite put your finger on.

It’s listed as a Michelin recommended destination, but for me it was a comedy of errors.

The first thing you see when you walk in is a gigantic white sheet. The sheet is so voluminous and flowing that it almost engulfs you as you wait for a table. Here I sat for an unspecified amount of time and was mildly confused when, after waiting and expecting a busy restaurant, I discovered that it was mostly empty.

A waitress quickly came over, I explained the gluten/dairy thing, she took my order, and as soon as she left, a man came with a basket of bread. I find it easier to just thank people when this happens — instead of trying to explain a gluten allergy. A few minutes later the waitress came back and removed the bread with a sheepish smile. However, noticing that the table was devoid of bread (or perhaps thinking I inhaled the entire thing with basket), the man came back and placed a basket of fresh bread in front of me… moments later it was removed by the waitress.

This little dance continued a few more times before it suddenly stopped. I actually thought it rather efficient and kind of endearing that the man was concerned about my bread consumption.

Then the fish came… a.k.a. the odd fish art with grilled broccoli and potatoes. I can always tell when a restaurant is not prepared for gluten/dairy-free requests when they cook food with nothing in fear of adding an allergen to the meal. So, the fish, broccoli and potatoes came with no taste except salt… lots and lots of salt… so much salt that I couldn’t finish the meal.

I really hate these situations and never know what to say… actually, I know exactly what to say, but I never know if the person serving the table needs or wants to hear it… because it’s a systemic problem and not an individual problem.

The meal’s redemption came with dessert: an assortment of homemade non-citrus based gelato. Honestly, this was the best part of the meal. It’s rare to find a restaurant that has a dessert that has no dairy or flour. They had it, and it was delicious.