Gluten-free pizza dough

Celiac disease, also known as gluten-intolerance, is one of the most common chronic health disorders in the Western world.

As more Americans are finding out they can't tolerate gluten - a very small protein found in wheat, barley and rye - the demand for gluten-free foods is increasing exponentially.

Farrelli's Wood Fire Pizza (the local pizza chain) has stepped into the gap. They currently toss gluten-free pizza dough, loaded with toppings, into their apple-wood fired ovens at their Sumner location (15007 Main St. E.), with their Lacey store on Yelm Highway Southeast and the Sixth Avenue location in Tacoma going gluten-free in the next week or so.

Down the road, Farrelli's is looking to introduce a Neapolitan-style crust and add more pasta dishes to its menus.

By the way, you can feed your kids for nothing at Farelli's on Mondays. For every $10 spent by a paying adult, one kid eats free. It's pretty rad.

For menu information and locations, go to farrellispizza.com. - Michael Swan

Bruno's European Café

Blink and you miss it. Bruno's European Café is but a blip on the visual radar while driving down Pacific Highway in Lakewood. Open for just six months now, Bruno's features a well-rounded menu filled with home-style entrees, soups, cabbage rolls, piroshky, potato salad and sandwiches. The tiny café seats 18 people, at only four tables, making for quite a cozy dining experience. Kristina Tomaszewska acts as greeter, waitress, cashier and prep cook - making piroshky by hand - while husband Bruno cooks every dish. Portions are plentiful and average price is $7.95 - cash only.

I couldn't pass up a dish named frikadeller. The meaty pork cutlet covered with gravy contrasted nicely with a refreshingly cold salad of thinly sliced cucumber doused with sugared vinegar and oil. Mashed potatoes were a simple affair.

While it may come as a surprise to the non-foodie, the term "pancake" doesn't always equate to a plate of sweet, syrup-covered breakfast. The German potato variety are dubbed pancakes due to shape and method of cooking; they're patted out flat and round and grilled golden in a pan until the edges are crispy with oil. At Bruno's, a thick tomato-sauce-based pork stew with carrots, onions and peppers was loaded between pancakes and topped with more tomato sauce and a fat dollop of sour cream. - Jennifer Johnson

[Bruno's European Café, 11725 Pacific Hwy. SW, Lakewood, 253.719.7181]