There is no life without pasta for most Italians, and given that some Italians must also grapple with the scourge of celiac disease and gluten intolerance, people have found a way to make delicious pasta, and pizza, without the gluten.
Still, it remains a rarity to find a completely celiac-safe Italian restaurant, and now San Francisco has one, in the Richmond District. It’s called Clementina, and it’s the latest project of restaurateurs Gianluca Legrottaglie and Viviana Devoto, who opened Montesacro Pinseria in SoMa over a decade ago, along with chef Giorgio Brunella.
Legrottaglie and Devoto were inspired first to launch a pop-up at the former Marina location of Montesacro, named Alice after their daughter, which served a gluten-free Italian menu, after discovering that their daughter had celiac disease. And they’ve now expanded the idea into a full-time restaurant on Clement Street — in the space that formerly housed their casual concept Bettola. (The Marina location of Montesacro is now closed.)…