Blogger Spotlight: Amy Green reviews Kozi Kitchen in Dallas, Tx

Amy’s Bio

Amy Green, 33 year-old blogger and passionate home cook, has been living sugar and gluten-free for nearly six years. After a life-long struggle with weight, she learned that her body has an abnormal reaction to sugar and gluten that causes intense food cravings. Her diet change has resulted in a long-term weight-loss of over 60 pounds.
Determined to create satisfying, sugar & gluten-free meals for her husband and food she can serve to anyone, Amy is usually in the kitchen, working on another sugar-free, gluten-free recipe. Though she cooks everything from biscuits to cakes and pasta to roasts, her favorite thing to make is homemade ice cream. She loves to find ways to put the flavors of great food you wouldn’t expect to find in a creamy, frozen form. When not in the kitchen, she’s writing about what she cooks on her blog Simply Sugar & Gluten Free. Amy lives in Dallas with her husband, Joe, and their 4 dogs.
You can contact Amy by:
e-mail at amy2804@gmail.com
her blog: www.SimplySugarAndGlutenFree.com
Twitter: @Amys_SSGF

Kozy Kitchen
Being gluten and sugar sensitive has made dining out a real pain. It’s not impossible, though. I usually preview the menu, remind the waiter at least five times to make sure I can eat everything they serve me, and occasionally I get that look of horror from the manager and decide to leave and eat somewhere else all together.
Not so at Kozy.
Walking in, I was immediately reminded of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on Food Network. Sky blue walls with a black ceiling, Kozy’s has fourteen tables and bar that can accommodate a maximum of 43 diners. This little restaurant is aptly named.
Kozy is co-owned by Jeff Wells, who manages, and Nick Pacageaus, the chef. They opened in 2005 with four (yes, four) Bunsen burners and 12 seats. In the last four years, they’ve expanded twice. Jeff is gluten-intolerant so he understands the difficulties people face when dining out.

The menu is clearly written for people with gluten sensitivities, having only three dishes that can’t be made gluten-free. The breakfast menu includes gluten-free pancakes and french toast, and a side of gluten-free toasted challah can be added to any egg dish for only two dollars. Lunch has the same gluten-free bread options.
It wasn’t just a loaf of bread bought at the local market, either. Kozy makes all of their gluten-free baked goods in-house, including desserts like carrot cake, chocolate cake, and, Oh My God cake. All of their produce is organic, supporting local Farmer’s Markets when possible. The beef, buffalo, and venison is grass-fed. The chicken is free-range organic and their salmon and scallops are wild. With entree prices between $8 and $16, you get more than what you pay for.

After my husband, Joe, and I poured over the menu I decided on the Grass-Fed Buffalo Mozzarella salad. The warm buffalo is sautéed with portabello mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes and melts the mozzarella just enough to make it slightly stringy and fun to eat. Joe ordered a gluten-free bacon, egg, and tomato sandwich with a side of sweet potato hash, which was incredible. I was impressed with the challah’s texture, but Joe was much more impressed with the taste. The thickly sliced bread was toasted to perfection and the sandwich even came with a side of in-house made pesto. For dessert – gluten-free carrot cake ($5.50) which was fresh with a tender crumb.

I know, though, that the real test is several hours later when my body has had some time to digest the food. Kozy’s passed with flying colors. My energy was great and my belly was happy. If you’re ever in Dallas, this is definitely the place to go for top-quality gluten-free food.
Kozy Kitchen
4433 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, TX 75205
214-219-5044