Tag Archives: new york city

The Little Beet Table

13 May

Tender ShrimpWhile in NYC last weekend, we tried the entirely gluten-free The Little Beet Table. Not only is everything gluten-free, but they also are heavy on the veggies so you can feel good about what you are eating. To start, we had the Tender Shrimp which was served with chickpeas, garlic and chili. I would have ordered 5 of these. There was a fight at the table for the chickpeas, garlic and chili. We also shared the Tuna Tataki.

Tuna TatakiThe charred jalapeño vinaigrette gave this dish a subtle heat that was quite good. For the baby, we ordered the Roasted Sweet Potatoes and their Market Beans.

Sweet PotatoesServed in a cast iron skillet, the sweet potatoes were perfect in every way. Due to the yumminess of the smoked sea salt on top and the crispy skin, we took the opportunity to teach our daughter that sharing is caring.

Market BeansShe wasn’t too fired up about the beans which was fine by me as I finished these off with gusto. I ordered the LBT Burger as my entree. This was topped with roasted tomato, potato crunch, special sauce, bacon and NY state cheddar.

LBT BurgerAlthough it was really good, I didn’t really get much crunch from the “potato crunch”. It was served with fingerling potatoes and some extra “special sauce”. The special sauce had a little kick in it that tasted a bit like horseradish. My dad ordered the Rigatoni with onions, garlic, olives, tomatoes and pepperoncini.

RigatoniThe gluten-free pasta was a great consistency so I asked whose they use. Apparently the reason it was so good is that they make it in-house. My husband got the Vegetable Panini served on a multi-grain bread.

Vegetable PaniniThe bread was outstanding. I would use it for all my bread needs if it was available for purchase. The sandwich was so good with the sliced zucchini that we have talked about recreating it at home. It was so nice to be able to go to a restaurant where I could try what everyone had ordered. I am not sure that they appreciated how much I ate of their dishes, but it was definitely a special experience. I can’t wait to get back there so we can try their flatbreads.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Rubirosa Ristorante

8 Jan

GF Mozzarella SticksWhile in NY, we tried a place in Soho called Rubirosa Ristorante. They had a gluten-free menu and after asking our waitress a bunch of questions, it was clear that they were aware of what cross contamination was and how to avoid it. We started with the mozzarella sticks. Fried cheese = Perfection. We then split the Classic GF pizza.

GF Cheese PizzaWe really enjoyed the pizza as all of the ingredients involved were tasty. I can’t wait until we get back there so I can try the pasta… and the chicken parmigiano… and the rice balls… and the meatballs.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Crumbs Gluten-Free Bakery

7 Jan

GF Crumbs SignThe hubs and I made a last trip back home while I was still allowed to fly. While in NYC, we decided to try out the new Crumbs Gluten-Free Bakery. As we were there early in the morning, it didn’t seem right to have a cupcake.

Crumbs GF CupcakesThey did look very enticing though. Instead, we ordered a blueberry muffin and an apple crumb muffin.

GF Blueberry MuffinThe blueberry muffin was a little bit dry. The apple crumb muffin was great though.

Apple Crumb GF MuffinOne thing that I would suggest is to put in a couple of tables and chairs to enjoy the items there. It was snowing outside so we wanted to just sit somewhere to eat the muffins. When I asked the girl behind the counter, she said that they didn’t have any seating so that people would not be inclined to bring in outside food that may not be GF.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

The First Guest Post: Keste Pizza

9 Jul

Note: I have a very supportive group of people in my life that I am lucky to call “family”. It is impossible for me to try every GF friendly restaurant that I would like to, so sometimes it is nice to send my family to try these places on my behalf! So without further ado, the post below is from my wonderful father who loves trying new restaurants even more than me!

Tonight  I fulfilled a promise I made to my daughter and went to Keste Pizza on Bleecker Street in New York City.  This was a return trip for me and the object was to taste their Gluten Free Pizza.  Keste has had many rave reviews for their pizza, including being called “one of America’s 10 Best Pizza Parlors” and the “Most authentic Pizza Pie in New York”.  Since 2010 he has been building upon this reputation by adding Gluten Free pizzas to the menu.

We started the meal with the Rustica salad which is made with a spring mix, prosciutto di parma, artichokes, gaeta olives, lemon and extra virgin olive oil.  It was the perfect light start to a wonderful meal.  All of the salads seem to come with bread so you need to request that none is added to the plate.  We ordered two pizzas so that we could taste the Gluten Free one against the regular pie.  The menu has a special section for the Gluten Free pizzas (see picture) and we chose the Margherita, tomato sauce, homemade mozzarella, pecorino romano, basil and extra virgin olive oil.  Keste Gluten Free pizzas are all made with Caputo gluten-free flour (a combination of rice starch, cornstarch, potato starch, soy flour, and sugar) and cooked in a specially designated electric oven.

The regular pizza had a wonderful charred look to it.  The blistered dough managed to be light while maintaining a satisfying elasticity and chew.   And the Gluten Free pizza?  It appeared thinner but had that same wonderful charred look (see picture) as the original. When biting into the crust the taste profile was very similar to that of the original, although, perhaps a bit denser.  But absolutely satisfying.  The other ingredients just added to the overall experience.

Even if the Gluten Free pizza was all that was served here, I would return again for this tasty crust.  This is the first one that gives the Gluten Free eater the opportunity to have a truly Neapolitan style Pizza.  This is obviously the work of a master pizzaiolo.

Tags: , , , ,

The Standard Grill

24 Jun

One of my favorite salads is the chopped salad at The Standard Grill. With chickpeas, feta, peppers, onions and more, it is always a great option for a light lunch prior to walking on the High Line.

Tags: , , ,

Tu-Lu’s Gluten Free Bakery

24 Jun

When I found out there was a gluten-free bakery just a 1.5 mile walk from where we were staying in New York, I knew that I had to go. Tu-Lu’s Bakery is located in the East Village and is now one of my permanent stops for anytime I return to the city. I tried one of the mini-cupcakes since it was just so darn cute.

A lot of times, frosting is kind of crusted over when I try cupcakes. However, this consistency was wonderful, tasting like it had just been prepared moments ago. I also ordered a cinnamon sugar donut for obvious reasons.

I don’t even think I ate donuts before I was diagnosed with Celiac, but if they all had tasted like this, I would have indulged much more often. The third item I ordered was my favorite… Coffee Cake.

This was unbelievably good. If only they could open a bakery in Santa Barbara so that I could eat this everyday. If you are in New York, I insist that you go to Tu-Lu’s. While you are at it, bring me back some coffee cake!

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Pappardella

23 Jun

We were going to meet a friend in Central Park after a race, so we headed to a place called Pappardella since I had read that they were gluten-free friendly. They had a GF menu with tons of exciting Italian offerings. I was still pretty full from lunch, so I took it a bit easy. The first thing I ordered was the Bruschetta with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. I then ordered the GF garlic bread served with marinara.

This was amazing. Seriously. I am still not sure that it was GF because it was that good. My last dish was the carpaccio di manzo. This was all right. The entire time I was eating it, I was contemplating ordering a second portion of the garlic bread. This restaurant was a great find with GF pizza, pasta, panini and more on the menu!

Tags: , , , , , ,

Risotteria

22 Jun

I have a tradition every time that I go to New York City. Once I take the train in from New Jersey, I head right to Risotteria for some gluten-free goodness. Located in the heart of the village, this is a special spot us GF folk. As you peruse the menu, you are served unbelievably wonderful GF breadsticks. This particular visit, I started with the caesar salad.

Any place that serves salad with crispy gluten-free croutons is all right by me! We then split two items. The first was the Mozzarella, Tomato and Pesto Panini.

This panini was amazing. The bread was perfectly crisp and the ingredients were simple, but flavorful. We also had the Mozzarella Pizzette with garlic.

Their crust is very thin and crispy. One of my favorite things about Risotteria is there is a little flag that perches in your GF food when it is served to you.

As a celiac, there is sometimes that moment when you get served something at a restaurant and you are not sure if it is truly GF or not. Being served your food with this flag takes away the fear that there might have been miscommunication between you, the server or the kitchen. You can stop worrying and start enjoying!

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Madison Square Garden

6 Dec

I know it is pretty small but can you see that? That is the menu for gluten-free options at Madison Square Garden in NYC. It hasn’t opened yet, as MSG is going through tons of renovations right now, but going to see the New York Rangers play just got a whole lot tastier!

Tags: , , ,

Piccolo Angolo

27 Nov

Tonight, we went into NYC for dinner. Instead of going to one of the usual GF places, we went to one of our favorite Italian restaurants, Piccolo Angolo. They are incredibly GF friendly in that the owner’s son’s girlfriend has celiac. As long as you alert them, they will take good care of you. I had my favorite dish, the Gamberoni Fra’Diavolo, or shrimp with spicy tomato sauce. Their spicy tomato sauce is so darn good. It has the perfect amount of heat. The dish comes with a heaping side of vegetables.

These were prepared with olive oil and a generous amount of fresh garlic which I appreciated. As we were talking to our waitress, she was explaining that they now have gluten-free pasta available. They happened to be out of it tonight, but she said to just call ahead so that they can make sure to have some available next time we come in. I am already drooling imagining pasta with this Fra’Diavolo sauce. It is really that good.

Tags: , , ,