Wednesday 18 June 2014

The Big (Gluten Free) Apple!

For my *cough* 30th *cough* Birthday, my lovely boyfriend (now fiancé after he proposed by a frozen lake in the Winter Wonderland that was Central Park!) whisked me off for a few days in New York.

I visited New York back in 2009, about 6 months pre diagnosis of Coeliac disease, so thankfully I got to experience a 'proper' slice of Pizza, Magnolia Bakery cupcakes, burgers and various other delights. As well as the amazing food, I just love the city and had been pining to go back ever since. And after googling 'gluten free in New York' and seeing the wealth of articles, websites and reviews for places to eat and visit, I was very much looking forward to our trip.

I could write and write and write about my visit but I've decided to list just a few of my favourite places below. Click on the titles to visit their websites!

Lili's 57

Lili's 57 is the Midtown sister restaurant of the Upper East Side's Lilli and Loo, famous for its Asian cuisine and sushi. I ate here after reading about it on the internet and seeing they have their own dedicated gluten free menu. Chinese food is probably my favourite cuisine, and I was not disappointed here. The menu has lots of choice - appetizers, soups, main courses, salads, rice and noodles. I wanted to order everything! I went for a starter of steamed oriental pork dumplings followed by General Tso's Crispy Chicken and Mongolian Beef, which my fiancé and I shared between us. If you like Chinese food you should definitely check this place out. It's not too pricey, the portions are great and the staff seem very clued up about gluten free food. I felt reassured that my food was safe.

Gluten free delights at Lili's 57












Bloom's Deli

Located a stone's throw from Grand Central Station, Bloom's Deli is a cosy little diner open for breakfast right through late night snacks. It doesn't seem to be that popular with tourists, which I liked, as I felt like a New Yorker eating our breakfast with commuters stopping in on their way to work. Bloom's was another place I'd read about before flying out and I was excited to try their pancakes, which did not disappoint - so much that we ate breakfast here every day! As shown in the photo below, the pancakes were huge. They were very fluffy and it was nice to be able to pick different accompaniments to go with them. Their breakfast sausages were lovely!

Delicious gluten free pancakes and syrup


The menu is a coeliac's heaven, with many options for breakfast, salads, sandwiches, burgers and desserts. The staff are very aware and have a separate kitchen area for preparing gluten free meals. The portions are huge - we ate here for lunch one day when I wasn't hungry, so I opted for a salad, but as you can see, there was enough to feed both of us!

My 'small' turkey salad


My one regret about Bloom's is that when we ate here on our first night, incredibly tired and weary from our travel, I chose a burger but didn't know whether my bun was gluten free after taking a bite, so I left it. Turns out it was, and was probably one of the nicest burger buns I'd tried! We planned to go back so I could get another one, but we didn't find the time (or the space in my stomach for their enormous 12oz burgers!)

Check out the menu on their website for more information.

Risotteria

If you're worried about cross-contamination whilst eating out, you need to look no further than Risotteria - an entirely gluten free Italian restaurant located downtown on Bleecker Street. This is a small place that doesn't accept bookings, and I hear it can be very busy in the evening! We opted to go for lunch on a Saturday and were seated immediately. Enormous gluten free breadsticks while you peruse the menu are a nice touch!

Biggest bread stick ever, it was like a baguette!
Risotteria serves pizzas, pasta, sandwiches and a large selection of baked goods, all made fresh in the restaurant. You can also purchase baking mixes and frozen goods to take away with you. Both myself and my non-coeliac fiancé ate here, and even he was impressed with his gluten free panini!

I chose a turkey panini, which I couldn't even tell was gluten free. It was so good, and I was so impressed with this place that I bought some of their pizza dough mix to bring home with us. I could have bought everything on offer if I had a spare suitcase!

Turkey ciabatta from Risotteria

Don Antonio

We chose to eat here to celebrate our engagement upon recommendation from the girl in G-Free NYC (see below for more on this shop). We both love pizza and I was dying to try a proper New York pizza. You will not be disappointed if you visit. Forget vacuum-packed, cardboard bases we get in the UK, this is fresh, homemade dough with plenty of toppings to choose from. I chose to opt for a simple margherita so that I could enjoy the base, which I pretty much inhaled! They also have a restaurant in Atlanta - UK next? *crosses fingers*

Pizza makes us happy, especially when it's
gluten free and looks this good!

G-Free NYC

This was literally our first stop after getting engaged, not because a gluten free shop is my idea of romance (although I was in love with it!), but because we were planning to go there after being in Central Park anyway. I just didn't know a proposal would also feature in our plans! Anyway, this shop is brilliant. It's like a little gluten free supermarket, selling everything you could possibly need or want. Cakes, cookies, sweets, pasta, freshly baked bread and pastries, crackers, baking mixes, sauces and a large freezer selection are just some of the goods on offer here, and this is where I filled most of the space left in our suitcases! Admittedly, I didn't look in the freezer because I didn't want to disappoint myself by not being able to purchase anything, however if you're staying in an apartment or somewhere with cooking facilities, there will be plenty here for you.

G-Free NYC

The owners are very helpful and gave great recommendations for places to eat and visit. I was also offered various samples while discussing our trip and perusing the goodies and I even left with a printout of restaurants that we could visit.

Some of the haul I came home with!



These were my favourite places to eat, but there are so many more I didn't get chance to visit and others where I ate the food too fast to photograph it, such as:

S'mac - a mac and cheese restaurant where you can 'build your own' pasta dishes, including gluten free and vegan options.

Mozzarelli's - a deli serving gluten free pizza by the slice, pasta, wraps and sandwiches. You can also purchase a big slice of cake, cookies, baking mixes and more!

Friedman's Lunch - Located inside the iconic Chelsea Market, a great place to get a grab and go sandwich, packed full of delicious fillings.

I can't recommend New York highly enough for a coeliac. They are light years ahead of us in terms of food and there was so much on offer it was impossible to visit even a small percentage of the dining options and shops I'd read about, unless you spend a good month or so there! (which I'd be happy to do, in the interest of research obviously)







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