In keeping with the gluten-free theme of my blog, I wanted to share some of our fave picks of our recent birthday jaunt to New York City!! Check them out and comment/message me your picks!
Risotteria:
Soooo glad my friends recommended this gluten-free only restaurant in the Village. We made a beeline immediately upon arriving in NCY - that's how excited I was!! Our risottos were wonderful, mine more so than my husband who opted for a calamari one, and admittedly mine had a tiny piece of plastic wrap I fished out> But hey, it's NYC!! :) The gluten-free complimentary breadsticks were amazing - I think they mentioned selling them by the half-dozen or dozen, which I thought about!! Instead, I loaded up that day, and again on our last day of the trip, on all the gluten-free baked goodies. The "little fudgie", coffee cake, and whoopie pies are my picks!! This is a tiny little spot of gluten-free heaven. Why not go to Risotteria for lunch, explore the neighborhood, and walk right back for dinner at Keste across the street, which is one of the best ranked pizza places in NYC and.... .gluten-free options!! You got it folks - a great gluten-free day! :)
Del Posto:
If we stick to the United States, our lunch at Mario Batali's Del Posto was one of my favorite meals... a culinary and aesthetic delight at incredibly reasonable prices, given the experience. So for all of you reading reviews and cringing at the dinner prices, why not have a leisurely two and a half hour lunch as your main meal of the day and get out of there for a comparable steal. We opted for the prix-fix three courses, added on a pasta for the table, and ended up with 6 courses thanks to the complimentary appetizers and desserts. Another reason we picked Del Posto is their willingness to make any of the pastas gluten-free! Imagine that - not even a separate menu - just take your pick and they do their magic!! The wait staff were kind and helpful, understanding of my many dietary restrictions. I had the lobster salad, orecchiette with lamb sausage (heavenly!), pork trio (delectable) and butterscotch semifreddo recommended by our waiter. Each of my courses was prepared gluten-free. Love this place and can't wait to go back on our next trip!
Eataly:
Um, could we have on of these in NC, please? Pretty please?? Sooo glad we went to Eataly on our last night after having daydreamed about it since its opening. A delightful hodge podge of market, specialty counters (from gelaterie to chocolate, cheese, etc...), and restaurants, with everything from the formal to casual pizza/pasta and rooftop bar, bookstore, and more. My husband I have decided we desperately want one in NC, recognizing we'll spend the majority of our paychecks devouring the incredible offerings! :) We met a friend for dinner at the pizza/pasta casual restaurant. Service was slow, but who cares when you have good wine, gluten-free pasta options (they make any of the offerings on the menu gluten-free with fusilli!) and good conversation. Highly recommend checking it out!! Of course you have to get a sweet treat at the end - my husband hit up the gelateria as I got in line for a chocolate!
Quality Meats:
We dined here our first night in NYC, thanks to having mouth-watering steaks for my hubs and plenty of seafood options for me. I was torn between the sea bass and salmon. I have salmon a lot at home, and while it was more recommended by our serve, I opted for the sea bass. I started with the scallops, which were amazing. The salmon was good. Our roasted potatoes for the table were over cooked. It's abuzz with activity, especially after a table of 12-14 on a bachelor party showed up! Great people watching. I was disappointed that the dessert options didn't include creme brulee or another gluten-free option. It's mostly ice cream, which apparently is their specialty but for those of us who can't dive into a bowl of lactose, would be nice to have a lighter option. All in all, a great way to start our trip!
Keste Pizzeria:
Authentic Napoli Pizza with Gluten-Free Options, 'Nuff Said! The owner is from between Rome and Naples and brings his home country to life in this busy pizzeria, which is across the street from my fave, the gluten-free only restaurant Risotteria. As I mentioned in that review, why not plan to spend the day in the neighborhood and enjoy both?! We lunched at Keste before flying home and made it our meal of the day, enjoying a generous personal size pizza and carafe of wine to toast our wonderful long birthday weekend in NYC! The staff are cool and hip, the pizza has gluten-free options, and it's a cute spot. I opted for the margarita gluten-free, while my husband enjoyed the prosciutto and arugula. Yum!! Thanks for being one of NYC's best pizza places, and having a gluten-free variety!!
Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar:
Perhaps it's because I heard rave reviews of Ayza, albeit the other location. Then we heard Ashton Kutcher had been spotted there, again at the other location. (Could location have something to do with it?!) So my expectations were a bit high, leaving me little choice than being disappointed. We started with a cheese plate, which was great, along with sharing a bowl of tomato cheddar soup, also good. My sea bass was just ok, and my husband's entree not even memorable enough for me to recall. We opted for a selection of chocolates for dessert, which were good but not earth-shattering. All in all, it's a cute idea for dessert or a girl's night, but probably not a romantic dinner.
Enjoy!! Crohnies Unite!