Gluten Free Mom

Gluten Free in New York City~Take II

The Gluten Free Kid and I are just returning from our second trip to NYC.  The food alone is almost enough reason to go, but we love all New York has to offer. 

Since this is the gluten free blog, we will cover the food first. 

We ate so easily and so well.  New York is very gluten free friendly with many choices of great restaurants - some even offer gluten free bread on the table.  How nice to go and eat at a restaurant without all of the explanation or worry. 

We feasted on gluten free pizza, bread sticks, ravioli, tiramisu, brownies, cupcakes, cookies, French fries, egg sandwiches, BLTs (on toasted gluten free bread of course)  . . ..

Our favorites:

Risotteria, 270 Bleecker Street (212) 924 6664  in Greenwich Village:

Everything you’d expect a neighborhood restaurant in Greenwich Village to be:

~small but cozy and warm against the cold NY wind chill outside,

~wonderful smells of cooking gluten free pizza,

~eclectic in some ways such as the bottle of sugar water that is served with its fresh made lemonade;

~loud on a busy day but you are sure to leave with a new friend (most likely one that is GF as well).

Oh, and the food.  The bread sticks alone are reason enough to visit, but add the gluten free pizza, Panini, risotto and desserts which include tiramisu and cheese cake.  Yes, very good eating’s.

Tiramisu at Risotteria

After you eat, take a walk around Greenwich Village to let your food settle and then go to Soho for more strolling or, if you have room for more food, to Babycakes for Gluten Free Cupcakes.

Babycakes NYC, 248 Broome Street (212) 677 5047

The setting of Babycakes is like a bakery in the 50s with pink clad servers and “vintage” décor. 

Crowded every time we have visited. 

The best ever gluten and dairy free cupcakes, cookies, brownies.  Eat some at the window and buy some extras to take back with you. 

Sambuca  20 West 72nd Street (212) 787 5656 upper West Side

We love Sambuca’s.  It is a quaint family style Italian restaurant.  Again, we love them for their gluten free menu which not only includes great pasta dishes but ricotta stuffed ravioli, hot gluten free bread on the table and a GF brownie for dessert.

A trip to New York is not complete without a visit to Bloom's Delicatessen Cafe 350 Lexington Avenue (212) 922 3663 and Peter's Restaurant New York 1606 1st Avenue (212) 734 9600.

Lunch at Blooms

These are great places to grab lunch – we go for the French fries and sandwiches on toasted gluten free bread.  Peter’s is a short walk from the Met and Bloom’s is not too far from the shopping area on Fifth Avenue. 

We also tried a new restaurant this trip – Lilli and Loo.  I liked it but my daughter was not too crazy about it.  Pretty authentic Chinese food which was a little too real for her Americanized Chinese palate.  We had chicken lettuce wraps, street noodles and Manchurian beef. 

A few restaurants that we wanted to try and ran out of time were Lumi’s and Gourmet Land.  We will have to save those for next time. 

Okay, we actually did do more than just eat - In addition to eating, we:

• Went to see Hairspray (which we absolutely loved- Norm from Cheers played the role of the Mom) and we saw the Phantom of the Opera (unforgettable),
• Took a carriage ride in Central Park (maybe too cheesy for the Gluten Free Kid but I enjoyed it - at least we got to sit for a few minutes), 
• Walked through China Town where Alex got her first (fake) designer purse and decided she did not like crowds (also saw someone getting arrested),
• Shopped in Soho (we loved), on Fifth Avenue (the biggest, loudest Abercrombie & Fitch store I desire to ever visit) and at the M & M store in Time Square (GF kid’s heaven with all of those M &M's.  If you are wondering, Alex bought TWO pounds of them),
• Visited the Met where I got to see my favorite painting, Madame X, by one of my favorite artist.  Actually got lost in the Met over and over again - it is huge! 
• Went to the NYC Public Library (really awesome building),
• Walked miles and miles and miles through Greenwich Village, Soho, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, and Time Square - until my legs literally ached at night.
• The view from the Top of the Rock. 

Came home completely exhausted (at least I was, Alex was fine- a definite sign of the differences in our ages) but looking forward to our return trip next year.

For more on traveling gluten free see Gluten Free Mom.com/travel.

Traveling to NYC Gluten Free

New York City

We love New York City.  It is very family friendly and a great place to go to eat, yes eat, gluten free.

Eating gluten free while in New York City:

What to Pack and Bring Along:

When traveling  it is much easier and more economical to take your own GF breakfast food.  We pack Kinnikinnick maple dipped donuts and chocolate chip muffins, a box of our favorite cereal, some extra napkins, paper bowls and plastic spoons.  There are fresh fruit stands all over New York City.   The night before, pick up some fresh fruit for breakfast.  In the morning, Mom and Dad order coffee from room service with a glass or two of milk and we eat breakfast in the room.  Honestly, gluten free or not, this is an easy way to eat breakfast with kids when you are at a hotel.  No has get to dressed, we get to sip our coffee while we read the paper . ...

Pack a loaf of gluten free bread and some peanut butter for lunch in case there is nowhere to eat.  New York City has so many wonderful gluten free places to eat that we hardly needed it.  But we bought some chips and fruit and packed a lunch the day we rode the Ferry to Staten Island.   

Of course, always pack extra snacks. Purfit Nutrition Bars (PureFit Nutrition Bar, Peanut Butter Crunch, 15 - 2 oz bars [30 oz (870 g)]) and Organic Food Bar Belgium Chocolate Chip  travel well.   We also took along Ener-g Pretzels and peanuts.  It is not a road trip for us without our Candy Tree Licorice Vines (Candy Tree Organic Cherry Vines, Wheat-Free/Gluten-Free, 2.6-Ounce Bags (Pack of 12)).

Family Friendly Gluten Free Restaurants in NYC

Risotteria, 270 Bleecker Street 212 924 6664

Absolute favorite restaurant in NYC.  Located on Bleecker Street in the quirky community of West Village.  Risotteria is quaint with great service and, most importantly, great gluten free food.  It starts the moment you sit down and are served crispy gluten free breadsticks.  The excitement continues through the main course offering pizza, risotto, Panini sandwiches and straight into the GF dessert options.  Menu is clearly marked and the wait staff offers outstanding service.  We ate here twice during our visit.  Risotteria is small and very popular so go for a late lunch or early dinner.  They happily squeezed our group of five in.

Babycakes NYC, 248 Broome Street 212 677 5047

For dessert, head to Babycakes NYC that has the best gluten free cupcakes we have ever eaten.  BabyCakes offers all natural, organic and delicious alternatives free from gluten, casein and eggs.  Eat some at the bakery and take some back to the hotel for later.  The bakery also offers mail-order delivery.

Bloom's Delicatessen Cafe 350 Lexington Avenue 212 922 3663

Yes, your classic New York deli that offers a gluten free menu.  Great for breakfast or lunch.  Menu items range from omelet’s to French fries.  Burgers were served without a bun. 

Peter's Restaurant New York 1606 1st Avenue 212 734 9600

Another great deli-style restaurant located on the upper east side.  An extensive gluten free menu including pancakes, sandwiches and even chicken fingers.  Had a nice outside seating area as well. 

Ruby Foo's 2182 Broadway 212 724 6700

Asian restaurant with lively decorations.  I wondered if this was the inspiration for PF Changs or visa versa.  We enjoyed lettuce wraps in a fun environment.  Make reservations is advance.

Sambuca  20 West 72nd Street 212 787 5656

A family style Italian restaurant that offers a gluten free menu with dinner rolls, pasta dishes,  main dishes such as chicken scarpariell0, salads and even brownies for dessert.   We had a great dinner here.  Make reservations in advance.

Beyond Eating:

We actually did more than just eat in New York.  We only had a couple of days, but the following itinerary worked great for us.  We tried to make cab rides as short as possible so our sightseeing was coordinated with our gluten free dining options.  This takes a little more planning, but takes away a lot of the stress once you reach your destination.

Waldorf Astoria 301 Park Avenue

This is a great old historic hotel that is centrally located for sightseeing up and down Manhattan Island.  It was just a few minutes walking distance to the American Girl Doll store.  We even walked to Central Park and Times Square.  During the week it was flooded with business suits, but more relaxed on the weekend.  We all loved it here.

First night:

We had to try Risotteria for our first New York City gluten free dining experience and we were not disappointed.  We loved this restaurant and enjoyed the strolling down Bleecker Avenue after dinner.  Since we were here to see the sights, we caught a cab to The Empire State Building.  We reached the top just in time to see the sun set and the lights of Manhattan come on.   Since we come from the land of mountains, water and pine trees, this sight had an entirely different feel of beauty to us.  The kids were in awe.

Day Two:

We were traveling with an eight year old girl, so day two was Rockefeller Plaza and the American Girl Doll Store. 

We dropped off the bags at the hotel and walked to Bloom's Delicatessen Cafe for lunch.  We were headed out early to go to a Broadway Show that night so we ordered extra carry out food for dinner (some green salads and chicken salad) and keep it in the hotel refrigerator.  We spent sometime in the afternoon shopping on Fifth Avenue.   That night we went to Mary Poppins on Broadway.  It was absolutely fabulous.  The highlight of the entire trip and we are still singing supercalifragil . ....

Day Three:

Since we were taking the ferry to Staten Island and the Statute of Liberty we decided to make some peanut butter sandwiches on gluten free bread, buy some chips and fruit and take our own lunch.  It was a good idea because there was really nothing to eat for us on Staten Island and we avoided the long lines at the one food vendor.  The ferry ride was wonderful.  The view looking back to Manhattan Island is unmatched in its ability to inspire awe.  The Statute of Liberty was equally inspiring.  We planned on seeing Ellis Island, but my sightseers had seen enough, so next time.

On the way back up to the hotel, we went by Babycakes for a late afternoon snack.  Wow - truly fantastic cupcakes.  That night we had dinner at Ruby Foo's.

Day Four:

After a late breakfast/early lunch on the Upper East Side at Peter's Restaurant, we took an easy cab ride across Central Park to American Museum of Natural History.  Of course this is a NYC family classic.  We really enjoyed the Cosmic Collisions Space Show.  Afterwards, we walked through Central Park and down Fifth Avenue to our hotel.  Dinner on our last night in NYC was at Sambuca.

Day Five

We had a late flight, so time for one more day of sightseeing.  We had to go back to Risotteria for another great gluten free meal.  Then we headed to Time Square for some last might shopping.  The M&M store has very cute lunch boxes (great for a celiac kid who has to carry lunch just about everywhere).  Of course, we had to ride the giant ferris wheel at Toys R Us. 

We were all sad to leave the Big Apple but decided we would definitely make this a yearly excursion.

NEED MORE INFORMATION:

o    Key to Gluten-Free Eating in Metro New York Available from the Gluten Intolerance Group.

o    The Gluten-Free Guide to New York: Everything You Need To Know About GF Dining, Shopping, and Cooking in the World's Greatest City (and Its Suburbs)  With almost 300 pages of information, you should be very set for NYC. 

o    Frommer's New York City with Kids (Frommer's With Kids) Great book that really helped in planning our trip.  It even has little maps in it that I used to map out our sightseeing and eating options.

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