Gluten-Free in NYC - Day Three Filed under ( Restaurants, Traveling Gluten-Free )

Our last day of vacation. Dan and I were determined to mount a more organized eating assault on the Big Apple so we splurged for tickets aboard a double-decker tourist bus outside the Empire State Building and rode around downtown Manhattan. It was a great way to get guided neighborhood tours and amazing views of the architecture. We could hop on and off whenever we saw something interesting, which in our kids' eyes was usually a clothes or shoe store.

We were able to hustle them in to our first gourmet
destination, Babycakes, a bakery that caters to gluten-free
and other allergy-sensitive customers. Located in a funky section of east Chinatown (248 Broome Street, between Orchard and Ludlow), this was a quiet, small haven with the feel of a 1930s-40s grandma's kitchen. At least four aproned bakers were busy behind the counter in the tiny kitchen, so the quarters were cramped, but we sat down and enjoyed tasty cupcakes, chocolate cake and blueberry crumb cake with sides of coffee and soda that were scrumptious. My daughter raved that her wheat-free, sugar-free cupcakes were the best she ever had.


Erroneously thinking that Chinatown was right next to Greenwich Village, home of the parental lunch spot of choice, we marched the kids many miles before we finally plopped down to eat at 4 o'clock in the afternoon at Risotteria (270 Bleecker Street). This was the Holy Grail we had been seeking: most everything on the menu was safe to eat and designated as gluten-free and/or

vegetarian. Gluten-free beers, wonderful gluten-free breadsticks magically appearing on the table and often-replenished by a friendly, funny waiter. It was just great.


Of course we had to try two of the spectacular versions of the 35 different risottos offered on the current menu. We also tried the pizza, which I didn't like as much since the crust was too crisp and thin for my taste. However, if we had the luxury of another day in New York, we would certainly have come back to sample the panini, salads and decadent-sounding appetizers. Risotteria was just so relaxing for our family. Ordering food was transformed from a worrisome task to effortless pleasure. We grabbed a bag of gluten-free croutons and breadstick mix to play with back home, but the croutons got gobbled up in-transit. Four thumbs up!

Gluten-Free in NYC - Day Two Filed under ( Restaurants, Traveling Gluten-Free )

The family split in two on the second day of our sojourn; I brought my eldest daughter to visit the Fashion Institute of Technology on W. 27th Street and 7th Avenue while Dan squired number two daughter up Fifth Avenue and into Central Park to check out the zoo. F.I.T. has a great museum (free!) inside which featured rainbow-colored designer fashions and some interesting alumni art work. We also went to the student-run Style Store inside the college which features some new and student-designed clothing and jewelry and some vintage designer clothes. It's cash only, but there are great deals for the frugal fashionista.

The Central Park Zoo was also a hit, especially the seals, puffins, polar bear and the Rain Forest area, which was warm and toasty on this blustery day. You are right inside with the animals and the birds and deer are enchanting. The enormous fruit bats crawling up the trees by their hooked claws are less so.

Now, for the gluten-free dining report. Once reunited and rested, we ventured forth for dinner to the Bombay Grill, which we had spied the night before at 344 Lexington Avenue (between East 39th and 40th streets). This turned out to be everyone's favorite NYC meal. There was a huge selection of meat-free, wheat-free options, as long as we steered away from the naans, pooris and other breads. We tucked into some great Shrimp Tikka Masala, Fish Curry, Kadai Paneer, Vegetable Biryani and lots of basmati rice and raita. The prices were reasonable, our server was knowledgeable and attentive and we all enjoyed the Indian music in the background as we scraped the sauce from every dish. Four thumbs up!

Gluten-Free in NYC - Day One Filed under ( Restaurants, Traveling Gluten-Free )

We took a short vacation during the kids' February break week to visit New York City. It was windy and chilly the first day, so we abandoned our original walking tour plans and hit the Guggenheim Museum for a wonderful exhibit on the development of Spanish painting. Despite the current scaffolding which obscures this turban-shaped, Frank Lloyd Wright-designed museum, it is always a treat because it has so many interesting vistas and angles to frame the artwork. This particular exhibit showed off one high spot of art history after the other by Juan Miro, Picasso, El Greco, Goya and others. The curators showed humor by contrasting paintings by different artists of cow heads, court dwarves, overly-dressed royals and other subjects. The exhibit runs through March 28th.

My first tip for the gluten-free traveler would be to avoid what I did in packing a glass bottle of wheat-free soy sauce in my purse. We planned on a Chinese/Thai/Japanese meal or two, so I had gotten a bottle packed inside a plastic bag to use on our table. This was unfortunately not enough protection as it leaked inside my new pleather purse and onto the floor of our lunch spot and worst of all, on my borrowed library book. My next trip will be to the dollar store to procure a leak-free plastic condiment bottle. And I will only bring ratty paperbacks along for the ride.

Our dinner was at Bloom's Delicatessen Cafe, located at 350 Lexington Avenue, at the corner of E. 4oth Street. This was a quick walk from our hotel room and we had gotten their name from the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program on the Internet. Our omnivorous offspring were thrilled with their Chicken Fingers and Shrimp Parmigiana and even tried a New York deli must-drink, Cel-Ray, a celery-flavored ginger ale. Dan and I enjoyed the complimentary Pickle Bar and were appreciative that they had a gluten-free menu, but there were limited options for a vegetarian. We ended up with okay broiled fish, although Dan opted for the delicious gluten-free french fries. Two doors up on the same block was an Indian restaurant which piqued our interest for the next night's dining, but I will save that for tomorrow's blog.....