Ribalta

One of my college roommates is in town for a work conference.  Typing the phase "in town for a work conference", combined with my 28th birthday being last week, makes me feel really old.  Anyway, she's here and I couldn't be more delighted to see her.  She told me to pick a restaurant for dinner last night and I was going to choose one of my old standbys when I saw a tweet yesterday afternoon about someone's gluten free pizza at Ribalta.

I had never heard of Ribalta.  When I looked it up on the internet I was happy to see it is conveniently located near Union Square (12th Street at Broadway).  I often meet people for dinner in Union Square so I'm happy to have another place to add to my list.  Not only do I like Ribalta's location, I also liked the food, so really it was a win all around.

Amanda and I split the brussels sprouts to start.  I love brussels sprouts.  Especially when they are covered in bacon and cheese.  I then got the gluten free vegetable pizza.  It was quite large and I thought it was pretty good.  Amanda had some gluten filled pasta and was happy with it.  They do have a gluten free almond chocolate cake for dessert but we didn't get it.  You probably should though, because, you know, dessert.

Ariana Restaurant at the James Beard House

Saturday night I was fortunate enough to dine at the James Beard House.  A friend of mine had an extra seat for dinner and I agreed to go without knowing anything about the food that would be there or if I would be able to eat anything.  At the very least I thought it would be a good opportunity to experience a fun culinary event and drink a fair amount of wine.  What I experienced was such a delightful surprise I am still excited about it many days later.

Not only does the James Beard House hold some great culinary history, but the open kitchen allows guests to watch their food being prepared and talk to the chefs.  When the hors d'oeures were being passed I asked the waiter if he knew if they were gluten free.  He told me they were and that everything that night was gluten free.  I pointed to the gougeres and asked "even those?" with some serious doubt.  He said he wasn't sure but he'd go check. He came back and told me they were.  I didn't believe him.  He told me to go talk to the chef.  Well, this is the whole fun of an open kitchen so I went right in and asked Ariana herself.  When I told her I had Celiac she said her whole family has issues with gluten, herself included, and that the whole meal was in fact gluten free.  What a bit of luck.

Ariana and Andres Fernandez

The night only got better from there.  After enjoying the hors d'oeuvres at cocktail hour, my friends and I found our table only to realize we were sitting with Ariana's parents and children.  This was really special because Ariana owns Ariana Restaurant with her husband, Chef Andres Fernandez, and her parents, Glenn and Susan Asti.  We got to hang out with her three and six year old daughters, who were not only adorable, but eating caviar like it was no big deal.

Speaking of caviar, the food was amazing.  The entire meal I felt so fortunate that I could eat everything I was served without any pre-planning.  The great thing about sitting with the restaurant owners was that Susan and Glenn walked us through each course, describing where the food came from and the wines they chose to go with each.  We talked a lot about why the entire family is gluten free and how much of their restaurant is gluten free as well.

Each course was better than the next.  I'm trying to pick a few of my favorite dishes to tell you about, but I'm not even sure where to start.  I'd have to say the slow braised beef short rib with parmesan heirloom polenta was probably my favorite.  The wild Oregon salmon with black trumpet mushrooms, truffle-caviar beurre blanc, and Oregon truffles was a close second, and I don't even like salmon.  The entire menu is below.

Ariana is located in Bend, Oregon.  Based on the meal I had in New York, I highly recommend you try it.  And if you've never been to the James Beard House, I recommend you go there too.

MENU

• Hors d'Oeuvre
  • Foie Gras Mousse–Filled Gougères with Huckleberry Jam
  • Smoked Columbia River Sturgeon with Roasted Ramp Crème Fraîche and Gold Potatoes
  • Pork Belly with Radishes, Chiles, and Lime
  • ARGYLE VINTAGE BRUT 2010
  • WESTSIDE 75 > BENDISTILLERY CRATER LAKE GIN WITH CLEAR CREEK DISTILLERY WILLIAMS PEAR BRANDY, LEMON JUICE, AND ARGYLE VINTAGE BRUT 2010
• Dinner
  • Celery Bisque with Dungeness Crab and Lemon
  • BETHEL HEIGHTS VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2012
  • Venison Carpaccio with Horseradish, Spring Onions, and Parmesan Crackers
  • WILLAKENZIE ESTATE GAMAY NOIR 2011
  • Wild Oregon Salmon with Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Truffle–Caviar Beurre Blanc, and Oregon Truffles
  • DOMAINE DROUHIN DUNDEE HILLS PINOT NOIR 2010
  • Slow-Braised Beef Short Ribs with Parmesan Polenta and Spring Garlic Gremolata
  • DOUBLEBACK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010
  • Passion Fruit Curd, Lone Pine Coffee Espuma, Raspberries, and Cocoa Nib Meringue
  • CHÂTEAU STE. MICHELLE & DR. LOOSEN EROICA RIESLING ICEWINE 2006

Ovelia

I mentioned in my last post about the diversity in Queens.  My neighborhood, Astoria, is especially known for Greek food.  Ovelia is my favorite Greek place in the neighborhood not only for the good food, but because they clearly mark all gluten free items on their menu.  I've had the opportunity to try a lot of things and haven't been disappointed.  My favorite Meze are the Gigantes Plaki (lima beans in a tomato and onion sauce) and Ovelia Loukanika (house made sausage).  My favorite main dishes are the Lamb Fig Kebab and The Mprizola Hirini (simply seasoned grilled pork chops).  The main dishes come with a side and I'm partial to the sauteed kale.  Ovelia is located in the heart of Astoria on 30th Avenue and 34th Street.  Enjoy!

Dutch Kills Centraal

Friday night I met my friend and her coworkers for dinner and drinks in Long Island City.  I've lived in Astoria for almost six years and for some reason I hardly ever go out to eat in my neighborhood.  This is ridiculous because Queens is the most ethnically diverse area in the world and with it comes some seriously diverse food.  It's true.  Google it.

We met at Dutch Kills Centraal which isn't exactly in the hippest part of town but the restaurant has a really great vibe, and I never say vibe.  The interior is rustic, cozy, and very inviting.  According to their site, their concept is local, organic, and delicious cuisine at affordable prices.  Concept accomplished.

My friend and her coworkers picked the place and I just assumed I'd make the whole gluten thing work.  The waitstaff made it incredibly easy for me.  I asked if they had hard cider and the waitress said they had two and described them for me.  I asked if they were gluten free and she said she thought so but would double check.  I had never heard of either but decided to go with the Crispen.  When she brought the Crispen over she pointed to the Certified GF label on the bottle and was just as excited as I was.  I really liked the Crispen.  So much that I might even say it is my new favorite cider.  I love Woodchuck, mostly because they are from Vermont like me, but they can get a bit heavy. Crispen is light, and as the name implies, refreshingly crisp.

For dinner I got a burger sans bun and a side of brussel sprouts.  My friend Kristen got a burger with a side of kale. When I told the waitress I didn't want a bun she asked if it was a preference or if I have Celiac so she could let the kitchen know.  One million bonus points for her.  Not only did I feel safe in her hands, but the food was really good.  The burger was well seasoned and I really love brussel sprouts, especially when they are topped with bacon. Kristen's kale was also really good.  I will definitely be back to Dutch Kills soon.

Just a note that there is no gluten free menu here and they don't claim to be gluten free friendly.  However, I found the waitstaff extremely helpful and ate safely.  As with everything, eat at your own risk.

By The Way Bakery

I like to balance exercise with baked goods.  Or, I guess if we are trying to be healthy about the whole thing, I like to balance my baked good consumption with exercise.  I really enjoy taking long walks, and I really enjoy muffins, so twice now I have made the 6.5 mile walk from my apartment to New York's newest gluten free bakery in the Upper West Side.  Six and a half miles for a muffin sounds like a fair trade off, right?  Even if you answered no to that question, these muffins are worth it.

By The Way Bakery is a gluten and dairy free bakery that recently opened on Broadway and 90th Street in Manhattan.  This makes it New York's 7th gluten free bakery.  Seven!  We sure are spoiled here in NYC. I'm going to go ahead and make a big statement here: By The Way Bakery just might be my favorite of them all.  The store is super cute, they have a great selection of baked goods, and the owner and staff are really friendly.  I've been able to sample a few things, but the reason I'll keep going back are the muffins.  My favorites are the Blueberry Corn and the Pear Cranberry.

By The Way Bakery's original location is in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY.  If you are in NYC or Hastings-on-Hudson I highly recommend you give this bakery a try.

Bar Taco

This weekend I went to visit my dear friend Susannah in Stamford, CT.  She's the kind of friend that I can go months or years without seeing and as soon as we are together again it's like we were never apart.  I took the Metro North up Saturday night and within an hour of leaving Grand Central we were sitting in Bar Taco already immersed in what would be hours of nonstop chatting.

Bar Taco is our go to place when I visit not only because of their good food, but because almost the entire menu is gluten free.  In fact, instead of noting the gluten free items on their menu, they mark the few items that are NOT gluten free.  Bar Taco has three other locations, all of them with the same gluten free friendly menu.

KuKu Canteen

I love the New York City Celiac community.  Last Friday I found myself on my way to a bar near NYU to meet a friend for drinks.  I realized I was starving and remembered there was a place in the area people had recently been talking about as having a gluten free menu.  I couldn't remember the name of the place so I took to Twitter and had an answer within minutes: KuKu Canteen.

KuKu Canteen offers "fresh Asian fare using signature Korean ingredients."  They have a separate gluten free menu and I tried the Bibimbop.  Their bibimbop sauce isn't gluten free so they let you substitute any sauce you'd like.  This is a very casual restaurant with reasonable prices.  I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to go back, but if you are in the neighborhood and need a quick bite to eat definitely give it a try.

Bareburger

From my dinner at Tommy Lasagna I met a lot of great new bloggers.  This includes Candice from London to NYC. Candice is one of those food bloggers you love but also kind of hate because she clearly likes eating yet she's tall, thin, and beautiful.  When I first went to her blog her most recent post was an analysis of gluten free burgers in the city.  I want to be thin and eat burgers all day.  She also has an adorable accent.  Sigh.

Anyway, Candice's favorite burger is from Bareburger and it made me realize that I've been to Bareburger many times and have never written about them.  Which is a real shame because they are my go to burger as well.  Their burgers are organic, all natural, and grass fed.  They aren't as greasy as most burgers and they have a lot of interesting meat choices like elk, wild boar, bison, and ostrich.  They also have your go to beef, turkey, and veggie burgers if you aren't feeling quit as adventurous.  You can create your own burger or get one of their tasty creations.  Their gluten free bun holds up pretty well.

My only gripe about Bareburger is they make you order french fries separately.  Of course you want french fries but you want them to come with the burger so you can be all, "well, they came with the burger so I guess I better eat them."  Instead, they shame you into ordering french fries and a burger.  However, I should note that I have never NOT ordered the fries.  That would be just crazy talk.  Fortunately, an order is pretty big so you can share them with a friend.

There are several locations throughout the city.  And they deliver.  Mmm burgers.

Tommy Lasagna

Last night I was invited to dinner at Tommy Lasagna to try their new gluten free menu with other gluten free bloggers in New York City.  Erin of Gluten-Free Fun and Gluten-Free Globetrotter organized the event.  Also at the table were Carolyn, Candice, Katie, Kristen, Mike, Molly, and Judith (our token gluten eating blogger).  It was really fun to have dinner with these people in real life because I know many of them from their blogs and twitter but had only met a few in person.  In addition to her blog, Katie has a tumblr that makes me laugh/cry all the time.

Tommy Lasagna opened a few years ago but their gluten free menu is new.  So new that we were among the first to try it.  Tommy graciously offered us six courses of amazing food and all the gluten free booze we wanted.  We ate so much that I think most of us waddled out of the restaurant.  All in the name of research, of course.

To start we had gluten free focaccia with olive oil.  For a first course we had Mango Shrimp with a Fennel Slaw.  Next was Ceviche.  Third we were able to try the Green Market Lasagna and the Bolognese Lasagna.  Fourth we had fresh Fettuccine with Lobster and Papperdelle with Bolognese.  Fifth we tried the Cioppino and Veal Involtini.  To finish we had Cheesecake and Flourless Chocolate Cake.  Not only were there six courses, but most courses involved two samplings.  I'm still full thinking about this meal.

Everything was amazing.  My favorite was the Bolognese Lasagna.  It is a lasagna restaurant after all.  The veggie lasagna was also really good and you could taste the freshness of the vegetables that Tommy gets from the Union Square farmer's market.  Lobster pasta?  Yum.  Unless, of course, you are allergic to shellfish, which some of the people at the table were. Tommy was really accommodating though, and for those folks he brought out a Caprese Salad instead of the Mango Shrimp, Pear Salad instead of Ceviche, pasta with Vodka sauce instead of Lobster, and Crispy Chicken over Hash Browns and Shaved Brussels Sprouts instead of the Cioppino.  They confirmed these things were excellent as well.

I honestly really liked everything I had.  I hardly ever eat veal, but stuffed with spinach, asparagus, and fresh mozzarella it was really good.  The focaccia was a good start to the meal and the desserts were heavenly.  I wish I had more room to eat them.  Don’t worry though guys, I was still able to eat all the cheesecake.

Not only was the food really good, but Tommy really “gets” the whole gluten free thing.  We talked for a while about the different flours he uses, how all the gluten free pasta is made on a separate pasta maker first thing in the morning when everything in the kitchen is clean, and training his staff to fully understand the issues of cross contamination.  I felt completely confident I was eating safely at Tommy Lasagna and will definitely be back.

Thank you so much for making this happen Tommy.  You have a lot of happy new customers. 

Siggy's

A few weeks ago I wandered upon Siggy's with some of my family members.  They boast an all organic menu with lots of gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan options.  We decided to give it a go and everyone ended up happy.

Everything gluten free is clearly labeled on the menu.  I got a turkey burger on a gluten free bun with a side salad.  The bun looked too good when it arrived so I made the waiter confirm for me that it was gluten free (yes, I'm that crazy girl).  It wasn't the best gluten free bun I'd ever had, but I was pretty happy with the burger as a whole.  They also have a lot of really good looking salads, gluten free pastas, and entrees. Now that the weather is turning cool I'd like to try the beef stew over spinach and quinoa.  My gluten eating brothers were happy with their mac and cheese.

Siggy's has locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn Heights.  If you like to eat organic or need to find a restaurant for your mash of gluten free and vegetarian friends, Siggy's is a good choice.

Gluten Free Philly

Besties

I just got back from a weekend in Philly with my best friend.  She's in a five year doctorate program and is half way through.  We try to get together once a month either in Philly or New York.  That means I've been to Philly a whole lot in the last few years and I should obviously tell you about two of my favorite gluten free spots there.

For breakfast, lunch, or coffee/tea time we often go to Pure Fare on 21st Street between Sansom and Walnut.  The entire place is gluten free and they have great frittatas.  They also have sandwiches on gluten free bread, salads, smoothies, and some baked goods.

Choosing a dinner spot is always much more of a debacle for us.  We've been to El Rey a few times though and went again this weekend.  It's a pretty good Mexican restaurant with a large gluten free menu.  I recommend the nachos and pitchers of margaritas.  It's a fun place to go with friends but they don't take reservations so go early or plan to wait.

Anywhere else in Philly I should be trying?  I have at least 2.5 more years of hanging out there.

The Sandwich Bar

A few weeks ago I met a friend for lunch and we decided to check out Ditmars Boulevard.  I've lived in Astoria for over 5 years and have only ventured over to Ditmars twice.  We were walking past The Sandwich Bar and I stopped to look at the menu and briefly mourn the lack of sandwiches in my life.  Then I saw they can make their sandwiches on gluten free bread.  I was pretty excited.  I was even more excited when I saw they have a lunch special and hard cider on tap.  I got the pulled pork and cheddar pressed sandwich with a salad and a pint of hard cider.  I love pulled pork.  And cheddar cheese.  And hard cider.

The Sandwich Bar is located on Ditmars Boulevard at 33rd Street, off the Ditmars N or Q stop.  Go.

Crumbs Gluten Free

Cupcakes, as a rule, should be delicious.  I think we can all agree that cupcakes are the world's compromise on what kind of cake to eat.  Why choose one flavor of cake for a gathering when we can get a few of these, and a few of these, and a few of those?

However, as another harsh slap in the face to those of us with Celiac, sometimes gluten free cupcakes are down right bad.  A bad cupcake may sound like an oxymoron, but let me tell you, it's possible and they are lurking out there.  Even on the glossy streets of New York City.  I won't name names, because that's not my style, but they are there.

Crumbs cupcakes, also as a rule, are decadent and delicious.  But until this week, they were way off limits to those of us with Celiac as they were basically baseball sized hunks of gluten rolled in sugar and pretty colors and fairy dust.  Lucky for us, on October 3rd Crumbs opened it's first dedicated gluten and peanut free store.  Crumbs Gluten Free is located in New York City at 37 East 8th Street between Broadway and University.

I went on Thursday and was really impressed.  They had samples and I was able to try the vanilla coconut, red velvet, and some chocolate something or other.  I got a small carrot cake cupcake to take with me and it was really good.  So were the samples.  They have all their regular flavors and some other baked goods available that I did not try.

Thanks for making this happen Crumbs.  I'll definitely be back.

PF Chang's

I love Chinese food.  When I first moved to the city I survived almost solely on steamed vegetable dumplings.  I've been mourning the lack of Chinese food in my life for the last three years.  When PF Chang's reached out to me recently to let me know about their new summer menu and ask if I'd like a gift card to try their gluten free options I promptly replied back with a Heck Yes.  I knew there weren't any PF Chang's in the city, but a quick Google search told me there was one not too far away in New Jersey.  Enter my good friend Mallory from over at Total Noms.  Not only does Mallory love food as much as me, but she happens to live in Jersey City and own a car.  Perfect date for some PF Chang's taste testing.

I made the venture to Jersey last week and let me tell you, it was worth it.  I scoured the gluten free menu before hand and there were so many dishes I wanted to try I had a hard time pinning down exactly what we should order. In the end we decided to order from the PF Chang's for Two Menu which is a $40 four course meal of deliciousness. We got: egg drop soup, Chang's Lettuce Wraps, Chang's Spicy Chicken, Mongolian Beef, and a Flourless Chocolate Dome for dessert.  In addition, we tried the Summer Vegetable Quinoa Fried Rice.  Everything was gluten free and each thing was better than the next.

The Summer Vegetable Quinoa Fried Rice is part of their special Summer menu and is only around for a limited time.  It was a really good accompaniment to our other main dishes.  We used this as our base instead of the plain rice they brought with the entrees.  The chicken lettuce wraps were really good and so was the spicy chicken.  The Mongolian beef though...I'm still craving it a week later.  The sauce on that is amazing.  We definitely didn't need any dessert but we had to try the flourless chocolate dome in the name of research, right?  It's a good thing we did, because it was a little dome of chocolate heaven.  Served with fresh berries, it was the perfect end to our meal.

Thank you, PF Chang's for a great meal.  I would definitely visit again at this location or any of the other locations located across the country.

Tim Horton's Gluten Free Macaroons

They sent me this handy picture to show you

Having gone to school in Canada, Tim Horton's holds a special place in my heart.  There's nothing like a hot chocolate on a -40 degree day (I wish I was kidding about that temperature).  And who doesn't love timbits?  Timbits were actually on the menu the weekend I got so ill I knew I had to finally go to the doctor regarding my pesky chronic stomach aches.

I had long resigned to no more Tim Horton's treats in my life until I was contacted recently about their new gluten free coconut macaroons.  A small package arrived a few days later with a sample of the macaroons.  They come two in a two pack and are pre-wrapped to avoid cross contamination.  So far, they are winning.  They sent me some literature with the macaroons that informed me that not only are they available in all Tim Horton's locations, but they are only $1.29 per package.  This seems very reasonable to me.  They also tasted good. So, overall nice work Tim Horton's.

I've read some reviews that complain how unhealthy they are.  But come on, you are at a doughnut shop, what do you expect?  Low cal, all natural, organic macaroons?  If you are going into Tim Horton's in the first place you aren't there for a nutritious snack.  You are there for some delicious treats.  And now you can have a safe delicious treat along with the rest of 'em.

While I appreciate the gesture of a gluten free treat from Tim Horton's, I do have one complaint: they aren't timbits.  Dear Tim Horton's, please start working on gluten free glazed timbits.  Love, Anya.

Luigi's Restaurant

Last night I had the best gluten free pasta I have ever had.  It was so good that after a few bites I was convinced it was not gluten free and made the waitress confirm it for me.  She assured me it was and informed me that they make it themselves in house.  I was impressed.

I'm in DuBois, PA, where, according to the internet, there is basically nothing gluten free to eat.  I stumbled upon Luigi's by accident.  I had planned to go to a Mexican restaurant next door because Mexican is usually pretty GF friendly, but it was closed.  It was getting late so I walked into Luigi's (an Italian restaurant) expecting to just order a salad when I saw a sign at the hostess stand that said "Ask about our gluten free menu."

The gluten free menu has gluten free pasta, pizza, sandwiches, salads, and meat options.  I got gluten free penne with Tia's Tomato Alfredo sauce.  Have I mentioned how good it was?  Honestly, the best GF pasta I have ever had.  I wish I could go back and try the pizza.

Luigi's has two locations, one in DuBois, PA and one in Clymer, PA.  From looking at the website, I don't think the Clymer location has a GF menu.  DuBois is located along Interstate 80 which runs across the entire state of PA connecting New York and New Jersey with Ohio.  It's a long highway with few food options along the way.  This is such a great find that I plan to post about them on every gluten free travel site I can find.

A big thank you to Luigi's for letting me eat such a good meal in DuBois, PA.

Fresh Restaurant Toronto

 

I went out to eat twice when I was in Toronto and both times was to Fresh.  That's right, I liked it so much the first time I went back the next morning for bunch.  View the menu here.  Saturday afternoon we went for lunch and I had the Baby Buddha on brown rice and a smoothie.  Sunday morning I had the gluten free vegan blueberry pancakes served with real maple syrup.  These people really know the way to my heart.

Healthy Living Market and Cafe

I was in Vermont again last weekend.  This time I went for work.  I had to sit at a table in Burlington for several hours and hand out information about my company.  Not my normal job, but I'm always willing to help out when needed...especially when it means I get to go home for free.

Knowing that I was going to be sitting at a table for the majority of an afternoon, I wanted to bring lunch with me.  I went to the trusty Gluten Free Travel Site and searched Burlington, VT.  It was there I stumbled upon a review for Healthy Living Market and Cafe across from the University Mall.  It was a perfect quick stop before I headed downtown for an afternoon on the waterfront of Lake Champlain.

At the risk of sounding like the dorky gluten free person I am, Healthy Living Market was amazing.  They have an entire gluten free section when you first enter the store.  I don't mean a small section of an aisle.  I mean a whole mini store within the store.  It gives G-Free NYC a run for it's money.  Here's a low quality picture I took in my excitement:

You can't really tell how amazing it is from the picture, but they have everything.  What you see here are mostly the dry goods.  There is a row of freezers all along the left hand side with only gluten free stuff.  To the right before the food there is a section with gluten free magazines and books.  In the middle there is beer and behind that fresh baked goods and bread.  Nearly every gluten free product I've ever seen was here.  I even saw (and purchased) the new New Planet beer everyone's been talking about.  I also got the Bakery on Main instant oatmeal I've been wanting to try.  Seriously, this store has everything I could ever want for my gluten free needs.

But that's not all!  That only covers the market part.  They also have a cafe with lots of gluten free goods.  I got a gluten free raspberry muffin that was great.  And then... I was able to order a sandwich from the deli for the first time since I was diagnosed with Celiac 2 years ago!

For those of you that don't know me, this is very exciting.  I miss sandwiches and being able to order them for lunch.  We had to play an icebreaker with the summer interns at my job in June.  Everyone had to write down a t-shirt slogan that describes them and then other people have to guess who's slogan goes with who.  Mine said "I miss sandwiches."  I hate icebreakers.

I wish I could tell you I loved my sandwich, but I wasn't that happy with the bread. I did really really appreciate it though.  They have a hot bar with lots of gluten free options and I hear they even have gluten free pizza sometimes.

If you are gluten free and live within an hour of this place you have to go.  Or, if you are visiting lovely Burlington, VT, make sure to stop by.  Honestly, it's better than Whole Foods.  That's right, I said it.

peacefood cafe

Located on Amsterdam and 82nd, peacefood cafe is a vegan restaurant with many gluten free options.  They describe themselves as having healthy and delicious food with seasonal and locally grown ingredients when available.  I've been a few times and agree that they have healthy and delicious food.  I'll take their word on the seasonal and locally grown part.

I like getting the vegetable plates.  They have japanese pumpkin, chinese eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, choyote squash, kale, and baby boy choy.  You can choose two or four.  Or you can get two with a cup of soup.  Last week I had some butternut squash soup with zucchini and brussel sprouts.  It was really good and I felt good eating it.

Other gluten free options include fluffy quinoa salad, raw lasagna, raw pizza, raw sushi, potato salad, chickpea fries, and vegetable tamales.  There is also a case of desserts with several gluten free options including cookies, pies, and cheesecake.

This bustling casual restaurant has a really friend staff and the kind of owner that will give you samples of smoothies while you sit at the counter reading a book and eating some butternut squash soup.

Bloom's

There is a diner two blocks from my job that has gluten free pancakes.  I've never been because diner food, in my opinion, is for weekend brunch or late night burgers.  Neither of which usually happen near my office. But, tomorrow is my 26th birthday and I thought I'd treat myself to some gluten free pancakes for breakfast this morning.  I didn't have high hopes, but these were pretty good.  They were light and fluffy and everything pancakes should be.  My only qualms were the $10 price tag and the fact that they didn't have real maple syrup, but most diners don't.

Bloom's is on 39th and Lexington in Midtown Manhattan.  They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner 7 days a week.  Their extensive gluten free menu includes gluten free pancakes, french toast, and gluten free toast to go with egg dishes in the morning.  Sandwiches are served on gluten free bread and burgers are served on gluten free buns.  They also have salads, entrees, and desserts typical to diners.