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. 

All Inclusive Resorts - Gluten Free

This was the view from our room.  It's ok to be jealous.

I just got back from a week in Jamaica.  It's relatively warm in New York City this winter, but compared to the 85 degree days and 75 degree nights of island life, I'm sitting here wrapped in blankets and pouting profusely.  Gone from Saturday to Saturday, it's a good thing I had today to pull myself together before heading back to work tomorrow.

Last year my man friend and I went to Mexico.  It was my first vacation gluten free and I was kind of nervous about it.  I quickly realized that with so many options available at a resort buffet, eating gluten free was easy.  I had a similar experience this year, which is why this post is about eating at all inclusive resorts, rather than Jamaica.

Whether the resort is big or small, they are feeding so many people that there will always be gluten free options.  I don't mean gluten free pasta or bread. That you certainly won't find.  But there will always be a plethora of fruits and vegetables, along with fish, meat, and rice.  This covers lunch and dinner, and for breakfast there are always eggs, potatoes, fruit, and yogurt.

This trip I didn't knowingly eat any gluten or take nearly as many chances as last time.  I still let a few things slide that I wasn't positive on like jerk chicken and curry goat (the sauces being the potential problem), but I didn't get sick once.  I can't speak on cross contamination, and while I'm pretty sensitive and was fine the entire time, this might be a cause for concern for some.  However, the staff at these places are usually pretty great, and if you want to take the time to ask, I highly recommend it.

All in all, with all the food options at all inclusive resorts, eating gluten free is easy.  You might not always get what you want to eat, but at least you aren't going to starve.  Have some lunch and go drink a pina colada on the beach.  No problem.

Legal Sea Foods - Philadelphia Airport

Flying from Philly to Pittsburgh last week for work I found myself with a few hours to kill in the Philadelphia airport.  I decided to treat myself to lunch at Legal Sea Foods because I knew they had a gluten free menu.  It's pretty rare to find gluten free food in an airport, so this was a nice treat.

What wasn't a nice treat was seeing the calories listed for each item.  I know they legally have to do this, but wow is it a downer.  I was only going to get a salad because I didn't want to pay $30 for lunch in an airport, but having to decide between the calories of my meal and the price of my meal was rather unfortunate.  I ended up getting a cesar salad with grilled shrimp.  It was very good and even had gluten free croutons on it.  It also added an extra 1,000+ calories to my day.  (Salads, by definition, should not be a thousand calories!) Like when I ate at Legal Sea Foods in Boston, I was served warm gluten free roles and the manager brought over my meal and informed me that they took my food allergy very seriously.  A nice touch I think.

Then I was off to Pittsburgh.  I made sure to utilize the hotel gym when I got there so I could eat dinner without exploding.

Legal Sea Foods

I've been trying to write this post for the last week and a half, but these last few weeks have been a whirlwind of mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion.  I've finally rejoined society and it's time to let you know that Legal Sea Foods has a great gluten free menu.  The truth is, I'm still too exhausted to really tell you about it, but with so many gluten free options and locations all along the east coast, I wanted to make sure you at least know about it.

When I went to Lea Sea Foods a few weeks ago in Boston I was impressed with their large gluten free menu.  I was even more impressed when they brought me two warm gluten free rolls.  I was further impressed when the kitchen manager personally brought out my gluten free lobster and side dishes.  You can tell they take their gluten free menu seriously, which I really appreciate.

Lea Sea Foods is a bit pricy, but fresh quality sea food often is.  They have locations in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virgina, and Washington DC.

I also went to Legal Sea Foods in the Philly Airport.  Read about it here.