Gluten Free Eclairs

This just in: Risotteria now has gluten free eclairs.  And holy crap are they good.

I went to France for a week in high school with my French class.  I ate an eclair (or two) every single day.  Ah the good old days.

Not that you needed one, but these eclairs are yet another reason to head on over to Risotteria.

Pala Pizza

I keep a list of gluten free restaurants in my phone.  It's a mixture of places I've tried and places I've been wanting to try.  It has the restaurant name, type of food, and location.  With this list I can satisfy any food craving or find a place to eat within a 20 minute radius of whichever Manhattan neighborhood I am in.  It has come in helpful time and time again.  It it much longer than the list of restaurants I have reviewed here, but I'm working on adding them all to this site.

Pala Pizza has been on my list since I first went gluten free over a year ago.  I'm not sure why I'd never been until yesterday, but I finally made it there.  The menu has appetizers, salads, pastas, and pizzas.  Just about everything can be gluten free.  Not only do they have gluten free pasta and pizza, but they have three varieties of gluten free pasta - which is very exciting for us gluten free folks.  They also have a large vegan menu if that suits your fancy.

I had the risotto ball appetizer and gluten free spaghetti with meatballs for my entre.  I liked the risotto balls.  They were crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and served with a marinara dipping sauce.  The spaghetti and meatballs were fine, which was kind of disappointing because I was hoping it would be great.  The spaghetti itself was good, but the sauce had a really strong taste that I couldn't identify.  The portion was also a bit small in my opinion.

I left a little disappointed.  The guy next to me had ordered a gluten free pizza that looked pretty good, so I did the fat kid thing and went back today to try the pizza.  I didn't want to review the place as "meh" without having tried their specialty.  I ordered the zucchini pizza with goat cheese and cherry tomatoes.  It was good.  It was served on this pizza board, which clearly marked it as gluten free:

They go out of their way to ask if anyone at the table has any food allergies and make you feel comfortable that your food will be safe.  This is a plus for the very gluten sensitive folks. 

Even with going back to try the pizza, I wasn't overly excited by this place.  It is good, not great.  Fortunately for me, but unfortunately for them, there are many places in NYC that serve good gluten free pizza.  That being said, it is a good restaurant to keep on my list in case I find myself in the Lower East Side needing a place to eat.  I'd like to try more of their pastas, and I'm kind of wishing I had some of those risotto balls to eat right now.  It's also close to Babycakes, which is a plus for dessert (although I like Tu-Lu's better).

Risotteria

Risotteria is hands down the most well known gluten free restaurant in New York City.  I have been several times, even before I knew what gluten was or that I couldn't eat it.  The food is excellent, whether you are gluten free or not.  But, if you are gluten free, you are in some luck.  Risotteria has pizzas, paninis, pastas, salads, desserts, and of course, risotto.  Almost everything on the menu can be made gluten free.

Risotteria is located in the West Village where I am bound to get lost every time.  But, once you find this small bustling restaurant, it's worth it.  To start they bring you the most delicious gluten free bread sticks.  These are the standard bread sticks for everyone, gluten eating or not.  Then you have the daunting task of deciding what to order.  I've tried several of the risottos, a few pizzas, a few salads, and the meatball appetizer.  I've never had something I didn't like here.  This is a perfect restaurant to order a few different dishes and share with your lovely companions.  I've heard great things about the desserts, but I've never had the room to eat any desserts after a hefty portion of creamy risotto.

The only problem with this restaurant is that it's very small and they do not accept reservations.  With a seating capacity of 20, it's best to arrive early and with only one friend.  I highly recommend this place - especially in the fall or winter when the risotto can warm you from the inside out.