Rice, 292 Elizabeth Street, New York, NY‎

I dined at Rice in Nolita Friday night after reading a review from the Young and the Hungry Blog.  I first saw Rice in Dumbo, actually, just last weekend after having walked over the Brooklyn Bridge.  Funnily, I was curious as to what kind of a restaurant it was; I should have guessed that Rice serves rice.  Lots of rice, in fact.  The abundance of the gluten-free grain is exactly why I chose it for dinner with my friends from home before seeing The Gypsy West and The Shills at The Bitter End.

We were seated almost immediately, despite the fact that some of our party wasn’t there yet.  Since we were waiting, we had quite some time to peruse the menu.  Rice only serves wine and beer, and I was not in the mood for wine.  Instead, I stared enviously at Caitlyn’s Sapporo, and sipped my water.  Once the other half of the party arrived, we discussed which dishes we would choose.  I eyed the Indian Chicken Curry, which is a chicken and mushroom curry topped with bananas, yogurt, almonds and raisins- it sounds delicious, no?  Too bad.  It wasn’t gluten-free.  I’d known this earlier had the service been better.  We spent a good 20 minutes deciding and no one came by.  When they finally did, I told them about my gluten allergy and magically, a gluten-free menu popped up.  I love it when restaurants have gluten free menus, it makes eating out ten times easier and enjoyable.  It did not contain Indian Chicken Curry.  So, I opted for the Thai Coconut Curry (chicken, shrimp, or tofu in red curry sauce) with Thai black rice.

I have never had black rice before, and despite looking like bugs, it was delicious!  Fully cooked, it had a harder texture than white or brown rice and a nuttier flavor than brown rice.  It was hearty and satisfying.  The curry was mediocre.  The curry itself was too thick and not spicy enough for my tastes.  I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that my curry contained no chicken, since I don’t remember ordering it, but the lack of any protein was a disappointment.  In any case, it was probably the worst Thai curry I have had, but edible, considering the rice was so delicious.  I would return just to sample more rice and enjoy the cozy atmosphere, but would order something else. 

Pros:

• Gluten-free menu
• Variety of rice
• Fireplace with real fire burning
• Inexpensive

Cons:

• Slow service
• No cocktails
• Mediocre curry