Tag Archives: Manhattan

Gluten-Free on the Go in New York City

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In a culture where fast food dominates and a city where options for a quick bite are endless, gluten-free folks often find themselves left empty handed with empty bellies.

Last weekend after having consumed two $6 pint-sized margaritas at  Soft Spot in Williamsburg, I found myself hankering for something greasy, salty, and filling.  My friend Grant also had the same hankering, so he grabbed a couple slices from Vinnie’s Pizza and I sat with him, watching enviosly, as he devoured each piece.  What did I eat?  Some gummy lifesavers I had stashed in my purse.

It will be a while until gluten-free pizza will be so ubiquitous that I can also get my fix at 2 am.  Until then, us glutards are left with few options for late-night or on the go dining in New York City.

Without further ado, here is the GFATC list of best gluten-free on the go spots in New York City.

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Heather’s Bar carries gluten-free beer!

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Wednesday, prompted by a meetup from the Celiac Meetup group, I made the 10 block trek to Heather’s Bar in Alphabet City to drink some gluten-free beer.

Heather’s, which is located at 506* E 13th, between avenues A & B, treats the gluten-free customer well.  They have cider on tap (which ALex mistakenly ordered, thinking it was beer), wine, and (the grand finale) TWO kinds of gluten-free beer.  I chose Bard’s over Redbridge.  It was a little nippy last night to be guzzling ice-cold beer and I admit I would have rather been drinking warming red wine, but I was pretty stoked to be able to order a beer at a bar.

I realize that gluten-free beer is sometimes lost on some celiacs or gluten-free folks because they stopped consuming gluten before they acquired a taste for beer, but for me, gluten-free beer is heaven.  If, like me, the one thing you miss the most about a normal gluten-filled life is beer, head over to Heather’s and rejoice!

*This is a necessary asterisk.  You NEED to know the address because there is no sign or discernible way to tell that this place is open to the public and a bar.  It’s hidden behind frosted glass windows and black unmarked doors.  Listen for the general bar commotion to be sure.   Oh and don’t be concerned by this quirk, it’s a lovely bar with good music and a great, friendly, atmosphere.

Celebrating with Gluten-Free Rolled Out Sugar Cookies

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Christmas-time is here! Happiness and…cookies.

I don’t know what it is, but I have the Christmas bug bad this year.  As soon as Thanksgiving was over, I was ready to whip out my Christmas playlist and deck the halls.  It’s my third Christmas in NYC this year and the second Christmas in my Peter Cooper apartment with my dog and I think I’m just having the urge to nest.  So, to satisfy these Christmas-y nesting urges, I have a to do list this holiday season.  It is:

  1. Get advent calendar and take turns opening it and eating the chocolate hiding beneath the flaps
  2. Get tree and decorate it
  3. Go to the Union Square Holiday Market and browse
  4. Make roll-out cookies and decorate said cookies
  5. Blast Christmas music and sing along
  6. Have a pre-Christmas apartment Christmas party with holiday foods and desserts and wine

This past weekend, I completed #1,2 and 4.  #2 was slightly stressful due to the OUTRAGEOUSLY overpriced trees that is the norm here in Manhattan.  I don’t want to talk about how much we dropped to get a 4 footer.  #4 was really important to me.  I needed to make these cookies to prove to myself that being GF during the holidays is doable and delicious too.  I didn’t want to make the dough myself because I’m a baby, so instead I bought the Gluten Free Pantry cake and cookie mix.  I’ve had previously successful experiences with it as a drop cookie because it tastes completely gluten-filled and non-xanthan gumm-y.  But, turning this mix into a roll-out cookie dough was not as easy as I thought and I had to enlist the help of my cookie baker friend extraordinaire, Caitlyn.

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A Gluten Free Thanksgiving

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For lunch this week, work served up a Thanksgiving inspired menu, with turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing (not GF), and sweet potatoes.  It put everyone in the holiday spirit and inspired me to talk about  gluten-free Thanksgiving.

I’ve mentioned before that I was diagnosed with celiac disease last year before Thanksgiving.  I contemplated not going gluten-free until after the holiday. but decided against that.  Some people don’t really understand why I didn’t just wait it out, but for me, it was important for my health and my mind to take on the challenge of a gluten-free Thanksgiving immediately.  My family was entirely on board and I made my first and only gluten-free pie crust which turned out well and some sugar cookies, which didn’t.  I missed out on the stuffing, but I was able to enjoy the potatoes, veggies, turkey and the flour-less gravy.

In fact, a gluten-free Thanksgiving meal is pretty easy to accomplish.  Most of the stars are naturally gluten-free (turkey, veggies, sweet potatoes) and those that are not (stuffing, gravy, pie) can be easily.  The couple behind Friedman’s Lunch in Chelsea have some pretty good advice for adapting the traditionally gluten filled Thanksgiving to gluten-free, including using Udi’s bread for stuffing and going for naturally gluten-free desserts like pumpkin creme brulee.  Read more about their gluten-free Thanksgiving here.

This year, we going a non-traditional route of celebrating at a restaurant.  While this seems odd and even sacrilegious to some, it is actually a common occurrence in New York City.  If you are going out for Thanksgiving this year, the following gluten-free friendly restaurants will be open and ready to serve:

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Gluten Free TV by Celiac Chicks!

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After a fluke meeting with a food channel exec, Kelly and Kim of Celiac Chicks decided it was time to feature gluten-free on TV. 

Check out their first video which has Kelly visiting Bar Breton in the Flatiron District to talk about their gluten-free foods and how they keep their kitchen free of cross-contamination.

“Smart & Tasty”