Nick’s already serves a variety of prepared gluten-free Italian dishes like meatballs, chicken parmesan, and pasta as well as sells gluten-free Italian breads. Now, they plan on having a monthly gluten-free fish fry after a successful event in June. The next fish fry is Thursday, August 16 from 5:00-8:00 pm. Call ahead to make reservations and specify that you are attending the fish fry.
For more information on Nick’s gluten-free options: http://www.nicksdeliandpizza.com/Gluten.html
FC stands for Fairfield County (in Connecticut). Or at least it did when The OC was as big deal and we wanted to be like the show.
I’m from Fairfield County (although was born in New York) and am often there on weekends to visit my family. This past weekend happened to be my sister’s 21st birthday and Alex and I made the trek on Metro North to Westport for her birthday dinner. Maddy’s only restaurant requirement was that it had to be Italian, which is what I grew up eating due to my mom’s heritage, but is slightly more problematic now that I am gluten-free. We lucked out. We went to Rizzuto’s in Westport, a CT chain with two other locations. If you want an allergy-friendly Italian restaurant in Connecticut, this is the place to go. They ask you about food allergies when you make your reservation, and confirm them when you check in for dinner.
Rizzuto’s is in a location near the train station that has been occupied by several restaurants beforehand (when I lived there, it was John Harvard’s). I have a feeling though, Rizzuto’s is going to last. Their signature style is wood-fired Italian fare- their smoky flavors make it stand out from other Italian restaurants in Fairfield County. Onto our dining experience.
Alex and I arrived first, and waited at the bar with drinks for the rest of the family to show up. Despite not enjoying one myself, I am pretty sure they make a mean cocktail and the large bar area attracts a lot of older singles. We were seated in the back of the main dining area with view of the ovens and kitchen. It’s a large space, but the colors and woody decor make it feel pretty cozy. When it came to ordering, there were a lot of preliminary questions about food allergies (I’m GF and my sister’s allergic to nuts) and the waiter was neither frazzled nor uninformed about the food. He told us with confidence that there were no nuts in ANY dishes except for two desserts and that they had gluten-free pasta and pizza. Jackpot. It really makes a dining experience so much better when the service is knowledgable and accomodating. Even with delicious food, poor food-allergy service can really taint a lovely dinner.
For appetizers, we ordered the antipasto plate which includes 2 meats, 2 cheeses, and 2 vegetables and Alex ordered the oysters. The antipasto was a perfect amount of food for 5. They scored points for having my favorite soft cheese, humboldt fog, which I only get to enjoy when it goes on sale at WF. The veggies were marinated well and retained the smoky flavor from the wood-fire, which was good and not too strong and campfire like. The oysters came from the Long Island Sound (holla) so you can also feel good about eating local. According to Alex, they were awesome.
For dinner, I was torn. Should I order the pasta or the pizza? After Alex declared, “When was the last time you had pizza” I made up my mind. Pizza it was. Maddy ordered the gluten-free Rigatoni al Pollo (wood-grilled chicken, broccoli rabe, roasted tomatoes) so I could taste. She’s the best. Since gluten-free pizza becomes all about the crust, that was what I was most focused on and was most happy with. It was a thick, bready crust that came from Sami’s Bakery (the waiter said it was based in San Franscisco, but I did some online research and found it in Tampa, hm). Although I was sort of sad they didn’t make it themselves, it really was the best GF crust I’ve ever had (yes, better than Udi’s). For toppings, I went with goat cheese and vegetables. It was a pretty dry pizza, not a lot of sauce, not too much cheese, but the crust made up for that. When I ate the leftovers the next day, I added more cheese, and that helped. At first, it was just okay, but Maddy asked for more “sauce” and they came with a large gravy bowl of tomato/wine/garlic sauce that raised the level of this dish to outstanding. Their gluten-free pasta of choice was made from corn, as most restaurant GF pastas are, so it was not mushy like rice pasta can be. Oh, and mom, Alex, and Lily said their food was really yummy too. We left Rizzuto’s really full but really happy. This will be out go-to special meal place from now on.
Here’s a good list of other gluten-free restaurants in Fairfield County.
Remember mac & cheese? I do. I think I ate Annie’s at least once a weekend when I was growing up for lunch, probably for dinner too. In 8th grade, we “learned” to make mac & cheese from box in home-ec and someone actually messed it up (she put the cheese mix in the water while the pasta was still boiling-amateur mistake).
As I grew older, this comfort food slowly dissapeared from my regular diet. I didn’t think twice about, probably because my that time I’d realized how gross powdered cheese flavoring really is. But now, I miss it. I know Annie’s makes a rice pasta mac & cheese, but I hear it’s mushy. Anyway, my palette these days calls for a slightly more sophisticated pasta and cheese dish. Luckily for me, I discovered S’Mac and it delivers in my neighborhood. S’Mac has gourmet mac & cheese for really reasonable prices and offers gluten-free options on ALL of their combinations. I’ve had the Alpine (swiss, gruyere, and bacon), Parisienne (brie, figs, mushrooms, and rosemary), and Cajun (cheddar, pepper jack, andouille sausage, green pepper, onions, celery, garlic cajun seasoning). They are all delicious, addictive, and incredibly filling.
S’Mac is celebrating their 4 year anniversary this Tuesday, July 27, with a special: $2.00 All-American(cheddar, American). It’s $1.00 if you don’t need the gluten-free accommodation. So, mac & cheese lovers, rejoice, and get your self some good ole comfort food next Tuesday from S’Mac!
S’Mac (Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese)
345 East 12th Street, NY, NY 10003
212-358-7912
Spring in New York is unpredictable. Seventy and sunny one day, fifty and rainy the next. This past weekend I was able to enjoy the sunny weather with a barbeque in Roosevelt Island. Its funny that what used to be an easy spring/summer cooking tradition in my youth in Suburbia has become a once – twice a summer treat.
Warmer weather also means that soon we will be enjoying yummy fresh and local summer veggies like beets, squash, and tomatoes (some of my favorites). Until then, however, we are still finding cold weather veggies at the farmer’s market like root vegetables and greens. In the following recipe, I used greens and carrots from the farmer’s market, and green beans that were on sale from FreshDirect (not necessarily the best, but I had to use them!). It is my take on a “pasta primavera.”
