Eating GLUTEN FREE in NYC (Autumn 2016) Incl… Melt Shop, Del Friscos Grille, BareBurger, Blooms Cafe & Deli and Duane Park..

Since my last NYC Trip (in November 2015), there have been new openings, new restaurants and of course new Menus in the Big Apple. So happy that I have a great choice of restaurants when I visit, this is my experience of some of the meals whilst in NYC: I find that NYC is a great destination for a Coeliac as they seem to be well-informed, happy to accommodate and always tasty options to have. Of course, there is always a good choice so this is a selection of some of the restaurants and eateries that I enjoyed in Autumn 2016…

Melt Shop NYC

Melt Shop: Having enjoyed my Club World flight over, it was important to have something to eat but not to have a huge evening meal so popping into the Melt Shop was a great choice. It does what they say on the tin: provide Melted sandwiches with a variety of fillings and cheeses. All made on site and as they’re ordered, so it’s fresh, hot and tasty. I choose the “Maple Bacon” without the Brick sauce (not that I found out what was in that) and had to pay additional 0.92 cents for GLUTEN FREE! It was greasy with the melted cheese and the thick maple bacon but delicious comfort food that was freshly made.

Del Frisco Salad

Del Frisco Steak Grill: In the heart of the Rockerfella Centre in NYC, this very trendy and lively bar /restaurant, and yes it is a Steakhouse but they have a great selection of dishes, many which can be made GLUTEN FREE. I wasn’t hungry so opted for a light salad and I have to say it was one of the best I have ever had. It looked such a beautiful plate and of course the fresh vegetables were crunchy and soft, fresh and just so lush. I didn’t finish the fresh mozzarella as I found it too fresh and creamy but it was a lovely mix and well balanced. The steaks looked tempting but I guess it depends on your appetite!

BareBurger

BareBurger: A great Burger chain which does offer a GLUTEN FREE Bun and cooks the fries separately from the Onion Rings so you can a full compliment with your meal. A new addition is a Green Wrap which I opted for, for a change as I didn’t really fancy the bread. I have to confess the “greens” were very strong and rich in Iron, and probably a little too healthy for me, so I think I probably pulled out the burger from the “wrap”. They are flexible and well informed, telling you exactly the sources for all their ingredient. A cool chain of simple Burger meals.

Blooms GF Sandwich

Blooms: Closed to Central Station, I do like Blooms as they have a very extensive GLUTEN FREE Menu including a Strawberry GLUTEN FREE NY Cheesecake. It’s a traditional Deli with sandwiches which are actually too large to hold and eat with your mouth but that’s a great vision of NYC and American foods. I had the Turkey Bacon Club and really enjoyed it, splitting it out in order to eat it. They still offer pickles (which are great if you like them) and coleslaw whilst you wait for them to freshly cook the food. A great lunch place with both hot and cold GLUTEN FREE meals.

Duane Park: An interesting venue where we were entertained as well as fed for a friend’s Birthday Celebration. I have to confess that I was rather nervous about my allergies and food issues but they were very polite and flexible: offering most of the dishes (which could be amended) and many were naturally GLUTEN FREE. I forget that it isn’t a fad but actually I am now well-catered for.

Duane Park

Starter

For my starter I had the Roasted Shrimp (Georgia Cheese Grits and Garlic Sauce) and it was a great small start to the meal. It was well cooked and looked pretty as a picture.

My Entree was the Pan-Roasted Organic Chicken (Parmesan mashed potatoes with seasonal vegetables and pan jus). This was alright: a very generous chicken leg and breast which was too much to eat, a real hunk of mash and loads of vegetables. And as you can see, the entertainment had started so the lightening had been lowered: making it difficult to eat and enjoy.

Entree

And my final course was rather dull: Sorbet Ice Creams (as the beautiful cakes and pastries couldn’t be made GLUTEN FREE). That was a little disappointing although at this point, I wasn’t hungry and it was quite nice to have something cold, icy and refreshing rather than a heavy cake.

So again, my faith in NYC restaurants was reinforced in knowing they are aware, can cater for and will make every good effort to provide a good GLUTEN FREE Meal.

On Previous visits, I have eaten GLUTEN FREE at:

November 2015 Trip

Covering: Joe’s Crab Shack, Friedman’s, Panera bread, King Yum and Max Brenner.

May 2015 Trip

Covering: Magnolia Bakery, Bloom’s Deli, Pappardella, Cantine Parisienne, Ruby Foos and Bareburger.

November 2014

Covering: S’Mac, Applebees, BareBurger, Buffalo Wild Wings, Reef Restaurant, Vanilla Sky and Uno Chicago Grill.

If you are a member of Coeliac UK, they produce a comprehensive directory which covers over 16,000 food and drink items (including GLUTEN FREE Chocolate Bars). This is available in a paper-based Manual and online FREE to members of Coeliac UK.

One of the hard-hitting posters (featuring Yours Truly) from Coeliac UK launched for Awareness Week in 2015 and now showing in The Netherlands. This was accurate as at October 2016.

Other destinations reviewed on my blog includes the USA (Texas, NYC, Boston and Philadelphia), Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, UAE andLondon!