Sometimes the fates conspire to create a perfect evening. Sometimes you are the beneficiary of the fates. This is the story of the fates smiling on me. Planning a trip to Chicago a few months ago, the highlight seemed to be a dinner scheduled at Alinea – only the top restaurant in the U.S.! Of course, I also got tickets to a comedy show at Second City, made some other restaurant reservations and had plans to take a couple of architecture tours, but the salivary glands were insisting that Alinea would be the star. A mere three-day trip, with plans to fit as much deliciousness into the extended weekend as our time, stomachs and budgets would allow.

Alinea’s noted Chef, Grant Achatz, recently opened a second restaurant, called “Next.” Next revises its menu and theme every three months. The first theme was Paris, 1906-Escoffier at the Ritz. The tickets sold out quickly and they couldn’t accommodate gluten-free diners, so I didn’t give it much thought after first reading about it. Though I did enjoy living vicariously through the pictures various friends and web sites posted of the menu. What I didn’t realize though was that the new Thai menu/theme for Next was gluten-free friendly and would launch the week of our Chicago trip. Ahh, the fates.

Three days before departure to Chicago, I read that tickets were going on sale for the new Tour of Thailand at Next Restaurant. (aside: tickets you ask? Yes. Check out this brilliant move by Grant Achatz and his business partner Nick Kokonas – they sell “seats” for dinner that includes tax and gratuity upfront, it eliminates a lot of the economic risks associated with running a restaurant – they have cash in hand, three months before some diners arrive) I was lucky enough to get tickets for a table for four on our first night in Chicago. My foodie travel friend, Gareth, and I would dine with my Mom and my Stepdad, Victor. I was on cloud nine, the food gods were smiling down upon us.

Now, on to the food the fates favored us with! (There was only one small item they couldn’t make gluten-free and only one substitution.) There I was, eating at Next, and enjoying the same meal as the rest of the table, a rare treat! The fates were gluten-free that night!

The meal commenced with a tray of traditional Thai “street food,” served on top of  a Thai newspaper and paired with a guava, mango, papaya juice. (aside: Next’s Tour of Thailand iteration offers fruit juice pairings that are as creative and interesting as the food and truly highlight the cuisine)

My personal favorite was the roasted banana with fried garlic, pickled shallot and cilantro blooms:

Though the sheer joy of eating of a gluten-free steamed bun with beech mushroom and green curry can’t be discounted.

Rounding out the first bites were: fermented sausage with peanut, galangal, grilled scallion; sweet shrimp with raw garlic, mint and bird chilis; and a prawn cake (the only thing I couldn’t eat) with white pepper, coriander and lime zest.

After the street food, our table was transformed for the restaurant-style Thai experience.

The next course was a hot and sour broth with pork belly, tomato and kaffir lime, paired with a chrysanthemum, lemongrass and lychee juice. The juice brought out the spiciness of the soup. And pork belly? ‘nuff said.

Not a single drop of the soup escaped our palates and then we were served rice and a set of traditional Thai “condiments” that we will use for the rest of the meal. Salted duck egg relish with green mango and white radish, a sauce made with chili, shallots and garlic, and a mixture of pickled fruits and vegetables with basil.

They left us alone to experience these flavors on their own before bringing the next course. While they are traditionally used as condiments, we savored them with just rice. Our servers brought two sets of these treats and replenished them throughout the rest of the meal.

Our first main course was wild catfish braised in caramel sauce with celery and coriander root. This was the dish I was least excited about when I saw it on the menu before dinner because I didn’t think I liked catfish and I couldn’t get my mind around caramel sauce on fish. Well, I soon discovered that catfish is delicious, at least in the hands of chefs Achatz and Beran. The caramel sauce wasn’t at all cloying and was even more delightful with the carrot, ginger and orange juice pairing. At our table, we finished every piece and were clashing spoons in an effort to grab the last drops of the sauce.

Braised beef cheek with a curry of peanut, nutmeg, coconut and lemongrass, made my Mom nervous. She is decidedly uninterested in food, an unadventurous eater, and doesn’t really understand my obsession. However, even she loved the rich final savory course. In fact, the meal overall might have converted her, though at a minimum she is more sympathetic to my food appreciation.

The hibiscus, mangosteen and thai pepper juice that accompanied the beef cheek made Gareth almost regret opting for the alcohol pairings. We all had a shooter of watermelon and lemongrass before moving to dessert.

Then a plate of coconuts arrived at our table. Huh?

It turned out to be a playful, creative and in the end functional presentation of a complex dessert. A magical mixture of coconut, corn, egg noodles, licorice and tapioca were in the bottom half of the shell. Then a serving of coconut sorbet was spooned into the top half of the shell. Our last juice pairing was a corn and pineapple juice.

The simple dessert that followed was half of a dragon fruit adorned with only a simple sweet rose water and served with an actual rose for us to sniff to enhance the flavor.

To close the meal, we were given a rooibos iced tea “to-go.” The bag and straw facilitates easy consumption in Thailand where people need a way to drink their tea while riding scooters and motor bikes.

After dinner, we were given a fascinating tour of the kitchen. We were standing next to the expediter, the person in charge of making sure every table gets each course without waiting for too long.  We were able to see our table’s ticket that documented when we received each course and noted when any of us got up from the table!  This sort of precision and attention to detail appealed especially to my math-teacher Mom.

Every person we interacted with at Next was an absolute delight. We so thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience, even my Mom asked if she could join us for another food adventure in the future!

The miracle of the evening though didn’t end at Next. Gareth and I continued on to The Aviary, the new cocktail bar from Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas. More to come…

Address: Next Restaurant, 953 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607

Starting this week, Keste Pizza & Vino will be serving gluten-free pizza every Monday and Tuesday.  The gluten-free pizzas are prepared with a special gluten-free flour mix and cooked in a separate electric oven dedicated to the gluten-free pies. Gluten-free diners will have the option of three different pies – margherita, marinara or lardo-topped mastincola.

A fellow gluten-free food and pizza aficionado went to check out their offerings yesterday and  the praise is high.  He proclaimed it to be “the best gluten-free pizza in NYC, followed by 2. Mozzarelli’s and 3. Pala.”  And this is from someone who had made it his mission to sample all of the gluten-free pizza options including Risotteria, Uno’s and Opus.

Keste Pizza & Vino

Address: 271 Bleecker St., nr. Morton St.;

Telephone: 212-243-1500

One of the frustrating things with Celiac Disease is how expensive ‘gluten-free’ versions of mainstream products are. $5 for a box of Italian gluten-free pasta, $7 for a bag of gluten-free bagels, $8 for a loaf of decent tasting gluten-free bread. It can quickly become quite a burden to a family or even an individual to live on a diet with gluten-free replacements. Well there is some good news at tax time, you may be eligible to deduct some of that extra expense on your taxes.

Suzanne on the NYC Celiac Meetup message board and Celiac.com were great sources in helping me to pull together this guide to tax deductions and the gluten-free diet.

If you refer to IRS ruling 02-19 & IRS medical pamphlet 502 & COMPLY with their REQUISITES you can include your gluten-free food, toiletries, cosmetics, even envelopes with gluten-free glue as part of a medical deduction.

A few things you need first:

• This will be part of your medical expenses deduction so you must have sufficient medical expenses (as a % of your earnings) to itemize your deductions.
• A doctor’s letter to substantiate your condition as DIAGNOSED Celiac Disease.
• Receipts.

What you can deduct:

• You can claim mileage expenses, and postage/shipping fees for special needs shopping.
• The price difference between regular and gluten-free products. If you were buying wheat pasta for .99 and now buy gluten free pasta for $5.00, you have to deduct the difference and that amount is used for the deduction. If you eat cereal, for example & regular corn flakes are $3.50 but gluten-free corn flakes are $5.49 for a box half the size, you have to figure the cost per ounce then calculate the difference.
• The full cost of some replacement items such as gluten-free flour and xanthan gum. Some items are not interchangeable i.e. rice flour is not a one-to-one replacement for wheat flour the way pasta or cereal is so the entire cost is deductible.
• Restaurant surcharges – any extra fees that restaurants charge for gluten-free bread or pasta can be completely deducted.

According to Celiac.com:

“After you file, your IRS office may refer you to Publication 17 and tell you these deductions are not permissible. IRS representatives have ruled otherwise and this is applicable throughout the US Refer them to the following Citations:

Revenue Ruling 55-261
Cohen 38 TC 387
Revenue Ruling 76-80, 67 TC 481
Flemming TC MEMO 1980 583
Van Kalb TC MEMO 1978 366″

I am not an account or a tax attorney so please read all of the pamphlets carefully to check for updates and be sure that you are following their guidelines correctly.  While it’s not super-convenient or easy, it has the potential to provide substantial savings each year.  And if you are already tracking your spending with one of the many tools now available for free online it may not even be that inconvenient.

I first heard news of L’asso Pizza adding a gluten-free option to their menu via the NYC Celiac Meetup Group.  I hadn’t looked at their menu, when my friend Andy also trumpeted the news last week.  Apparently the gluten-gluttons in his family had been constantly raving about the incredible pizza at L’asso.  His wife’s description of their portabello tartufo pizza was all that I needed to hear.

So this week when I was thwarted in my attempt to go to The Moth Story Slam, I made the most of it by suggesting L’asso as our alternate plans.  I was so excited to indulge in some cheesy-mushroom-truffle-pizza goodness my previous plans were quickly a distant memory.  As we were seated I saw “gluten-free pizza” and “gluten-free beer” touted on their specials.  Happy that the rumors were true (I somehow always worry that new gluten-free offerings are a myth until I see them with my own eyes), I started debating which toppings to get.  When I asked the server about the gluten-free pizza, he explained that I could only order the “Margherita” or “Bufalina” style pizzas with gluten-free crust.  What?? My heart sank. While I am glad to have more places serving gluten-free pizza, most of the fun with L’asso is the wide variety of toppings and flavor combinations available. Margherita is the classic Italian-style pizza with tomato sauce, cooked buffalo mozzarella, oregano, basil and extra virgin olive oil.  The Bufalina replaces cooked buffalo mozzarella with raw buffalo mozzarella. Both are simple and delicious but not at all what I was craving.

He explained that they had to keep the toppings, dough, etc. for the gluten-free pizzas separate from the rest of their pizza-making operations.  It’s good to hear that they are taking care to prevent cross-contamination, but it didn’t lessen my disappointment.  Hopefully the gluten-free demand will be so high that they will expand their gluten-free options soon.  But really I can’t complain too much – when you can get gluten-free pizza and beer in SoHo, life isn’t so bad for the gluten-challenged.

You can check out L’asso for yourself this week with the NY Celiac Meetup Group.  They are hosting a Meetup at L’asso this Thursday, August 27th from 12-7pm. L’asso is offering as special for the event – the gluten-free pizza Margherita and house salad for $15.  While I didn’t have their house salad, I really enjoyed their arugula salad – served with pear, pancetta, ricotta salata, candied walnuts and a white wine vinegar and honey drizzle.  It was so good, it almost made up for the truffles I missed on my pizza….

L’asso is using gluten-free crust from Still Riding gluten-free bakery.  I enjoyed that crust most recently at Pizza Fusion in Atlanta.  I had more fun options for toppings, but the crust is great either way.

Restaurant Address:

L’asso Pizza

192 Mott Street at Kenmare

NY, NY 10012

Phone: 212-219-2353

For more gluten-free pizza options in NYC, you can visit Sambuca, Bistango, Opus, Risotteria, Pala, PizzaBolla, Slice and Mozzarelli’s.  For those outside of NYC, there are Uno’s locations nation-wide and Pizza Fusion is expanding their number of locations as well.  I wonder when Pizza Hut and Dominoes will get on the gluten-free bandwagon…

Where is your favorite place for gluten-free pizza?  Or do you make your own?

Foiled in my attempt to go to the Red Hook Ball Fields yesterday, I had a hankering for grilled corn that had to be satisfied.  I began scanning my memory for restaurants on my ‘to check out soon’ list and remembered that Mercadito Cantina was apparently ‘better than sex.’  While I wouldn’t extend the hyperbole quite so far, the food did satisfy my cravings at the time.

I’ve enjoyed a great gluten-free dinner at the original Mercadito up the street, but this was my first visit to the Cantina.  My friend Matt and I ordered a sampling of guacamoles – totally unexpected flavors that were still recognizable as guacamole.  I loved the betabel guac with beets, pickled jalpenos and toasted spiced pepitas.  The sandia guacamole with watermelon and habanero was spicy and refreshing (reminded me a little of my fig and avocado salsa).

We had the rajas – sautéed chiles with corn (the menu said hominy but they replaced it with regular corn) and the Taquiza carnitas tacos with the veracruzana and cacahuate salsas.

Our favorites were the elote mexicano (grilled corn) with lots of spice and the arroz verde, a green rice casserole that was crispy and cheesy and totally crave-worthy.

Most of the menu is completely gluten-free.  Unfortunately their chips are fried in the same oil as their churros, but I was able to enjoy the guacamoles with the fresh corn tortillas. And apparently I made that look good enough that Matt abandoned the chips and started using tortillas as his guac delivery device as well.

They don’t take reservations and while the space is tiny, the food is worth squeezing in next to strangers.  Mondays and Tuesdays they offer all you can eat Tacos and Taquizas.  I will definitely be back there soon.

It’s down the street from S’mac, Back 40 and Terroir – gluten-free dining options in American, Greenmarket, Italian and Mexican cuisine all so close together, the East Village seems to have an irresistible call to the “gluten-challenged.”

Mercadito Cantina
Address: 172 Avenue B (at 10th St)
New York, NY
Phone: 212-388-1750

Finishing the meal with panna cotta topped with grappa soaked cherries? Life doesn’t get much better.

Terroir’s small plates are $3-9, much more affordable than Hearth’s main dishes.  Plus you can get tasting glasses of any of their wines – I love being able to order smaller pours for less $$ since I can rarely finish a glass on my own!

I’m almost hesitant to share this find because it’s already difficult to get a seat, but it’s so delectable, I can stay silent no longer.

Terroir
Address: 413 E. 12th St
New York, NY 10009
Phone: (646) 602-1300

http://twitter.com/terroirNY

It’s down the street from S’mac and Back 40, a few blocks away from Prune and Knife + Fork – the culinary call of the East Village is strong.  For an uptown wine bar with actual food options – give Casellula a try, but I’ll stay downtown for now…

I consider all of these factors and more when giving a list of places to family and friends who ask for recommendations. When selecting ‘gluten-free friendly’ places, I start with the menu – does it look like there are enough dishes that I could create some amalgamation of a pleasurable meal? Prune had been on my list of ‘places to try’ for quite some time. [note: I literally keep a list divided by neighborhood, lunch, wine bars, 'potentially good Mexican food,' etc.]

Before the end of the year, I was able to visit Prune, this long-standing East Village institution (in the NYC restaurant world, it seems like 5+ years is long enough to merit that designation). I met my friend Erika for an early dinner, trudging through sleet and rain to arrive in the warm arms of this snug and inviting restaurant tucked away on East 1st Street.

I had looked at the menu and seen enough dishes that piqued my interest to know I would not leave hungry. But imagine my surprise when I discovered that the ‘bread’ that Prune serves at every table is gluten-free! How could I have missed this in the gluten-free blogosphere? So it’s not bread exactly, it’s a papadum, which is an Indian-style cracker made with a mix of lentil, rice, gram flour and spices.

Another shock? By far the best things we ate that night was a cabbage side dish. The lamb sausages were savory, rich and a fine-example of homemade sausage, but the cabbage was absolutely magical. We were so impressed with the cabbage we implored the table next to us to order it as well. They concurred with our evaluation and thanked us for guiding them down the right path.

The other veggie side dishes were a little lackluster, the turnips and sweet cream butter were as odd a pair as it sounds. The cheese plate came through and ended the meal on a high note.

I never thought I would dream of cabbage, but I must get back to Prune before the weather thaws and a hearty dish of warm cabbage sounds too heavy.

Prune Restaurant
Address: 54 E 1st St #1
New York, NY 10003
Phone: 212-677-6221

It was during our second dining experience, at Savoy that I knew he was my food soul mate.  He arrived at the restaurant with his camera in hand (to photograph our meal) and a bag of mangosteen for me.  Mangosteen is a tropical fruit that I had never tried before.  It wasn’t for any particular reason other than he knew that I love food and would enjoy trying something new.
Then the waiter came to tell us about the specials, I went through my ‘gluten-free spiel.’ Mark looked at the menu and said “Why don’t you pick dishes that you can eat and then we can share so we both get to taste more.” Then when the waiter brought bread for Mark he pushed it back with the reply “I don’t want you to have to worry about cross-contamination.” Wow! What more could I ask for?

Since that dinner, Mark has helped me paint my apartment, taken me rock climbing for the first time and accompanied me on many more gluten-free restaurant adventures in New York.  He is always up for trying something new; we’ve experimented with sweetbreads, buffalo, stinky cheese and liver (though not together).

Back to the food – I highly recommend both Annisa and Savoy for special occasion gluten-free dining in Manhattan.  While Annisa is an Asian-influenced restaurant (which can be tricky gluten-free territory), the chef was able to make a full selection of dishes for me without soy sauce.

The two appetizers we had a Savoy may be my favorite dishes of the summer.  The caul fat sausage was so good, I almost cried when I went back for lunch and it wasn’t on the menu.  Don’t be dissuaded from going to Savoy for lunch though, the menu is still great and very affordable – more along the lines of sister restaurant Back 40 in the East Village.

Both restaurants were very accommodating and knowledgeable about gluten-free dining needs. They made eating such a pleasure, gluten-free was merely a refinement rather than a restriction.

Annisa
Address: 13 Barrow St
New York, NY 10014
Telephone: (212) 741-6699

Savoy
Address: 70 Prince St
New York, NY 10012
Telephone: (212) 219-8570

Two recent dates led me to two new restaurants. While the food was great at both and everything was gluten-free, they exhibited opposite extremes of service and ambiance available in the NY dining scene.

Dinner at Back 40, the more casual East Village sister to Savoy Restaurant in Soho, was such a refreshing gluten-free dining experience. I presented my Triumph dining card, the server consulted with the chef and we were able to enjoy a perfect meal, including a shaved fennel salad, two types of grilled fish, one with a cilantro salsa verde and a second garnished with fresh grilled ramps. Sides included sauteed rapini with garlic, mushrooms with thyme and shallots, and a third side of cheesy potato goodness. Three different servers assisted us, all with grace and ease. At the end of the meal, one of the servers even thanked me for bringing in the dining card because it was so helpful to the chef in creating a ’safe’ and delicious meal.

The service at Back 40 was in stark contrast to a recent dinner I had a Michelin-starred restaurant. I had to work with multiple servers to explain what I needed and my Triumph dining card was lost, with no offer to make up for their error. When my date suggested The Café at Country, a fine dining establishment in the more sterile Midtown East neighborhood I was excited to experience another Michelin-starred dinner. The food was fantastic, but the service did not live up to their reputation or their prices ($18-20 for one glass of wine??) Sizzling shrimp scampi with lemon brulee, a subtle fresh seared fish preparation and rich potato puree were all gluten-free. I savored every last bite, clearing my plate (also ignoring the antiquated advice I was given as a girl about how to behave on a date). I wouldn’t go back on a busy weekend night but on a slower weekday, the food and numerous gluten-free options make it worth revisiting.

Back 40

190 Avenue B, At 12th St, NY, NY 10009

Phone: 212-388-1990

The Cafe at Country

90 Madison Ave, at 29th St, NY, NY 10016

Phone:  212-889-7100

I am taking a wine class right now. All of the discussion of what to drink with what you eat has me frequently longing for a nice steak to go with the full bodied reds like the Brunello di Montalcino or Vino Nobile di Moltepulciano we had last night. While we don’t get to eat during class, luckily in New York there are plenty of options for satisfying my steak house cravings.

When eating at a steak house, ask the waiter to prepare your dish on a clean portion of the grill with no contaminated sauces. Because the sides are usually prepared individually and shared as a group ideally your dining companions will split some of the gluten-free options with you – or you can always employ my tactic and use it as an excuse to keep all of the asparagus to yourself.

Allergic Girl Sloane and CeliacChick Kelly and I had a great gluten-free lunch at Porterhouse Steak House in the Time Warner Center. Sloane made arrangements in advance with Chef Michael Lomonaco who assured her they understand how important a subject special dietary needs are, especially where the health and well-being of diners are concerned. When we arrived, we found the staff to be well educated on gluten-free and allergy concerns. With three different sets of dietary restrictions, we were all able to enjoy full and delicious meals.

While the dinner and a la carte prices will never qualify for ‘Cheap Eats’ designation, the prix fixe lunch is a steal in Manhattan at less than $30 for three courses. I selected the roasted beet and Humboldt fog salad to start, followed by a hangar steak with a green peppercorn sauce and a side of steamed spinach. My dessert was a full dish of fresh berries. With such top quality ingredients, I would struggle to make this for a similar cost at home!

While the sorbet Kelly ordered was initially served with a cookie, they apologized profusely and immediately brought out a new, uncontaminated dish. (This happened during our gluten-free dinner with Mario Batali as well.) Even with a careful and aware server, you as the gluten-free diner need to be vigilant in checking to make sure they understand the full extent of your gluten-free needs.

I need to revisit Porterhouse to put my new wine knowledge to good use. For those of you not lucky enough to live in NYC, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse has a reputation for having allergy aware staff and many gluten-free options.

Porter House New York
Address: 10 Columbus Circle, 4th fl, New York 10019
At 60th St
Phone: 212-823-9500

Where have you had a great gluten-free steak lunch or dinner?