Gluten-Free Steak at Porterhouse

Three years ago, when explaining to my brother what Celiac disease was. He immediately asked “Can you still have steak?” when I answered in the affirmative he breathed a sigh of relief and said “Oh, well then it’s not THAT bad.” My Mom on the other hand, who lives on baked goods might struggle more with the diet. Clearly my brother would just use it as an excuse to enjoy expensive cuts of meet more often.

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?