Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Options in New York City

I am excited to share two gluten-free options for your Thanksgiving meal in New York City this year. I've had dinner at both restaurants and can assure you that you are in great hands for your turkey day meal. Even though I never ate out at a restaurant on Thanksgiving, I know this option is quite popular for New Yorkers who do not want to cook. This is also a great option for people coming to New York City for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade who want a traditional gluten-free Thanksgiving dinner. Don't delay, make your reservations today!

Pappardella 

316 Columbus Avenue at 75th Street

212-362-3200

http://www.pappardella.com/

Gluten-free Thanksgiving Menu

Primi First Course, choose one

• wild mushroom soup truffled mascarpone
• prosciutto di parma, warm lentil salad & parsley vinaigrette
• butternut squash ravioli brown butter, fresh sage & parmegiano

~~Chardonnay 446, Noble Wines, Monterey, California 2010~~
446 single vineyard  celebrates the most coveted burgundy vine stock. Complex & silky with fresh citrus & tropical pineapple notes

Secondo Main Course

• roasted free range turkey 
• sweet sausage & glutenfree bread stuffing, sautéed brussel sprouts with hazelnuts, sweet potato & parmegian puree & orange cranberry sauce

~~Cabernet Sauvignon, Black Stallion, Calfornia, 2009~~
Tucked away in the Silverado trail, this cab exposes dark cherry, plum & baking spices in the nose, followed by berry jam & dark chocolate on the palate. Lingering finish

Dolce Dessert

• chocolate pecan pie vanilla gelato

~~Moscato d’Asti, Marco Negri, Veneto Italy 2009~~
fresh nose, herbaceous, caramel & melon flavors

$45 per person plus tax & gratuity for 3 course prix fix
$65 per person for 3 course prix fix & wine pairing

For reservations please call  212-362-3200 or log on to http://www.pappardella.com/

Casa Pomona

507 Columbus Ave btwn 84th & 85th St 

212-362-3200

http://www.casapomonanyc.com

Gluten-free Thanksgiving Menu

Appetizer, choose one

• Butternut Squash puree, crispy capers, GF truffle crouton
• Tuscan Kale salad, jamon Serrano chips, golden raisins, blood orange

~Vina Esmeralda, Moscatel Blend, Torres, 2012, Penedes, Spain~

Main Course

• Oven Roasted Free Range Turkey, smoky chorizo stuffing, smashed sweet potato, roasted brussel sprouts, cranberry confit

Vegetarian Option

• Roasted Winter Vegetable, sherry–pomegranate molasses vinaigrette

~ Rioja Reserva, Marques de Riscal 2007, Rioja, Spain ~

Dessert

GF Chocolate Pecan Pie, olive oil ice cream

~Rich Old Oloroso,’Royal Corregidor’, Sandeman, 20 year, Jerez, Spain~

$35 per person

$20 Wine & Sherry Pairing 

For reservations please call 212-362-3200 or log on to http://casapomonanyc.com

Best (Gluten-Free) Holiday Party Ever

Ladies Who Brunch in Miami, August 2010

I have a very close group of friends that I have known for about 5 years now. We all met in a crazy place we liked to call "work" and have remained friends despite none of us working together anymore. We call ourselves "Ladies Who Brunch" since we usually try to catch up over brunch every month or so despite only half of us anatomically being ladies (at least to my knowledge, ha!) Our brunches are epic; they last anywhere from 4 to 12 hours. Believe it! We always consider it a success when we start brunch on a Saturday and end on a Sunday. (This has only happened once and we wound up in 2 of 5 boroughs of NYC... don't ask!)

Every year, Ladies Who Brunch have a holiday party in lieu of our December brunch. This year, my friend H decided to host our holiday party at her apartment. She recently moved to an awesome apartment south of Union Square and had enough space for all six of us to enjoy a delicious meal. I started out as the only gluten-free member of the Ladies Who Brunch crew but another friend went gluten-free a couple of years ago. He was never officially diagnosed with Celiac but he has stuck to a gluten-free diet and feels better than he ever did.

H's mom has Celiac Disease so she is well-versed in gluten-free cooking and preparation in order to avoid cross-contamination. H did a test run of her gluten-free menu over her Thanksgiving break in Florida. Let me tell you, this girl went above and beyond my gluten-free expectations. She prepared a 100% gluten-free meal from appetizers to dessert and even included a signature cocktail.

Here was our menu:
cheese and gluten-free crackers
skirt steak pinwheels
gluten-free biscuits
Thai pumpkin soup
gf ricotta gnocchi
mixed greens with goat cheese
mustard mascarpone marsala chicken with a side of rice and haricot verts
Chocolate banana bread pudding with dark rum creme anglaise

Um, can you say decadent and delicious!? We had planned on a wine pairing with each course, but that didn't happen because we ate too much. We did drink some wine, just not as much as usual. We did have cocktails before dessert which were some kind of spiced apple martini, but even that was too rich to overindulge. 4 out of the 6 of us passed out in a food coma after the meal. This was a wonderful way for me to spend the holidays with my friends!

I have a lot of recipes to share from this meal, but I think the dessert one is the best. H used Udi's Gluten-Free White Bread for the recipe. You can use your favorite gluten-free bread if you don't use Rudi's.


Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding
1 loaf of Udi's Gluten-Free bread, cut into cubes (about 15 cups)
3 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 tablespoon gluten-free vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
2 tablespoons teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 ripe bananas
1 stick of butter

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Place the bread in the baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, and liqueur.
4. In another bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugars with the cocoa powder and mix well. Add this to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.
5. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the cinnamon to the beaten eggs and the melted butter.
6. Combine the egg mixture with the milk mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. 
7. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes; let stand, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes, or until the bread has absorbed most of the milk mixture. 
8. Bake the pudding for 1 hour, or until set; a knife inserted into the center of the pudding should come out clean. 
9. Serving the pudding warm, or refrigerate it and serve chilled with whipped cream or a dessert sauce.

Gluten-Free New York City Map

Many of my gluten-free friends and readers ask me for restaurant suggestions. Almost two years ago, I started putting together a Google map of places to eat in New York City. Until my redesign of this site is complete, it is hard to find the link to my gluten-free map on Google. I apologize for this. In the meantime, you can see my updated Google map below. It includes restaurants with gluten-free menus, GFRAP restaurants, supermarkets with gluten-free markets, and bars serving gluten-free beer. I love getting tips from readers, so if I am missing anything please let me know.

I am excited to announce that I now have 151 restaurants, markets, and more on this map. Additionally, you can subscribe to the RSS feed for this map to be alerted whenever I update it.

All of these places are suggestions based on me going there myself, articles I have read online, or tips from readers. It is up to you to be diligent and call ahead! Restaurants in New York City come and go very quickly sometimes. I suggest you call or email any place you plan on visiting to see if it is still open. You might also want to call ahead for both a reservation and to confirm that they can accommodate a gluten-free diner.

Gluten-Free in New York City Map by Erin Smith at Gluten-Free Fun


View Gluten-Free in New York City in a larger map

Heartland Brewery at Port Authority Now Offering Gluten-Free Menu

I had the pleasure of meeting with Randy McNamara, VP of Operations, and Michael Gitten from Heartland Brewery on Tuesday, August 10th. I also met with the general manager, John Kekalos, during our meeting. The Heartland Brewery on 41st Street and 8th Avenue has just launched their new gluten-free menu and it is now available to all diners at this location.

From the moment I sat down with Mr. McNamara and saw the GFRAP manual in his hand, I knew Heartland Brewery was taking this gluten-free menu planning very seriously. Heartland Brewery has clearly done a lot of research and understands that gluten-free menus go beyond the ingredients but also careful preparation. The three of us went through the entire gluten-free menu and discussed ingredients, preparation, and education of his staff. The gluten-free menu has been available to patrons for about 2 weeks and the GFRAP certification is in the works. The head chef at the 41st Street location is going to speak to the GFRAP dietitian in the next week or two to review the final menu. This is standard process for gluten-free certification through GFRAP.

Mr. McNamara pointed out that although the gluten-free menu does not yet include the french fries, they are fried in a dedicated gluten-free fryer. In order to be 100% sure that the fries are truly gluten-free, he wants to build a divider between the gluten-free fryer and the non-gluten-free fryer. It is this kind of attention to detail that really shows that a restaurant understands the gluten-free food preparation process.

Another way Heartland Brewery intends to avoid cross-contamination in their kitchen is to use special red bowls for all gluten-free preparation. These red bowls will be dedicated for gluten-free food and will not be used for any preparation other than gluten-free foods.

The gluten-free menu includes some of my personal favorites including nachos, BBQ ribs and sweet potato fries. The only thing I felt that was missing from the gluten-free menu were dessert options. Unfortunately, I think this is often the case with many restaurants that put together a gluten-free menu. Mr. McNamara apologized for this oversight and took down some ideas for gluten-free desserts for their menu. Stay tuned for gluten-free dessert options soon!

Another nice touch of the gluten-free menu incorporated into the regular menu. I noticed this new trend at a few restaurants around town. It is very nice to feel "normal" when ordering from the same menu as the rest of your dining party. The gluten-free menu items are clearly marked with an asterisk. On the bottom of each menu it clearly states "*GLUTEN FREE. Heartland Brewery regards allergy and dietary concerns very seriously. We want our Guests to dine with us with confidence. If you have an allergy or dietary concern, please ask to speak with a manager." As mentioned earlier, all staff will be trained in gluten-free meals but for complete reassurance the management staff is always available.

The gluten-free drinking options at Heartland Brewery now include Woodchuck Cider and RedBridge Beer. In the future, Heartland Brewery might consider brewing and bottling their own gluten-free beer but nothing is planned at this time. I think it would be great for a local brewery to offer a home-brewed gluten-free option.

For the time being, the gluten-free menu is only being served at the Heartland Brewery on 41st Street on 8th Ave which is conveniently located outside of the Port Authority Terminal. This location is in the heart of midtown and this new gluten-free menu is a much-needed dining option in an otherwise lacking neighborhood.

Heartland Brewery on 41st Street and 8th Avenue should have their full GFRAP certification in the next few months but their gluten-free lunch and dinner menus are available immediately. Additionally, the NYC Celiac Disease Meetup group will hopefully host a future event at this Heartland's location to welcome the gluten-free menu to New York City. I plan to announce this event as well as certification here on Gluten-Free Fun as soon as I have more details.

Lunch Menu

Dinner Menu

Midtown West
625 8th Ave. at 41st St.
(outside the Port Authority)
646.214.1000