Monthly Archives: March 2011

Gluten free in Washington D.C.

I’ve been spending some time in Washington D.C. lately for work and found a few great spots for me to get some good eats.

McPherson Square

Devon and Blakely

Since we ordered one of those big corporate samdwich platters for lunch, I had to find an alternative.  So I wandered over to Devon and Blakely and was very happy to see that all of their soups were labeled as vegetarian and/or gluten free!  In fact, I was so happy that I got two kinds!  Fire roasted vegetable and white bean and escarole.

I also found out that there are a few Devon and Blakely’s in Midtown.  I’ll have to stop by the next time I play tour guide around Rockefeller Center.

ChurchKey

After dinner at Thai Tanic, a friend and I went to ChurchKey for some drinks.  They had an overwhelming number of beers, and at least four gluten free ones.  I stuck with a Redbridge, since I wasn’t feeling particularly adventurous.  The vibe at this bar is frat-guys-after-work, but the huge selection is a definite draw.

Barcode

On my second night there I met up with a college friend after work for dinner at Barcode.  I got mussels, which come in a big saute pan, and an apricot fizz to drink. The apricot fizz was really strong (Makers Mark, housemade apricot nectar, black cherry soda, bitters, orange), and the mussels were good – lots of onions and tomatoes in the broth that would have been perfect to sop up with some bread :(

Zaytinya

This is a great brunch spot with Greek and Turkish tapas (is that a cultural oxymoron?).  Since all of the dishes are smaller than usual, this place fed into my love of anything that’s exaggeratedly big or exaggeratedly small.  There was so much to choose from on their menu, but I landed on the mini omelette and the fava bean and squash soup.  Because who doesn’t love fava beans/secretly fear them because of Silence of the Lambs?

Mini

Although there weren’t as many convenient places to grab something gluten-free as there are in NYC, I did find some yummy eats in the capitol.  Next time I’m making it a point to go to Hello Cupcake or Red Velvet Cupcakery while I’m there.

The UWS gets a heck of a lot more appealing

I’m pretty excited that another gluten free destination is coming to the upper part of Manhattan.  Not that I don’t love trucking it all the way down to Tulu’s or Babycakes, but it will be nice to have a store just for ME!

They say that every Sunday is “Sample Sunday” – and if there was ever a girl who loves her free samples, it’s me.   They’ll also carry baked goods from Tulu’s, Pi, and Heaven Mills.

See this article in DNA info.

Welcome to the Big Apple G-Free NYC!

Sidenote: will someone please buy me this book?

Crepe Day at Chelsea Market

See where I’m going with that?

Last weekend I went to Chelsea Market to scope out the scene and visit the only gluten free crepe place I have ever heard of.  And therefore, by default my favorite and the best crepe place ever.

Bar Suzette – if I were a poet I would write an ode to you.

Bar Suzette Menu

There were so many different kinds of crepes I wanted to try, but I narrowed it down to the sweet crepes and ordered a nutella and banana. I also was really impressed that they changed their gloves before they made my crepe, and seemed to have really good cross-contamination practices.

Hello beautiful

When I finally got the crepe into my hands, there was no stopping me.

 

Nutella makes smiles happen

Bar Suzette’s crepes are so amazing.  They’re chewy and warm and made with quality ingredients. After my savage destruction of the crepe, I needed some milk.  Luckily Ronnybrook Farms Milk Stand is right around the corner

Got milk?

Even though the market was really packed that day, after eating my way into a sugar-high/carb coma, it was alllll good.

Plus, when you live in NYC there’s always some place to go walk it off.

Bar Suzette – Chelsea Market

75 Ninth Ave at 16th St.

 

Limelight Marketplace

Even though I work only about four blocks from the Limelight Marketplace, I’ve always been kind of afraid to go inside.  The building has a fascinating history, and has been an Episcopal church and a nightclub before it was converted to the shops in 2009.  The entrance is intimidating, but once you enter it is totally welcoming and a fascinating place to explore and discover new things.

Another thing that was surprising about Limelight was that everything was affordable!  Shirts were in the $20-$30 range, and there were lots of smaller ticket items that would be great for gifts.

On the gf food front, there is Baci Gelato on the first floor.  I ended up picking up a bag of Covered Bridge sweet potato chips with cinnamon and brown sugar from Jezalin’s to nosh on while I shopped.  They were really fried, very crunchy, and pretty good.

I also spotted these ridiculous marshmallow stick things at Jezalin’s.

Holy marshmallow, Batman

 

For a sit down option, there’s Cana Wine Bar on the second floor, which has a number of gluten free options like salmon and veal carpaccio, cheeses, and salads.  Check out their menu here.

Next time I definitely want to go to Butter Super Soft to check out just how soft their hoodies really are.

Moral of the story is – don’t judge a book by its cover :)

 

Limelight Marketplace

656 Avenue of the Americas

(6th Ave and 20th Street)