New York City Gluten-free

Imagine the scene: It's a Wednesday night. I've spent the day deep cleaning the apartment (finally and ewwww) and am exhausted. I'm vegging on the couch when my husband gets home from work, and goes in to change. I'm feeling pretty proud of myself for the heart-sy, cute-sy, "I-love-you-and-your-hard-week-at-work-will-be-ok" decorating surprise he's just found on the bathroom mirror. Yes, at that moment I'm pretty sure I'm about the best surpriser this world has ever known. Yes sir, I may be almost thirty (cringe), but I've still got it. In fact, I'm basically a teenage girl... best surpriser EVER. And then... the usurper emerges from the bedroom. He's holding an envelope, and saying something about, "Happy Birthday!". I'm saying, "But it's not my birthday yet. You really want me to open this now?"

Somewhere in the middle of ripping open the envelope, squealing with delight, and being whisked off to an amazing birthday weekend in NYC, I went ahead and handed over my sash and tiara to the new Queen...er...King of Surprise.

He had an adorable "I have a crush on you" card. He had flights departing Friday morning and returning Sunday. He had Wicked tickets. He had a 4 star hotel in Midtown Manhattan. He had plans for shopping sprees. He... had me at "Hello". :)

And the best news? Between Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, gourmet gluten free meals, red velvet cake, designer bag shopping at Century 21 (hello best store and prices ever), finding a birthday outfit at the GIANT Macey's on 34th, walking around town, chilling in Times Square, drooling over the New York vibe of our hotel and the yellow lily bouquets in the lobby (I know they brought them in just for me)... somehow amidst all of that, I was distracted enough to not think about the big 3-0. A birthday miracle. :)

As usual, New York City did not disappoint in the gluten-free department. It is always one of my favorite places to vacation because of the food. I ate delicious meals all day every day, and didn't get sick once. New Yorkers truly get it.

Here are the restaurant reviews:

Bloom's Deli:

It was close to our hotel, and I knew I liked the food, so we visited Blooms again this trip. This time I tried the Turkey Club Triple Decker, which is served on toasted gluten free bread. It was very very tasty, even though there was no sauce (I was told the Russian dressing on the table was gluten-free, but felt weird about it so decided not to risk it. I've learned through hard experience to trust that inner voice). They are pricey for a sandwich ($13.75 without fries), but tasty and filling. This is a great place to go if your loved ones don't have to eat gluten-free too. My husband really enjoyed his very non-gluten-free Reuben Sandwich. All in all, very tasty, and absolutely no negative reaction.

Bistango Ristorante:

Delish. This is where I chose to eat my birthday dinner, and I loved the cozy atmosphere and the scrumptious Italian food. The employees all knew what "gluten free" was, and I saw other guests ordering gluten free as well.

Each gluten-free meal is served with bread and dipping oil (nice touch), and I ended up ordering the pizza with red velvet cake for dessert. I felt very safe, and had no adverse reaction. My husband said the normal food was good too. Try them. Tasty.

Nizza:

Yum. Nizza was a small, quaint restaurant that was absolutely packed (for good reason). Luckily, we'd made reservations. It's located within walking distance of the Majestic Theatre, which is where we were seeing Phantom that night, so it worked out really well.

Each gluten-free meal is served with breadsticks, which were good, and we decided to go crazy and try one of their famous chickpea soccas as well. We weren't blown away; I think you either love them, or hate them. I know plenty of people love them, but not really our cup of tea. The meal more than made up for it, however.

The Ziti Al Forno, a cheesy baked delight, was exactly what I was craving. Top it off with Tortonni (delicious frozen Italian custard) for dessert, and you have perfection.

No negative reaction. Just yummy-ness. With so many options, I'm really glad we gave Nizza's a try.

Peter's Restaurant:

We went here for breakfast our last morning, and were glad we did (even though it was no where near our hotel). The service was super fast, the gluten-free (and non-gluten free) selection was great, and I felt very safe.

I ordered the eggs benedict, and was impressed by how normal they were, and how large the portions were.

Other random finds:

*The NBC Studio store has a Red Mango upstairs. Perfect mid-day, Rockefeller Plaza, gluten-free snack (certified gluten free frozen yogurt).

Virginia Beach Gluten-free

In September of last year (er...a wee bit behind on posting I'd say), my husband and I spent the weekend in Virginia Beach. As you know, traveling to a new place is always a bit scary. I feel like sometimes all the research in the world isn't enough, especially when you're headed to a small city with limited options. But research I did, and I must say... Virginia Beach turned out to be the stuff gluten-free dreams are made of!

Here are my meal reviews. If you're in the area, I hope you make it to VA Beach soon. It was beautiful, oh-so-relaxing and scrumptious.

Breakfasts: I will flat out admit that breakfasts were a wee bit disappointing. We stayed at the Country Inn & Suites Oceanfront, and while we loved the hotel (all balcony, oceanfront rooms, a more secluded stretch of beach, good room at a decent price), we didn't love the included breakfast buffet. I was counting on fresh fruit, yogurt and maybe even eggs and bacon. The fruit was disappointing, and there was no yogurt, eggs or bacon. Luckily, we came prepared with paper bowls and gluten free cereal, and I took a bowl down to the buffet to fill with milk each morning.

Lunches: We opted for early dinners and light lunches on the beach in our lounge chairs, so we packed Lays Stax, gluten free Rice Krispie treats, fruit snacks and beverages.

Dinner #1: Cheeseburger in Paradise

I was so stinkin' pee-my-pants nervous about going to Cheeseburger in Paradise. I pictured everything being contaminated by all the buns flying around, and doubted that the gluten free buns would be enjoyable. But my hubbie is a huge Jimmy Buffett fan, so I bucked up and went with it. I was very careful to tell my waitress of my concerns, and she immediately put my mind at ease, telling me that they are very careful with cross contamination, and when a gluten free order comes up, they pull all fresh ingredients out of the fridge. She also told me that I could have the yummy fries from a dedicated fryer, and that the gluten free buns were actually really good. She didn't lie. I loved my Prime Kobe Mushroom Swiss Burger & fries so much, that I almost boycotted our restaurant choice the next night for a repeat. DELICIOUS. And I didn't get glutenated; not one little bit.

Dinner #2: Burton's Grill

(I've search high and low for my photos, and can't find them anywhere! Picture a photo that makes your mouth water, and you've pretty much got the idea...)

I'm so glad we decided not to boycott, because Burton's Grill was the find of a lifetime for me. DELICIOUS food, great service (where everyone is completely aware of what "gluten-free" means and managers serve all allergy and non-gluten meals) and... did I mention DELICIOUS food? I felt so normal eating at Burton's. My Celiac Disease was a non-factor. We enjoyed our experience so much, that we made a little side-trip on our recent trip to Boston, just so we could eat at one of their 7 locations. In a word, delightful. And, again, I didn't get glutenated; not one little bit.

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini appetizer (oh, my... you MUST)

Tuscan Brick Chicken (YUM)

Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee (didn't even think I liked creme brulee, but just WOW.)

I honestly could have eaten at either of our chosen dinner restaurants every night for a week, and been completely free from sickness and IN HEAVEN.

Morale of the story: If you're thinking of Virginia Beach, go. Just go. It's worth it for the food alone.