Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Gluten Free in New York City - Part 5

We started our final full day in New York City with breakfast at our hotel, then we headed out to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  I recommend buying your tickets ahead of time from Statue Cruises.  We bought Reserve with Pedestal Access tickets, which meant we had a lot of steps to climb, but if you are up for it, try to get Reserve with Crown tickets, so you can go all the way up to the crown.  Buy them early, because they sell out fast.  


We had lunch at Hu Kitchen, a fast casual restaurant that focuses on clean eating.  All of their food is gluten free and non-GMO, and they do not use cane sugar, soy lecithin, refined sugar, or emulsifiers. You can read Hu Kitchen's food pillars here.  If you eat a Paleo diet, you will love Hu Kitchen.  


From their hot food counter, we ordered 1/2 organic rotisserie chicken with two sides.  For sides, we chose caramelized pineapple and roasted sweet potatoes.  The sweet potatoes are roasted with fennel, cumin, cocoa powder, paprika, coriander and cinnamon.  The caramelized pineapple with cashew cream (cashew and maple syrup) was seasoned with cinnamon.  The chicken was moist and flavorful, and perfectly accompanied by the two sides we chose.  There was plenty of food for my husband and I to share, and everything was delicious.  


My daughters both ordered Italian pork meatballs from the prepared food counter, where everything is served cold.  We were a little disappointed that the staff would not heat them up for us, but my girls thought the meatballs were great.   


My husband ordered a bowl of the roasted sunchoke and pear soup, which I did not find appetizing, but he really enjoyed it.  


We finished our meal at Hu Kitchen with a crunchy banana chocolate bar.  The ingredients were simple (cacao, organic coconut sugar, and organic banana), and the candy bar was delicious.  I wish I had bought a few more to bring home.  You can view Hu Kitchen's menu here.    


After lunch, we stopped at MacarOn Cafe before heading back to our hotel.  I ordered a box of macarons from MacarOn Cafe for my mom on Mother's Day, because she says they are the best macarons she has ever had.  While ordering them, I noticed that they are all gluten free, so I thought it might be fun to try them while we were in New York City.  Sadly, I thought some of their macarons were overcooked, and I wasn't impressed by any of the flavors I tried.  In my opinion,  Le Macaron in Orlando and Gaby et Jules in Pittsburgh make much better macarons. 


We had dinner at The Little Beet, a fast casual restaurant near Times Square.  Earlier in our trip, we ate breakfast and lunch at The Little Beet, a 100% gluten free restaurant.  


My husband ordered the steak with charred cauliflower and string beans.  I had steak with roasted sweet potatoes, Katie chose steak with Caprese, and Emma ordered chicken with a side of lentils.  Everyone enjoyed their meals, and I got to have another one of their amazing brownies for dessert.  


After dinner at The Little Beet, we walked over to the Gershwin Theatre to see Wicked, which the whole family loved.  


New York City exceeded all of my expectations for gluten free dining, and I can't wait to go back.  Next time we are there, I hope to dine at The Little Beet Table (the 100% gluten free full service offshoot of the fast casual The Little Beet), Colors, Pala Pizza, Risotteria (not to be confused with Risotteria Melotti), and Oovah.  I also hope to visit G-Free NYC, a gluten free market, and By the Way Bakery and Jennifer's Way Bakery.

What are your favorite bakeries and restaurants in New York City for gluten free dining?  


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