Nyc Fast Lunch Ideas Needed!

[Ruth]

We are headed to NYC next week. With lots great input from this board, we have our dinner "plan of attack" in place... now my big question ...any ideas for fast lunches? I won't be able to lug around my cooler, I'm planning on putting a few Balance Bars, Rice Cakes, fruit in a back pack. Any other thoughts would be great!

funny how more planning goes into eating than sightseeing!

[celiac3270]

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Above is a post I made about restaurants.....and I think I mentioned a couple delis. Also, if you go into basically any deli, they'll usually have something you can have (chips, etc.). Where will you be most of the time? I know there are quite a few healthfood stores downtown, on the Upper East Side, and on the Upper West Side there's Fairways (where the entire second floor is like a healthfood store, but much better priced)...most of the stuff up there is gluten-free. E-mail me or post back if you want addresses for anything

And welcome to the big apple!

[Ruth]

celiac3270,

Thanks so much. Your lists have been a huge help. I called Risotteria (sp.?) and they were so great...can't wait to go there! Also, Bloom's Delicatessen & Cafe.

We will seek out other delis, health food stores, etc. as you mentioned.

We are doing the whole tourist thing: Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Empire State Bldg., etc.

I've got the "mom thinking her kids won't eat" panic setting in.

I'm sure armed with "the lists" and "emergency snacks" it will be great!

Thanks again.

[bklyn]

Just got home from NYC today, and I ate at Risotteria for lunch. It was great! We had Pizza, a panini sandwich and Risotto. Tasted like real food. Also ate at Josies and Rice (on Mott St.) All delicious.

[minibabe]

I just went to Blooms Delicatessen & cafe. I was there about 2 weeks ago. I had FRENCH FRYS!!! they had dedicated fryers there and then had an amazing Greek Salad, but I did not use there dressing because the waitress reallly didnt understand why i couldnt have it, so I just used oil and vinegar and no reactionl. Me and my boyfriend really didnt think that the service was that great, but the food was good, not amazing. but it was just really nice that I could eat some french frys they are one of my favorites just dont get to eat them alot. Have an awesome trip! I absolutly love the city and i am there 4 days a week. I have to much fun!! Good luck

[celiac3270]

Glad you liked it ...some people are disappointed by Bloom's, but if you go anywhere, it has to be Risotteria. Highly recommended--I loved the pizza and my mom loved the risotto!

[jknnej]

celiac3270,

Where is Risotteria or however you spell it! in relation to the Grand Hyatt (at Grand Central Station?) I am going to NY on Thursday and worried about food. I know Bloom's is only 2 blocks from the hotel. What about Risotteria? I would love to eat there...

Also, are there are any health stores near that area? my hotel has a fridge but NO microwave-that sucks majorly. I am still planning on packing my own food in ice but of course I can't heat it up so I will need to rely on restaurants and health food stores or else eat cold food.

Help!!!

also, could someone please explain the vinegar to me again. I thought we couldn't have vinegar? I know I got sick from A1 steak sauce and the only questionable ingredient was vinegar. What kind can we have? I will probably bring my own dressing, anyway.

[celiac3270]

Risotteria is in the West Village (way downtown). Grand Central is at 42nd street and Bleecker Street is...right around third street. To get there, you could go to Grand Central, take the 6 train (subway) downtown and get off at "Bleecker Street." That puts you on the east side still, though. Then you walk west....here, they have a map of where they are on their website:

Open Original Shared Link

Basically, get downtown on the 6 and walk west. It's very popular in the neighborhood, too, so somebody might be able to help you find it if you feel lost.

Vinegar is sometimes okay. Malted vinegar and the like are not, but distilled vinegar, previously controversial, is, as are some others....

Healthfood stores...I don't know any in the neighborhood since I don't live there, but this list gives you the Whole Foods locations for NY:

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Uhh...from Grand Central Station you could take the 6 train down to the 14th street (Union Square) where one Whole Foods is. Another is on about 57th and the west side (Columbus Circle) and is in the Time Warner building...that's the largest. I know of many healthfood stores on the Upper East Side and Fairways, a massive grocery store with an entire second floor that's like a health food store, but both are very much out of your way.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

If you don't want to take the subway be sure to have a map and before going mark all the palces on it. Then, you can take a cab and they will know where to go.

They aren't hard to find going by the subway though. My parents went up a few weeks ago and did the subway thing alone and were fine!

[Guest Addicted2Gluten]

Craft is a really good restaurant for people with Celiac Disease in NYC. It is located on East 19th Street between Park Avenue South and Broadway. I just went there the other night for the first time and at first I just told them that I needed my food plain without anything on it and then the waitress asked if I had celiac disease. It turned out that all the waiters and waitresses knew what Celiac Disease was and all of the things it was in. Most of there items are naturally gluten free and the ones that aren't can be made gluten free. The only exceptions to this are the potatoes gratin (the cream cheese has gluten), the ice cream, and the other pastry desserts. However, there are celiac friendly desserts such as quite a few different flavors of sorbet and a list of 10 different fruit dishes.

[aljf]

I don't know if it's too late for you to read this, but I live near your hotel-- the closest health food store is on 2nd avenue (like 2 blocks east of your hotel, cross Lexington, then 3rd avenue, then you are at 2nd avenue), and a few blocks north (I think between either 43rd and 44th or 44th and 45th) on the west side of the avenue. It's called something like "health nut" or some other obviously-health-food-store name. They have a smallish selection of gluten-free stuff.

[Ruth]

celiac3270 and others...

Just wanted to say thanks!

We just returned from our vacation in NYC and were thrilled with Risotteria and Bloom's Deli & Cafe.

My kids were soooo excited about the gluten-free pizza at Risotteria (so was I) and the fries at Bloom's as well as the hamburgers, eggs, fruit salad were wonderful.

So nice to have a gluten-free menu to look at!

We tried to go to the "Brooklyn Diner" which was on one of the lists... they were really friendly but really could not accomodate a full family of gluten-free eaters! They could only offer shrimp scampi and the sundae... so if you have kids I wouldn't recommend them.

They were really interested in the gluten-free list I had and were wondering how they got on it... I said it must be the friendly staff and the gluten-free hot fudge sundae!

If anyone is planning a trip... the Double Tree Guest Suites in Times Square, with a small fridge and microwave in every room was perfect for preparing meals for us celiacs, and a S'barro around the corner for the non-celiacs in our family.

I found NYC to be a very friendly, welcoming city!

Thanks!

[flagbabyds]

NYC is probably the best place in US for celiacs because there are so many there. Shucks I live in California, but my sister lives there There are so many good places to eat and good health food stores. My sister dines at happy happy happy in the lower east village, it is all gluten-free and dairy free. I missed going there on my trip back but she really likes it. It is a bakery and has really good pastries and other baked gluten-free stuff. The new whole foods in UNion Sq is amazing. The bakery is so good, I love the apple pies! Well, I gotta go do homework

[celiac3270]

Yay! Glad you enjoyed it

[jknnej]

I just got back from NYC; it was great!

Bloom's food was OK but Risotteria was fabulous!!!! I didn't get sick once while in New York..I loved it!!!

Thanks for all of your suggestions..now I know when I go to the Big Apple I can eat safely!

[celiac3270]

Great! What did you order at Risotteria? I thought the pizza was amazingly realistic and good. My mom ordered the....risotto so I could try some, but being a kid, I liked the pizza most.

[jknnej]

I ordered the mushroom and mozzarella pizza, the parmesan cheese risotto, and the fudgie cookies for dessert. They were so good I ordered another pizza to go and a salad and took it with me for the next day.

I wish this place was in Phoenix! It was wonderful. I still have the cookies in my fridge!!!

Plus, the wait staff was extremely helpful and nice to me. My bill was $94 and I left $120 for them.

[celiac3270]

Yay! Sambuca now has a gluten-free menu (upper west side of NYC):

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link -- click on gluten-free on the left and then on gluten-free menu. Not bad

[seamaiden399]

I see you already went on your trip, but in case others are planning on a trip to New York, check out this web page

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They have quite a few reviews of cool gluten-free places in the area...

[us410s]

Another great restaurant is called Bistango. It was great. even had gluten free biscotti for my coffee.