Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Sambuca -- Restaurant In Nyc


celiac3270

Recommended Posts

celiac3270 Collaborator

I live in NYC with maybe 15 options for dining out gluten-free (not including chains) and I've only eaten out at two of those. The first was Risotteria--FABULOUS--the gluten-free jewel of Manhattan that I would recommend to any of you who visit.

So I had high expectations going to Sambuca (oh, and I went with an e-mail pal from the board--Kristina--mysuicidalturtle).... I was a little disappointed. It's gluten-free--and that in itself is very nice--good to have such options so I feel bad saying it, but the food wasn't very good. The bread was...lacking and the pasta was a bit hard. It's nice to have gluten-free options, as I said before, but the verdict-- don't mess with Risotteria :lol:


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



MySuicidalTurtle Enthusiast

I had the Traditional Marinara. I enjoyed it. The pasta was a bit too hard but not enough to send back. I did not like the bread, either. However, I would eat there again, I think.

Open Original Shared Link

I also ate at Risotteria, again. It was very good! I had a tomato sauce pizza without cheese.

Open Original Shared Link

Carriefaith Enthusiast
The bread was...lacking and the pasta was a bit hard.
That's too bad, maybe it was just a bad day there.
MySuicidalTurtle Enthusiast

The bread isn't a white bread. It didn't really go with the meal. It had like a vegetable in it or something. It would have been better with different food but it was just very unexpected in taste and all. The hardness of the pasta would be different every meal, I think.

Carriefaith Enthusiast
It had like a vegetable in it or something.
:blink: weird...
jkmunchkin Rising Star

I'm so bummed to hear that. Sambuca is one of my favorite restaurants (even went their for my birthday last year) and I was so excited to see they had a gluten-free menu. I guess I'll still try it but I was definately expecting it to be great. May go to Rissotteria for brunch on Sunday to try it for the 1st time!

MySuicidalTurtle Enthusiast

You should really go try it. celiac3270 and I ordered the same thing. They have a lot more than what we got. Those other options oculd have been better. I would eat there again. Go to Risotteria, too! They are open everyday starting at noon.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



celiac3270 Collaborator

Yes--some of the other options might be better--who knows?

Risotteria is amazing...and almost entirely gluten-free...except for regular pizza and one or two of the risottos, it seems....even the entire dessert selection is gluten-free.

jkmunchkin Rising Star

I'll definately still try Sambuca and I have a date with one of my friends/co-workers to go one day after work to Rissotteria. I'm going with a group of people to Florent for brunch this weekend and was thinking of suggesting Rissotteria but there was plenty of options at Florent (looked at the menu on menupages) so figured I'd save that to go with someone who really wanted to go with me.

  • 6 months later...
sarah513 Rookie

I wasn't impressed with Sambuca either. The pasta was blah, and the gluten-free bread was so hard that it was actually inedible. I couldn't even get my knife into it. I would have asked my server about it-- but he NEVER CAME BACK. Very disappointing. My friend was taking me out for a special celebration dinner, and the meal was so bad for the price, even for the non-gluten-free people there, that I was embarrassed to have recommended it.

jkmunchkin Rising Star

I haven't tried the gluten-free menu here yet, but have you tried Lumi? I had a pasta there that was AMAZING!

mookie03 Contributor

I am actually very surprised that so many people hated sambuca-- i went there in October for my birthday and had a great meal- and was there with several non-celiacs, everyone left happy. We were there on a sunday night and they were out of the gluten-free rolls, but it sounds like that was a blessing in disguise- maybe thats why im the only one who liked it on here! But, i will say, its nothing compared to Risotteria, thats for sure!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - Scott Adams replied to Aretaeus Cappadocia's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      Brown Rice Vinegar (organic) from Eden Foods is likely gluten free

    2. - Scott Adams replied to wellthatsfun's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      1

      nothing has changed

    3. - Scott Adams commented on knitty kitty's blog entry in Thiamine Thiamine Thiamine
      1

      About Celiac Remission

    4. - Scott Adams replied to TheDHhurts's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      2

      need help understanding testing result for Naked Nutrition Creatine please

    5. - Scott Adams replied to Jmartes71's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      Medications

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,189
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Atl222
    Newest Member
    Atl222
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      This is a solid, well-reasoned approach. You’re right that “koji” by itself doesn’t indicate gluten status, and the risk really does come down to which grain is used to culture it. The fact that you directly contacted Eden Foods and received a clear statement that their koji is made from rice only, with no wheat or barley, is meaningful due diligence—especially since Eden has a long-standing reputation for transparency. While the lack of gluten labeling can understandably give pause, manufacturer confirmation like this is often what people rely on for traditionally fermented products. As always, trusting your body after trying it is reasonable, but based on the information you gathered, your conclusion makes sense.
    • Scott Adams
      Seven months can still be early in celiac healing, especially if you were mostly asymptomatic to begin with—symptoms like low iron, vitamin D deficiency, nail changes, and hair issues often take much longer to improve because the gut needs time to recover before absorption normalizes. A tTG-IgA of 69 is not “low” in terms of immune activity, and it can take 12–24 months (sometimes longer) for antibodies and the intestinal lining to fully heal, particularly in teens and young adults. Eating gluten again to “test” things isn’t recommended and won’t give you clear answers—it’s far more likely to cause harm than clarity. Weight not changing is also very common in celiac and doesn’t rule anything out. Please know that your frustration and sadness matter; this adjustment is hard, and feeling stuck can really affect mental health. You deserve support, and if you can, reaching out to a GI dietitian or mental health professional familiar with chronic illness could really help you through this phase. This study indicates that a majority of celiacs don't recover until 5 years after diagnosis and starting a gluten-free diet: Mucosal recovery and mortality in adults with celiac disease after treatment with a gluten-free diet However, it's also possible that what the study really shows is the difficulty in maintaining a 100% gluten-free diet. I suspect that if you looked closely at the diets of those who did not recover within 2 years might be that their diets were not 100% gluten-free. Perhaps they ate out more often, or didn't understand all of the hidden ingredients where gluten can hide. Either way, it shows how difficult recovery from celiac disease can be for most people. According to this study: This article explores other causes of flattened villi:    
    • Scott Adams
      Gluten testing is normally reported in ppm (parts per million), which is equivalent to mg/kg, not micrograms by itself. A result of <0.025 mcg only becomes meaningful if you know the sample size tested (for example, mcg per gram or per kg). If that value represents <0.025 mcg per gram, that would equal <25 ppm, which is above the gluten-free threshold; if it’s <0.025 mcg per kilogram, it would be extremely low and well within GF limits. Without the denominator, the result is incomplete. It’s reasonable to follow up with the company and ask them to confirm the result in ppm using a validated method (like ELISA R5)—that’s the standard used to assess gluten safety.
    • Scott Adams
      Medication sensitivity is very real for many people with celiac and other autoimmune conditions, and it’s frustrating when that’s brushed off. Even when a medication is technically gluten-free, fillers, dose changes, or how your nervous system reacts—especially with things like gabapentin—can cause paradoxical effects like feeling wired but exhausted. The fact that it helped bloating suggests it may be affecting gut–nerve signaling, which makes sense in the context of SIBO, but that doesn’t mean the side effects should be ignored. You’re carrying a heavy load right now with ongoing skin, eye, and neurological uncertainty, and living in that kind of limbo is exhausting on its own. It’s understandable to feel overwhelmed and discouraged when systems and providers don’t meet you where you are—your experience is valid, and continuing to advocate for yourself, even when it’s hard, really does matter. You can search this site for prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
    • Scott Adams
      I am not aware of an air detector for gluten, but Nima Partners sells a device that can detect gluten in minutes in a small sample of a meal or food that you eat. They are also a sponsor here for full disclosure: https://nimanow.com
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.