Monday Motivation 11/30/2015

"Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up."

~ Elon Musk

EAT: Bloom's Deli, New York, NY

When in New York City, one must stop by one of the many Deli's for an authentic New York Deli Sandwich. But what is one to do when he/she is gluten intolerant? No worries, head over to Bloom's Deli on Lexington Ave., where they have a gluten free menu. You will find pancakes, rubens, fries, salads, and even desserts! Bloom's Deli was the only deli in NYC I found that has a gluten free menu and can make a gluten free ruben on bread!

After taking our order, our server brought us a large bowl of pickles. They were delicious and a great accompaniment to lunch!

I ordered my Ruben sandwich with pastrami. Each sandwich comes with sauerkraut. I checked with the manager and found out that the gluten free bread carried at Bloom's Deli is not corn free, so I had to pass on the bread (it is brought in from an outside source, not made in house). That did not matter, as it was still the largest sandwich I have ever seen! There was so much meat on the plate, I am definitely glad NYC requires so much walking to burn off that delicious lunch.

My lunch companion ordered the Ruben with Corned Beef. He also ordered sans bread so I could try it as well. Again, the amount of meat on the plate was outrageous, but super tasty and definitely something not to miss while in NYC. 

As if the Rubens were not enough, I asked the manager about the fryer and if the fries were fried in a dedicated fryer. She said that they have a dedicated fryer just for the fries, so we had to order them. They were great! I did miss enjoying them with ketchup, due to Heinz having corn syrup as an ingredient. 

I am really glad we found Bloom's Deli. With its convenient location in NYC and its gluten free menu, it was great to enjoy an authentic Ruben sandwich while visiting New York City. Be sure to check it out on your next trip!

350 Lexington Ave. 

New York, NY 10016

212.922.3663

www.bloomsnewyorkdeli.com

Monday Motivation 11/23/2015

"Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings, and emotions."

~ Will Smith, Actor

Monday Motivation 11/16/2015

"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive: and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style."

~ Maya Angelou

EAT: Senza Gluten, West Village, New York City, NY

I still can't believe I have not spent any time in New York City, despite being near the city all the time! I was really excited for my first visit to explore and find some great allergy free food. Senza Gluten did not disappoint. Located in the West Village, Senza Gluten is a 100% gluten free restaurant. How exciting to know that everything on the menu is gluten free. Now, to narrow it down to a couple choices was going to be tough. We dined outside on the sidewalk, which was perfect on a warm evening. Great people watching opportunity! 

Ellieona, our sweet server, was prompt and checked on all the questions we had. I inquired about the corn free status of the gluten free bread. She found out that the Vegan Bread, not the bread they normally served, was corn free as well. She informed us that Senza Gluten does not bake their own bread, but gets it from Everybody Eats, a local gluten free bakery from Brooklyn. The Vegan bread was delicious dipped in olive oil. A great start of what was to come.

Spotting Fried Calamari on the menu, we had to try it. Gluten free fried foods are hard to find. Gluten free, Corn free fried foods are even harder to find. No worries, as Ellieona told us the flour used is fava bean flour. Oh my! It has been a long time since I have had fried calamari and this dish was super tasty. Two dipping sauces complimented the calamari nicely.

I could not pass up the Risotto Zafferano with shrimp and asparagus as my entree. It was tasty, but not as impressive as the bread and calamari. It could have had a couple more shrimp. The portions at Senza Gluten are nice size. I was disappointed I could not try the pasta dishes since the pasta was corn-based. The lasagna sounded amazing. Let me know if you were able to try it, as how often can you trust a restaurant to cook the gluten free pasta in a separate pot? At Senza Gluten, this is a non-issue!

My dinner companion opted for the Filetto Di Manzo, seared filet mignon in garlic, rosemary, sage, balsamic and red wine reduction, served with soft polenta and sautéed escarole. It was quite tasty. It was nice to sample some protein after all those carbs! The escarole really enhanced the flavor of the filet. We asked that the polenta to be on a separate plate, so I could taste the rest without worry of cross contamination with the corn.

We could not get to dessert fast enough. Ellieona checked and all of the desserts were corn free, as well as gluten free! Time for a splurge! We were stuck between the Tiramisu and the Torta Al Cioccolato. Ellieona talked us into the molten chocolate cake with toasted almond cream anglaise and vanilla bean ice cream. Who could do wrong with chocolate? It was awesome! The ice cream is from a local homemade ice cream shop (they made a delivery during our dinner). Perfect ending to the meal. Thank goodness, NYC is a walking city, as we needed to walk off this great gluten free meal! Definitely check out Senza Gluten on your next visit to NYC for a safe allergen free meal!

Senza Gluten
206 Sullivan St.
New York, NY 10012
212.475.7775
www.senzaglutennyc.com

Monday Motivation 11/02/2015

"When life knocks you down, roll over and look at the stars."

~ Unknown