Gluten Free Travel Blog

Sambuca Restaurant in New York City Is Indeed a Great Bet for Gluten-Free Dining

At GlutenFreeTravelSite, we've received several reviews of Sambuca Restaurant on the West Side of New York City, so I thought it was only fitting we give it a try while in town for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year. As those of you who live in or travel to New York City know, there's a large and growing number of independent neighborhood restaurants (as well as large chains) that offer gluten-free menu options. (You can Search our Reviews of New York establishments or our list of national and regional chains with gluten-free menus at GlutenFreeTravelSite.) 

When I called to make a reservation at Sambuca, which was fortunately open on Thanksgiving, they confirmed that they did indeed have an extensive gluten-free menu and asked me if we'd be ordering a traditional Thanksgiving meal, which they'd be serving that day, or if we'd like to order from the Italian (regular or gluten-free) menus. Our family decided that we'd might as well try their Italian fare...after all, turkey is turkey, but only really good restaurants can pull off gluten-free Italian! So we decided to have our traditional Thanksgiving meal the next day at home. 

Our reservation at Sambuca was at 2 pm, when the restaurant opened, and by that time, we were all starving! The restaurant was moderately crowded and continued to fill up during our time there. The gluten-free Italian menu was extensive, with probably 50% of the items from the regular menu appearing on it. Sambuca is "family style" Italian, so we ordered our dishes to share. We chose the Chopped Salad with arugula, romaine, cannelini beans, gorgonzola cheese, roasted red peppers, black olives, basil and tomatoes to start with. It was delicious. Apparently, they typically have gluten-free bread but were out of it that day. Too bad...but we were not at a loss for food! For our main courses we chose the Chicken Paillard, Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Broccoli, and Mixed Seafood Pasta with Marinara Sauce (with calamari, shrimp, clams, and mussels). All were excellent...each of us had a "favorite"...mine was the veal, although the two pasta dishes were excellent as well. They use the elbow-shaped Tinkyada pasta, which I occasionally make at home, but without as much success as they seem to have at Sambuca. (We like Schar gluten-free pasta the best.) There's something about the gluten-free pastas we have at restaurants...ironically, they are always better than they turn out at home. I think the key is not overcooking it and perhaps running cold water over the pasta when it's done to prevent further cooking even after it's drained. Regardless, Sambuca did it perfectly.

Needless to say, we were too full for dessert but look forward to visiting Sambuca again next time we're in "The City." (As a side note, New York was the winner of our first annual contest last year to find the "World's Most Celiac-Friendly Destination." We are hosting the contest again RIGHT NOW and will be choosing the geographic location with the most review submissions by December 31 as this year's winner. So PLEASE submit a review or two of YOUR favorite restaurants, resorts, cruise ships, or grocery stores to GlutenFreeTravelSite.com today!

Traveling? Try New Gluten-Free Restaurants En Route...

Traveling over the Holidays this year? If so, it's a great excuse to try a new restaurant outside your area. That's what our family did today. We were driving through Pennsylvania, and when it came time for lunch, I pulled out my iPhone and Searched Reviews of area restaurants on GlutenFreeTravelSite.com. Then I checked the Gluten Free Restaurant Menus page to view the chain restaurants in the area with gluten-free menus.  I was reminded of the Charlie Brown's Steakhouse chain, which we'd never tried. There happened to be one just minutes from where we we'd be passing through at lunchtime. Let's just say it was nice to know we would be taking the kids to someplace other than the old standby...McD's! 

Charlie Brown's offered a lunch menu with burgers, sandwiches, salads, and other heartier entrees. I ordered tilapia from the gluten-free menu, and our boys split the filet mignon. The mashed potatoes were gluten-free, although the fries were not. There's a nice range of gluten-free options...ribs, fish, chicken, and lots of steaks (what they're known for). So don't forget to utilize all the resources on GlutenFreeTravelSite this Holiday season...whether you're traveling or just looking for something new in your area. We just added 6 new restaurant chains to our Gluten Free Restaurant Menus page: Old Spaghetti Factory, Z'Tejas, Ruby Tuesday, Ted's Montana Grill, Stonewood Grill and Tavern, and of course the old standby and gold-standard of gluten-free menus: Outback Steakhouse.  

If you dine at these or any other restaurants this Holiday season -- or if you're lucky enough to be traveling to a resort or on a cruise, please don't forget to share your experience by submitting a review to GlutenFreeTravelSite. Happy Holidays!

Dining Gluten-Free at Disney World's Theme Parks

Our family just got back from four nights/four days at Disney World in Orlando,  Florida. It was the second time taking our boys there -- the first was 3 1/2 years ago. It was a whirlwind trip, and yes, it was once again "majukl," as our son Ryan (the one with Celiac) wrote in a first-grade writing assignment the day he got back! 

I have to confess...I had never been fanatical about "the mouse," as so many people are. I went to Disney once or twice as a child -- and then a few more times as a teenager and young adult. While I always had a great time, there were other places I'd choose to travel instead, if given a choice. 

That all changed a bit after Ryan's diagnosis with Celiac 4 1/2 years ago. Suddenly, planning trips revolved around places that could understand and accommodate a gluten-free diet. Enter Disney. We'd heard a bit about how well they worked with all sorts of special diets, so when our boys were 3 and 5, we decided they were old enough (just barely!) to appreciate a trip to Disney World. Getting detailed information through their Special Dining Department was a great experience. (Call 407-938-3288 for Animal Kingdom, 407-560-6395 for EPCOT, 407-824-5967 for Magic Kingdom, and 407-560-3551 for Hollywood Studios.) We did indeed have a "magical" vacation, with friendly chefs coming to the table to consult with us before each meal. I literally almost cried after that first trip...it was the first time in the year since Ryan's diagnosis that we were able to travel somewhere without having to bring our own food -- and were able to rest easy knowing he'd get a fun, safe, and delicious meal, just like all the other kids. Now THAT's a vacation from worry! 

So, here it was 3 1/2 years later, and we found ourselves back at Disney World, in large part due to the great deals they were marketing back in the summer. And again, it was "majukl," as Ryan would say. I can't help but think that, for him, it's partly due to the fact, beyond the rides and characters and excitement of it all, he can enjoy fun "kid" things like gluten-free Mickey-shaped waffles and the Mickey ice cream bars throughout the four parks. In fact, in our experience, there are very few Disney restaurants (either quick counter-service OR sit-down table-service) where you CAN'T get a gluten-free meal. And all in all, the food is pretty good quality. They also offer healthier side dishes for kids (like carrots, grapes, and yogurt) as alternatives to the ever-ubiquitous fries, and gluten-free chocolate chip cookies and brownies are available at many of the quick-service restaurants. 

Our family traversed all four parks in four days and had the Dining Plan as part of our package, so all our meals were on the Disney property. You can find detailed reviews of restaurants like Le Cellier Steakhouse in EPCOT's Canada and T Rex Restaurant in Downtown Disney...character breakfasts at The Crystal Palace, Tusker House, and Hollywood and Vine...and various "quick service" meals -- all on our sister site GlutenFreeTravelSite (just select Florida under the United States pull-down menu when you Search Reviews). Others have posted many Disney restaurant reviews here as well.

If you have your own Disney stories to share -- good OR bad -- please add to our reviews by submitting one of your own. It's easy and helps so many others planning trips to this "majukl" place! And be sure to stay on top of other great places to dine and travel by signing up for our free monthly e-letter from GlutenFreeTravelSite.com and by following us on Twitter.