Memorial Day Weekend (A West Side Story)

Sunday morning brought a visit with an old friend on the UWS - and an excellent excuse to FINALLY visit Nice Matin on W79th St. With a gorgeous interior, shaded patio, and - yes - a GF menu, this place has been on my list for ages. Our waiter was well-versed in GF concerns and did not bat an eyelash at my queries. Example: I requested a side of jam for my bread but had concerns about it coming from a jar where there may have been some double-dipping. He nodded, said "not a problem", and brought me a ramekin of jam from a freshly opened jar. Mr. Waiter Man, gold star for you.

Those bread twists? From The Grainless Baker, as our fantastic waiter reported.

In case it isn't obvious, Nice Matin gets two thumbs up.

After brunch, my dear friend had to head back upstate... and I needed to finally go visit G-Free NYC! In case you missed the news, G-Free NYC is New York City's first COMPLETELY gluten-free store!

I, uh, bought a few things.

I know: it's exciting, right? I know we can get many products at our local markets now, but if you live in NYC or are visiting, it is still so very worth of the trip. The selection is amazing and the prices were surprisingly reasonable. (Given the location, I'd expected that high overhead would = higher-than-usual prices. I was wrong.)

I'll post a breakdown of my purchases soon. For now, I'll leave you with:

Box of summer

 And:

Yes, they were THAT good

These were a smash hit on Memorial Day - and I was the only gluten-free girl. All the gluten-eaters loved them and couldn't believe they were GF. (A winning endorsement if I ever heard one.)

THREE thumbs(!?!) up for G-Free NYC - and more product details soon!