Siggy's Good Food (Manhattan)

Having had a great experience at Siggy's Good Food in Brooklyn, I decided to try their new Manhattan outpost for brunch a few weeks ago. They recently took over the space at 292 Elizabeth St., former home to one of my all-time gluten-free friendly favorites, the now defunct Rice.

Space hadn't been changed too much - some different light fixtures and decorations.

Thankfully, the fireplace was still being used:

Toasty 

We settled into a corner seat, right next to the crackling fire. As at Siggy's in Brooklyn, the menu is clearly marked with many GF options. Our server was fantastic about my gluten-free needs, answering all my questions thoroughly and with good cheer. I opted for a goat cheese and vegetable omelette with potatoes and salad. No dedicated GF toaster at this point, so I skipped the toast with my meal.

Beautiful brunch plate, no?

Absolutely delicious and I didn't have a gluten reaction. I don't know what magic Siggy's uses on their potatoes but, white or sweet, I hold them up as what a breakfast potato should be - well-seasoned, uniformly soft within, but with a crisped roasty exterior.

Excellent food and service. Also conveniently located a couple of blocks from the Angelika, aka one of my favorite places to see a movie. (Brunch + a matinee = a beautfiul weekend thing.) Oddly, this outpost of Siggy's is now closed on Sundays, so you'll have to get your brunch on between 12-4 on Saturdays.


Siggy's Good Food has two locations, at 292 Elizabeth St (betw Houston and Bleeker) in Manhattan and 76 Henry St. (betw Pineapple and Orange) in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn location is closed on Mondays and the Manhattan location is closed on Sundays. 

GF in Williamsburg!

I kind of had my mind blown this weekend, by an under-the-radar GF-friendly spot in Williamsburg: Fabiane's. "GF-friendly" is an understatement. Behold:

Nice, right?

I went for brunch this past Sunday, kicking myself for making plans at a new-to-me place on marathon Sunday. As Fabiane's was ON the marathon route, it was packed. Heartened by the GF menu board, I placed my order, made my severe gluten-intolerance clear, and crossed my fingers. At Fabiane's, you order your food at the counter, pay, get a table number, and they bring your order over. Ravenous, I got this to munch on while we waited:

Yucca cake: plain looking but DELICIOUS

Then my baked eggs came:

A gift from the brunch gods

Eggs with prosciutto, scallions, and cheese. And homemade gluten-free toast. Yeah, I said it. HOMEMADE. So good.

But, guys, there's more. So much more:

I had this one. All of it. In about 60 seconds. So good, I worried that it wasn't really GF.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. They have a ton of other pastries, about half a dozen muffin flavors, sandwiches, waffles, and french toast. Just a heads up that the online menu doesn't list the GF options at this point, but I was told that the breakfast items are available all day and the sandwiches can be made on GF bread.

Have I convinced you? Fabiane's is where it's at. Worth a trip for the pastries alone! Want some excellent GF company on your trip? The Brooklyn Gluten-Free Meetup Group is gathering for dinner at Fabiane's in January!

Newly Updated GF-Friendly Menu and TWO Dedicated GF Fryers

If you're a regular reader, you know that I lovelovelove Bogota Latin Bistro in Park Slope. Remarkably, my love has managed to grow even stronger. Why? They recently acquired two (TWO!) dedicated gluten-free fryers and revised their menu, such that dozens of menu items are now gluten-free, including empanadas, tamales, plantains, and more. After hearing the news, I rushed on down for brunch and:

Started with an empanada, because I could:

Two seconds post-pic, this was gone, baby, gone.

My dining companion tried the hearts of palm salad:

Healthy goodness

And moved on to:

Daisy's Eggs, named after Daisy Martinez, friend of Bogota and Food Network star.

I was a bit decadent and had the steak and eggs. Oh, yes I did:

Mmmm... beef. 

And all of that was gluten-free. Nice. 

Their revised lunch, late night, and dinner menus are now available online. (The revised brunch menu is available at the restaurant, but hasn't yet been posted online. Just fyi lest you wonder at the seeming lack of GF brunch options.)

I can't wait to work my way through the new menu! As picnic season is upon us, keep in mind: Bogota does take out. I can't shake the idea that an order of empanadas to go + Prospect Park = weekend joy. (My kind of math.)

I'd love to hear if you've tried any of their new GF items. Comments are open, so please share!

GF Diner Joy (Peters', With Pictures)

This past Monday was (yet another) grey, rainy day here in NYC. Despite the weather, 12 hungry celiacs attended a NYC Celiac Disease Meetup at Peters' Gourmet Diner. Peter was so very accommodating, setting us up at a nice long table along the center of the restaurant, with plenty of room on either side for people to visit and mingle.

In case you aren't familiar with Peters': It's owned by a Peter and is decorated with photographs featuring (other) famous Peters:  Peter Gabriel, Peter Jackson, Peter Faulk - you get the idea. It has an upscale diner feel, with a handful of booths, many tables, and both a front and back patio. It's equally great for a big family meal and quiet solo dining, you and a book on a weekday night.

All that, and their menu is almost completely gluten-free! Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner. Pancakes, omelettes, club sandwiches and burgers, chicken parm and pasta. So many options that it took us a good 20 minutes to make up our minds. For the most part, we went old school:

Cheeseburger and fries - can't beat that with a stick.

With a little twist:

Cheeseburger with salsa and avocado

Lighter fare:

Broiled 1/2 chicken with sauteed vegetables. Much brighter and happier than my sad little camera pic lets on.

And the dish I coveted the most (while thoroughly enjoying my burger):

Chicken parm, baby. And, YES, those cutlets are BREADED, gf-style.
 

There were also beautiful salads, stuffed potato skins, sandwiches, GF beer, and more - I didn't want to hold up the chowing down with my picture taking. Forgive the low light of the pics I did take: just wanted to give you some idea of what Peters' has to offer, to encourage you to get on over there!

(And if it helps to put your worried GF mind at ease: half of the kitchen at Peters' is dedicated GF, with its own fryer, toaster, griddle, etc. Peter has been operating this way since the diner's inception, prompted by a good friend's GF diagnosis. About 20% of their clientele is GF. Let's increase that percentage, shall we?)

I also can't overstate what a fantastic time we all had - chatting, sharing stories and recommendations, and just enjoying time with people who get it. If you haven't already, please consider joining the NYC Celiac Disease Meetup, a Celiac Meetup in your area - or starting one if there isn't one where you live!

Restaurant Update

Did you hear?!? Bogota in Park Slope now has two (two, not one, but TWO) dedicated gluten-free fryers! That means empanadas, fried plantains, and so many other wonderful things that I bet you haven't had in years. (Ever?)

I hope this news tips the balance and convinces you that, yes, you need to come out to Brooklyn for a visit, ASAP.

Get Your Brunch On (Latin Flavor in TWO Brooklyn Locations)

Another holiday weekend is almost upon us. Maybe, like me, you've already started your food prep for Easter, schlepping from store to store, poring over menu ideas, and testing recipes. You, my dear, need a break! In fact, I think you need a little Saturday brunch - and I have just the place: Pequeña with locations in both Fort Greene and Prospect Heights!

I've eaten brunch at the Prospect Heights location a number of times and found the staff very accommodating of my GF needs. I stumbled upon the spot last year when I got lost en route to view an apartment. Their menu was on a stand outside the restaurant and I couldn't help but notice that the corn-heavy menu was practically devoid of wheat. I asked a server if they had any GF options and, without skipping a beat, she pointed out all of the things I could eat. To me, that alone warrants trying a place. No "Uh, well this is vegan. And that... wait, what's gluten-free mean again?" She said they have a lot of GF customers and her knowledge of the GF items on the menu put me at ease.

I went off on my apartment errand and returned half an hour later for a late brunch. While there are loads of things I can order off their menu, I tend to stick with what I had that first day: Cast Iron Pan B, aka a sizzling small cast iron pan filled with potatoes, onions, peppers and refried beans, topped with two fried eggs and served with a plate of warm soft corn tortillas. Best part? You get all of that deliciousness for EIGHT DOLLARS! (No, really.)

Should mention: The Prospect Heights location is an adorable space. Very bright and colorful inside AND they put tables outside once the weather gets nice. Prospect Heights is also just an area of Brooklyn worth visiting; it puts you near Prospect Park and there are more coffee spots, bars, and shops popping up along the avenues. So get your brunch on this weekend - and add Pequeña to your spring/summer weekend line-up! 

French Toast for a Very Monday-ish Saturday

Despite being Saturday, this day started out feeling like a Monday. Reason? My neighbors started hammering and sawing at 7:30am. Let me repeat, SEVEN-THIRTY A.M. ON A SATURDAY MORNING! I haven't a clue what the project is and why it couldn't wait until a more civilized hour, but after tossing and turning, cursing the gods, and trying desperately to get back to sleep, I gave up and did this:

Aaaaaaah, Saturday.

For the record: I don't even really like French toast. Growing up - during the gluten-filled years - it was a regularly endured, if not enjoyed, breakfast/brunch offering. So I've been surprised by my insane craving for it recently. Here is my fast and easy gf version:

Sandwich bread (I used Udi's white this time)
2 eggs
milk (enough to fill bowl such that you can submerge the bread)
salt
vanilla

Blend with a fork or whisk and submerge bread slices for just a few seconds apiece in the egg mixture. Heat some salted butter in a pan and brown bread slices over medium heat.

Since gf bread can be crumbly - especially after being dunked in the egg mixture - I used the Udi's straight from the freezer (I keep a load of gf bread in there at all times). This week, I used the entire loaf of bread and froze individual French toast servings for later, as insurance against other Monday-ish mornings.

Perhaps you noticed the sausage links in the picture? They're from celiac-friendly Jones Dairy Farm, available online and nationally.

Mmm, pork!

I grew up eating the original Jones breakfast links; these rice and pork ones are lower in calories (130 for 3, should you care about such things) and are, of course, gluten-free. In fact, 46 of 48 products listed on the Jones site are certified gluten-free! Can't beat that with a stick.


If you've read this far, then btw...

This post had an alternate title: "So-Good-I-Made-it-Twice-Today French Toast".

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I have a so-bad-it's funny tale: I put the first two slices of French toast in the pan and - oh my goodness - did it smell amazing! At that point, the hammering was still loud and annoying. With jangled nerves, I quickly reached for the spatula so I could turn the toast and...

(1) Knocked a glass jar from an overhead shelf, which
(2) Smashed the pint glass of water I had on the counter
(3) Causing shards of glass to fly into my mug of tea, onto the floor, AND into the bowl of egg batter.

I did what any sane person would do [correction:  what I guessed they would do]: I cleaned up the mess, laughing at the inane sequence of events, and made a fresh batch of batter and cup of tea. Redoing everything = totally worth it.

Hope you're inspired to make some (shard-free) gf French toast of your own! It's really that good.

Bogota (Colombian in Park Slope)

Hooray, the weekend is almost here! I'm usually a pretty happy camper during the workweek, but I can't remember the last time I was so happy to see Friday. This has me pondering all manner of weekend-y joys including BRUNCH! To that end, may I present my newest submission for your NYC gf-eating pleasure:

Bogota Latin Bistro! This is my favorite brunch (and dinner, for that matter) spot in Brooklyn. We even had a NYC Celiac Disease Meetup at Bogota recently! They offer gf items including arepas, latin egg dishes, quinoa cakes, and chimichurri. Most of the gf items are not listed on the current menu, so you'll need to ask your server. Bogota is well-known for it's amazing staff - even when they're super busy (as they usually are) the staff are always relaxed and helpful. I'm never made to feel like a pain in the tuchus for requesting details about the gf offerings.

I'll be posting more about Bogota in the near future. If you'd like to get your brunch on there this weekend, drop me a note and I'll send you details on the gf menu items.