Cross Contamination Worries

I started to think dining out was getting better in the greater Boston area for people with food sensitivities.  The menus might be limited but they existed.  And servers seemed to know about the issue, as in really know, not just the lip service like having to wash your hands.

I was wrong.  Recently we went out to a couple of different restaurants.  One was a steakhouse in Weymouth, MA.  The other was all-American fare in Quincy, MA.   The both got things wrong, much to our detriment, although one more than the other.

In Weymouth, we figured a steak house was a safe bet.  Beef has no gluten.  Now many of the sauces, demi glace or whatever will have gluten.  They usually use flour to thicken them.  However, ordering a steak without sauce should be fine.  It didn't turn out that way.  We ordered after informing our server several times about gluten allergies, and asked questions about specific dishes regarding gluten content.  That still was not enough apparently.  My lovely date ordered filet with a lobster tail.  Now for her I will give the benefit of the doubt that it may have been the lobster.  It came out dull with brown edges instead of the bright red that one would expect.  Our guess is that it was cooked well ahead of time and just reheated when served.  You CAN'T do that to lobster.  I ordered sirloin.  It was a little tough but the butter on top may have had some additive that made me sick.  That is only my guess, there could have been something in the mashed potato.  In any event the food was somehow contaminated.  That is inexcusable in light of informing the server of our food allergies.  What should have let me know was that the same server brought the food.  Previously in other restaurants a designated food allergy server brought out the actual food as a way of insuring against cross contamination.  One place even uses slightly different shaped plates also.  This steakhouse did not.  And we paid for it.

The Quincy restaurant was a bit better.  The server acknowledged our food allergies and even went to check with the chef about our questions on some dishes.  Even with all that there was still something possibly wrong.  I am only mentioning this to highlight the food sensitive's need to be ever vigilant.  She ordered a Cobb salad with steak tips.  The steak was obviously marinated in something, presumably teriyaki.  That may have been good except she cannot have any marinades, and most teriyaki contains soy sauce, which has gluten.

Even with the best of places, and when doing everything a person should do when food allergies are involved - reviewing ingredients, asking questions, informing servers - there is still a significant risk of becoming ill when dining out.  Restaurants are not automated, they are run by people.  People make mistakes.  While that is a fact of life, that fact can ruin another person's day, or life.

Senza Gluten NYC - Restaurant Review

As a food capital I expected New York City to be on the leading edge of culinary trends.  It usually is.  I imagine the city was practically paved in bricks of Himalayan rock salt back when that was the trend, but it seems rather slow in adaptation to food allergies/sensitivities.  I only spend a couple days there so did not have the chance to look around and explore that much.  Yet it was difficult for me to find restaurants that provided gluten free fare. And that is what I need to eat.

The good places, like Geoffrey Zakarian’s or Marc Murphy’s, did not seem to have anything I could eat to avoid gluten.  Frankly, I am sick of salads, and even then there could be issues with the dressing.  Don’t even bring up the issue of croutons.  Looking at the menus there was a lot I really wanted to eat, and I am sure it was all amazing, but I really would have paid for it physically.

So when on a business trip to the Big Apple, after all the meetings and tourist must do’s, it was a god send to come across Senza Gluten.  This small restaurant opened back in January apparently and has a completely gluten free menu, as well as dedicated gluten free kitchen.  It is Italian, senza is Italian for ‘without’, hence the restaurant’s name. Despite the without, the menu was with lots of pasta.  That fact alone had me as a fan.  

We showed up early for our reservation.  This was not a problem for the young and charming hostess, appearing to the daughter of the manager, who was equally gracious.  The place was busy but not packed.  They were able to seat us immediately and gave us a table for four, even though there were only two of us, as all the two tops were occupied.  With dim lighting and basic rustic decor it was a romantic setting.  Large windows could have been opened had it been a little warmer outside, and it looked like there was space for outside dining.

To start we had each cesar insalata and shared an order of bruschetta al funghi.  I know I said I am sick of salads but this was a lovely thing.  My companion told me it was the best caesar salad she had ever eaten, even with the anchovies which she normally avoids like the plague.  The mushrooms on the bruschetta were flavorful and were generally enhanced with the drizzle of truffle oil.  I’m generally not a fan of the truffle oil trend but it did punch up the earthiness.  

A special that night was gnocchi.  Our very attentive waitress described it with the light, pillowy adjectives you expect with gnocchi.  My companion ordered that, and after stealing a few just to make sure I can give an accurate review, can state without hesitation that they were everything you would want out of gnocchi.  I ordered the lasagna.  I was mostly interested to see how that would work since most gluten free pastas are reserved for spaghetti.  It was a good, traditional lasagna.  It came to the table a little cold, I imagine having waited for the gnocchi.  The lasagna was meaty and rustic, without any odd sort of taste I would have expected from a gluten free pasta like corn or rice flour. (I don’t know the flour used for the pasta but none of it had any after taste)  If the lasagna had been hot it would have been perfect.  The very small, one person kitchen visible from the dining room put out great food but I can see how timing could be an odd issue with the chef.  Needless to say it was a very good mean overall, and the gluten free pasta did not produce any stuffed or bloated sensation that can result from a pasta dinner.

For dessert, and there are not pictures as I was too busy eating it, we had a Tiramisu for her and a chocolate lava cake with almond vanilla ice cream for me.  This course did take some time.  It was not due to our having been handed over to another server, but I imagine from the baking my cake to order, a necessity for chocolate lava cake.  The lava bit did solve the problem of how to get a full, light, fluffy cake without the gluten to give structure to the cake.  Once it cooled a little so it was no longer almost literal lava, it was a very satisfying chocolate dessert.  The Tiramisu was excellent.  I had tried a gluten free tiramisu at a different italian restaurant the night before (It was good, and was really the only other place that could adapt most of its menu to gluten free, but was not dedicated) and this was far superior.  Whereas the other was more of a custard parfait without the distinguishing cake-like soaked lady fingers, Senza Gluten’s version was as a near perfect replica of traditional tiramisu as possible.  Light, with all the flavors and textures expected, it was an excellent dessert.  It took great restraint not to eat my companion’s portion.

With such a great meal we were a little surprised the place was not packed on a Saturday night.  It was busy but I would have expected a line waiting at the door.  I can only attribute this to its being new and the word not spreading yet.  If you are gluten sensitive and either in or visiting New York City I heartily recommend visiting Senza Gluten on Sullivan Street.  Even if you are not gluten sensitive go there.  It is well worth it.  The charming and hospitable people there will make sure you have an excellent dining experience with great food.  Or just check out their site, senzaglutennyc.com

(previously published on my Tumblr blog - curioushumanist)