Also Adds LI BBQ to Roster
The recently revamped Friedman's Lunch at Chelsea Market is the latest NYC restaurant to join the roster of the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP). Friedman's offers deli-style breakfasts, lunches, and early dinners daily, with plans to add gluten-free brew, according to Celiac Chick Kim. That should go especially well with the restaurant's crispy herbed French fries and crunchy homemade potato chips! In the meantime, you can always get a can of Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray with your order. Just take note that there may well be a surcharge for any gf breads—including a gf roll and a gf "rye"—ordered with your meal.
Friedman's participation in GFRAP is not coordinated with a local group, but the restaurant is at least the third in the program that is connected to the Phillips restaurant family, which also has a hand in the Asian GFRAP restaurants Lili's 57 and Lilli and Loo.
In other GFRAP news, Long Island's BBQ joint Smoking Sloe's (847 Fort Salonga Road, Northport) is also on the roster. The restaurant's gluten-free menu includes soups and salads as well as ribs and a melt-in-your-mouth wrapped chocolate brownie from Centerport's Azure Chocolat, recently featured in Newsday and mentioned in The New York Times.
Smoking Sloe's participation in GFRAP is in cooperation with the Suffolk County Celiac Support Group (GIG).
And remember, folks: GFRAP welcomes your feedback—positive and negative!
Showing posts with label Vanessa Phillips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vanessa Phillips. Show all posts
Monday, February 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
AUGUST FUNDRAISING BBQ
Gluten-free food entrepreneur Vanessa Tayler Phillips and Celiac Chick Kelly Courson recently teamed up to organize an all-you-can-eat BBQ fundraiser to be held in Sunnyside (some say Astoria) from 3pm to 7pm on Saturday, August 9, 2008.
Foodwise, we're talking hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ chicken, mac 'n' cheese, potato salad, cole slaw, and watermelon. The buns will be from the Grainless Baker. In addition, you can expect desserts from gluten-free bakeries and goodie bags including samples from Mary's Gone Crackers as well as a 15%-off coupon for Friedman's Delicatessen, the Chelsea Market eaterie where Vanessa has been working to accommodate gluten-free noshers.
As for drinks, there will be a full pay-as-you-go bar including Redbridge beer. In fact, the location is a bar, Mickey John's, where a grill will be set up for this occasion. Kids will be welcome until 7pm.
Admission is $30 for the event, which will benefit the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University (CDCCU). RSVPs are required by Saturday, August 3. For more information, go to this CeliacChicks post.
Gluten-free food entrepreneur Vanessa Tayler Phillips and Celiac Chick Kelly Courson recently teamed up to organize an all-you-can-eat BBQ fundraiser to be held in Sunnyside (some say Astoria) from 3pm to 7pm on Saturday, August 9, 2008.
Foodwise, we're talking hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ chicken, mac 'n' cheese, potato salad, cole slaw, and watermelon. The buns will be from the Grainless Baker. In addition, you can expect desserts from gluten-free bakeries and goodie bags including samples from Mary's Gone Crackers as well as a 15%-off coupon for Friedman's Delicatessen, the Chelsea Market eaterie where Vanessa has been working to accommodate gluten-free noshers.
As for drinks, there will be a full pay-as-you-go bar including Redbridge beer. In fact, the location is a bar, Mickey John's, where a grill will be set up for this occasion. Kids will be welcome until 7pm.
Admission is $30 for the event, which will benefit the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University (CDCCU). RSVPs are required by Saturday, August 3. For more information, go to this CeliacChicks post.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
LILLI AND LOO: A META-REVIEW!
As you might already know, the Asian restaurant Lilli and Loo recently joined the roster of the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP) on the advanced level, which means that the restaurant receives "intensive assistance in menu review by qualified nutrition experts" along with GFRAP's basic "complete packet of education and training materials, a review of the restaurant’s GF menus, and the assistance of a Resource Person to answer questions." So far Lilli and Loo is the only non-chain restaurant in Manhattan on that level, and I can say from my own experience that this eaterie is worth multiple visits.
When the restaurant first came up with its gluten-free menu, Maggie and her associates offered a banquet's share of diverse options, but since then the menu has expanded to include even more choices, including one of my favorite types of Asian cuisine.
Many items on the restaurant's evolving gluten-free menu have already been favorably received by A Gluten-Free Guide, CeliacChicks, Gluten-Free Fun, and Allergic Girl. Probably the stand-out item has been the cool and refreshing Saigon Spring Roll appetizer. A fun new addition is the Rock Shrimp Tempura. Not to be confused with classic tempura, which is known for the lightness of its batter, this appetizer is more like an outstanding version of popcorn shrimp, presenting the restaurant's whole tasty shrimp within a thick, crunchy coating enlivened by a drizzled mayonnaise sauce. Filling out the appetizer options are edamame (steamed salted soy beans) and Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps, which involve wrapping lettuce around a mix of chicken, pineapple, and vegetables.
In the early online coverage of Lilli and Loo, the glazed Borneo Orange Chicken came across as a favorite—and I like it too. But oh, how excited I was to find crispy Thai Fish added to the menu! As a longtime fan of various versions of Asian whole fish, I'm especially fond of the crispy variations. At Lilli and Loo, it's served in a two-way style, with numerous separated and boneless chunks atop the rest of the fish, which is still on the bone. So, if you're not used to eating this dish, you can enjoy the separated pieces and also learn to pull the rest of the tasty, moist meat away while leaving most or all of the bones behind. And don't be afraid to poke around the cheeks in the fish head for the tiny, subtly flavorful morsels you might find there. (Note that when ordering this type of dish, it can be helpful to talk with the waitperson about how many of you intend to share it, to make sure that you'll get the right size of fish.)
I'm still exploring the other items on the menu, looking for ways to mix-and-match cuisines or just commit to one type throughout. I've been pleased by the mild Asian Chicken Curry and Masaman Chicken Curry as well as the Pomegranate Teriyaki Grilled Chicken, although I was sorry to find that it wasn't glazed in the way I associate with teriyaki cooking. I also enjoyed the change-of-pace represented by the sweet Shrimp with Fresh Mango (again with tasty shrimp, right), which could function almost like a dessert in a meal shared by several people (an ideal way to enjoy the fare at Lilli and Loo).
And then there are the Happy Hours. It's been tough work, but for your sake, dear reader, I've been making my way through the Lilli and Loo cocktail menu. My favorite so far is the lychee martini.
As CeliacChick Kelly and Allergic Girl Sloane have noted, Maggie and the rest of the gang at Lilli and Loo are eager to please and willing to accommodate other dietary requests. Just try to give them a "heads up" to ease matters for everyone concerned. And, speaking of heads, I agree with Kelly that the loo at Lilli and Loo is worth a visit, too. (Thanks to Ben Cappel for coming up with the "loo" angle.)
Something else that's exciting about Lilli and Loo is that it is just one of the restaurants and food enterprises in which Vanessa Phillips and her family have a hand. From talking with Vanessa's father, I understand that the family hopes to serve gluten-free customers in various NYC locations, including the Upper West Side. Having GFRAP restaurants there would certainly help to complement the string along the Upper East Side. CeliacChick Kelly has been covering some of the most recent developments.
As you might already know, the Asian restaurant Lilli and Loo recently joined the roster of the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP) on the advanced level, which means that the restaurant receives "intensive assistance in menu review by qualified nutrition experts" along with GFRAP's basic "complete packet of education and training materials, a review of the restaurant’s GF menus, and the assistance of a Resource Person to answer questions." So far Lilli and Loo is the only non-chain restaurant in Manhattan on that level, and I can say from my own experience that this eaterie is worth multiple visits.
When the restaurant first came up with its gluten-free menu, Maggie and her associates offered a banquet's share of diverse options, but since then the menu has expanded to include even more choices, including one of my favorite types of Asian cuisine.
Many items on the restaurant's evolving gluten-free menu have already been favorably received by A Gluten-Free Guide, CeliacChicks, Gluten-Free Fun, and Allergic Girl. Probably the stand-out item has been the cool and refreshing Saigon Spring Roll appetizer. A fun new addition is the Rock Shrimp Tempura. Not to be confused with classic tempura, which is known for the lightness of its batter, this appetizer is more like an outstanding version of popcorn shrimp, presenting the restaurant's whole tasty shrimp within a thick, crunchy coating enlivened by a drizzled mayonnaise sauce. Filling out the appetizer options are edamame (steamed salted soy beans) and Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps, which involve wrapping lettuce around a mix of chicken, pineapple, and vegetables.
In the early online coverage of Lilli and Loo, the glazed Borneo Orange Chicken came across as a favorite—and I like it too. But oh, how excited I was to find crispy Thai Fish added to the menu! As a longtime fan of various versions of Asian whole fish, I'm especially fond of the crispy variations. At Lilli and Loo, it's served in a two-way style, with numerous separated and boneless chunks atop the rest of the fish, which is still on the bone. So, if you're not used to eating this dish, you can enjoy the separated pieces and also learn to pull the rest of the tasty, moist meat away while leaving most or all of the bones behind. And don't be afraid to poke around the cheeks in the fish head for the tiny, subtly flavorful morsels you might find there. (Note that when ordering this type of dish, it can be helpful to talk with the waitperson about how many of you intend to share it, to make sure that you'll get the right size of fish.)
I'm still exploring the other items on the menu, looking for ways to mix-and-match cuisines or just commit to one type throughout. I've been pleased by the mild Asian Chicken Curry and Masaman Chicken Curry as well as the Pomegranate Teriyaki Grilled Chicken, although I was sorry to find that it wasn't glazed in the way I associate with teriyaki cooking. I also enjoyed the change-of-pace represented by the sweet Shrimp with Fresh Mango (again with tasty shrimp, right), which could function almost like a dessert in a meal shared by several people (an ideal way to enjoy the fare at Lilli and Loo).And then there are the Happy Hours. It's been tough work, but for your sake, dear reader, I've been making my way through the Lilli and Loo cocktail menu. My favorite so far is the lychee martini.
As CeliacChick Kelly and Allergic Girl Sloane have noted, Maggie and the rest of the gang at Lilli and Loo are eager to please and willing to accommodate other dietary requests. Just try to give them a "heads up" to ease matters for everyone concerned. And, speaking of heads, I agree with Kelly that the loo at Lilli and Loo is worth a visit, too. (Thanks to Ben Cappel for coming up with the "loo" angle.)
Something else that's exciting about Lilli and Loo is that it is just one of the restaurants and food enterprises in which Vanessa Phillips and her family have a hand. From talking with Vanessa's father, I understand that the family hopes to serve gluten-free customers in various NYC locations, including the Upper West Side. Having GFRAP restaurants there would certainly help to complement the string along the Upper East Side. CeliacChick Kelly has been covering some of the most recent developments.
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