Restaurant Inspection 2009

Have you been wondering what happened to GFNYC's annual round-up of restaurant inspection results from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)?

Wonder no more.

As always, the restaurants on this list—New York City eateries on the roster of the Gluten Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP)—continue to be way ahead of other Big Apple restaurants in recognizing the health concerns related to gluten in their foods.

The lower the number score, the better the inspection results, with a score of 28 or higher constituting a failing grade.

Topping the list are Asia de Cuba (albeit with a rating from 2007) as well as Tuttoriso, Candle 79, and Risotteria. Many restaurants did worse this year than last year, but (unlike last year) none received a failing grade. Not available at this time is an inspection report for Nizza.

02 11/21/07 Asia de Cuba (Manhattan) no new inspection
04 01/16/09 Tuttoriso (Staten Island) newly inspected
09 01/08/09 Candle 79 (Manhattan) up 7
10 06/12/08 Risotteria (Manhattan) unchanged
12 03/20/09 Sambuca (Manhattan) down 7
13 12/05/08 Peters' (Artaki) (Manhattan) up 4
13 03/10/09 Lili's 57 (Lili's Noodle Shop) newly listed
15 01/04/08 Outback Steakhouse Chelsea (Manhattan) no new inspection
15 07/17/08 Outback Steakhouse Brooklyn (Brooklyn) up 65
18 11/12/08 Bistango (Manhattan) down 2
18 09/08/08 Outback Steakhouse Queens Boulevard (Queens) down 9
19 11/29/08 Outback Steakhouse (Staten Island) down 3
20 12/22/08 Outback Steakhouse Third Avenue (Manhattan) down 2
20 12/05/08 Lumi (Manhattan) down 10
22 11/20/08 Carrabba's (Staten Island) down 1
22 03/09/09 Gus' Place (Manhattan) down 14
25 05/14/08 Friedman's Deli new to list
25 11/03/08 Outback Steakhouse Bell Blvd. (Queens) down 12
25 01/05/09 Lilli and Loo (Manhattan) down 14
27 03/16/09 S'MAC new to list
27 09/22/08 Gusto Grilled Organics new to list
27 04/29/08 Bloom's (Manhattan) down 14
NA --/--/-- Nizza no inspection found

For the most current DOH inspection records, click here.

GFRAP restaurants can be found here.

NBC New York: Gluten Free Menus Gain in Popularity

On Tuesday, Tracie Strahan of New York's NBC News did a segment on celiac-friendly restaurants including GFRAP's Sambuca and Risotteria as well as Opus, on the Upper East Side. Here it is!

Thanks to Shari of the New York City Celiac Disease Meetup Group (NYCCDMG) for the lead.



Source (1:45)

Zagat NYC Restaurants 2009

Below is this year's round-up of the New York City GFRAP restaurants as listed in the Zagat guide.

Candle 79 and Asia de Cuba stayed at the top of the list, with new addition S'MAC elbowing itself just ahead of Risotteria with its food rating. Price estimates tended to go up, with Candle 79 and S'MAC and Outback distinguishing themselves with rating increases.

Despite any number of trend and health pieces in the media about gluten-free dining, the Zagat guide still hasn't found much of a way to recognize gluten-free dining as a cuisine or special feature, though it is mentioned in at least three restaurant comments.

The guide notes that "Tipping remained steady at 19%, right on par with the national average." So keep that in mind when you want to make a good impression with the restaurant staff.

Candle 79
Food: 23
Service: 22 (up 1)
Decor: 20 (up 3)
Estimated dinner for one: $46 (up $10)

Asia de Cuba
Food: 23
Service: 20
Decor: 24
Estimated dinner for one: $61 (up $3)

S'MAC
Food: 21 (up 2)
Service: 14
Decor: 10 (up 1)
Estimated dinner for one: $16 (up $3)

Risotteria
Food: 20 (down 1)
Service: 15 (down 1)
Decor: 9 (down 1)
Estimated dinner for one: $24 (up $1)
Comments: "Gluten-sensitive gourmets" gather at this "tiny" Village Italian turning out "creamy risottos" and other fare fit for "those with food restrictions" yet "terrific enough for everyone else"; there's "no decor" and little elbow room, but "squeeze in" and you'll leave "happily satisfied."

Gus' Place (reopened, relocated)
Food: 19 (down 1)
Service: 20
Decor: 14 (down 2)
Estimated dinner for one: $38 (up $1)

Lumi
Food: 18 (down 1)
Service: 19
Decor: 18
Estimated dinner for one: $53 (up $1)
Comments: "Perfect for a romantic interlude" or a shopping break, this UES Italian (seen in the Sex and the City movie) is set in a "lovely and comfortable" townhouse equipped with two fireplaces; "decent" food, including a "gluten-free" menu, and "pro" service help justify the tabs.

Sambuca
Food: 18
Service: 18
Decor: 16
Estimated dinner for one: $40 (up $2)
Comments: Maybe the "basic, family-style" Italian eats at this "kid-friendly" UWS "alternative to Carmine's" "won't wow you", but the "giant portions" may, so "go with a group" and "share"; waiters are "cheery", and - who woulda thunk? - there's a "gluten-free menu."

Outback Steakhouse
Food: 15 (up 1)
Service: 16 (up 1)
Decor: 12
Estimated dinner for one: $34 (up $2)

SAMBUCA TURNS TWENTY!

Congratulations to Sambuca, which is currently celebrating its 20th Anniversary!

Sambuca, which serves Italian food family-style, remains the only restaurant on Manhattan's Upper West Side to participate in the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP). As part of the restaurant's anniversary celebration, it is offering 20% off of its wine list throughout April 2008.

Sambuca is located near Central Park at 20 West 72nd Street. Ravioli is one of the more recent additions to its gluten-free menu.

RESTAURANT INSPECTION!

And now for the annual round-up of restaurant inspection results from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). The restaurants on this list—New York City eateries on the roster of the Gluten Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP)—continue to be way ahead of other Big Apple restaurants in recognizing the health concerns related to gluten in their foods, which still doesn't seem to be a concern of the DOHMH.

The lower the number score, the better the inspection, with a score of 28 or higher constituting a failing grade. Topping the list are Asia de Cuba, Sambuca, and Gus' Place; at the bottom (with the only failing grade) is Outback Steakhouse Brooklyn. Not available at this time is a score for Tuttoriso, on Staten Island.

02 11/21/07 Asia de Cuba (Manhattan)
05 01/18/08 Sambuca (Manhattan)
08 04/24/07 Gus' Place (Manhattan)
09 03/14/07 Outback Steakhouse Queens Boulevard (Queens)
10 03/19/07 Lumi (Manhattan)
10 12/26/07 Risotteria (Manhattan)
11 04/04/07 Lilli and Loo (Manhattan)
13 12/26/06 Bloom's (Manhattan)
13 12/07/06 Outback Steakhouse Bell Blvd. (Queens)
15 01/04/08 Outback Steakhouse Chelsea (Manhattan)
16 01/30/07 Bistango (Manhattan)
16 08/19/07 Candle 79 (Manhattan)
16 07/31/07 Outback Steakhouse (Staten Island)
16 11/14/06 Tini (Lentini) (Manhattan)
17 06/11/07 Peters' (Artaki) (Manhattan)
18 09/27/07 Outback Steakhouse Third Avenue (Manhattan)
21 05/08/07 Carrabba's (Staten Island)
?? --/--/-- Tuttoriso (Staten Island)
80 01/30/08 Outback Steakhouse Brooklyn (Brooklyn)

For the most current DOH inspection records, click here.

GFRAP restaurants can be found here.

A VERY GFRAP THANKSGIVING


















At this time of year I'd like to offer thanks to a special group of people who have made New York City a much better place for gluten-free dining. I deeply appreciate the Big Apple restaurateurs who agreed to join the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP) and abide by its guidelines for serving gluten-free food, but the people I'm about to recognize are the GFRAP volunteers who have served as the liaisons and resource people who help the restaurateurs stay on the gluten-free path.

It might come as a surprise to some readers that these volunteers were originally organized by a group outside the city: the Westchester Celiac Sprue Support Group (WCSSG). According to the WCSSG August 2007 newsletter, the volunteers (and restaurants) were as follows:

Lynn Hyman
Candle 79
Lumi
Risotteria
Sambuca
Tini

Pam Goodman-Rogers
Bistango
Bloom's

Elyn Rosenthal
Gus' Place
Risotteria

Danielle Valenti-Smith
Asia de Cuba
Peters'

Doug Meadows
Sambuca

Thanks to Lynn, Pam, Elyn, Danielle, and Doug for their great and important work. And thanks also to Pat MacGregor for founding the GFRAP program, and to current area coordinator Liz Lebo for her own crucial work, which is certainly appreciated in these parts.

BONUS Check out this entry in WNYC'S Cartoon Cornucopia Contest.

Photo: David Marc Fischer

ZAGAT NYC RESTAURANTS 2008

Last year Zagat seemed to make a giant step forward by mentioning gluten-free options in its listings for Risotteria ("sets the standard for gluten-free dining") and Sambuca ("also offers a gluten-free menu - 'is that an oxymoron for Italian?'").

This year the restaurant guide seems to have taken a baby step backward. It still doesn't acknowledge gluten-free dining in its Cuisine and Special Features sections...and its choices of comments for Risotteria and Sambuca are actually misleading. The guide says that at Risotteria "'everything is gluten-free,'" which is just not true. And the guide says that at Sambuca "a separate sans-gluten menu lets everyone 'eat freely'"—a bit of an exaggeration.

Risotteria is still a bargain spot compared to the other rated restaurants. Asia de Cuba still gets a special "top spot" designation. According to the guide, the average tip went up a smidgen to 19%. And I still suspect that Outback Steakhouse is treated too harshly.

So here are the ratings for the NYC GFRAP restaurants listed in Zagat 2008. Alas, the ratings tended to stay the same or decline in comparison with last year's results.

Candle 79
Food: 23 (down 1)
Service: 21 (down 2)
Decor: 17 (down <4)
Estimated dinner for one: $36 (down $4)
Top-rated vegetarian restaurant

ASIA DE CUBA
Food: 23
Service: 20
Decor: 24 (down 1)
Estimated dinner for one: $58 (up $2)
"Hottest Servers"

Risotteria
Food: 21
Service: 16 (down 2)
Decor: 10
Estimated dinner for one: $23

Gus' Place (reopened, relocated)
Food: 20
Service: 20
Decor: 16
Estimated dinner for one: $37

Lumi (unlisted 2007)
Food: 19
Service: 19
Decor: 18
Estimated dinner for one: $52

Sambuca
Food: 18 (down 1)
Service: 18
Decor: 16 (up 1)
Estimated dinner for one: $38 (up $2 from 2006)

Outback Steakhouse
Food: 14 (down 1)
Service: 15 (down 1)
Decor: 12 (down 1)
Estimated dinner for one: $32

COMING SOON TO THE BIG APPLE: GLUTEN-FREE GIRL!

As mentioned here in September, Shauna James Ahern (a.k.a. Gluten-Free Girl) has a book (a.k.a. Gluten-Free Girl) out this month. To promote the book (right), she and her hubby The Chef (a.k.a. Daniel Ahern) have put together a DIY book tour, with a stay in New York (a.k.a. NY) from October 12 to October 16.

Here's an Amazon excerpt. And here's the itinerary:

Saturday October 13 11:30 pm
Imagine Circle at Strawberry Fields, Central Park
Book-signing and "Imagine" sing-along

Sunday October 14 morning
Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease 2007

Sunday October 14 8:00 pm
Book Launch Party at Sambuca
Minglers receive wine, appetizers and a copy of the book.
Cost is $50. RSVP by calling 212-787-5656.

Monday October 15 7:00-9:30 pm
Cooking Demonstration at Whole Foods Bowery (book-signing afterward)
Pasta with salmon, chicken thighs braised in pomegranate molasses, fig cookies
Cost is $30, including book. Register here.