Be well
Much Love

Jennifer Esposito

It is a very simple place with simple options but sometimes you just need that. Some good steamed rice and good steamed veggies, and some plain protein like chicken or fish. They always seem to have a vegetable soup that is pure and clean. Gloria is just always so helpful and it’s a great place you can count on to get a solid healthy delicious meal. It is small with a casual atmosphere but it is lovely because you can relax when you eat and god knows we all like to relax when we eat.

So definitely try Y Cafe when you are in need of a low-key night out. ENJOY!

Y Cafe: 182 Avenue B, NY, NY 10009

Ever Onward,

Jennifer Esposito

How often do you go into a restaurant, being a Celiac individual or gluten allergic individual, and feel REALLY comfortable? I can’t say I feel very comfortable when I get an answer such as “I think it’s gluten free…” or “Uhhhh .. it should be.” Well you know what, “should be” doesn’t count when I will be gagging on your floor, I say to myself all too often.

Going out to dinner was always one of my ABSOLUTE favorite things to do! And being restricted to ordering plain steamed brown rice or a plain grilled something isn’t the real experience of what dining out is. What I miss so much is experiencing what the chef is making that night, how he or she combines the flavors, and what their interpretations of whatever they are is making is. THAT is what I miss!!

So when you do go to a place and ARE able to have something that is the chef’s creation, and the servers know exactly what you are talking about when you say “I can’t have gluten”, and for me I can’t have dairy… and “is there soy in it?” and so on. When you find that place, you want to do a dance, and many times I have done a dance!

I found that place to my surprise the other night, with My Friend Ralph- a place called Goat Town. And OH MY GOAT is it good! It is in New York City on 5th Street between avenue A and B. Goat Town. And the name comes from a negative term, goats were what they called the settlers… so goat town… then it morphed to gotham. It’s a real throw back to an old era with really great white tiled seats and great tiled walls, a beautiful bar, mirrors that are haggard, it’s just a great great great looking room.

And you sit down and wonder “ok- what is going to happen here” as you cautiously look at the menu. I loved that there was not too much to choose from,  you know they know exactly what is in every item – something I find VERY important when choosing a restaurant. To go somewhere that there is not 50 things on the menu because then you are taking a chance there, that they are not going to know exactly what is in what. This menu looked so amazing and everything seemed fresh and seasonal, and it said “organic” on the menu. But you know, still, I was nervous…

Before I ordered I took a walk to the bathroom that is past the completely open kitchen, which was so awesome to see these two ladies cooking their butts off and you saw everything that was happening. As I’m waiting to get into the bathroom I turn to look out the back restaurant door and I noticed they have a garden where they grow their own herbs, and veggies, and tomatoes, and OH MY GOD I was happy!

So, I was VERY excited but I’m still always cautious.

When I got back to the table and spoke to our server, I said “listen”, I always start off with “listen”, “I have a really serious serious gluten allergy and very bad dairy allergy. I can not have either.” And I always say, “if you can’t do it just tell me you can’t, because I’d rather sit here and just have a glass of wine than try and eat something that I will then be really sick from later.” Well, not only did she know what gluten was, which is part of the battle, but she understood how severe this all is. She went back twice to talk to the chefs, and the ladies who were cooking the food knew exactly what they could and could not do. And to my surprise she came back and offered me something that I had been eyeing on another table.

It was, I swear one of the best chickens I have ever had. With fresh carrots, and would normally come with this beautiful sauce on it but I did not want to take any chances, so I just asked for a little olive oil and they added fresh herbs from the garden. And I know it sounds really simple but it wasn’t. It was still their beautiful creation! It was just a little bit of a different version and I still got to taste something that wasn’t just a plain steamed something, it was this creation they wanted to give me and it was AWESOME! And to top it all off, for an appetizer I had a tomato (from their garden) and watermelon salad that was insane, best tomatoes I have ever tasted! If you have never tasted tomatoes fresh from a garden you need to go and do that asap because it just makes you smile.

After all that, I thought “hey, I feel good…” I didn’t feel anything wrong from that meal. And for me, if I get even the smallest bit of gluten I feel it instantly. But I felt good! I felt nourished, and I was SOO happy!

the heavenly chocolate sorbet

And then the server comes around to offer desserts. Now, if your a Celiac you know there is nothing for you. There is nothing, because there is pretty much gluten everywhere on the dessert menu- just as there is on a regular menu but even more so. And when you have a dairy allergy as well you are pretty much looking around at everyone smiling eating their desserts while wanting to kill them all. So I sat happy with my meal as she said, “Would you like to try the chocolate sorbet?” And as I was ready to say “no I can’t, I have allergies…” she stops me and says no it has nothing in it but water and fresh cocoa, dark chocolate, and it’s made in this machine that the owner got from Europe that stirs it so much that it becomes this creamy lovely beautiful decadent sorbet, almost like the thickest gelato you have ever tasted. And after she swore up and down, and because I trusted them with this chicken they just made me, I said you know what I am going to give it a try. And when I tell you WOW! I am going to try to make that thing at home, even if I have to whip that thing up for 4 hours… It was ABSOLUTELY delicious!

So, my friends, if you are in Goat Town, Gotham, the old city of Manhattan, you must go to try a restaurant called Goat Town. Not only is it a cool atmosphere and just beautiful to look at, but you can actually eat a beautiful meal and feel safe. What a great evening that is!

Goat Town

511 East 5th Street

New York, NY 10009

http://goattownnyc.com/

Ever Onward,

Jennifer Esposito