If you’ve been reading this newsletter for even a little while, you know I’m all about celiac-safe travel and dining out. But the past few days have been so cold that when my husband suggested going out to dinner, I actually said no. (Note: this is not normal for me.) The truth is, I enjoy cooking, and this polar vortex we’re caught up in right now makes me want to leave home as infrequently as possible. Also, we had a couple of family visits over Christmas and New Year’s that reminded me of how satisfying it is to cook for people you love, and to have them cook for you.
With that in mind, I thought this would be a great time to share some of the cookbooks that are in rotation in my kitchen right now. Some are recent releases and some have been around for a while, but I’m finding inspiration in each one.
Check out those adorable furry faces above. I visit the Boston area on a regular basis to see family, and those two adorable pups are part of the package. (Honestly, they’re the best welcome crew.)
Unlike most of the trips I take, I don’t do much research before I head to the Boston area. That’s because several of my relatives there have celiac disease, and they are wonderful at sussing out local spots for me. It makes for an incredibly relaxing time whenever I visit, and I wanted to pass along a few reliable spots in case you find yourself in Boston or its historic surrounding towns.
Elephant Walk: This Cambodian-French restaurant — located in Boston’s South End neighborhood — is a local institution founded in 1991. While not dedicated gluten-free, the menu is full of GF options, plus many that are dairy-free and vegetarian (there are also vegan options). Many of the traditional Khmer dishes are naturally gluten-free and require no modification at all. (Try the Amok Royale, a curried coconut ‘custard’ with shrimp, catfish, scallop and minced crab steamed in a banana leaf cup.)
Happy New Year! If I have one wish for everyone reading this newsletter, it’s that 2025 will be a happy and healthy year for you and those you love. While I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions — I’d like to think that healthy habits can be picked up at any time of the year — I do think that the first days of the new year offer a great opportunity to take stock of where we’ve been and where we’re going.
I’m thrilled to say that 2024 was a terrific year for the Gluten-Free Guidebook. Hundreds of new readers joined this community, and I’m grateful to have you come aboard. On a personal note, I had the opportunity to travel a lot this year — always one of my favorite things. Here’s a video recap, which is probably going to make you veryhungry. It features the four cities where I spent the most time this year: London, New York, Toronto, and Paris. Eagle-eyed viewers will spot a few restaurants I haven’t written about yet:
Happy holidays, everyone! I hope you’ve been enjoying time with family and friends — and, if you’ve been traveling, you haven’t been badly impacted by the cold, snowy weather that’s taken over a sizable chunk of North America. (I’m in Toronto right now and, baby, it’s cold outside.)
I love this time of year for plenty of reasons, including all the Best of the Year lists that pop up in December. It’s also the perfect time to take stock of what was great about the past 12 months. Here’s my personal list of favorite gluten-free spots that I visited in 2024. (If you you’re looking for great spots in Barcelona, Athens, and Montreal, check out last year’s list. I stand by all of those recommendations!)
Favorite Meal of the Year: Niche, London. Located near Sadler’s Wells Theatre, the restaurant’s tagline is “gluten-free but you wouldn’t know it.” No false advertising here! Niche was the first restaurant in London to be certified a 100% gluten-free restaurant by Coeliac UK. It is also nut-free and sesame-free, and many of the dishes are dairy-free or vegan. My meal started with the bread selection, which included a toasted sourdough, a garlic-and-rosemary focaccia, and a red onion and chili flatbread, all served with a sun-dried tomato spread, plus olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Next up was my appetizer: parmesan-and-cheddar doughnuts served with a tomato sauce. Plus a side of beer-battered onion rings. My main course was duck breast in a rich Madeira sauce with a creamy celeriac mash and steamed bok choy. It was decadent and delicious and the service was lovely.
There’s always a new trend coming down the line. Some of them are terrific (ooh, leopard print is back!) and others wear out their welcome pretty fast (bye, barrel-leg jeans). But trends aren’t limited to fashion. Restaurants are just as likely to follow them, and there’s one I’ve seen on the rise this year: eateries with “gluten friendly” menus.
Not only is the name kind of dumb (technically, something “gluten friendly” would be pro-gluten, the way a “kid friendly” meal is one intended for kids), but it’s also devoid of legal meaning. That’s the big difference between gluten free and gluten friendly. In the US, Canada, and much of Europe, “gluten free” has a distinct legal meaning: it guarantees a level of gluten content that is below 20 ppm (parts per million). That’s the level of gluten contamination that health regulatory bodies in many countries have established as a safe threshold for people with celiac disease.
Since gluten friendly has no legal definition, it means whatever a restaurant wants it to mean. Are there traces of gluten? Cross-contamination issues? Maybe! Only the restaurant in questions knows, and they’re not making any guarantees. There’s a restaurant in my neighborhood that offers gluten-friendly items on the menu, but also has fine print that reads “These items are not suitable for celiacs.” At least they’re being honest.
Central Park, Upper West Side, Manhattan (photo courtesy of NYC Tourism + Conventions)
A few weeks ago, I published “An Art Lover’s Walking Tour of New York City” and it received a tremendous response. Since the weather is — oddly — even better now than it was then, I wanted to offer another walking tour for everyone spending time in Manhattan over Thanksgiving or for the holidays in December. This time, we explore Central Park, which is a joy to walk through at any time of the year.
Central Park is often referred to as New York’s backyard, because it’s where people walk, congregate, picnic, play frisbee, and commune with nature, among other pastimes. It’s also credited with keeping the city sane, but that seems like a stretch. Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux in the 1850s, Central Park is 2.5 miles long (extending from 59th Street to 110th Street) and a half-mile wide (from Fifth Avenue to Central Park West). Inside those borders is a world far away from the rest of the island of Manhattan.
This walking tour should take two hours — but it will be significantly longer if you want to explore the Metropolitan Museum of Art or if you decide to go rowing on Central Park Lake. You’ll need comfortable walking shoes — exploring the park can involve dodging cyclists, joggers, and baby strollers. You can take this tour any day of the week, but avoid Wednesdays if you want to see the Met (it’s closed that day) and keep in mind that weekends are extra-busy. There are walking directions in the text below, but click here for the Google Map I created. Using it will make it easier to follow the tour, and to spot other attractions you might want to make a detour for.
If you’re wondering why there wasn’t a post on Thursday, it’s because I was in Astoria, Queens, for lunch with Christina Heiser, who writes Celiac Self-Care, one of my favorite Substack newsletters. We met at TAP, which calls itself Your Everyday Brazilian Café — and if I’m being honest, I probably could eat there every day.
TAP is 100% gluten-free, and its menu is simple and straightforward, yet filled with variety. Sandwiches are served in a tapioca cover, in a tapioca-and-egg wrap, or on cheese bread, and they range from spicy tuna to a lean steak club, and from Caprese (mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil) to vegan (tofu, vegan mozzarella, avocado, tomatoes, and baby arugula). I had the Organic Chicken Club served in a tapioca-and-egg wrap, and it was so yummy and satisfying.
I also tried all three of the Pão de Queijo offerings. (Does that sound greedy? I call it research!) The traditional cheese bread was my favorite — it’s made with a blend of mozzarella, Swiss, and Parmesan cheeses), but the pesto cheese bread and the spicy cheese bread were wonderful, too.
Afterwards, Christina showed me around the neighborhood a little, and introduced me to a terrific boutique called The Brass Owl. Located on Ditmars Boulevard, it sells a bit of everything: clothing, jewelry, candles, books. It’s a beautifully curated collection and the shop also hosts events that include pop-up designer sales and tarot readings.
I meant to sample one of the desserts at TAP, but Christina and I were so busy chatting that I forgot all about it. Next time! Fortunately, there are a couple of TAP outposts in Manhattan, and one coming soon to Miami.
This is the month when celiac disease gets a lot of love. All of May is dedicated to celiac awareness in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The week of May 9th to the 15th is Coeliac Awareness Week in the UK. And May 16th is recognized as International Celiac Disease Awareness Day. Sadly, none of these occasions require gluten-free cakes to be delivered to celiacs, but maybe one day? In the meantime, please click the little ?? above — that helps the Gluten-Free Guidebook to stay out of overeager spam filters.
How is it February already? I don’t know where January went, but I can tell you it was filled with some interesting gluten-free stories. Because these news items don’t fit into my regular posts, I love to do a roundup every so often. Here’s what caught my attention recently:
“20 Surprising Foods That Contain Gluten.” I’m always grateful when a mainstream magazine like Health deals with this subject. This article by registered dietitian Johna Burdeos covers plenty of territory that gluten-intolerant people already know (everyone reading this is aware that soy sauce contains wheat, right?), and some that you may not (couscous is frequently mistaken for rice, but it’s made from wheat).
“Best Gluten-Free Meal Delivery Services of 2024.” I’m a New Yorker so I’m veryfamiliar with the concept of ordering takeout, but I have to admit that I’ve never used a meal-delivery service. For anyone who does, this article by Tori Martinet in U.S. News & World Report should be an interesting read, complete with information about pricing, plus pros and cons for each service.
I’ve mentioned before that my nieces have celiac disease, so whenever I see them, we have a gluten-free extravaganza. I don’t mean that we spend all our time eating — on my latest visit, they took me to their favorite rock-climbing gym! — but treats are definitely on the agenda. While I usually bring cupcakes from Erin McKenna’s bakery in New York, that doesn’t mean we don’t explore the options in Massachusetts, where they live. On my most recent visit, that meant discovering Jennifer Lee’s together…
