Jenni "Yelp is Not a Singles Bar" B.'s Profile

4.5 stars...

S*Mac is one of my favorite guilty indulgences in the city. The gluten free mac and cheese lured me in, and all the tasty and delicious varieties keeps me coming back. When I first had the masala I think I died and went to glutton heaven. For reals.

The place has been jammed 99% of the times I've been... getting a seat can be kinda tricky if people decide to linger after they eat (happens). It's fast food style, order at the counter, get your number, find a seat and they bring it to you when its ready.

My tip when going there is to not over-order. A nosh size portion is massive for me. My hubby got the major munch one day when we were famished after a day of drinking our way from Chinatown to the East Village and was basically in a food coma after.

Oh, and grab be vulture like to get a table. Or if it's a nice day, get a takeaway and enjoy in Tompkins Park.

Fact: Tulu's is personally responsible for me having to go to the gym for at least an hour a day.

Thankfully I'm in midtown, so it's work to get here, but to Tulu's I do! As a gluten bigot I was always jealous of the cupcake fad I never got to participate in... until I moved to New York, and found Tulu's. My favorite is the red velvet (who doesn't love a red velvet cupcake?), though the feature cupcakes are always amazeballs. My gluten-loving husband also loves their GF cupcakes (my neglect to bring one home for him when I happened to stop by there with a friend one day could have been grounds for divorce). I've also enjoyed the salted carmels, white cheddar jalapeno muffin, and some of their individual loaves. All good.

Best part: the service is a amazing and the people working there seem to relish in the fact that upon your first visit you will basically freak out over the choices.

All around win.

I have been to GustOrganics a couple of times. We were brought here by the gluten free options. The first time was so good, and I was really impressed with the overall experience. Second time, which I went with a Groupon, not so much.

The second visit was a few weeks ago as I had a Groupon which needed using. The Groupon was for two appies, two entrees and two drinks. I got the quinoa gusto as an appetizer. It was good, but nothing to call home about. For my entree I had the cuban beef steak, which I had had the first time and was excited to re-eat. I was disappointed though - the second time it was quite bland. Maybe it was just an off visit.

Service the second time was really mediocre. The first time was really good, so I am hoping it was because I had a Groupon (which is annoying anyways, just because I got a discount doesn't mean you have to discount the level of service).

I will definitely go back if I'm in the area and hungry... just not queueing to go back yet.

A local gluten free pasta and pizza eatery will always win my affection. In fairness, Nizza would have won it anyways.This has become a somewhat regular place for me and my hubby to go to or order in from.

The restaurant is a decent size compared to others in the area. The decor is really cool, I like the atmosphere. Service is consistently good. And they have a dedicated gluten free menu. The pasta is good, my favorite is the Ziti al Forno which reminds me of mac and cheese, though I typically get a socca. If you've not had socca, it is a pizza-like dish; it is a chickpea based flatbread which you can order with different pizza style toppings. Don't expect pizza, because it really isn't, but it is very nice and the La Mia Socca has become something in particular which I crave.

Oh, and note the bar has TVs which play sporting events, even hockey :)

Risotteria rocks my world. If I could only eat at one restaurant for the rest of my life, this would be it. I am here pretty much once a week when I'm home and miss it terrible when I travel for long periods of time.

This is our love story:
First, gluten free breadsticks. Served hot, they are flaky,  a bit greasy and garlicy and delicious. These will hit the table as soon as you are seated. And you can have them refilled.
Next, menu options. Not only for gluten free, but also vegan. They have a fantastic choice of risotto (their bolognese made a risotto believer out of me). And pizza. Thin crust proper gluten free pizza which is so good you would think not just that you were eating gluten, but the best gluten you ever had. I brought one of my non-gluten bigot friends and she had a normal pizza and professed it to be the best she's had in her life.
Finally, service. Sometimes you have to wait for a table. For forever. Outside. In the cold. But the wait is worth it and the staff are truly gems which are the cherry on top of the experience.

They offer two gluten free beers (stick with the Redbridge, the other expensive one isn't very good). A nice wine selection. GF dessert type things are available.

3.5 stars really. We'll get to why I erred for four.

As this restaurant has gluten free pasta, it was on my long standing "to try" list I've been attempting to work through. Finally made it a couple of weeks ago. I love that it is just a traditional Italian restaurant, with typical Italian restaurant decor. I don't like that you have to go to the bar to put your name down for a table, which is itself not the issue, but it is not clear when you walk in. And tell you you need to be more 'assertive' because you got out of the way of another waiter carrying a full serving tray when walking to the back. I know it's New York but we don't all have to be stereotypes.

Service itself was meh. Like very meh. Our original server only took our order and brought our check. Our food was really good - and that is no easy feat when it is gluten free - but it took a while to take it away when we were done.

We ordered dessert - gluten free vegan cannoli, which is why I picked the fourth star. I haven't had cannoli since going gluten free so this was fricken exciting. And it was good cannoli albeit a bit different from normal cannoli. However, it took like 20 minutes to get to our table because the order somehow slipped through the cracks. The server who took our order was very apologetic for the wait and said we wouldn't be charged for the cannoli as a result, however the original server still included them on the bill - which I don't mind, just don't tell me you are omitting them (I assume it was a communication error and we never asked them to correct it).

Will be back for pasta and cannoli, it is a great spot for gluten free / vegan grub and dessert!

I married a scotch fan. Not just a fan, a connoisseur. So when he found out about this place it ended up on our must drink at list.

We've been twice, though the first time is quite foggy for me. The second time is less foggy. And here is why this place, well, rocks:
- Huge list of spirits. I was stoked to find Crystal Head vodka (since I'm not so much a scotch drinker). My husband found a Laphroaigh he hadn't tried and enjoyed. Win.
- Cool vibe. It's kinda dark. Small and mostly bar. Alcove area in the back is good to sit with friends.
- Cool bartenders, who even oblige you when you and your bff go to the bar and order a scotch (don't remember which one, it was one she liked), and ask the barman if it can be poured into two glasses because we want to share.

Will defo be here again.

Best burger place ever.  My husband brought me here before I moved to New York, and I would get home and crave it like mad.

From what I've been told the normal burgers are out of this world. I have the gluten free burgers and they are amazing. So dirty dirty good. My favorite is the Original 5 Napkin, which I cannot even pick up because the bun disintegrates under the amazingness of the burger so I go at it with a knife and fork. So much cheese. So much caramelized onion. So much beef. *Droooooooolssssss*

They also have badass feature burgers. And gluten free beer.

So burgers so amazing, why 4 stars?
1. Make reservations or be prepared to wait forever. In fact, even if you make reservations you will have to wait forever for a table most nights.
2. Service. While good it can be kinda slow.
3. I have been too many times all jazzed about my burger only to find out they are out of GF buns. Burger fail.
4. One time the fries were hot and crispy and tasty and I loved them. But only the one time. Other than that they have been luke-warm at best and soggy.

Aside from those four points this place is a total win and you definitely need to go and be a glutton here.

I like pickles. Everyone loves pickles. It's a proven fact. So when I randomly noticed this place it became a must visit.

Finally made it there for the first time a few weeks ago. Can I just point out that everyone working there is fricken awesome. Who knew buying pickles could be so entertaining. I like how things are displayed in the big barrels. Makes me hungry. Me and my hubby opted for a quart of sour pickles. The fella helping us even offered us pickles for immediate consumption, which my husband took (I have a weird thing about touching pickles).

To say we are addicts now is an understatement. They're like crack, and now I need a daily fix or else I like twitch or something. We were back the next weekend to buy more (pacing ourselves the quart didn't last a week), this time in addition to the half gallon of pickles we decided we required,  I also grabbed some pickled hot peppers - definitely eyeing up the pickled garlic and onions for next time.

Seriously pickle guys, how are you sooo good.

A player in so many messy nights...

Aside from being oh so convenient to my flat, I love this place because it has a cool vibe, awesome servers and bartenders, red lighting, mobile phone charging station at the bar, a couch at the front, and more than 200 martinis on their menu; picking one to try can easily take 15 mintes. Somehow it has become a personal mission of my husband and me to have each and everyone. I've had probably 25 different ones on varied nights and I can't say I disliked any, my favorite so far has been the Champagne Supernova. I ate here only once, on New Year's (highly intoxicated), so all I can say for the food was the spiked popcorn is amazing when drunk and hungry.

Just thinking about this place is making me crave a cocktail.