For the Gluten-Averse, a Menu That Works

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For the Gluten-Averse, a Menu That Works

By JENNIFER ROMOLINI

Published: July 25, 2007

New York Times

JOSEPH PACE’S rice-centered Risotteria, in Greenwich Village, was never what

would be called an experimental restaurant, until he began developing a special

gluten-free menu.

It started with a gluten-free cookie. A simple step, it might seem, but

gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye, gives baked goods elasticity.

Without it, cakes, breads and pastries can be leaden, dry and crumbly.

" It took more than 40 dozen batches, " he said. " My background in organic

chemistry definitely helped. "

The work paid off. Risotteria is a nationally known hub for people with celiac

disease, an autoimmune disorder affecting about 1 in 100 Americans that can

cause serious problems if even a bit of gluten is ingested.

Visitors frequently arrive at the restaurant straight from the airport,

suitcases in tow, and dinner can seem like a celiac support group as regulars

swivel in their chairs to talk about their hunt for food they can eat.

On a recent Tuesday night at Mr. Pace’s restaurant a preppy couple asked the

people at the next table about the Sicilian pizza they were trying from the

specials list. Farther down the packed, narrow space, diners exchanged

guidebooks to gluten-free restaurants, and compliments flew around the room

about the breadsticks; the light beer, made from sorghum instead of malted

barley; and the rich brownies and cookies.

At the door a leather-jacketed couple discussed menu options and waited

impatiently to get in.

" Are you going to get the gluten-free pizza? " the woman asked.

" Of course, " her companion replied. " You have to understand, this is like a

chance of a lifetime for me. "

Like Mr. Pace, a growing number of restaurateurs have decided it’s worth

catering to the gluten-free crowd. Chains like Outback Steakhouse and P. F.

Chang’s now offer dishes without gluten.

New bakeries and pizzerias have popped up all over New York City, and

restaurants that were already celiac-friendly have expanded their menus. There’s

vegan at Candle 79, fusion food at Asia de Cuba, Italian at Sambuca, Greek at

Gus’ Place and comfort food at Peters’ Gourmet Diner — all gluten-free.

Gluten-averse diners avidly track such sympathetic places with online help

from glutenfreerestaurants.org and the tribe of celiac blogs that include, in

New York, Gluten-free NYC (glutenfreenyc.blogspot.com), Gluten Free Guide

(glutenguide.blogspot.com) and Please Don’t Pass the Nuts

(allergicgirl.blogspot.com). Aside from safe food, they can find a camaraderie

that’s unusual on New York’s jaded dining scene.

The pleasures of dining out are often denied people who avoid gluten because

they are sensitive to it or have celiac disease. Menus are a source of anxiety

and self-consciousness because — besides its presence in obvious culprits like

bread, sauce thickeners, pasta and desserts — gluten also lurks in soy sauce,

brewer’s yeast, bourbon, vegetable starch, vinegars, salad dressings, processed

cheeses and some spices.

Creating a gluten-free menu is more difficult than, say, offering vegetarian

options at a steakhouse. Chefs have to master special techniques and follow

stringent regulations. Mr. Pace said each menu item — pizza, focaccia,

breadsticks, cakes — took six months to develop, with the ingredients costing

nearly five times as much as conventional ones.

Baking can be tricky without gluten, which creates a lattice of air pockets

that binds doughs and batters while giving a moist, supple texture. To overcome

the challenge, chefs turn to additives like xanthan gum to bind the flour

together, guar gum to thicken and stabilize doughs and batters, and gelatin

powder to moisten them. Breads are baked at very high temperatures to keep

crusts crisp and insides soft.

While gluten-free dining is spreading in the United States, Dr. Peter H. R.

Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, said it is

more common elsewhere in the world.

" In Buenos Aires, " Dr. Green said, " you’d have little trouble getting a

gluten-free ice cream cone. In Helsinki you can order a gluten-free Big Mac at

McDonald’s. In Dublin most menus are clearly marked ‘Safe for celiacs.’ This is

the way to live a normal existence with this disease. In a city as big as New

York, for there to be so few safe restaurants, that’s just really bad. "

Cooking gluten-free isn’t an entirely altruistic act by chefs. A new base of

customers can attract big business to a fledging location or revive an

established spot.

" I’ve definitely seen a spike in business, " said Anthony Avellino, owner of

Bistango, a 16-year-old Italian restaurant in Murray Hill. Mr. Avellino recently

added dishes made with Tinkyada brown rice pasta, and dishes from Everybody Eats

bakery in Brooklyn like celiac-safe bruschetta, served on gluten-free bread, and

after-dinner biscotti. " When you’re a neighborhood place like we are, it’s

always nice to see new customers and fresh faces, " he said.

In February Gourmet Land, a Chinese restaurant on the Upper East Side, opened

with a menu including a separate 50-item gluten-free listing with items like soy

sauce and other sauces made without wheat, crisp cheng du chicken breaded with

cornstarch instead of flour, and gluten-free egg rolls rolled in ... well, egg.

The place has been packed nearly every night since its opening, no small feat

for a neighborhood Chinese restaurant in Manhattan. Many customers, of course,

have celiac disease.

" They’ve had meet-ups here, and honestly, some nights every table in the

restaurant is someone who’s celiac, " said the manager, Laura DeAngelis.

Anne Roland Lee, the nutritionist at the Columbia Celiac Disease Center, said

that finding gluten-free menus can be a great relief. " I’ve had patients go to

some of the city’s most famous restaurants, " she said, " only to leave after

being told they could only safely have a Coke. "

Catherine Oddenino, a 29-year-old Manhattan marketing manager with celiac

disease, which can cause serious digestive problems, anemia and nutritional

deficiencies, knows the frustration.

" I’ve been to so many places where the managers and waiters have been

irritated and annoyed, " Ms. Oddenino said. " Too often, they don’t understand the

gravity of the situation. Last year I had to go to a work holiday dinner at an

upscale restaurant. I called ahead and triple-checked what I could and couldn’t

eat with the management and still wound up with a huge crouton at the bottom of

my salad. It’s extremely frustrating. "

For those who don’t have celiac disease, though, the gluten-free restaurant

experience can be a bit odd.

" It felt a little cultish, " said Ridge Carpenter, a Manhattan waiter and

student who worked at Risotteria briefly in 2005. " And as a server, there was so

much pressure to get everything right. In a regular restaurant you’d get the

occasional allergy you had to be careful about, but this was around 75 percent

of my customers. It was really stressful. "

The experience can also be a strain on celiac-nonceliac relationships.

Kelly Courson, 36, a receptionist at an investment firm in Midtown and a

founder of a popular blog, celiacchicks.com, dines exclusively gluten-free,

sometimes to the chagrin of her boyfriend, John Mountain.

" He’s always rolling his eyes when I talk to the other tables, " Ms. Courson

said. " But I can understand how it can be a little annoying: we’ll have dinner

at Sambuca on Thursday night and see the same people at brunch at Peters’

Gourmet Diner on Sunday. "

But Ms. Lee called gluten-free restaurants " a surrogate support group. "

" When everyone is on the same page, and you know you’re going to eat a meal

safely, " she said, " you can finally relax and just be social. "