Wheat-free places

[chocokitty]

Hey 'hounders,

I have a friend who's visiting town and wanted suggestions for wheat-free places. I honestly have no idea where are some wheat-free places in Manhattan (and if it helps, or not, he's lactose intolerant). Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
Tina

[D...DF]

My gluten-free buddy dogs the gluten-free mac n cheese at S'mac.

[silencespeak]

go to Caracas my gluten-free friend of a friend, on 7th btw 1st and A. Get their Arepas (wheat-free rice crepe-pita with great fillings). I swear you'll love it and so will your friend. yes mmm. soo good

[goodhealthgourmet]

arepas are made with corn flour, not rice, but that's a great suggestion! of course now you have me craving some...

[cimui]

carfreeinla makes a good point: gluten free is a lot harder to do than wheat free. you can dine well at almost any establishment wheat free.

and please do feel free to give cuisine and price preferences.

just off the top of my head, i'd suggest simple preparations. steak WITHOUT gravy is a good option; gravy might be thickened with wheat flour. wonderful, simple grilled fish at a greek restaurant (ethos, milos) may also be a good way to go. if (s)he is able to tolerate minute amounts of wheat, sushi (brushed with a light coat of soy sauce at, say, yasuda) would not be out of the question, either.

appetizers at kefi are largely wheat free. many items on thai market's menu are wheat free, and many have only small amts of wheat (from soy sauce).

generally speaking, in addition to greek, thai, and steak, vietnamese is a good option, esp if you have pho or rice crepes. mexican, venezuelan, and cuban are others.

[goodhealthgourmet]

"steak WITHOUT gravy is a good option; gravy might be thickened with wheat flour. "
~~~~~~
even steak [and burgers] can be a land mine for someone on a GF diet, as some places dust the meat with flour before searing to encourage crust formation. i ALWAYS ask.

[cimui]

didn't know that, thanks for the info! my wheat and gluten intolerant friends always tell the waiter no matter what and i guess that's why.

[carfreeinla]

You need to be clear if they are looking for wheat free or gluten free- for example, many of the wheat free desserts are made with spelt, but that is not gluten free. Be aware that most soy sauce has wheat in it.
Risotteria is a great choice- they label everything- though I would imagine that being lactose intolerant would make it hard since pizza rules
Please be more specific as to what area you want to go, what you would like and what kind of cuisine- you have many many options in all of the boros... No gluten in steak and you certainly have many threads about that on these boards...

[goodhealthgourmet]

http://www.geocities.com/glutenfreenyc/dining.html
http://www.glutenfreeceliacweb.com/2008/08/12/new-york-city-gluten-free/

and lots of great info in these threads...

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/412035
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/474626

[jthefoodie]

Risotteria in the West Village is gluten-free, although the risottos probably have some butter in them. Their pizza crusts and breadsticks are rice-based, and you can order any of them without cheese. Cafe Angelique is nearby and serves wheat-free desserts.
Otherwise, I would try some vegan or macrobiotic spots, like Caravan of Dreams, Candle 79, Angelica Kitchen, Pure Food & Wine (raw), Blossom, Soy Luck Club, etc.

[whitneybee]

Risotteria can make a lot of the risottos dairy-free if you ask. Also, as someone who follows a wheat/gluten-free diet, I wouldn't necessarily recommend a lot of the vegan places, unless they have a gluten-free menu. Seitan, one of the main proteins they use, is made entirely of wheat gluten, and a lot of places will cook with that instead of soy-based proteins, so it can be challenging.

[goodhealthgourmet]

whitney, i'm so glad you brought that up - i *knew* i forgot to say something in my post! wheat gluten is everywhere in vegetarian & vegan restaurants.