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As I was planning our last trip to NYC I knew we had to visit our
favorite gluten-free restaurants and bistros. But I also wanted
to try some new places.
The most incredible food experience of our trip by far was lunch
at Pure Food and Wine with its raw vegan menu of artistically
created meals made from organic vegetables, fruit, and herbs.
Nothing is ever heated above 118 degrees in keeping with raw
food standards. And every single item I tasted blew my mind.
Plus, the ambiance was heavenly.
A little oasis from the craziness of the city streets, Pure Food
and Wine provides open air dining on the front porch, indoors, or
in the elegant private back garden.
I would have been happy to dine in any of their cozy corners,
but I was thrilled when they seated us in the back courtyard.
Enjoying the summer breezes under the shade of an umbrella, I
perused the menu that I had been waiting for so long to hold in
my hands.
This experience left me with an amazingly healthy feeling,
incredible memories, and a longing to return soon.
Not everything on their menu is gluten-free. They use nama
shoyu in some of their dishes, an unpasteurized soy sauce
which contains trace amounts of gluten. But everything that is
gluten-free was clearly marked as such, so it was very easy to
find something safe and delicious to eat.
We leisurely sipped our drinks while planning our order. It was
incredibly hard since everything looked so fresh and delicious.
One bite of each, please? The Husband enjoyed the sangria.
While the mimosa kept me grinning.
To start, I had the Mediterranean salad with arugula, kale,
kalamata olives, tomatoes, pumpkin seed macadamia
parmesan, tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. I believe it was the
most flavor-packed salad I’ve ever enjoyed. The salad was
HUGE, and I believe I ate every last bite.
The Husband ordered the Tortilla Wraps with spicy sun-dried
tomato filling, corn cilantro guacamole, tomato-lime salsa, and
cashew sour cream. These were not gluten-free, but based on
the fact that the Husband thoroughly enjoyed his first 100%
raw meal, I can assure you it was delicious.
I ordered the Zucchini and Tomato Lasagna with sun-dried
tomato sauce, pistachio basil pesto, and pumpkin seed
macadamia ricotta. It took me so long to take the first bite, and
not just because I had to take a zillion pictures first. I didn’t
want to destroy the beauty of the presentation. I also didn’t
feel any need to dive in. I could take as long as I wanted as
there was no fear of my food getting cold. It was a raw lasagna.
When I finally began, I ate slowly and mindfully, not wanting
this meal to end. With each bite different flavors were more
pronounced.
For dessert I chose the Tiramisu made with vanilla cream
layered with coffee-sake almond cake. I am not usually a
tiramisu fan, but when I asked the waitress which dessert was
her favorite, she pointed me toward this dessert. I’ve learned to
listen to the experts.
And I’m so glad that I followed her guidance. It was the best
tiramisu I’ve ever had. The Husband ordered a simple Orreo
cookie, and I could tell that he was skeptical until it arrived. It
was beautiful, and one bite sealed the deal.
Lunch at Pure Food and Wine was definitely the highlight of our
trip to New York City. If we lived in the City we’d definitely have
to work this restaurant into our monthly budget. It’s not
cheap, but with the flavors, pure food, and beautiful moments
it’s worth every dollar.
For meal and restaurant photos by Heather @Gluten-Free Cat
see http://www.glutenfreecat.com/?p=6072
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