Asia de Cuba

Last night I had a dinner for work at Asia de Cuba (Madison between 37th and 38th Streets). It was fortuitous that that restaurant had been chosen, as it has a gluten-free menu! Ah, relief. For appetizers, we had some sort of grilled shrimp thing which was okay, and the rest of my party had ordered the calamari salad. Because of me, the server brought the calamari and dressing (not gluten-free) separate from the salad, so I had some of that too. Frankly, it was just dry lettuce and other junk-- would have been better for my dining companions to get the real deal, and I could have sat it out. They also had the spare ribs, which they loved, but were not gluten-free.
For entrees, we had the tuna, a steak special, and the cod-- the cod was definitely the stand-out. We also ordered sides of fried plantains (arguably my favorite non-dessert food) and lobster mashed potatoes (could not possibly not be excellent!)
Then it was time for dessert. Despite how full I was, somehow the dessert stomach opened up and welcomed in the flourless chocolate cake-- and so will yours, so definitely order that! My companions also had some donut things, but I was too busy stuffing my face (and gulping down a glass of yummy port) to notice. Gluttony!

Stanton Social bachelorette party

Saturday night I attended a bachelorette party for a friend at Stanton Social (Stanton between Orchard and Ludlow). My stomach sank when i sat down at the table and saw that my friend's sisters had selected a pre-set menu for the group of 15. While it looked like a delicious selection for everyone else, to me the menu just screamed gluten!!! However, I pulled the waiter aside and explained my situation. I was so relieved-- not only did he know about gluten, he knew which things I could and could not eat and even double-checked with the chef, despite how busy the restaurant was. (This restaurant feels more like an incredibly crowded club than a dining establishment.) At any rate, I was able to eat the chipotle shrimp (okay), the calamari lettuce wraps (AMAZING), and some green beans (too much garlic). I also was technically allowed to eat the pork, but I had filled up so much on the calamari and cocktails that I couldn't even stomach looking at it. (It was also 1 am by that time!) My second stomach (you know, the one for desserts) did, however, open right up when the time for dessert arrived. The party enjoyed trays of cookies and donuts with dipping sauces, but the waiter brought me a treat of fantastic fruit sorbets, which I hadn't even requested. Bravo, Stanton Social! The extra sugar kick came in handy for the night of dancing at Marquee post-dinner...