One of my favorite Italian restaurants in New York City is Bistango on 29th and 3rd {read my review here}. Everything on the menu can be made gluten-free. They even serve fresh gluten-free Italian bread. At the original location, the gluten-free tortellini with pesto is my meal of choice. On a recent trip into the city with my co-workers, we made reservations at Bistango at The Kimberly Hotel, a second location, opened in 2014.
Before heading to lunch we stopped a few must-see midtown spots to show a first-time New York visitor around. The library was beautifully decorated for the holidays, as is most of the city. A new stop for me was in Grand Central Station. I’ve been there many times, but I never knew about the Whisper Gallery. Downstairs near the dining area there is a corridor where you can hear whispers across the room. If you stand diagonally across from someone else, your voices will travel across the arched ceiling, and you will be able to hear their voice as if they were standing right next to you.
It was a really chilly morning in the city, so we were all looking forward to warming up with a good lunch. The restaurant is located on the first floor of the Kimberly hotel. It is small, but has enough seating for small groups and a bar over looking the open kitchen. It was cozy and decorated for the holidays too. I’ve heard the roof top bar at the Kimberly is beautiful, but it wasn’t open at the time we were there {another reason to go back}.
I opted for the butternut squash ravioli because I rarely have the option of eating them {welcoming gluten-free ravioli suggestions}. This was a super rich dish! The ravioli were in a brown butter sauce, filled with pureed butternut squash and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. As if that weren’t rich enough, the dish was topped with parmesan and salty peanuts. It was a great lunch.
If you are in NYC and looking for gluten-free Italian food, I highly recommend stopping at either location. Gluten-free or not, the meals do not disappoint!
xo Miss Alyss