Hebrews and She-brews - A Kosher Cupcake!

On this Shabbat evening, let us take a moment to honor thy cupcake. Let’s break it down. Analyze this beautiful work of art from Crumbs Bake Shop. Let’s start with the flavors: (take a deep breath now):
Red Velvet
Cookies and Cream
Devil’s Food
Peanut Butter Cup
Squiggle
Cookie Dough
S’mores
Black and White
Artie Lange
Chocoloco
Fudge Chocolate Chip
Chocoalate Coconut
Caramel Apple
Chocolate Sundae
Chocolate Covered Strawberry
Carrot
Butter Pecan
Brownie
Blueberry Swirl
(take breath)
Cotton Candy
Key Lime
Dulce de Leche
And
Milkshake…

Just to name a few!

Ok so Crumbs (as you most likely know) has locations all over NYC and many other cities as well, but did you know that their cupcakes were kosher? Bring them to a Shabbat dinner for dessert, as I’m sure these colorful, tasty treats will go a long way (as long as you don’t eat them before you get there!).

Allergy Info:
Kosher! - http://www.crumbs.com/orderinfo/kosher
Nut Allergy Beware! Crumbs suggests if you have a nut allergy to not eat any of their products. See the link for more information.

Foodie Rundown:
You seriously can't go wrong with any of these flavors! Can't decide? Get the box of minis with a tasting of flavors!

Address:
Various - So here’s the location finder! - http://www.crumbs.com/locations/

http://www.crumbs.com/

NUT so good...

The Cellar at Beechers is a super cute date spot, dimly lit, and has a surplus of delicious cheeses and small plates to indulge yourself with. But for the nut allergic beware, as Beechers may be yummy but naive to our nut special friends.

Let’s start off with the crackers. As I sat down, the first thing I told the waiter was "I am allergic to nuts”. Out comes some crackers for the array of cheeses on the table. Fast forward to the end of the meal, the check is coming out, and the waiter is sweating and in an uncomfortable way, making me kind of nervous. He goes, “did you eat the crackers?”. Well duh I ate the crackers, do you think I ate the cheese with my fingers? I politely said, “Yes, why?”. He decided to tell me that there were hazelnuts in the crackers, and proceeded to place down a bowl of “non nut crackers”. Thanks? Considering there was no more cheese on the table and I was about to leave, I told him I was ok as I had not encountered a reaction.

Before the wild reaction to the crackers, the plate of cheese came out, with almonds all over it. I asked if he could bring us a plate with no nuts, but he left it there as my date kept picking away. About 45 minutes later, he brought a plate of just the cheese. With my not too smart “no fear” attitude I had already picked away all the cheese from the larger plate. (Which meant, more cheese for me!)

As great as the food was, be careful with a nut allergy here. Nuts, wine and cheese go together so it can be difficult for those who have a nut allergy.

But if you aren’t allergic, definitely a great date spot!

Allergy Info:
Nut Allergic beware!

Addresses:
900 Broadway (Corner of Broadway and 20th)

Foodie Rundown:
Lots of cheese
Lots of wine (restaurant is 21+)
More wine?

Travel Thursday!!!

My cousin lives in Philly (shout out to Laurel) and during my nut allergy she told me about a bakery called Sweet Freedom. She said, “they are gluten-free, vegan, dairy free, egg free, soy free, peanut free, corn free, refined sugar free, and Kosher!” I looked at her, and thought, well I’d rather just not eat dessert or maybe off my right arm?

To my surprise, this place was AMAZING! Not good, but amazing! Did you know that you could get flour from a garbanzo bean? All of their ingredients are listed on their website (www.sweetfreedombakery.com) and I wish and hope and pray that they open one of these fine establishments in NYC, because we all know someone that has at least one of the above mentioned allergies.

Allergy Info:
Gluten-free, vegan, dairy free, egg free, soy free, peanut free, corn free, refined sugar free, and Kosher – I don’t think there are any allergies left?

Foodie Rundown:
Magic Bars are seriously magical, seems impossible that this could be allergy friendly!
Cupcakes – yummy!

Addresses:
1424 South Street
Philadelphia, PA

Daily Double!

Happy hump Day everyone! Today’s Daily Double comes straight from Chef Louis Lanza. A brilliant man who has brought flavor to his dishes and to his restaurants! He is the owner/chef of Josie’s East and the owner of Citrus Bar and Grill.

Josie’s East:

An organic menu full of surprises for the non-organic foodie. As a skeptic, I was concerned the flavor would not be intense enough for me, but if you want to eat flavorful, filling, yet healthy food, head to Josie’s on the East Side.

Allergy Info:
Organic Menu (featuring free-range meats, poultry, eggs, eco-friendly seafood, organic grains, beans and flour)
If you are allergic to single or double filtered water, don’t worry, Josie’s filters their water a whopping 3 times!

Addresses:

37^th and 3^rd

Foodie Rundown:
Who doesn’t like Mango Salsa? Good thing the Thai Chilli-Seared Wild Shrimp is covered in it!

Can’t go wrong with dumplings, either the Steamed Organic Belgian Potato & Broccoli Dumplings or the Black Bean Dumplings

You won’t be disappointed by the “Un-Fried” in the Shrimp “Un-Fried” Organic Brown Rice Entree (pictured)

Ctirus Bar and Grill:What do you get when you mix Ricky Martin with Jackie Chan? An uncommon duo yet well blended mix of flavors that let your mouth dance with joy. At Ctirus start of your dinner with chips and dip, maybe some sushi, then a nice piece of meat, chicken or fish.

Allergy Info:Difficult for seafood / shellfish allergies

Addresses:

Get out the subway map, heading uptown to 75^th and Amsterdam for this one

Foodie Rundown:
Trio of Dips – Share with friends

Surf & Turf Roll will change your life, last I checked, shrimp tempura and filet mignon go very well together

Lobster & Shrimp Salad Roll is as refreshing as this menu

Any dish with the Coffee BBQ Sauce is a must!

Yo-Way or No way!?

Check out what I just found! Yo-Way Yogurt truck!

A gluten-free, low cal, fat free, kosher and no preservative yogurt and smoothie truck! Follow them on twitter @yowaynyc and look for them around the city!

'till we eat again...

No Need to Fear - Veggie Balls are Here!

Please note that food allergies are serious! Reviews should not solidify a restaurants ability to accommodate. Please remember to tell your server of any allergies that you may have.

Balls to the walls at this amazing meatball heaven. Whether you go to the LES location or the W. Village location, the Meatball Shop can delight all people, ages, and sizes.

Let's start with the veggie ball. What vegetarian ballers can safely go to a meatball shop in NYC? Take the veggie ball, mix it with your favorite side, the family jewels (that's a fried egg), some pesto or a hearty marinara sauce and pretend like you eat like a carnivore with the rest of us.

For those of you who don't care where your food comes from, come in and enjoy the mix and matching of balls to sauces, balls to sides and if you dare: the naked balls.

*Note - The Meatball Shop will always have a wait, factor about an hour into your plans when you head over here, but trust me, it will be worth the wait.

Allergy Info:

Vegetarian "meat"-ball

Sliders are gluten free without the bun!

Addresses:

64 Greenwich St (W. Village Location)

84 Stanton (LES Location)

Foodie Rundown:

Sliders are outrageous

Always try the special ball (I don't care if you don't like it)

Just because they specialize in balls, doesn't mean dessert isn't worth the calories! Make sure you get the cookie ice cream sandwich (share it with your friends)

http://www.themeatballshop.com/

Want the recipe for the veggie balls? Check it out here!:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/the-meatball-shop-goes-vegetarian/

A little taste of Italy – in Chelsea!

Please note that food allergies are serious! Reviews should not solidify a restaurants ability to accommodate. Please remember to tell your server of any allergies that you may have.

Welcome to Crispo, a slice of Italy right on 14th street! A perfect dinner for the casual and the foodie, a date or a drink with a friend. Ask to sit in the back by the fountain as you’ll really feel like you’re in Italy. (Yes, I said Italy, not Eataly).

If you find it hard to eat gluten free Italian in NYC, fret no more, for a small additional fee, Gluten-Free pasta is available upon request! What could be better than that for our gluten-free friends and our fad Hollywood dieters?

For someone who is not allergic to gluten, I have to say Crispo does a great job with gluten-free pasta! Shown top right is gluten-free duck Bolognese pasta!

PICTURE:
Top left is the endive and fig salad, bottom left is the Bucatini all'Amatriciana and the bottom right is the truffle ravioli.

Allergy Info:
Gluten Free Pasta!

Address:
240 W. 14th St. (between 7th and 8th)

Foodie Rundown:
Italian setting
Not your mothers brussel sprouts, I swear they taste like candy
Why go to Lavo when you can get truffle ravioli at Crispo?

Eggplant Capon-Awesome

http://crisporestaurant.com/

Welcome to Food-ergie

Welcome to Food-ergie! The new NYC foodie and allergy combination blog. For those of you who know me, eating and going to dinner is a passion of mine. But for those of you who REALLY know me, know that I had a nut allergy for more than 10 years of my life. Thankfully I no longer have that allergy, but I want to use my allergy knowledge to help those that are still allergic while giving you the best restaurants in NYC and occasionally some others cities!

So sit tight, enjoy the ride, the new restaurants, bars, grills, bakeries and anything else you could possibly imagine will be posted weekly!

Tomorrow, we're going to Crispo! Have a goodnight everyone!