Sounds like @Robert_Dentice has more experience with those seats than I do. FWIW I thought they were a great spot to dine solo or in a twosome (there are four seats in that area if I recall correctly). You can chat with staff as they prep and move through service (within reason of course, not to distract them), and you definitely get a nice feel for the rhythm of the restaurant. I very much enjoyed that vibe but if you want a solo dining experience that is more introverted or quiet it’s certainly not that. Like I said, I liked it.
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Long story short, Bridges can probably make a bit less than half of the current menu work for a gluten free diner. Given the evolving menu that ratio will ebb and flow, but I got the sense they would do their best to accommodate within reason. Based on my convo, I am pretty sure my wife and I will come back and she’ll be able to have an enjoyable meal.
In terms of other good options, a few places we’ve gone recently that worked well include Coqodaq (a surprise hit for my wife because she usually can’t ever eat fried chicken), L’Abellie, the Modern, or Gabriel Kreuther for more fine dining options, Estela, Noortwyck (note we are involved there so not an impartial opinion), or Rubirosa (fun and big gluten free menu). It’s definitely tricky but we’ve found if you give them ample heads up most of the places we like can make it work.
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Hey Erick, thanks so much for reporting back.
I’m trying to do Torrisi, Smithereens, or Bridges for my birthday in May, so this is helpful information.
I’m guessing that the Comte Tart is not gluten free but if we go the Bridges route, I will contact them in advance to see what my wife can eat.
Thanks for the recommendations. We love Rubirosa! Gluten free mozzarella sticks 
I’ll need to check out some of the others with my wife too. I haven’t been to Gabriel Kreuther or Estela yet.
Went back to Essential by Christophe recently. Never a bad meal there. Corkage seems to be allowed again (I think they said $75?) though the list always has some reasonable selections. Coming from the GWB it’s just so ridiculously easy for us, parking readily available nearby, if traffic is light it’s closer than some of our “local” restaurants in Bergen County. Are there any other restaurants uptown worth visiting these days (esp ones where I don’t need to pull favors or get lucky to get a table)?
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I had a very good business dinner at The Bar Room at The Modern.
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Had a great weekend of eating and drinking in New York City. Hit bōm on Friday for the Johannes Aufricht dinner. And I am very glad I did. I don’t eat much beef so I have not done the tasting menu at bōm because their speciality is Waygu beef. The meal was excellent and the amount Waygu and the way it was used was exactly how I like to eat beef. Very fine and detailed but extremely complex dishes. Paired wonderfully with the wines which by the way is one of the most exciting projects in Germany. They definitely deserve their Michelin Star.
We had lunch with Johannes on Saturday at Noreetuh. Post lunch we took him for some NYC highlights - Carnitas Ramirez East Village and Chrissy’s.
Chrissy’s is hands down the best NY Style Pizza in NYC!!! Their special on Saturday was a Mortadella pesto with fresh + aged mozzarella and pickled long hots on a white pie!!! I prefer more class pies however the special was absolutely incredible on all levels.
Post Chrissy’s we headed over to Crevette for some fries and Champagne and White Burgundy. There are some great wines at really fair prices on that list.
Sunday took us to Ho Foods in the East Village, I LOVE the name!
Ho Foods is a new Taiwanese restaurant in the East Village. I thought the Wontons and Noodles were excellent.
And then for our finale, thanks to @Mike_Cohen for the prompt we returned to Bridges! We have been several times before…after seeing the recent report here and looking at the current menu I immediately made a reservation. And WOW WOW WOW they really have taken the menu up a notch. I love the unique combinations of flavors. Every dish has at least one thing you would not expect but it works. Even the dishes that might be slightly too ambitious are thrilling in their own right like the Cured tuna, dates and onions. When the composition of the dishes work they are glorious like the duck and celery broth with ginger which was an incredible pairing with a dry Vollenweider riesling or their signature Comté tart with morel and leeks (we are pros so we knew to order two of this dish). They have expanded the wine list and have a lot off menu. The 2023 Vollenweider Goldgrube was excellent with the food, so good I will be ordering it again when I return for the collab with Chef James Lowe from Lyles. We also ordered a Mosel Pinot off list that was perfect with the tart dish and the chicken. It was Sunday night so lots of industry people in the house and lots of younger folk which was wonderful to see and created a nice buzz / energy. Every person that I know that goes to Bridges raves about it afterwards for good reason…it is one of the most exciting restaurants in NYC.
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ho foods has been slinging great beef noodle soup since 2018!
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some quick notes
smithereens at the pass bar for a few dishes abalone skewers with a side of clam chowder-ish rice dish made me very happy great service and wines btg
4h sunday at 11 sharp there are similarities between these 2 places, in the best way possible. squid skewers and mushroom tarte then the duck as per robert’s instructions with a glass of the gamay (melinand 2022 chiroubles) which was stunning… again possibly the best service you can ask for and every bite a delight.
it’s a good thing it’s not easy for me to get there, as i would have no money left
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This is my go to for casual dinners on NYC business trips.
Dining solo in NYC tonight. This thread is so helpful. Thinking Le Chene but tempted to walk into Claud.
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Anyone else going to the sandlands wine dinner at Smithereens next week?
We went to a show at the Beacon on Wednesday night and had dinner at Leah Cohen’s Pig & Khao before the show. Food was delicious and plentiful. Pork Belly Adobo, Fried Shrimp & Okra, Crab Fried Rice, Sisig, Panang Curry Short Ribs were all excellent. And so were the leftovers the next day. Very casual place. I don’t know about wine. We had cocktails. We sat at the chef’s counter.
I’m very happy to find a place I like on the UWS.
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That’s good to know. We always end up at Miriam or Sala Thai. Both are good…I’m just tired of them.
sushi yasaka on 72nd is my go-to whenever i go to the beacon.
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Had another really enjoyable meal at I Cavallini last night. My youngest is working on her senior collection (fashion) and is up from Philadelphia a lot so been nice to get to eat out as a family. Given how hot it’s been, I wasn’t looking forward to a pasta meal, but that was quickly proven wrong. Started with the Sea Bream Carpaccio and the Bluefin Tuna Crostini. Then had the Spring Lettuces Salad and the Fava and Fennel Salad (this is spring on a plate). Pastas were the Spaghetti al Limone and the Farfallone. Shared the off the charts Berkshire Pork Chop. Finished with the ridiculously good Chocolate Torta. Stuck with cocktails and BTG stuff.
The staff does such an incredible job of making us feel like we are dining at a friends house (and the friend happens to be really talented in the kitchen). Service is warm, casual, and professional all at the same time.
Sometimes when you eat at the same place too often it can get old fast. Especially with some of the exciting options available in NYC. I Cav and 4HM do a great job of keeping things excting!
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I completely concur with your assessment of I Cavallini. My family went as a group of five and ordered the whole menu, minus a few plates. Enjoyed everything we ate, especially the pastas and appetizer courses. We all had cocktails, and shared a bottle of very minerally Cerasuolo. Service was really great.
One thing I wanted to mention is that I experienced a really unusual gratuity issue: my credit card was charged too little for the tip. In fact, it was $130 under! I really wanted to make sure our server, Farrah, wasn’t shorted, so I emailed and messaged the restaurant via Instagram. Unfortunately, no response. As you might guess, they don’t have a phone number, and since i live on the west coast, stopping isn’t feasible.
Any suggestions from the group on how to rectify this?
Maybe try calling The Four Horsemen. They could at the very least provide you with a contact number for I Cav.
Finally got to Los Burritos Juarez in Ft Greene, really really good. The tortillas are amazing. This was better than anything I had on a recent trip to San Diego. Didn’t realize they served breakfast burritos until 2Pm so just shared 3 regular burritos and were all delicious including surprisingly the bean and cheese. They are a bit on the small side but reasonably priced ($11 or so) making 3 for 2 people probably ideal. Will be back from breakfast soon.
Vato in park slop for a breakfast burrito. Had high hope and enjoyed it but didn’t quite hit like Juarez
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Glad you enjoyed. Did you eat there recently? My credit card regularly shows the charge pending without the tip included, but when the charge moves from pending to finalized the tip is included.
I agree on Los Burritos Juarez!