Grand Street Cafe

Disappointed. We dined here on Sunday as an extended family. Not a normal spot for us with a celiac family member but we could not get into Ragazza which has a great celiac friendly meal.

My MIL and I both called ahead to inquire and make aware that we were dining with a celiac and ensure they had options and that safety was a priority. My MIL said she talked to someone and they had options but I wanted to ask for a specific server who would be aware of Celiac options beforehand. I spoke with a man named Joe I believe and he said that everyone there knew about the options. I asked if I could have a specific server who was definitely aware of GF (gluten free) needs and he reiterated that everyone knew. Essentially my request went unanswered.

We show up around 730p for our reservation and the server doesn’t know what options they have other than the appetizer and fish dish labeled GF and wants to confer with the kitchen which is a good thing, but i was reassured everyone knew about their GF options and protocol. She came back with options for the already labeled GF Salmon, prime rib taco appetizer and in addition, a bun free burger with mashed potatoes. We ordered the burger option and crème brûlée for dessert. That night our celiac vomited for an hour and a half which is their tell when exposed to gluten. It has happened every single time someone accidentally serves them gluten since switching to a GF diet so there’s no other option in lieu of food poisoning. I called the manager on Monday 12/5 to let them know that there was cross contamination at the very least if not direct exposure, so they could better prepare for future GF guests. I was told the manager was busy and would call me back. I’ve not heard back yet.

It’s is disappointing that a fine dining establishment is not interested in talking to someone about special dietary needs beforehand, then doesn’t provide for the dietary needs in person with substantial caution, then won’t call you back to let you discuss the experience.

In hopes that the leadership there reads this, I will explain that celiac disease is an autoimmune disease which tells your body to destroy the nutrient absorbing lining of the small intestine when gluten is ingested. So cross contamination is a big issue. It takes 6-12 months for the lining to return once destroyed, causing nutrition loss long term. So if you offer gluten free choices, you need to ensure the food is served with caution.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

This was one of my first outings post diagnosis. The waiter was super nice but fairly clueless about what items on the menu were gluten free. He gave us several wrong answers, which to his credit, he kept doing legwork after we would ask questions and we finally got to a good place. They did have really great gluten free rolls. No dessert on the tray was gluten free, but they offered to dig up sorbet. Very few of their small plates were gluten free. All in all we ended up having a great meal but not without a ton of questions and some misdirection that got handled.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Sometimes are out of gluten free rolls, but when they do have them it's heavenly! Server was aware and helpful with GF choices.

Does not have gluten free menu. Server did not know what gluten was and came back from the kitchen with only 2 choices for me. Experienced in jan 2011.