Review of Ribalta

I just want to start by saying I have not personally eaten here. However, I was alarmed enough by a quote I just read from Ribalta's owner in an October 2020 article that I felt I needed to post it here. (The article URL is https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/trends/restaurants-and-chefs/the-top-5-gluten-free-neapolitan-pizzas-in-new-york-city?refresh_ce=).

This is what the quote said:

“We use a plant-based flour with all-natural ingredients,” explains Ribalta’s Pasquale Cozzolino. “The dough is prepared in a separate kneading machine and then left to rise for about two hours. It doesn’t need to rise any longer than that, because there is no gluten present. Once ready, we keep it separate from the regular dough. When it comes to stretching the dough, we must be very gentle. We can’t slap it to shape it. Also, we don’t use a separate oven and we warn our customers about this. But once the temperature reaches 800°F, the gluten is destroyed – so there is no cross-contamination between the two.”

The last sentence is very alarming--it's completely untrue. Gluten does not "get destroyed" at high temperatures, 800F or no. The fact Ribalta's owner (or whoever it is) thinks the high heat destroys gluten and thus there's no cross-contamination is not good. Just wanted to make celiacs aware of this.

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

— Not at all

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much