Dinner at New World Bistro and Bar

Yesterday, we met some friends in Albany. The Spectrum Theater was showing The Girl Who Played with Fire, the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Since we're huge fans of the book series and the first movie was so good, we couldn't wait to see it. (Side note: my friends and I found it disappointing -- they left a lot out, and it wasn't as well-done as the first movie IMO). Our plan was to see the 3:30 PM showing and then walk three doors down to the New World Bistro and Bar for an early dinner.

Now, I'd heard of the New World Bistro and Bar before, but I only found out they had a gluten free menu recently, at the Gluten Free Food Festival at St. Peters this spring. As soon as I found that out I checked out their gluten free menu online and added it to the list of places I was desperately anxious to check out. I was even more psyched to see they use a lot of local produce and sustainably raised meats including grass-fed beef. The prices are a little higher than most restaurants but I'm more than willing to pay the markup for quality ingredients.

After the movie we walked over, and the place was already packed! We asked for a table and were shocked that at 5:30 or so they were already booked well into the evening. (Mental note: make reservations next time!) The earliest table inside was at 8:45 PM, but they did have patio seating outside, so we decided to try it.

WOW. It was hot outside yesterday. (I usually live in air conditioning in the summer - central air in my house, air conditioning in my car, and then such cold air conditioning in the office that I wear a jacket all day in the summer. Perhaps that's why the heat was such a shock to us. :))

Still, we weren't deterred from ordering. The dinners looked absolutely fabulous but we weren't up for a big meal in the heat, so we all ended up ordering sandwiches and their gluten free french fries. Our friends both ended up ordering grass-fed beef burgers, my husband ordered a mushroom and cheese melt sandwich, and I ordered the salmon sandwich. My husband was thrilled they served his favorite, Amber Woodchuck, and I couldn't resist a glass or two of the Spanish house sparkling wine, Paul Cheneau. Delish!

When we got our sandwiches - WOW. My husband got the gluten free bun and I had a taste - it was soft and delicious. Everyone was thrilled with their sandwiches, and I don't think I've ever had a better fish sandwich in my life. The fries were incredible (though, if I had to do it again, I would have had the grilled summer vegetables - it was a corn on the cob last night and I bet it would have been amazing). Everyone cleaned their plate despite the heat - the portions weren't HUGE but we were all comfortably full afterward. If it wasn't so hot we would have looked at the dessert menu.

I will DEFINITELY be back again to try more dishes at New World.

Review: Circus Cafe in Saratoga

Last night, I won tickets to the ballet at SPAC. It was a really nice event with the "Girls Night Out" promotion (wine and chocolate tastings, mani/pedis, etc.) and I invited my mother, mother-in-law, and a family friend to the event with me. My mother-in-law has the same gluten free restriction as my husband, so we picked the Circus Cafe to eat.

Now, I'd heard good things about the Circus Cafe, but the last time we checked their gluten free menu it was lacking. The standard "burger with no bun" type deal, and a lot of salads. However, they've updated their gluten free menu since then and I was happy to check out a new place .

Their menus are displayed on their website, and have been updated to include multigrain gluten free hamburger buns and gluten free penne pasta. Well, none of us (gluten free or not) could resist their burgers, which their menu stated were "award winning" and "voted best in Saratoga." They come with several options - different cheeses, onions, guacamole, etc. YUM! For sides, they have (cross-contaminated) fries and sweet potato fries, but gluten free and health-conscious diners can order a side salad in lieu of fries. The salad is GOOD too - real lettuces, not the iceburg junk that some restaurants peddle.

We were not disappointed with the burgers at all - they were wonderful! Juicy, flavorful, and big. None of us left hungry.

I've definitely added Circus Cafe to the list of places to visit when my husband and I go to Saratoga.