Gluten Free Italian at RUBIROSA, NYC

RUBIROSA
I recently visited the Italian restaurant Rubirosa in Nolita (235 Mulberry St, btwn Prince & Spring) and I have to say, it was one of the best gluten free meals I have ever had in NYC.

The decor is charming, old-world style and the service was fantastic. My friend, Norma Lana and I  sat in the back room under a skylight with the kitchen and authentic revolving pizza oven right next to me. It was great to watch the kitchen prepare their delicious meals. There's a lovely bar up front, which you might have to wait at if you don't make a reservation. This place was hoppin' on Friday night. Large wooden tables and great decor all around. It has a very family-friendly vibe and reminded me of being in Italy.

We started with the GF rice balls: creamy and crunchy and filled with mascarpone, prosciutto, and fontina. Scrumptious! And we had a fresh, colorful salad with tiny beets, frisée, and radicchio. Heaven.

We followed up with an authentic, thin crust GF pizza with fresh mozzarella and sausage. It was easy to split this generous portion, and hard to not eat the whole pie! Crunchy, crispy and fresh. The tomato sauce is delicious. And the best part was that the slices could be eaten like REAL pizza ... with your hands. They have many pizza selections and you can even create your own with their list of additions: pepperoni, meatballs, sopressata, eggplant, broccoli rabe, mushrooms, etc.

But we didn't stop there, we followed that up with a hefty serving of GF Chicken Parmigiano which was served with a nice portion of al dente GF pasta. Again, the fresh basil and tomato sauce was to die for. And the chicken parm was outstanding. Large portion, smothered in baked cheese, with a faboo bread crumb coating.

Finally, we finished off our meal with a decadent GF chocolate cake, baked and served in an iron skillet, topped with fresh fruit and ice cream. OMG.

Please take some time to treat yourself to Rubirosa. Great wine list, too! So nice to find a new place that understands our needs and makes it easy to eat. If you see a striking brunette at the host stand, tell her Peter Michael sent you!

PS- Needless to say, I didn't eat the next day, save some leftover pizza. : )