Ever since his mom became gluten free 10 years ago, Bryce Shuman, executive Chef at Betony NYC has catered his cooking to accommodate the gluten free lifestyle. In creating Betony, Bryce exclaims “I wanted my mom to be able to eat here.” Well, after my experience, I have to imagine his mom has had MANY wonderful meals at Betony NYC…
Regarding his menu… Not only does Bryce have the servers ask if there are any allergies at the table, but he prides himself on the fact that just about everything on his menu is already OR can be made gluten free…. and this starts with the dinner roll! When I caught up with Bryce this week, he explained how he would see his mom unable to indulge in what the rest of the table was eating, and he didn’t want anyone to have this experience and feel left out at his restaurant. The result? Gluten free bread, cheddar crackers, and breadsticks; all identical to their gluten counterparts! Bryce’s bread consists of rice flour, tapioca flour, and potato starch, and xanthan gum is used for elasticity.
On educating his staff… Allergies are talked about every day. Shellfish and fin-fish are kept separate and mushrooms are kept away from all other vegetables. Bryce tries to control allergens and cross contamination any way he can. He even educates his dining room staff on the difference between each kind of nut, and what vegetables and roots fall under “nightshades.”
Is Anything not 100% GF?… Right now, there is no gluten free pasta at Betony, but this will likely change down the line. One dish that pasta is used in is the poached egg entree. As Bryce emphasizes, all dishes ARE or can be made gluten free, and this dish is still nobread approved when you ask for nopasta (Bryce uses extra truffle to make up for the lack of noodle). Another favorite on the dinner menu is the lasagna. This lasagna is actually made with an acorn noodle; however, it still contains a SMALL amount of gluten.
A gluten free dish you wouldn’t expect… the fried pickles! The tempura on the fried pickles IS gluten free and there is no cross contamination in the fryers.
Thank you, Bryce, for making it SO easy to be gluten free at Betony, and job well done on perfecting delicious gluten free alternatives.
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