Mario Batali and his team at the B&B Hospitality Group are famous for their Italian restaurants featuring delicious pizzas and pastas. But did you know that they are also the owners of Casa Mono and Bar Jamon, popular Spanish/tapas restaurants located in Gramercy/Flatiron?? Well, how delicious these restaurants are is one sign that a culinary mastermind is behind them! I went to Casa Mono for the first time this week and was incredibly impressed at how NOBREAD friendly the restaurant is…
The menu at Casa Mono is very unique, and I highly recommend venturing out of your comfort zone and indulging in one of their interesting dishes. Yes the scallops and pulpo are gluten free, but you can have those anywhere! (Although, I hear they’re great at Casa Mono, too). For my meal I ordered the razor clams a la plancha, duck egg with mojama and black truffles, and patatas bravas and all three dishes were gluten free, and AMAZING. The razor clams are dressed in olive oil and garlic and the flavor is perfect and the duck egg was one of the most interesting dishes I’ve eaten in New York City. Roasted potatoes serve as the basis of this dish and are coated with black truffle vinaigrette and topped with a sunny side up duck egg and the mojama. Mojama is a form of tuna and although it looks like dried ham, it’s fish! The flavors of this dish come together in an explosion of gluten free goodness! Lastly, the patatas bravas are smokey without being spicey, and the perfect supplement to any meal.
Other NOBREAD dishes I’m excited to go back and try: the sweetbreads coated in almond flour and then fried and the creamy eggs with sea urchin. One thing to note: anything cooked on ‘la plancha’ is subject to SLIGHT cross contamination as bread is also grilled on la plancha. The restaurant has never had an incident, and to avoid cross contamination risk the chefs scrub down the oven hourly, so you should be okay. If you are ULTRA sensitive, the staff at Casa Mono is happy to cook your dish completely separately, and I admire the staff for how well-versed they are in food allergies and for their willingness to cater to diners with dietary restrictions. I will absolutely be back soon!