Sparks Steak House is one of New York City’s oldest and most famous steakhouses. It is the home of “the business dinner” and come 6pm every night, Sparks is filled with groups of hungry businessmen catching up on stocks and other important matters over large glasses of red wine and even larger steaks. Unlike other steakhouses that are incredibly easy to be gluten free at, Sparks is a bit more challenging. Everything about Sparks, from its staff to its ambiance, is old-school, and unfortunately, their menu is old-school, too!…
To start, favorite nobread orders include the shrimp cocktail, cold asparagus salad, fresh mozzarella with sliced tomato, and mixed greens salad. For mains, I recommend ANY of the steaks, just be sure to bring an appetite. The lemon sole, fresh Chilean sea bass, wild salmon, and halibut steak are also popular orders if you are in the mood for fish. My biggest piece of advice at Sparks is to ask for whatever meat or fish you are ordering to have nosauce and nobutter. The lemon sole, for instance, is dusted with flour and NOT gluten free; however, this is not conveyed on the menu. Also, several of the steak dishes are served under gravies and sauces that may not be gluten free. Gluten and/or dairy is added to many entrees at Sparks in these forms, but if you withhold, you are good to go!
The sides, although simple, are huge, and meant to be served family style. I highly recommend the creamed spinach if you can tolerate dairy, as well as the hash browns (careful of butter here, too). A guaranteed food coma awaits you at Sparks, and if you are in the mood for steak, there is no better place.