BITE OF THE MOMENT: Gluten-Free Pasta Flies High at Pasta Flyer [NYC]

…And then just like that, it flew away. Chef Mark Ladner (of Del Posto fame) took his gluten-free pop-up project, Pasta Flyer, to New York City for a couple days to bring pasta dishes to the gluten-free masses.

The concept is simple: choose your pasta shape, choose a sauce, then choose a protein. Top with an assortment of condiments, and if you're feeling super fancy, top with truffles for an extra special (and extra pricey) dish. If this doesn't sound that wild, I was peeing my pants from excitement for the ability to freely order anything I wanted in a restaurant without having to ask for a separate menu, or for ingredients, or to ask a waiter what I can/can't eat…so basically, I could be a normal person.

I went for garlicky pesto spirals with a soft egg and a side of gluten-free garlic knots, which up until that moment were a pipe dream - and the verdict is, were these really gluten-free? I couldn't believe I was eating gluten-free garlic knots and proceeded to text/Instagram the whole experience to my non-understanding friends so I could get all my excitement out. I was more entranced with the garlic knots than with the pasta (which was still really good!) since I'm perfectly content with my dollar bag of Trader Joe's gluten-free penne, but it was the concept that got me the most. Anything that makes gluten-free eating easier wins me over in a second. Praying that this experiment of Ladner's pays off and Pasta Flyer comes flying back.