Brooklyn's Claro Is a Clear Winner

Gluten-free meals are even better with friends

What’s better than checking out a Oaxacan-inspired restaurant that’s 100% gluten-free? Checking out that restaurant with two friends who run two of my favorite gluten-free Substacks!

That’s what I got to do last week while Rachel Ciordas, who writes Next Level Gluten Free, was in New York. We met up with Christina Heiser, who writes Celiac Self-Care, and had dinner together at Claro in Brooklyn.

If Claro rings a bell, that’s because I mentioned it back in May, when a New York Times piece mentioned a handful of gluten-free restaurants in the city (a welcome but rare move for the newspaper of record). Claro is located near the Gowanus Canal, and it’s the brainchild of owner and chef T.J. Steele, who happens to have celiac disease himself. Claro claims that it is “where New York and Oaxaca meet.” As Claro’s website explains:

Over his many years in Oaxaca, TJ cultivated relationships with local craftsmen, artists, mezcaleros, cooks and farmers throughout the region. Claro is dedicated to making everything by hand, including the masa, cheeses, chorizo and moles. TJ sources the corn for Claro's menu from farms that hand-pick non-GMO heirloom (criollo) varieties, all our meat and produce is organic and our menu is entirely gluten-free.

Clockwise from top left: Warm corn tortillas served with salsa, guacamole, and veggies; salad with plums and goat cheese; quesadilla gobernador; tuna tostada.

This was my first visit to Claro, but I can already tell you that I’d love to go back. The staff was thoughtful and gave us plenty of time to chat, even though the restaurant was busy. Our waiter’s recommendations were great, and while we didn’t take him up on the tomato salad with chapulines (chapulines are grasshoppers that are commonly eaten in certain parts of Mexico — Claro really is authentic!), we ended up sampling many delightful dishes. We started with the tuna tostada served with a tangy citrus vinaigrette; a salad of greens and sliced plums topped with a healthy serving of shredded goat cheese; and the quesadilla gobernador, a decadent meeting of shrimp and aged cheddar. For our main course, we shared two servings of the Enmolada, savory duck rolled into a tortilla and topped with luscious mole.

Duck enmolada; three gluten-free friends.

The food was so rich that we didn’t even have room for dessert. Which means I have to go back.

I’ve written before about how wonderful it feels to be able to share food with friends, because that’s something you often can’t do with a food intolerance or allergy. Claro made it deliciously easy. Here’s authentic Oaxacan cuisine, time with friends, and to being brave enough to try the chapulines next time around!

PS Photo at the top of this newsletter is of a mural inside Claro, created by Oaxacan artists Francisco Toledo and Dr. Lakra.