Easy they said!!! You can get anything in NYC.
Clearly I didn't starve.
So how did I fare?
Much as I expected, it proved crucial to do some research. I trawled through the web looking at Menus before we left and even booked a couple of places where I knew they would have something to suit me. But BREAKFAST comes first every day and had I known when we booked the hotel that I would have dietary restriction, we would not have chosen to pay in advance.
The cafe at our hotel didn't have a buffet and a buffet would have suited me better. In addition they had a set menu if you paid in advance and that menu was very unsuited to my needs. Also the cafe is a franchise attached to the hotel and so the hotel really couldn't help -- it was up to the cafe manager and in fact the WAITRESSES -- because each morning we had a different server. On ONE morning, being a younger member of staff, she decided to ask the manager whether to charge extra since I was not taking the set option. The manager of course said yes! Well -- he would. None of the other waitresses asked him. They just brought me the porridge and the fruit salad I asked for with skimmed milk and that was that.
The set breakfast if you could eat it was more than adequate and the bacon was crisply grilled and the eggs and potatoes fried in low cholesterol oil -- but of course I couldn't risk that. For me there is no good oil! But even Noel said he wouldn't pre-pay again because what you lost was choice. He had to pay an extra small charge every morning just to have a latte instead of an americano.
The fact is that if you are in NY there are lots of places to get breakfast but The Park Cafe on 7th is a good one. Good food at any time of day really. In fact we even ate there one evening -- after our walking tour we were so tired we just 'stayed home' ;) I had soup and chicken breast and vegetables. Noel enjoyed his meal too and they had a decent selection of wines.
So thanks to all the waitresses who got me my oatmeal and fruit without question and made it a good start to a hectic New York day. :)
More NY eateries to follow in the next few weeks.
