<em>Top Chef</em> Winner Harold Dieterle Returns To NYC Dining With Gluten-Free Italian

After closing his two remaining NYC restaurants in 2015, distinguished Top Chef season one winner Harold Dieterle is returning to the Big Apple with a new gluten-free Italian restaurant. Dieterle is the Consulting Chef at the new Tali Restaurant, located in Kips Bay on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 26th Street. Oscar Antunez will serve as executive chef, with Angelic Puglisi acting as pastry chef and director of operations. E.E. Hospitality Group, which runs two other NYC restaurants so far, is behind the project.

There have been major advancements in the gluten-free pasta arena since carbs were first targeted as the root of all evil by people other than celiac sufferers. Dieterle and team will be cooking up concoctions like penne with roasted butternut squash in a sage, brown butter, pecorino and toasted pumpkin seed sauce ($13.50), and a classic spaghetti and meatballs combo ($14.75). Paninis, served on gluten-free bread baked at the restaurant, include ones stuffed with a chicken saltimbocca riff ($12.25) with prosciutto, sage and fontina cheese and another wild mushroom ($11.75) with taleggio cheese, spinach and truffle oil.

The restaurant has just been open for lunch until Wednesday, but now dinner service includes entrees like Eggplant Parm ($18.25) and Salmon Caponata ($21.75) to supplement the pastas. You can also check out the next-door pastry shop Tali Dolce, where all the baked goods are gluten-free, too.

77 Lexington Avenue , 212-453-5813; talirestaurant.com

Tali Lunch Menu by Nell Casey on Scribd

Tali Dinner Menu by Nell Casey on Scribd