Manhattan

Jams

Meal

OVERVIEW
ivy-blockedJams restaurant caught our eye!  It’s located on a street corner next to Central Park with ivy blocked window trim - making the building look alive.  The inside was no different, it was lush with greenery and rich in fabrics, woods, metals, textures, and fur that kept the appeal going.  I loved the natural luxury that it gave and was delighted to be there and try this renowned Californian cuisine food by Chef Jonathan Waxman. This restaurant serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch.  Although it appeared they had a lot to choose from on the menu, it was only marked for vegetarian, vegan, and gluten.  It was the same for printed and online versions.  I’m not sure that our waiter knew much about food allergies or how to address them.  I ordered the Jams Wagyu Burger that came with special sauce and French fries.  I explained my food allergies which consisted of tree nuts and a non-celiac gluten sensitivity and asked if we could leave the bun off since it was not marked gluten-free.  I asked for the special sauce to be put on the side since I didn’t know all of its ingredients.  I also asked about the french fries to make sure they didn’t have a coating on them.  I can tolerate them being in a shared fryer, but not if they have a coating with gluten.   He said I should be fine so we proceeded with that as my order.  The food was delivered correctly.  When I asked for ketchup and mayonnaise, I received the ketchup in a dipping cup, which is not acceptable for allergy sufferers.  The mayonnaise came in a Heinz single-serve glass jar.  It presented very well and it seems like the perfect solution for fancier dining restaurants.I was able to eat most of my food, but I did have a delayed gluten reaction to the fries, or at least that is the most likely suspect.  It could have been the fryer having cross-contamination, but I believe the fries contained a gluten coating because I went back and looked at the menu and they were not marked gluten-free - I assume that is what happened.  It could have been the fryer, but again - I typically do not have a reaction.  I should have taken precautions and not ordered the fries so that is on me, but I also think the waiter could have double-checked the fry ingredients and educated me on making a better choice.
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Note: Dayna didn’t have a reaction to the food or service but she also was more careful about
what she ordered and took every precaution.

SUGGESTIONS
‍I would love to see restaurants mark their food selections for all 11 top allergens.  I also think that special sauces should come with a noted ingredients list, or be included on an allergy-friendly menu. Another cross-contamination prevention would be to have the silverware wrapped for display or when serving. Jams had a beautiful table setting presentation but having the silverware exposed sitting on the table allows for risk with allergy sufferers. Lastly, we believe that all waiters and restaurant staff should be aware of food allergies, how to serve patrons who have them, how to avoid contamination, and also how to properly treat someone with a reaction (remember any eating experience could be the first onset of an allergy). If you watch our Walt Disney Resort trip review, you will see how easy they make this process. All of their staff,
who work with food, know the protocol.