Last night we rang in the New Year in Franklin rocking out to Mike Farris at the Franklin Theatre. Before the show, we had reservations around the corner at SOL. When we called for the reservation, I was excited to hear that they had a dedicated gluten free menu, so I was looking forward to ending the year with a great gluten free meal.

The entrance to SOL is a little confusing, it’s actually around the side of the building. They share the same space (and owners) as 55 South which is in the front. On the inside, the decor and atmosphere was great. We got a little corner almost all to ourselves so it was fantastic for conversation. Our hostess brought me a copy of the gluten free menu which was quite large to my surprise. After looking at the menu and then comparing it to the regular menu, it quickly became apparent that they did not keep up with the gluten free menu as much as the other and it was very out of date. My wife was looking forward to the coconut rice only to find out that they took it off the menu a while back.

For dinner I had the Cochinita Pibil: Pork Roasted for 8 Hours in Yucatan Spices served with Sour Orange Mojo, Poblano Rice & Fresh Tortillas. It was a nice sized portion, not too much, not too little. The rice was spicy, just the right amount of kick to it to add more flavor to the pork. The pork was really fatty and rich, which at times can be good, but I really wasn’t in the mood for the fatty part tonight. The one main let down is that I couldn’t have any tortillas. They have corn tortillas available, but the ones they have are not fully gluten free. I’m not sure why they would go through all the trouble to have a gluten free menu and not take a small step to have gluten free corn tortillas. Mexican food without tortillas… it’s just plain strange.

My wife had shrimp tacos. This is where we found out about the tortillas. They brought her taco’s out on lettuce which made it seem like they made the portion smaller.

Overall, we had a great night. The one really bright spot was that since they shared the bar with 55 South, I could order a Sazerac from their menu and it was perfect! I’d link to the menu on their site, but I noticed even their regular menu there was out of date from what we had at the restaurant. Sorry no photos, it was really dark and nothing turned out well enough to add.

Last words: If you are in the area, check it out, but don’t go out of your way. The staff was nice and helpful, the food was OK.

Location: 403 Main Street, Franklin, TN
Price: $$$

Visit SOL’s website: http://www.solonmain.com

Lobster and Corn Bisque

My wife and I had a great dinner to end 2011 on tonight at Old Hickory Steakhouse at Gaylord Opryland Resort. During Christmas season there’s not just great Christmas lights, ICE! and DreamWorks animation characters around, there’s fantastic gluten free dining too! Each of Gaylord Opryland’s restaurants has gluten free options, some even gluten free bread and beer. Old Hickory, while not offering a specific gluten free menu, the chef will come by and walk you through all the options ensuring there is plenty for you to enjoy!

Tonight we started off with the Lobster and Corn Bisque, well… after we started off with a glass of wine of course. I’m one of those people who when I see any bisque on the menu, I have to ask. Knowing that other Gaylord properties have this on the gluten free menu at their Old Hickory Steakhouse, I was looking forward to it and boy, did it deliver. All the rich and creamy bisqueness anyone could ask for!

Filet Mignon

Next up was dinner. We both had the 8 oz. filet mignon topped with Maytag bleu cheese with asparagus and hollandaise sauce and bleu cheese and thyme potatoes au gratin as sides. When we talked to the chef, the potatoes had to be altered, so make sure your waiter know about your gluten allergy to ensure that you don’t have problems later.

Overall, everything was absolutely fabulous! As I’m typing this, I’m still basking in the glow of the meal. If you get a chance and have a special occasion coming up, I highly recommend celebrating it at Old Hickory!

Locations: Gaylord Opryland Resort in Donelson, TN
Price: $$$$$

See Old Hickory Steakhouse menu

Visit Old Hickory Steakhouse’s website

It’s the rainy season in Nashville and well, what goes better on a rainy day that soup and a sandwich. Being Celiac, that’s not always an option. Thanks to Jason’s Deli gluten free menu though, it’s possible. Several months ago I was in Dallas for work and our driver overheard me talking about gluten free beer. His son worked at Jason’s Deli there and told us that they started serving gluten free bread and the whole staff was trained on how to handle the sandwiches to eliminate cross contamination as much as possible. As soon as I found this out I went straight down to the one on West End.

Today I enjoyed the Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich: Natural, grilled chicken breast, bacon, Swiss, guacamole, tomato, Russian dressing, on gluten free bread and a bowl of Tortilla Soup and it hit the spot. The folks behind the deli counter were great and asked me if I wanted my bread toasted warning me that it would contaminate it with gluten bread and made sure that I was safe.

Locations: West End, Cool Springs and Murfreesboro
Price: $$

See Jason’s Deli gluten free menu

Visit Jason’s Deli website

My favorite place for lunch downtown or off 8th is Fiddlecakes. In the mood for a sandwich, chips and a cookie? They can hook you up. My favorite is the Standard with grilled chicken, provolone, spinach, roasted red peppers and veganaise. Just let them know you are celiac and they will make sure everything is cleaned before they prepare your meal to ensure there’s no cross contamination. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Depending on the day, they have gluten free cupcakes, lemon bars, muffins, brownies and cookies. If you let them know in advance you can even order up a full loaf of fresh bread.

Fiddlecakes has two locations, one at 2206 8th ave. South and one at Cummins station, 300A 10th ave. South

Price: $$

Fiddlecakes’ menu (with gluten free items listed)

Visit Fiddlecakes’ website

So if you’re in Belle Meade or Franklin (Cool Springs) area and in the mood for a great steak, Sperry’s is the place for you. It’s on the pricey side, but Mmmm, it’s worth it. The staff is great with food allergies and the have a great gluten free menu. Watch out though, ask questions! They list their Shoe String Potatoes on the gluten free menu and they are not done in a dedicated fryer. I didn’t think about it when I ordered them and then when they came I asked. They double checked and much to my dismay, I couldn’t have them.

Price range: $$$$$

Sperry’s Gluten Free Menu

Sperry’s website

One of my favorite things to do with my wife on the weekends is dinner and a movie. Dinner has become standard at Yolo’s in Green Hills. They have a small dedicated gluten free menu and the staff is very helpful on making other dishes gluten free as well. My favorite dish is the shrimp and grits. The sauce is great and the chorizo adds a little extra kick to it. It’s great on their Sunday brunch menu and their dinner menu. Other great gluten free items are the Chilean Sea Bass, Blackened Salmon and the White Cheddar Burger. Their gluten free menu is not online, but you can pretty much pick out the items. Enjoy!

Visit Yolo’s website.

"The Teamster" gluten free pizza with gluten free beer

Located at 2400 12th Avenue South, MAFIA0Za’s is a Pizzeria and Neighborhood Pub. The thing I like about MAFIA0Za’s of course is that they offer all of their pizzas with the option of using a great gluten free pizza crust. The crust is better then most, but ask them to cook it just a little longer if you want it on the crunchier side.

Another thing I like is they also offer Estrella Damm, Daura gluten free beer, a Spanish style Pilsener at the bar. Estrella is a barley based beer, yes, barley based. They use a technique to remove gluten during the brewing process. Two hints when you go, Sunday and Tuesday are 2-4-1 beers and if you buy wine next door at Vinea (which is one of the best wine shops in Nashville) just show the receipt and MAFIAOZa’s only charges $1 corking fee.

Visit MAFIA0Za’s online.

Watanabe in East Nashville on McGavock is most favorite sushi restaurant around. The staff will help make any roll gluten free and are great to work with. One of my favorite reasons for going is that all of their rolls that contain crab use real crab meat instead of fake crab meat that can contain gluten elements. Plus it just tastes so much better than the fake stuff! The green goddess roll is my favorite, without the tempura flakes of course Also just ask, they normally have a gluten free soy sauce available.

Tell Evan I said hello!

Visit Watanabe online.

Recently my wife bought a Groupon for Amerigo’s on West End. She had been trying to use it for weeks with me and I kept pushing her to go with a friend instead since the last place I wanted to go is yet another Italian restaurant where I couldn’t eat anything. Well… At least not anything that I wanted to. We were out running errands a few Saturdays ago and she cornered me into going. Thinking that I was just going to have a nice wine lunch, I was pleasantly surprised when our waitress brought out Amerigo’s own gluten free menu when I asked about options. The menu had multiple items on it, not the normal 5 items. I enjoyed mussels, which were not on the gluten free menu but they worked wihth me since they were slow at the time and some great salmon. The staff was more than accommodating and knowledgable about gluten issues. Check them out next time you’re on West End in Nashville or in Brentwood, Memphis or Jackson, MS!

While most Italian good is normally off limits, Sole Mio is there to help. While they do not carry rice noodles, they do offer to help make most of the items gluten free and are very friendly. I highly recommend the Insalata Di Mare and the Prosciutto e Melone for apps and Pesce del Giornio for dinner. The staff was very helpful, after wine it is a little pricy though.

Visit the Sole Mio site.