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it quickly became apparent that they did not keep up with the gluten free menu as much as the other and it was very out of date.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 I’d link to the menu on their site, but I noticed even their regular menu there was out of date from what we had at the restaurant.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 wife and I went to Maggiano’s this weekend to enjoy their gluten free menu options. Everything was great! The staff was very helpful in letting us know what we could order on the menu and even helped us change some menu items around to be gluten free. They can substitute Corn fusilli in any of their non-stuffed pasta dishes or they can create a customized meal just for you! We had the new gilled artichoke without the bread crumbs and it was fantastic. Thanks to everyone at Maggiano’s for a great evening!

See their site.

Some times when I look at my post it feels as if all I write about is pizza and where I can find a gluten free version. Well… I like pizza, sorry I’ve been a little sad since the closure of Garlic Jim’s in Franklin. I live in the Donelson area so it wasn’t always convenient for me to make it out there but it was my favorite in town. Now I’m left searching for a new pizza place. With this, I’ve recently tried the gluten free pizza option at the Mellow Mushroom. Like Mafiaoza’s, the topping are great! Nothing like getting a pizza with high quality meat products on it! Sorry vegetarians, they do have veggie only options at both places though.

The issue I am having with ordering gluten free pizza out is that it takes a little longer to bake than a normal pizza and the fine folks that are helping us celiac’s out don’t realize that. For the umpteenth time I got a gluten free pizza with high promise only to have to go home and put it in the oven a little longer. The dough was spongy and just needed about 10 minutes longer to become perfect. Other than that, it was a great pizza on par weigh the others I have had recently.

I am grateful to every company that tries to make a gluten free pizza option, we owe you! Please take one word of advice though, cook it a little longer. I want a crust that will not fall apart when i try to fold it like a NY style slice of pie.

Where has it gone? New Grist was my favorite and you could find it at Whole Foods and Frugal McDoogal’s, now you can’t find it anywhere. I saw it a month ago at Whole Foods and they raised the price to almost $10/ 6 pack. They have RedBridge now, which is OK I guess but definitely not worth $8. Anybody know where New Grist gluten free beer has gone in Middle Tennessee?