I watched this new building go up in my neighborhood.

I watched them hang this sign, and I couldn’t wait for them to open.

I saw the “Now Hiring” advertisement curbside and watched with giddiness as the staff came in for training.

(No, I’m not a restaurant stalker, this new restaurant just happens to be located right next to my local Whole Foods.  And I’m there a lot.)

(A lot.)

It’s not a unique phenomenon for a new restaurant to open in the Cool Springs-Franklin area.  And now that the McEwen area has started making good on their much-anticipated promises, this is becoming a hot retail, residential, and restaurant location.

But I’ve been watching the progress of this restaurant in particular, because I had a feeling that it would be good for the gluten-free community.

(And I couldn’t wait to dine on that super cool, outdoor, covered patio!)

BrickTop’s has locations in Atlanta, Charlotte, St. Louis, Naples, and Nashville on West End. I’d been to the West End location once, years ago, and I was thrilled that the server understood gluten issues.  I had just resigned myself to my default order…”I’ll just have a salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil on the side, and no croutons or bread, because I have a gluten allergy,” when the server’s eyes lit up and he explained that he too couldn’t eat gluten.

Fifteen minutes later, I had fish tacos on corn tortillas with extra corn tortillas to dip in my guacamole as an appetizer. (He had warned against the tortilla chips as they didn’t have a dedicated fryer.)

When you are taken care of at a restaurant, the experience is not long forgotten.  That one experience gave me hope that the new BrickTop’s had potential.

I was not disappointed.

Last week, we took friends to the new BrickTop’s at West McEwen Drive in Cools Springs, and I was pleased to see that they have developed a very extensive gluten-free menu since my Nashville visit.  From appetizers, salads, and sides, to steak, chicken, and fish, this menu contains something for every gluten-free diner to enjoy.

And every question that I had about specials, sauces, and the vegetable of the day was immediately taken back the chef to check on possible gluten-containing ingredients.  And more importantly to the return visitor (which I plan on being), I was not treated as a problem customer.  Our server was more than willing to assure me that my experience would be a safe and delightful one.

After much deliberation (isn’t it wonderful to have options?) I settled on the Atlantic Salmon with a side of Brown Rice and the Fresh Vegetable which was a delicious creamed cauliflower that I must replicate at home soon.

Tennessee is landlocked, and I’m a California girl who adores seafood.  If we want good seafood, we usually go to Bonefish Grill where the fish is flown in fresh and served with some of my favorite gluten-free sauces.

But I am convinced that this piece of salmon from BrickTop’s is the best that I’ve had in Nashville, or on the coast for that matter.

It’s that good.

And we definitely left room for dessert.

No, BrickTop’s doesn’t have a gluten-free dessert diet train wreck like Outback’s Chocolate Thunder from Down Under or Bonefish’s Macadamia Nut Brownie.  But this sundae shared with the Husband ended a delicious meal in style.

BrickTop’s was a delightful dining experience as a gluten-free diner.  (And our gluten-enjoying friends had wonderful meals as well.)

I’d highly recommend BrickTop’s for your next meal out.  They’re located at 1576 W McEwen Drive and serve customers Sunday through Thursday from 11am – 10pm and Friday & Saturday 11am – 11pm.

Cool Springs 615-771-8760

Nashville 615-298-1000

• How does a restaurant earn your loyalty?
• Where was your last successful gluten-free dining experience?
• Do you give restaurants second chances?

I had a wonderful opportunity to attend Food Blog Forum Nashville this weekend, and what an incredible event it was.  Not only did I have a great time talking with other bloggers and learning from the pros, I was surprised by some great gluten-free finds.

Normally, at an event like this, I watch everyone enjoy the delicacies, and I stand by and watch, pretending that it doesn’t bother me that I can’t eat a thing.  But last night at the Blogger Party held at the Nashville Farmer’s Market, I found several local products that I was able to thoroughly enjoy.

Who wouldn’t enjoy a succulent piece of chocolate by Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Company? I’ve seen these Southern Artisan Chocolate Bars in Whole Foods, but I’d never taken the opportunity to try one until last night.  The Smoked Nib Brittle was amazing.

But the Buttermilk White Chocolate claimed my attention with it’s chocolatey, tangy sweetness.  I may have had a few more than my fair share of squares.

Another local gluten-free treat was Mista Dale’s Mustard Slaw.  I actually turned down a sample, because the mustard relish was featured on a hotdog with a gluteny bun.  But when I politely declined, Mrs. Dale showed me that their label was clearly marked “gluten-free”.

I didn’t intend to sample, but when the Husband was wowed by the Jalapeno Mustard Slaw, I couldn’t turn it down.  And I’m glad the the Husband insisted, because this slaw is fantastic.

And it’s made by the sweetest people, Mr. and Mrs. Dale.

Another local treat was samples from Corsair Artisan Distillery.

I am not a hard liquor girl.  Give me a red wine and I’m happy.  But I fell in love with Corsair’s Vanilla Bean Vodka.

Especially mixed with blood orange juice.

And what could be better with chocolate and drinks than cheese from our local Bloomy Rind?

But the highlight was truly the cooking demonstration by Arnold Myint, Nashville’s own Top Chef Season 7 contestant and executive chef and owner of four Nashville restaurants, AM@FM, Cha Chah, PM Sushi Bistro & Bar, and Suzy Wong’s House of Yum.

I watched every whole food ingredient and spice that went into his creations, and I know that they were gluten free.

And anyone who makes a soup in a Vitamix gets instant credibility in my world.

What food blogger doesn’t bring a pen to a cooking demonstration?

That would be me.

So I can’t give you the recipe of this incredible pumpkin apple bisque.

Not that I could have written down the exact recipe anyway when Arnold tossed in a pinch of this…

and a handful of that all throughout his demonstration.

But there’s a reason this guy has four restaurants in Nashville.

I’d give this man a restaurant if he made these lentil tacos for me every night.

(And it’s recommended that you sit in the front row of any cooking demonstation.  That’s where the platters of samples are delivered.  Yes!)

I’d like to thank the Nashville Food Bloggers, and more specifically the following bloggers, for organizing such a wonderful Food Blog Forum event:

Lindsay Landis of Love & Olive Oil

Beth Sachan of Eat.Drink.Smile.

Leah Short of So How’s it Taste

Nashville, I’m so proud of you.

Gluten free, delicious, and just so classy.

And that was just the first night.

Dumplin’s is a lunch hotspot in downtown Franklin on Main Street.  Known for their delicious lunch plates and salads, this little restaurant is the perfect place to meet a friend or grab takeout on your lunch break.

I stopped going to Dumplin’s about five years ago.  After I learned of my gluten intolerance I joined friends at Dumplin’s a time or two, but I just couldn’t do it any longer.  It was too hard for me to eat there because of these.

Dumplin’s is famous for the incredible basket of homemade rolls that welcomes each table of customers (and of course for their Chicken and Dumplins).  These soft, fluffy rolls tasted like the bread I used to bake with my grandmother, and watching my gluten-enjoying friends eat them after my diagnosis was pure torture.  So I haven’t wanted to go back.

Just recently I heard that Dumplin’s now has a gluten-free menu, so I had to try it out.  I was secretly hoping that they’d have a gluten-free version of those scrumptious rolls, but not yet.

I was very impressed with the menu.

Gluten-free diners have the option of six different salads, and all of their salad dressings are gluten-free.

I chose the Briar Club Salad, because I remember loving this salad back in the day.  This mixed greens salad with chicken, madarin oranges, raisins, and cashews with orange yogurt dressing is delicious!

I spoke with the manager at length about their gluten-free menu.  She was diagnosed as a Celiac five years ago, so she has worked hard to make sure that Celiacs can eat safely at Dumplin’s.  They have a separate area in their kitchen where the gluten-free orders are prepared.  She even assured me that the cashews in my salad were not manufactured in a plant that also produces wheat products.  They have done their research.

Dumplin’s salads are great, but lest you think that there isn’t anything “special” for the gluten-free customers, they do have a wonderful dessert!

The Ooey Gooey Cheese Cake is worth the trip to Dumplin’s on its own!  Now, this isn’t a cheesecake.  It’s a cheese cake, a white cake made with cream cheese.

And I just so happened to luck out and come on a day when Dumplin’s had gluten-free cupcakes left over from an event.  Lucky me!

I highly recommend Dumplin’s for a healthy lunch, and maybe even an ooey, gooey treat that everyone can enjoy.  Have you tried Dumplin’s gluten-free menu yet?

Dumplin’s
428 Main St, Franklin, TN 37064-2782
(615) 791-4651

I can remember a time when P.F. Chang’s was the only restaurant I knew of that had a gluten-free menu.  That made it our go-to restaurant. In my 8 years of eating gluten-free I’ve only been glutened once at a Chang’s (and I’ve probably eaten there 50 times), but I think my glutening had more to do with a language barrier than cross-contamination.

Here are just a few of the restaurant chains that now have gluten-free menus:

• Amerigo
• Bonefish Grill
• Chili’s
• Carrabba’s Italian Grill
• Maggiano’s Little Italy
• Mellow Mushroom
• Old Spaghetti Factory
• Outback Steakhouse
• Pei Wei Asian Diner
• Ruby Tuesday

Finding a restaurant with a gluten-free menu can be downright exhilarating.  You breathe a sigh of relief that you’ll eat more than lettuce and shredded carrots drizzled with olive oil, you revel in the fact that there is an entire page of options that actually look appetizing, and you relax knowing that those preparing your food understand gluten issues.

I finally had a chance to try Amerigo’s gluten-free menu, but I was reminded of a basic gluten-free dining rule:

Never let your guard down!

I was immediately impressed with the many options that were listed on a menu that actually looked like a menu.  No flimsy little photocopied paper, a real menu.  And the menu items looked amazing.  They even had gluten-free pasta!

I had to try the pasta.

Most people would just settle for knowing that the pasta is gluten-free.  But this gluten-free blogging geek had to know what the pasta was made from.  I know Maggiano’s uses a delicious corn pasta.  I enjoyed rice pasta at an Italian restaurant in Portland before.  I’m a huge fan of quinoa, and lately I’ve really been enjoying Bionaturae pasta which combines potato, rice, and soy flour.

I really was just curious, so I asked the waitress.

Me:  What kind of flour is your gluten-free pasta made from?
Waitress:  Uh, I’m not sure.  I think maybe wheat?

Me:  Oh no, oh no, oh no!  That’s impossible.  Because WHEAT is NOT gluten-free.  ALL wheat has gluten in it!
Waitress:  Let me go check.

I know it wasn’t her fault that she didn’t know the ingredients in the gluten-free pasta.  But instantly I knew that she had no idea how to serve a gluten-free diner safely.

My waitress never did return with an answer to my question.  In fact, my waitress didn’t return at all.  A new waiter took over who made me feel a lot more comfortable about my impending dining experience.  I’m so thankful, because the Spaghetti Pomodoro with Shrimp was incredible!

I’ll definitely return to Amerigo for another meal.  While I’m very thankful that gluten-free menus now abound, this is a reminder to be careful, ask questions, and never let your guard down.