Lactose-Free Nashville: December 2005

Longhorn Steakhouse

Friday, December 02, 2005

Longhorn Steakhouse is straightforward meat-and-potatoes fare done with style. This new location is in the Target complex at Old Hickory Blvd and I-65 south of Nashville. Surprisingly small in seating area, this mid-scale steakhouse specializes in what you would expect: beef, chicken, fish and shellfish. Because it was a Friday night at 6:00, we had a 45 minute wait in the tiny waiting area.

The Lactose Line

While many of the menu items are naturally lactose free, most of the menu items are well-described. Their website menu has good descriptions of most items, but an email to their customer service returned saying that they could not provide detailed nutrition information for their menu items (a great way to find the hidden lactose.)

Best Lactose-free options:

Most items can be customized to remove any dairy ingredients except for the obvious ones (cheese sticks!) Our baked potato arrived dry as ordered. Our salmon salad, ordered without cheese, arrived with no appreciable amount of cheese on the salad, but with a few bits stuck to the bottom of the salmon - evidence that the server caught the kitchen's mistake and wisely rectified the situation.

Map and Directions:

at Longhorn's site

Rating:

3.5 out of 5 lactose-free stars. There is still a good amount of customization that has to be done at Longhorn for many of their items, but Flo's Filet is scrumptious and the service is great.

Lactose-free-friendly places to eat in Nashville... and some not so friendly.

Know of a restaurant that needs to be rated?

	Almost all menu items are lactose free and ones that are not are described on the menu with their lactose-containing ingredients, great service, a pleasurable experience.
	Several menu items are lactose free, many can be adapted, adaptations are done accurately, menu has ingredients for the majority and marquee items described, a good experience.
	Some menu items are lactose free, some can be adapted, menu listings are mostly accurate and most show ingredients with lactose, adaptations are done, an average experience.
	Most or all items need to be adapted to be lactose free, adaptations are mishandled or ignored, menu items are not described or lactose ingredients are not listed, a hard to manage experience.
	Almost all menu items contain lactose and cannot be adapted, so it is nearly impossible to eat a complete meal.