Big Bowl

My wife had dinner at Big Bowl tonight with (mostly) fantastic results. First, an allergen menu online is no where to be found. She gave a call to the Roseville location to speak to a manager about what she could eat.

Here is the scoop:

Almost everything on the main menu is fine, except for the Pad Thai and a crispy chicken dish (as they both have MSG). Otherwise, it seemed that most other things were fine.

My wife had the kung pao chicken with jasmine rice.

During her visit, the manager, the server and the food runner checked in to let my wife know what had dairy and what did not. She was very impressed with the service.

So, the Roseville Big Bowl location is very accommodating.

Breadsmith Bakery

Breadsmith bakery is one of our favorite spots. Not just because most items are kosher (and therefore lactose free), but because the breads and muffins are fantastic.

I bet once a week we stop at the Breadsmith on Grand Ave. and Snelling Ave. in St. Paul to pick up a few banana chocolate chip muffins for the next day.

We always volunteer to bring the bread and buns to Thanksgiving and Christmas (a little ironic that we are pumped to bring kosher items to a Christmas party, huh?) because we know that all the baked goods will be sans milk. It is also a bonus that everyone asks us where we got the bread from.

I don't think we've come across any items at Breadsmith that have had milk in them.

Enjoy!

Longfellow Grill

The Longfellow Grill is on the corner of Lake St. and West River Parkway in Minneapolis. Or for those of you in St. Paul, it is just across the Mississippi from the Marshall Ave. bridge.

The Longfellow Grill is upscale American food with a decent beer selection and a great patio. While we haven't explored the vastness of the lactose free options, I can tell you that the hamburger buns are lactose free, the burgers are free of milk ingredients and the sweet potato are good and anti-dairy (as long as you stay away from the dipping sauce).

Appetizers will run $6 - $10 and dinner will run $10 - $17. There is a happy hour that runs M-F, 3-6 & 9-close, featuring 1/2 off apps and martinis and $2 rail or taps.

Potbelly Sandwiches

As Ms. Merchant pointed out in the comments section of the Jimmy John's post a few weeks ago, Potbelly (terrible name, delicious sandwiches) has one of the best allergen menus around. It is very easy to read (unlike McDonald's which uses the Dewey Decimal System for their allergen menu)

A quick glance of the Potbelly menu reveals that both bread options are free of hated lactose, as is nearly everything but the milkshakes and the baked goods. So, go wild for a chicken salad sandwich with the works and you should be fine.

Al Baker's in Eagan

I grew up in Eagan and as far back as I can remember Al Baker's has always been sitting high above it's perch looking over a Best Western and 35E. It says a lot that Al Baker's has been able to survive the onslaught of Applebee's, Chili's, Old Chicago and every other national franchise serving the same variations of bar food.

On top of longevity, the food isn't too bad either. They are also very accommodating for those who are anti-lactose. On a recent visit, my sisters (who are both lactose intolerant) were pleasantly surprised when the server didn't blink an eye at their requests for no butter or milk ingredients in their dinner choices.

Here is the full menu. Notice that they serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and pulltabs.

Ikea

Ikea is known more for it's inexpensive furniture, but they have a restaurant, too. On a recent visit we asked for an allergen menu, which was available in a three-ring binder from employees working on the food line.

The allergen menu is tough to sort through, since it is the full ingredient list for each item. We did learn that the Swedish Meatballs (without gravy) were lactose free, as were the french fries.

I'm sure there are more items, we just didn't have the time to page through everything.

I can't find an allergen menu online. If anyone comes across one, let me know.