Dining
OLYMPIC FLAME FAMILY RESTAURANT
401 Harding Place,
577-1070
When serial entrepreneur Howard Claude needed someone to step in and take over the management of his nascent project, Olympic Flame Family Restaurant, Erhan “Gin” Cengiz accepted the challenge. Now with the help of his wife, chef Inci, Cengiz is working to create a coherent fusion of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and America’s Dinner Table at the intersection of Harding Place and Nolensville Road.
The unmistakable Shoney’s architecture has donned a few Athenian attributes—an artificial flame over the portico and aluminum Ionic columns out front, to name the highlights—and the interior design has extended the deep mauve of the existing vinyl booths to a matching wallpaper frieze depicting people in togas.
But despite the ornamental changes and the towering red-and-blue logo of the Olympic Flame sign, the Shoney’s fans still stop in, presumably looking for everything the bygone Big Boy had to offer. And when they realize things are different, Cengiz says, some of them leave without even looking at the menu.
What a mistake.
If they stayed, they would discover a diverse repertoire of American and Mediterranean staples that share a consistent attention to freshness, quality and flavor, regardless of the country of origin.
While diners at Olympic Flame might not find the all-you-can-eat breakfast bar or the shrimper’s feast of a Shoney’s menu, they will recognize the fresh tastes of garlic, lemon, feta, olive oil, mint, parsley and oregano from La Luna restaurant in Berry Hill (which the Cengizes founded) and Anatolia restaurant in Lion’s Head Village, where Inci helped create the Turkish-inspired menu.
After leaving their native Turkey for Romania and arriving in Nashville 12 years ago, the Cengizes opened La Luna in 2004. Two years later, they sold the unassuming restaurant, which had earned a very fond review in this paper and was named best new family-owned ethnic restaurant by the Scene in 2005. While exploring opportunities after the sale, Cengiz was approached by Claude, who was in the process of adding Olympic Flame to a résumé of businesses that includes a house-cleaning service, a miniature golf course and various real estate ventures. Cengiz took on the challenge of managing the business, which seats approximately four times as many diners as La Luna held. He brought in Inci to oversee the Mediterranean side of things while Martha Gallian spearheads the American food offerings.
Arguably, that’s a lot of cooks. And a certain amount of chaos still bleeds through, primarily in the servers’ unfamiliarity with the menu and the cuisine. In one case, our server even asked us if we knew of any good job openings.
But in our experiences, the staff’s genuine eagerness to please more than made up for any behind-the-scenes awkwardness. When we asked about a chicken special, our waiter simply brought us a bowl of tender meat, tomatoes and green peppers in a rich broth of olive oil and soy sauce, so we could see for ourselves. As we left, he asked if we wanted to take our iced teas with us, then proceeded to refill them in to-go cups—a gesture we had never heard of, but a habit we could get used to.
Despite the many cooks, the proverbial broth does not suffer. Ordering from both the Mediterranean and American sections of the menu, we discovered fresh, flavorful and delicious foods, though the more intriguing items came from the Mediterranean side of the kitchen.
Start with an order of Yum Yum rolls, four phyllo pirouettes wrapped around soft feta cheese and herbs, with a side of Inci’s sweet chutney of finely grated apples with raisins. The cool, syrupy fruit offers a counterpoint to the rolls’ warm, salty crunch. We also enjoyed the white bean soup, rich with tomatoes, bell peppers and cannellini beans cooked to the perfect melt-in-the-mouth texture. Fans of La Luna will recall the chunky salads of cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and onions, gently flavored with parsley, olive oil and a variety of spices and herbs. Shepherd’s salad delivers the fresh bounty of chopped vegetables without lettuce, while the Greek salad buffers the tomato-cucumber-pepper trifecta with romaine, olives and feta cheese; the piyaz showcases cold cannellini beans with diced tomato. Delivered on large white plates and garnished with crisp mint leaves, the salads are ample meals in themselves, and also come with several chicken, salmon and meat options. The roasted veggie entrée offers basically a hot variation of the shepherd’s salad—substituting zucchini for cucumber, of course—but the fresh version shines as a refreshing meal.
“Our concept is to cook healthy,” Cengiz says. “We are trying to get people away from the fast-food mentality.” An enviably trim man, he adds, “If you eat here, you are going to see a difference in your body—and reclaim it.”
Cengiz credits touches like the cracked wheat, which accompanies many of the Mediterranean items, as well as copious amounts of olive oil for the healthy feel of the Mediterranean menu. Indeed, olive oil accented virtually everything we tasted, most visibly pooling on top of the creamy tzatziki sauce. “It’s like water to us,” he jokes.
Even after indulging wholeheartedly on the Olympic platter of Yum Yum rolls, dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with rice and currants) and creamy hummus with pita; spinach pie with apple chutney; and the popular eggplant gondola (half an eggplant roasted to a creamy texture and topped with a chunky sauce of tomatoes, onions and green peppers), we left feeling satisfied but not lethargic.
EGGPLANT VEGGIE GONDOLA $7.95
YUM YUM ROLLS $5
GYRO PLATTER $9.95
ROASTED CHICKEN $9.95
MEATLOAF $7.95
A highlight of the Mediterranean menu is the meats, and the mixed grill offers a feast for the indecisive diner, with kebabs of lamb, beef and chicken, as well as a delicately trimmed lamb chop. Prepared with subtle seasonings, the meats were tender and juicy—and a bargain at $14.95, including Greek salad, pita and a mound of cracked wheat riddled with chunks of soft garlic.
For die-hard American palates, Olympic Flame offers a comfortable selection of patriotic favorites—meat loaf, grilled chicken, chopped steak, pot roast and pork chops—served with cornbread and a choice of vegetable. The meat loaf, in a sauce of tomatoes, onions and green peppers, was light and moist with a hint of nutmeg and brown sugar, while the juicy grilled chicken carried the smoky flavor of caramelized marinade. Both reflected the quality of chef Inci’s Mediterranean-accented half of the kitchen.
Despite the expansive, around-the-world dessert menu boasting everything from New York-style cheesecake to dulce de leche and tiramisu (most of which are not made in house), head back to the cradle of civilization for a serving of Inci’s decadent homemade baklava. While it may be more syrupy than other versions, and the chocolate drizzle may be over the top, the combination of walnuts and pistachios in flaky phyllo is a perfect, nutty closer to a clean meal.
Just a month into the new business, Cengiz and his crew are still working out a few operational details. A recently edited menu aims to streamline the ordering process and eliminate confusion of separate Mediterranean and American lists. After opening with an all-you-can-eat Mediterranean buffet, Cengiz discovered that a lot of food went to waste, so the steam table—a relic of the Shoney’s days—might soon make way for a bar. Cengiz is still trying to decode what the anti-smoking legislation will mean for potential bar traffic when it takes effect July 1. And despite the passage of this legislation, he recently changed his mind to allow smoking in the restaurant for now.
But while Cengiz tries to figure out exactly who his customers are and what they want, the food consistently exceeds expectations. Even—or maybe especially—if you were expecting a Shoney’s.
Olympic Flame Family Restaurant is open 9 am. to 9 p.m. daily, with Sunday brunch available 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a $5.95 lunch special available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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