While there has been some fairly dire recent restaurant news as many businesses struggle through the Wrath of Omicron (not a Star Trek sequel) and the traditionally slow winter period, we’re also hearing some encouraging developments, including the announcement of the return of a local favorite and the impending arrival of a world-class pitmaster to downtown.
After announcing earlier this month that he was shutting down operations at Mangia Nashville, Nick Pellegrino apparently listened to the collective disappointment of his legions of fans and has reconsidered the decision. In a Facebook announcement, he shares that the weekend feasts will resume beginning in early February. While the weekday operations will still remain shuttered, the joyous Friday and Saturday night dinner parties will start up again from 7-10 p.m. with all the fun and fine food you’ve come to love.
Pellegrino is bringing back some crowd favorites for his new winter menu, including his beef short rib bolognese and rosemary-lemon chicken. Reservations are going fast at $65 per person and are available at Mangia’s Resy page.
In other news, country star Eric Church has announced that he is converting the old Cotton Eyed Joe building at the corner of Second and Broad into a new multilevel entertainment venue called Chief’s. In addition to offering one of few sit-down music venues in downtown, Church and his investment group have invited notable South Carolina-based pitmaster Rodney Scott to join in, with the latest outpost of his Rodney Scott’s BBQ taking over the rooftop.
Pimaster Rodney Scott
Scott has earned acclaim for his whole-hog barbecue, joining brisket king Aaron Franklin as one of only two pitmasters to earn a prestigious James Beard Best Chef award in 2018. Scott showed up on the barbecue radar at his family’s Hemingway, S.C., restaurant, renowned for cutting all the wood for his whole hog cookery. He opened his first eponymous barbecue joint on King St. in Charleston in 2017 and has since expanded to new locations in Birmingham, Homewood, Ala., Atlanta and soon here in Nashville.
It’ll be interesting to see how he manages to set up an open fire operation on the roof of a century-old historic building, but with the investor money that he has supporting him, I’m sure Rodney will figure it out. Plans are to open sometime later in 2022, and I’ll be first in line for a plate of that amazing Carolina-style pork.
