Amid all the sad news of restaurant closings lately, there’s still some sunshine and roses to be happy about — specifically courtesy of one of Nashville’s most beloved and ebullient restaurateurs, Nina Singto. Today she opens the newest location of her popular restaurant, Thai Esane, in the Hill Center in Brentwood at 203 Franklin Road, Suite 100. Taking over the spot previously occupied by sushi restaurant Nama, Singto has transformed the mod space into something remarkably similar to her flagship location at the top of Demonbreun Hill on Music Row.
Spacious booths, flexible seating options and a long cement bar offer plenty of choices for socially distant dining from Thai Esane’s menu of innovative Thai/Lao cuisine.
I did notice that Singto has finally shared what used to be a secret among regulars, listing the infernal “Nina Hot” heat level on the menu above the medium, hot and Esane-hot levels. It used to be that you had to personally know Singto and accept personal responsibility if you challenged her to serve your food this way. (Which I never do but have occasionally experienced accidentally when I let someone else order a dish for the table. Holy hell!)
The Hill Center Brentwood location will offer lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a dining room seating for 120 and room on the patio for another 40 patrons.
As soon as Singto gets the new Brentwood opening behind her, she’ll turn up the gas on Thai Esane’s third location downtown as part of Fifth + Broadway’ Assembly Food Hall complex. The much smaller operation plans to offer a “greatest hits” of the regular Thai Esane menu, and patrons will dine at tables in a common area at the middle of the hall instead of in dedicated spaces. The planned opening date for the downtown spot is March 4, so Singto will definitely be coming in hot!
