In my
wrap-up of this year’s Our Kids Soup Sunday event, I mentioned that my favorite soup was prepared by the staff of the soon-to-open
Trattoria Il Mulinoinside the downtown Hilton. The time has finally come for the restaurant to begin service after an extensive renovation to what was previously the The Sports Grille. A soft open for dinner service begins Wednesday, March 18. Lunch and brunch service starts March 23, and a grand opening is scheduled for March 30.
Trattoria Il Mulino is the “casual chic” offspring of the original Il Mulino in New York City, and the Nashville location is the fourth Trattoria (other locations are in New York City, Atlantic City, and Orlando). The “modern and inventive” Abruzzese-inspired Italian menu was developed by Il Mulino’s executive chef, Michele Mazza, and tweaked for Nashville by Trattoria’s executive chef, Thomas Cook. The menu is fairly large and features appetizers, soups, salads, pastas, brick-oven-baked pizzas, Italian-style poultry, pork and beef dishes, grilled seafood, and specialties from the flagship Il Mulino in Greenwich Village. The menu also includes several options that are vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free. The bar will have more than 190 different wines and a signature cocktail list, as well as beer by the bottle and draft.
Take a look at the full menu here (PDF will open in a new window). Take a look at the full menu here (PDF will open in a new window).
A few people I’ve spoken with about the restaurant since my Soup Sunday experience have been a bit skeptical about a high-end Italian restaurant operating in the Hilton. But the hotel recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation (in response to the opening of the Omni, among other reasons), and the hotel and restaurant are co-owned and operated by Turnberry Associates, which operates a number of luxury resorts. Turnberry only recently sold Union Station hotel after renovating it and creating the acclaimed Prime 108 restaurant (which was opened by Trattoria Il Mulino chef Thomas Cook) inside the hotel. Suffice it to say, these guys know what they’re doing, so I have high hopes for the restaurant.
144 Fifth Ave. S.
Inside the Hilton Downtown Nashville (restaurant accessible from Fifth Avenue or from inside the hotel lobby)
Parking: Complimentary valet at Fifth Avenue entrance or validated hotel parking
