In the Shadow of Giants, Sole Mio Ups Their Game

Is there any downtown restaurant luckier than

? After almost two decades of cooking serviceable Italian classic cuisine in two different locations, suddenly they find themselves at ground zero of the Nashville culinary and tourist scenes. Great

are springing up all around them, and the new Omni and Hyatt Place hotels are under construction next door and at their back door. All of these developments should draw hungry diners into the neighborhood looking for options.

Recognizing that these opportunities also represent competition for the smallish comfortable eatery, Sole Mio's management decided not to merely maintain the status quo and just hope for the conventioneer spillover of folks who couldn't get in to Husk or Etch. Instead, they have hired a new executive chef and revamped their menu to feature more artisan farm-to-table fare. Chef Sheena Brooks takes over the toque and brings more than years of experience to the kitchen.

While she intends to keep many of the favorite Northern Italian classic dishes on the menu, Brooks also wants to add specials that will feature more regional artisan ingredients like Porter Road Butcher, Kenny’s Cheese, Noble Springs Dairy, Living Raw and Drew’s Brews. The BLT Pasta special features Allan Benton's smoky bacon to dress up what could otherwise be a pretty typical dish, and the special dessert for this month is a pumpkin pie spiked with Whisper Creek Tennessee Sipping Cream.

So before all those out-of-towners start checking into the new hotels and taking up all the good tables at Sole Mio, you might consider checking the place out again. Or maybe even for the first time, before a show at the Schermerhorn or if we ever play hockey again. They are open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday and for dinner only on Sundays.

Sole Mio

311 Third Ave. S.

(615) 256-4013