Preparing to take over the kitchen of Ombi—which they will do the first week of October—chefs Kim Totzke and Laura Wilson are cooking up pantry items to redefine the Elliston Place spot, where the architecture (designed by Patrick Avice du Buisson) always has dazzled but the menu has failed to establish a loyal audience. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner guests as well as a late-night bar crowd has presented a staffing challenge, not to mention an identity crisis, since Ombi opened in May 2005. Is it a cozy breakfast café, casual lunch spot, hip dinner locale or über-fancy bar? Hiring Totzke and Wilson, straightforward and generous chefs who deftly balance nurturing food with no-nonsense management, is a giant step toward transforming Ombi into a serious restaurant. The women became colleagues and friends when Totzke, then executive chef of Katie and Gep Nelson’s Wild Iris/Yellow Porch/Flying Horse restaurants, installed Wilson at the Iris. When Totzke’s proposal for a restaurant in the Melrose strip on Eighth Avenue recently stalled, Wilson was leaving the Iris, and the two partnered up in search of a project. Yvette and Willy Thomas narrowly beat them to Chapel Bistro, so they accepted an offer to try to resuscitate the Wild Boar, which by then had already declared bankruptcy. They succeeded in breathing life into the Boar, formerly Nashville’s most exclusive restaurant, but soon found themselves outside a locked door when federal agents took over the business in late July. Since then, Wilson has been cooking at Watermark and Totzke for private clients, while scoping another space in East Nashville. But with historic zoning issues stymieing that project, they are packing their knives for another turnaround assignment, this time on the Rock Block, where they hope to make Elliston Place a dining destination for more than bean rolls and sushi. Ombi will close after Sunday brunch on Oct. 1, to freshen up, train staff and get the kitchen cranked up before re-opening for dinner on Friday, Oct. 6. Starters—priced from $7 to $15—will include BBQ oysters with blue cheese; crawfish cakes; beef carpaccio with sunny-side-up egg, bruschetta and garlic aioli; mussels in curry broth; and pan-seared foie gras with green apples and hard cider reduction. Among the entrées—$15 to $23—will be hanger steak with pommes frites; roasted half-chicken with warm bacon-potato salad and mustard bourbon jus; paella; herb-scented salmon over Provencal lentils finished with tomato conserve (currently being made in Totzke’s kitchen); omelet with smoked salmon, creamed spinach and roasted potatoes; and a foie gras-stuffed burger. All desserts—such as the lemon tart, chocolate molten cake and sticky-bun bread pudding—will be made in house, as will yeast rolls and focaccia. A chalkboard of tapas priced $5 and under will change daily. Village Wines owner Hoyt Hill is re-doing the wine list, and Totzke is making her own maraschino cherries for the menu of retro cocktails, notably a Manhattan made with rye. Lunch will be served Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday brunch with an ever-changing menu takes place 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner will be served Monday through Thursday 5 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 11. The best news for night-crawlers and Nashville’s service industry is the late-night menu available 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday, serving the burger, hanger steak, omelet and other hearty alternatives to Krystal and Hermitage Café. Ombi, 2214 Elliston Place, 320-5350. Fowl line If the only thing preventing you from coming on board Mothership BBQ and pigging out is, well, the pig, then you’re in luck. Owner and funkadelic visionary Jim Reams is now cooking up the other other white meat alongside his pork ribs and shoulder. The smoky chicken plate comes with a breast (hand-rubbed by Reams himself) or three pieces of dark meat for $6.50 with two sides, which now also include green beans and baked apples. Mothership BBQ, in the heart of Berry Hill, 2806 Columbine Place, 269-7150. Fishing line The Palm, famous for its giant steaks, mammoth lobsters and stiff drinks, has added Palm Fish to its menu in response to requests for more seafood. Seasonally selected catches will include Atlantic salmon, swordfish, wild Alaskan halibut, sushi-grade Ahi tuna and Australian barramundi, prepared in straightforward Palm fashion, with daily specials from executive chef Darryl Williams. The Palm, 140 Fifth Ave. S., 742-7256. Wishing line Cold Stone Creamery will be scooping free servings of an ice cream created by a Make-A-Wish kid from Colorado whose wish was to meet the firefighters who were at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. His edible interpretation of their heroic deeds is chocolate ice cream blended with yellow cake, chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles. “Cole’s Creation” will be served Thursday, Sept. 28, 5 to 8 p.m., at all Cold Stone Creamery locations (locally in Hickory Hollow Mall, Cool Springs and Brentwood). Cold Stone will collect donations from customers for Make-A-Wish and donate 50 cents of every case of ice cream sold throughout the month.
