Prodigal Son Returns

Paul Ent, who left his post as Sunset Grill’s chef de cuisine three years ago, has taken the scenic route back to Randy Rayburn’s restaurant group, taking over the kitchen at Midtown Café as it undergoes refurbishment of both the front and back of the house. Rayburn purchased Midtown in 1997, freshened up the dining room and bar of the already-popular restaurant and put chef Jimmy Phillips in charge of updating the menu. Now Ent has been assigned a similar task, to be conducted from a newly expanded and renovated kitchen. Ent grew up in the restaurant business, though he did not immediately choose it as a career. Instead—like Phillips—he entered the military, serving six years in the Marine Corps, an experience that apparently prepared him to work for notoriously demanding perfectionist Rayburn. Post service, he found himself called back to the family business in Washington, D.C., to work in the restaurant of one of his older chef brothers. He went on to the acclaimed Mount Vernon Inn, working under chef Eddie Fields, whom Ent regards as an important mentor. His first KP duty in Tennessee was in Franklin, first at Choices, then The Stoveworks. Jumping from the frying pan into the fire, he went to Sunset Grill, working under executive chef Brian Uhl. Seeking a more intimate culinary environment and a quieter quality of life, he moved to Monteagle, taking over the kitchen in Sewanee’s popular Pearl’s Café. From there, he assumed the toque at B. McNeel’s, one of Murfreesboro’s few independent fine-dining establishments, before heading west for a short stint at The Riverfront Plantation in Dover, Tenn. A few months ago, when Ent was in Nashville and went by Midtown to visit with Uhl, Rayburn was in the house and asked him to step outside to chat. “I thought I was in trouble,” Ent says with a laugh. By the time the conversation was over, Ent was headed back to Dover to give his notice, and Randy had his old chef back in a new position. “From a creative point of view, it was impossible to turn down the chance to cook my own food.” Though the signature lemon artichoke soup, crab cakes, veal dishes and pastas remain, under the heading “Midtown Classics,” the flip side of the menu is devoted to Chef Paul’s new creations, among them pork belly, barbecue ahi tuna, hickory smoked pheasant, chicken and dumplings, and a “study of lamb” which includes osso bucco, lamb ravioli and strip loin. The new menu will be presented in a redecorated dining room, which is getting new banquettes, chairs and carpet, as well as plates, silver and stemware. The bar—which many cocktail connoisseurs believe makes the best classic martini in town and is a popular spot for solo dining—is now smoke-free, and Rayburn is updating the wine list. Sunset offers diners a complimentary Midtown shuttle to Schermerhorn Symphony Hall and select performances at TPAC, such as the current run of The Lion King. The bus will drop customers off after dinner, then pick them up and return them to their cars, or to dessert and a nightcap at the restaurant. Midtown, 102 19th Ave. S., 320-7176. Oh, Cabana boy! Cabana, the newest member of Rayburn’s culinary portfolio, quietly marked its first anniversary a couple of weeks ago, though Rayburn and his two partners in the venture—chef Uhl and general manager Craig Clifft—must have given each other at least a high-five for achieving that milestone in an industry marked more often than not by failure. In its very successful debut year, Cabana has become an extremely popular hangout for the young and the beautiful, who jockey for prime see-and-be-seen position in the spacious back patio on a nightly basis. Apparently, posturing, networking, connecting and hooking up require more in the way of adult beverages than grown-up food, so Cabana is changing its kitchen hours to reflect its clientele’s dining and drinking habits. Though the restaurant hours remain the same and food will be available whenever the restaurant is open, the hours that diners can order from the full menu are being reduced, and a new, pared-down late-night menu is being installed. From 10 p.m. until midnight on Sunday, from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday and from midnight until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Cabana boys and girls can sop liquor with the fabulous house-made potato chips with Gorgonzola dipping sauce, the organic field greens salad, or a pizza—either the create-your-own pie or a quarter-pizza, about the equivalent of a slice. Cabana, 1910 Belcourt Ave., 577-2262. Grape expectations Three wine events are popping the cork in the next couple of weeks. The sixth annual Wine Down Main Street, a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Franklin/Williamson County, takes over Main Street in downtown Franklin on Friday, Nov. 3. The bottomless glass can be refilled with pours of white, red and rosé at 40 different stations in the historic downtown district. Additionally, participants can sample food from nearly 30 restaurants, including Main Street’s newest dining tenant, Red Pony. Tickets can be purchased online at winedownmainstreet.com. The eighth annual International Wine Tasting and Auction is Thursday, Nov. 9, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The University Club of Nashville. More than 100 unique wines from around the globe will be poured at this event, which benefits the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute. For more information, contact Martin Deschenes at 352-2473 or fund@foreignlanguage.org On Nov. 15, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar presents the 90+ Wine Dinner, showcasing the elite wines that have scored higher than 90 in Wine Spectator ratings. Fleming’s director of wine Marian Jansen op de Haar and executive chef Russell Skall have teamed up to create a menu that pairs five wines with five courses, beginning with passed hors d’oeuvres and ending with a cheese course. The dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. and is $95 per person (not including tax and gratuity). Seating is limited and reservations are a must; call 342-0131. —Kay West Cold weather friend It may be getting chilly out, and your vegetable garden has by now bitten the dust, but there’s plenty of locally produced product to be had at Nashville Farmers’ Market Winter Market, held from 8 a.m. to noon each Saturday through Dec. 23. The list of Middle Tennessee products that will be available includes Lazzaroli Pasta; 100 percent grass-fed Angus beef, as well as pastured pork, poultry and eggs from Columbia’s Three Meadows Farm; fudge from Franklin’s Old Savannah Coffee and Candy Company; stone-ground cornmeal and honey from Gardner’s Grove Farm; all-natural soaps, bath salts and oils from Danian SoapWorks; and cheeses, kettle corn, candy, coffee, jewelry and crafts from a variety of vendors. The produce sheds are heated in winter, so don’t let a little brisk weather keep you in the grocery store rut. Nashville Farmers’ Market, 900 Eighth Ave. S. —Jack Silverman Nashville Farmers’ Market, 900 Eighth Ave. S.