After a three-year run as one of Nashville's hippest restaurants,
Cha Chahwill be shutting down around the end of the year, chef-owner Arnold Myint has announced. “For the past three years, my team and I have given it what we could to offer Nashville a great dining experience.” said Myint. “Unfortunately, Cha Chah and Nashville didn’t quite ‘click,’ so it is bittersweet that Cha Chah will be closing its doors.”
Myint experimented with various ways to draw more people to the Belmont Boulevard restaurant, including offering what I considered one of the best lunch deals in town and a weekend brunch that earned raves. Alas, the volume of traffic just never reached the level of sustainability that Myint and his talented chef Francesco Vito needed to stay open more than five nights a week.
Myint drew on his connections as a competitive cooking show contestant to invite some really talented chefs to Nashville to share his kitchen, offering a chance for locals to try food prepared by fellow Top Chef alums Tiffany Derry and Tracey Bloom. The latter chef was in town as a part of Cha Chah's "2 Chefs/2 Visions" series, which also paired Myint with local favorite Deb Paquette for one of my favorite meals of the past year.
But fear not, Cha Chah fans. Myint promises that something will arise Phoenix-like from the ashes. He considers this to be merely a reorganization and says he is already developing a new concept for the space which he hopes will become a neighborhood favorite like PM, his other restaurant venture, two doors down from Cha Chah. He hints "some stuff will be familiar, some brand new. Whatever it is, it will still have the Arnold Myint touch.”
Cha Chah will stay open through the winter season, and has several special events planned between now and New Year's. You'll have plenty of chances to enjoy the Cha Chah experience, and Myint hopes that Nashville diners will continue to frequent the restaurant during the transition. For hours of operation, reservations and to view their winter menu, visit ChaChah.com.
