As I wrote last week, one of the questions I am most often asked about the restaurant scene is, ”What’s new?“ It happened just this Sunday, at the downtown Y, where I was furiously trying to pedal off some of the excess poundage I accumulated over the holidays. My friend Neil, with whom I often engage in foodie gossip, posed the question as he passed the recumbent bike I favor. I told him what I knew, he told me what he knew, and together we lamented the fact that while there was activity, not much of it fell in the ”new and exciting“ category.
Unless, that is, you can get worked up over the arrival of several more chain restaurants—as if we don’t have enough already. Even worse, one chain often begets another: for example, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, which opened just before Christmas in the site of the former Walgreen’s at The Mall at Green Hills.
Carrabba’s was founded in 1986 in Houston, Texas, by Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola—promising surnames for the owners of an Italian restaurant. Both learned to cook in family kitchens and restaurants, and together they created the concept for a moderately priced, casual Italian restaurant. Carrabba’s eventually caught the attention of Outback Steakhouse Inc., and a joint partnership begun in 1993 resulted in the opening of 10 more Carrabba’s in Houston and Florida. In January 1995, Outback acquired the rights to develop Carrabba’s further; Nashville’s is one of 72 open nationwide. Aren’t we special?
A quick visit to the Green Hills Carrabba’s over the holidays prompted a disturbing sense of déjà vu, with Olive Garden springing to mind. My sampling of greasy calamari, soggy bruschetta, and flaccid pizza was disheartening, if not surprising. Chain, chain, chain....
Another chain linking up in Nashville in 2000 will be P.F. Chang’s. According to my friend Neil, who has dined there, Chang’s is an upscale Chinese American bistro that may live up to its advance billing as an exception to the typical chain gang. The restaurant is scheduled to open in September in 7,000 sq. ft. of space on the first floor of the 2525 West End Building being developed by Hines Properties. The anchor tenant is Border’s; others include Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs and First Tennessee Bank. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, another chain, is set to open at the same time in 6,000 sq. ft. on the second floor of the building.
Dalt’s gained popularity here in the ’80s as a casual, neighborhood eatery that combined nostalgia for diners of days past with a contemporary twist on classics. Purchased by T.G.I. Friday’s, it eventually became a 20-store national chain. Along the way, the local Dalt’s lost its unique flavor and charm; no wonder, considering the food was simply reheated gruel coming from the T.G.I. Friday’s commissary.
The parent company closed most of the stores in the late ’90s, keeping just four, including the one in Nashville. Rick Kelly, Shannon Powell, and Zerro Shirwani bought those stores in July 1999. They closed the White Bridge Road location in November for an overhaul, reopening on Christmas Eve. Much of the work went into expanding the kitchen and purchasing new equipment; a larger prep area was added, as the restaurant’s food is now made in the kitchen! What a concept. While Dalt’s has kept some customer favorites like the burgers, cheese steaks, and milkshakes, look also for blue plate specials like pot roast, meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and pot pies.
The Factory at Franklin, Calvin Lehew’s most recent refurbishment of cast-off space, at one time housed three different stove manufacturers. With that in mind, Lehew’s wife Marilyn has just opened Stoveworks Restaurant, across the aisle from South City Baking and Viking Culinary Arts Center. The Lehews are not newcomers to the restaurant business; with Daisy King, they founded the original Miss Daisy’s. They were instrumental in the revitalization of downtown Franklin in the ’80s, opening and operating Choices and Bennett’s Corner at the corner of Fourth & Main (as the restaurant, no longer owned by the Lehews, is now called).
Stoveworks will serve lunch only, Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-2 p.m., featuring soups, salads, and sandwiches, and emphasizing fresh vegetables. It will also be available for private parties in the restaurant, and for catering functions held in the Factory’s common area, the mezzanine, and Jamison Hall.
Stoveworks will provide daytrippers to the Factory another dining option besides the newly opened South City Baking and the more tenured Bluewind Art Cafe. Thus far, Bluewind has not been a promising option; my two luncheons there went from bad to abysmal. In all fairness, Bluewind was not conceived as a restaurant, but as a wine bar/listening room, and in that it succeeds admirably. The room itself is beautiful, warm, and welcoming, outfitted with several cozy seating areas in addition to tables and chairs.
The good news is that owners Laura and Jonathan Duncan have hired chef Nerissa Ferrell, who has previously cooked at Magnolia and Fido. Ferrell’s mission, she says, is ”to create beautiful whole foods.“ For lunch, she’ll add homemade soups and upscale the sandwiches. In the evenings, she plans food compatible with wine and boutique beers, such as platters to be shared, hearty appetizers, and blackboard specials.
Sunset Grill’s plans to shut down for a kitchen overhaul and roof repair have been postponed to Jan. 23. The restaurant will reopen Feb. 1 with a new menu from chef Michael Tuohy.
Those are the latest developments of which we can be fairly certain. Looking into my crystal ball, meanwhile, I see Bound’ry’s new global cuisine restaurant opening this year, though not necessarily within the next 60 days, as previously announced. I see Jody Faison finally letting go of The Iguana, which has failed once again to catch fire in its latest incarnation as an upscale Mexican eatery. I see the Trace boys, Greg Shockro and Herb Allen, eventually acquiring the property—and bulldozing the building—now occupied by The Iguana.
I see some of Nashville’s most creative chefs leaving their positions at established restaurants or stores to open or partner their own businesses, following in the brave footsteps of Deb and Ernie Paquette, Anita Hartell and Corey Griffith, and Ed Arace. I see chefs from major metropolitan areas moving to Nashville to open their own independent restaurants, sensing the potential in off-the-beaten-track locations like the former Laurell’s building in 12 South, the grungy H&M Market for sale on Belmont Boulevard between Dallas and Paris, or the empty gas station on Murphy Road across from McCabe Pub in Sylvan Park.
A dark cloud passes, and beneath it I see more Starbucks. I wish I could see Marie and Carlo Giordano come back and reopen Taste of Italy. Looking very hard, I think I might even see that little French bistro I’ve been coveting lo these many years. C’est bon.
