Judging by the droves of people filling all of the 75 available seats and patiently waiting an hour or more for their turn at a table well before 6 p.m. on a Friday night, there’s not much I can say about Porta Via Italian Kitchen that hasn’t already been discovered by a sizeable segment of West Nashville. According to co-owner and general manager Mehrdad Alviri, it’s been this way since the door to this beguiling restaurant opened on White Bridge Road Dec. 9. And no one is more surprised than the gentlemanly Iranian who visited a relative in Nashville in 1979 and was so impressed by the city’s kind and welcoming nature that he returned to California only to pack his things and head back to Tennessee. “In my wildest dreams, I would never have imagined we would have this kind of business as soon as we opened,” he marveled. “All of my old customers have showed up. I didn’t know they missed me so much!”
Porta Via Italian Kitchen isn’t his first restaurant rodeo. The old customers who have been reacquainting themselves with Alviri and his finely tuned acumen for food, service and hospitality first had the pleasure of his company at the original Porta Via. That pioneering crusader for global flavor, slow food and independence in fast-food happy Bellevue was originally opened by his brother-in-law Stefano Hugh. When Hugh’s day job as a pilot took him away from the restaurant, it coincided with Alvari’s burn-out in the corporate world, and he took over operations, building a solid clientele over the12 years it was open on Old Harding Road. When the lease expired, Alvari relocated to Bellevue Mall—a.k.a. The Black Hole of Retail. As much as his customers loved him, they simply could not go there, and it closed altogether in 2006.
His next endeavor, Hot Kabobs, presented an exotic menu of the delectable Persian foods he grew up eating. The modest bungalow on the north end of White Bridge Road drew respectable numbers and laudable reviews from critics and diners, but it was missing one vital element: the Apollo sandwich.
“Martin Silverman was a steady customer at the first Porta Via,” explains Alviri. “His favorite sandwich was the Apollo. Every time he came in to Hot Kabobs, he bugged me about the sandwich and that I needed to bring back Porta Via. He took me to see a space in Brentwood but it was too far from Hot Kabobs. Then he showed me this location and I knew it could work.”
With entrepreneur Silverman on board as a partner, Alvari recruited brother-in-law Hugh to oversee the makeover of what had been the Bellacino’s Pizza space into a chic modern cafe modeled after Italy’s popular Prosecco bars. The light-filled space with goldenrod walls is airy and open, yet with three distinct areas. The entrance level is casual, with a counter to place to-go orders, a cooler filled with pans of colorful house-made gelato (sampling encouraged), espresso machines and a small, granite-topped bar backed by a wall of wine bottles. About a half-dozen high tops and tables are also on this level, which tends to get congested with those waiting on an available table (reservations are taken only through 6 p.m).
Side-by-side and three steps up is an area devoted entirely to dining, with stand-alone tables, banquette and booths in dark polished wood and ivory leather-like upholstery ...
Info:
Porta Via Italian Kitchen: 21 White Bridge Road
Best Dishes: Insalata Grande, Crêpe Florentine, Meatball Bolillo, eggplant Panini, Portavia pizza, pasta portavia, house-made gelato
The Bar: Red wines and white sparkling wines of Italy, as well as other select wines by the bottle, and a variety of beers, including Italian.
Atmosphere: Casually continental, family and date friendly.
Noise Level: Lively
Price Range: $5 (Insalata Mista, soup and some sandwiches) to $29 (Steak Fiorentina). Pizzas range from $7-$13.
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Available on Sundays for private parties.
Parking: In the lot
Reservations: Only through 6 p.m.
Credit Cards: VISA, MasterCard, American Express
Contact: (615) 356-0001 or eatatportavia.com