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It took chef Gerard Craft nearly three years to get his Nashville location of Pastaria off the groundthe longest it's ever taken the St. Louis chef to open a restaurant, he says. But, for those who appreciate Italian food done traditionally and simply, it's entirely worth the wait. Craft's original arrival announcement came at a time when it seemed like a dozen out-of-town chefs were trying to pounce on Nashville's 'it city” status. What's different about this one is the chef's commitment to keeping his boots on the ground here.
'We've been renting a place there for almost two years; I'm down there about five days a week at this point,” Craft explains.
He has also shipped a lot of his team down from St. Louis, pulling from the other Pastaria, as well as from his previous restaurant, Niche. (It's now closed, but he still has restaurants Sardella, Brasserie, Taste, and Porano, as well as the original Pastaria, all in and around St. Louis.)
A trip to Italy nearly a decade ago served as the original inspiration for Craft, who found his way to the mountain towns of Abruzzo and Le Marche. There, he experienced traditional Italian food found at large, town-hall style spaces where everyone gathered, from the doctor to the trash collector, for freshly made pasta and charcuterie.
'Over there, it's a family experience, so we could bring our kids to any restaurant, and they were treated well. That's what Pastaria doesit brings a whole lot of people together under the same roof,” he says.
The design details at the Nashville location seem to vaguely pull from those experiencesthe space is open and airy with tall ceilings, exposed ductwork, an open kitchen concept, and concrete floors. It also nods to its role as a straight-up, family-style pasta housethere's a collage of photos over the bar and drop lighting that warms up the room.
What to order:
Crispy risotto balls, $8.75Burrata bruschetta, $12.50Strozzapreti, $16.50Red wine-braised beef, $20.95House-made pepperoni pizza, $13.75
Families are most definitely welcome. There's a substantial kids' menu that ranges from pasta and pizza to alphabet soup, plus the option of birthday cake for dessert. And the servers are trained to be welcoming to all sizesregardless of how loud or messy things get. For adults, the joy comes in finding hearty plates that are priced right and prepared with house-made ingredients. Starters, like the crispy risotto balls, which give way to a custard-like interior of mozzarella and grana Padano blended, and the burrata bruschetta, which gets a kick of heat from chili vinaigrette, are sturdy and could easily be combined to make a starch-heavy meal. Add a salad, like the citrus version, which is loaded with grapefruit and orange bits, as well as green olives and red onions.
The main event should involve a plate of pasta, since they're made in house and napped with flavor-packed sauces, like the strozzapreti with Bolognese, which is a favorite of Craft's since it's as authentic as the versions he tasted in that region of Italy. Chitarra with pomodoro sauce is simple, but filling, and the rigatoni alla puttanesca gets an earthy kick from a pungent mix of anchovy, caper, and chili.
Entrees, which top out at $21, could be all you need, since the kitchen piles the plates with composed options, like the red wine-braised beef over a mound of polenta and a shower of cherry tomatoes. Or, center your meal on the pizza, set on a chewy, just-charred crust and topped with all sorts of options. There's a version with house-made pepperoni, and well as one with nduja, a spicy sausage, that also gets a drizzle of honey. Pair either with the roasted carrots tossed with lemon and mint.
A brief list of wines, all Italian, and beers, mostly local, add to the casual camaraderie of the space. Dessert here is a no brainerthere's a gelato and sorbetto bar at the front of the restaurant, which you can peruse for options to take with you. But you'd be missing out on the fork-and-knife affair that is the Nutella cake, or the butterscotch pudding, a decadent throwback topped with whipped cream. Like the arrival of this little slice of modern-day Italy, all are worth the extra wait.
8 City Blvd, 615-915-1866; eatpastaria.com/nashville