Trattoria Il Mulino

After a wave of casual, approachable, even rustic dining rooms flooded our town, I was beginning to wonder if formal dining, and the great service that usually comes with it, would be going the way of decent parking. It seemed like we were suddenly lacking a respectable number of special occasion spotsin particular, places where steak was the focus.

What to Order

Grilled octopus, $15
Calamari picante, $15
Porcini ravioli, $38
Gnocchi with Bolognese sauce, $24
Pork chop, $29
Truffle mac and cheese, $9

Enter Trattoria Il Mulino, an offshoot of the big-city concept Il Mulino New York, which opened inside the newly renovated Hilton Nashville Downtown last winter. Though it touts itself as a 'casual chic” concept, eating here actually feels like fine dining, especially when you're as starved for good service as Nashville diners seem to be. (Don't get me wrong: It exists. But only in small doses and usually at that aforementioned handful of celebration restaurants.)

The space is not formal but feels elegant. Diamond-tufted, chocolate-colored booths put diners on the rim of the room a step or two above the floor, while a patio outside offers a more casual setting. Inside, there are wood beams and brick floors to cozy up the 4,000-square-foot room, but sculptural light fixtures give off a modern vibe. Along one wall, the open kitchen is partially concealed by fogged glass, and around the corner, near the entrance to the hotel lobby, a glass-enclosed wine cabinet shows off the 190-bottle selection, overseen by sommelier Jen McCarthy (formerly of Rumours in The Gulch).

Service here is warm and delightful. From McCarthy's recognizable smile down to the white-gloved bread service (try the focaccia), you feel like you're being doted on in all the right ways.

As for Trattoria's menu, it takes cues from the Abruzzo region of Italy. Crafted by Il Mulino New York executive chef Michele Mazza, the dishes are executed locally by chef Thomas Cook, who was most recently at Prime 108 (also part of the Hilton family). The theme here is elevated comforting Italian, meaning it's a few steps above Caffe Nonna's cooking in terms of finessebut you'll still be stuffed to the gills by the end of it.

It's a lot of familiar territory if you're used to old-school Italian joints: fried calamari, veal piccata, ricotta meatballs. But there are updates, too. The selection of nine different pastas includes both a gluten-free penne as well as a black squid ink fettuccine (laced with octopus and cherry tomatoes, it's a beauty). A menu section titled West 3rd Street Favorites, named for one of the New York locations, features an earthy and decadent porcini ravioli, doused in a champagne truffle cream sauce, as well as a pappardelle tangled with chunks of Maine lobster. Both are rich and satisfyingand large enough to feed one person for days. Meat dishes such as the pork chop are served à la carte; pair it up with a heap of Brussels sprouts tossed with pancetta or the signature truffle mac and cheese, which is served in a small skillet. For something more casual, opt for a pizza, like the one covered in slices of meatballs (they have a gluten-free marinara option, too).

There is also a strong emphasis on seafood, including a section of grilled items like branzino and jumbo shrimp. But you can't go wrong with a starter of tender grilled octopus served with fingerling potatoes. One recent special was a black Florida grouper perched atop a massive crab cake that contained hardly a lick of breading.

It's hard to improve upon Italy's favorite coffee-flavored finale, tiramisu, but Trattoria gives it their all by layering limoncello-soaked ladyfingers with a lemonade-flavored whipped cream. It's just one of a half dozen desserts that are served in portions large enough to share with a groupand fitting for all kinds of celebrations, including the fact that fine dining and good service are still alive and well in this town.