Sardinia is Nashville’s newest HOTSPOT for Lunch, Happy Hour, Dinner…and an Anniversary!
Since we made the move to a more urban style of living, I have enjoyed being closer to the burgeoning restaurant scene Nashville has to offer. Being 10 to 15 minutes from some of the coolest and hippest establishments has given me a chance to frequent some of my favorite restaurants. Sardinia is one of them. Sardinia Ristorante is located at 210 25th Ave. North Zip 37203; Phone: (615) 320-9147 and the hours are as follows: 11am til 10pm Sun – Thur, 11am til 11pm Fri & Sat.
http://www.sardinia-ristorante.com
The rustic yet sophisticated atmosphere is just perfect for a glass of wine or expertly-made cocktails and Sardinian-style appetizers at the gorgeous bar with friends or seating in the inviting dining area with a group or a celebration of a birthday or in my case, a 26th Anniversary!
What is Sardinian Italian food like? Sardinia is Italy’s second largest island and the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. This island is known for its gorgeous beaches and centuries of history. Sardinia takes pride in its rustic home cooking of roasted and grilled meats,pristine seafood and locally grown vegetables. Hand-made pastas with savory ingredients and traditional pizza with the freshest of ingredients come from influences of a deep Italian heritage combined with the neighboring countries’ food cultures.
Sardinia Ristorante just got the wood-fired pizza oven up and running just in time! Look at this pizza. It’s tasted a wonderful as it looks!
The pizza is as perfect for appetizers at Happy Hour as it would be for dinner or lunch. Share a board of Italian cheeses and meats with friends or….
a platter full of succulent mussels scented with thyme, roasted cherry tomatoes and fregola (little pasta bits like Israeli Couscous).
Since it was our anniversary, we decided to sit in the dining area near the oven-fired pizza! I enjoy watching the cooking process and get to see what other people are eating. So much good food, I was having a hard time deciding!
Our lovely and knowledgable server Anysia made sure that we had a delightful night full of laughter, great food and of course, wine! The wine menu is quite extensive and lists the Italian wines by the region. I truly love that. There are so many amazing Italian wines that I appreciate that they take the guess work out of it for me. OK. Trust me, even someone who thinks they know all of the regions would enjoy this menu!
One of my favorite Italian white wines is from the region of Campania made from the varietal Falanghina. Irpinia is 100% Falanghina and the intense flavors of tropical fruits such as pineapple and crisp apples with bright acidity was the perfect wine to pair with the house made Burrata Cheese appetizer with roasted tomatoes and fresh octopus carpaccio as well as complementing the fruit and acidity of the olive for dipping.
The succulent veal meatball appetizer on top of sautéed fennel covered with rich and flavorful tomato sauce was one of the best appetizers that I have had in a while. We fought over every last bite!
My daughter and husband both got Orecchiette, with wild boar sausages with rapini (broccoli rabe) pesto and roasted pine nuts with was both rustic and hearty with meaty pork and just the right amount of garlic and seasonings. Roasted meat dishes such as wild boar and lamb represent the Sardinian cuisine and the restaurant creates authentic dishes that you might have if you were on the island.
Before I found out that the “exquisite” braised Lamb Shank entree with porcini and perfectly cooked Cannonau risotto was featured on “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” Miami Episode, I knew I was getting it. I NEVER miss a chance to experience a lamb dish of this epic proportion! It was extremely flavorful, moist and fall of the bone tender and full of flavor from the slow cooking process and earthy porcini mushrooms. The bone was clean when I finished! I should have taken a photo of THAT…or maybe not! Cannonau di Sardegna, that was used to make the lovely violet-colored risotto, is a red wine made from Italian Grenache grapes from the island of Sardinia. The residents of Sardinia are known to live healthily into there 90’s and beyond and attribute their long and healthy lives due to this wine! No kidding! “It contains antioxidants called procyanidins that are very similar to the polyphenols found in olive oil, which protect and restore the cardiovascular system, reduce the effects of aging in adults and can help to prevent cancer.” Drink a glass with your meal. You will enjoy the burst of dark juicy raspberries and hints of smoke and cocoa. And, who knows, you just might live to see your great-great grandchildren!
Often,I do drink Cannonau di Sardenga so when I saw on the menu wines from my friends who own the local wine distributing company 100% Italiano, I had to get a bottle of the Alberto Long Primitivo from the IGT Salento rosso region of Puglia in Southern Italy. This pleasantly intense wine is the perfect wine to pair with richly flavored meats such as lamb. The varietal Primitivo is genetically very similar to the Zinfandel varietal. The tannins are sturdy but not overpowering and the brambly sweet blackberries with hints of warm spices in this rustic-style wine will make me want to keep several bottles at home especially for warm and hearty fall recipes like stews and eggplant pizza. Andrea & Viviana-I love your wine!
You HAVE to get the Tiramisu for dessert. I don’t care how full you are, get it and share it if you have to. It is creamy,cool,dense and you can taste the espresso soaked in to the lady fingers.
So happy to celebrate our 26th Anniversary with my family and the great food and wine at Sardinia Ristorante! CHEERS!
Still dreaming about those veal meatballs. Nice post.