A CHANGING OF THE CULINARY GUARD BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO THE MENU AT MIMO

After a seismic shift in its culinary leadership, Four Seasons Nashville’s sunny Italian showpiece, Mimo, is completely overhauling its menu with Tuscan-leaning dishes plated with eye-popping visuals.

The modern, foliage-adorned restaurant debuted in late 2022 under the watch of Aniello “Nello” Turco. Mimo, in its original form, leaned heavily into Southern Italian dishes with its three-tomato spaghetti, citrus-marinated shrimp in a delicate nest of pasta, and a bountiful raw bar nestled in mountainous stacks of ice — the central focus of the open kitchen.

Although Turco has parted ways with Mimo, he remains with the Four Seasons team. The Naples, Italy native has taken on the executive sous chef post at their Prague property, where he will oversee its modern Italian restaurant, Cottocrudo, per a recent statement from the Four Seasons team.

But at Mimo, a new menu is waiting in the wings — and it officially launched yesterday.

At the helm of the newly retooled concept is Milanese-born executive chef Franceso Greco, who’s bringing Tuscan cuisine to the new menu at Mimo. He most recently worked at the Four Seasons Amman in Jordan and worked alongside notable chefs such as ​​chef Paola Budel, protégé of chef Gualtiero Marchesi, and chef Romano Resen.

In developing the new menu, Greco drew from Tuscan influences but designed each dish to match the visual pop that Llompart brings to his desserts. Case in point: the bright and eye-popping zucchini blossoms appetizer ($22) stuffed with ricotta, Parmigiano Reggiano, almond pesto, and drizzled with tomato coulis. Also on the appetizers roster is the charcuterie and gnocco fritto ($26), an upgrade on your Super Bowl party cold cuts line up with Italian cured meats, cheese, and fried bologna crisps. Salads also offer visual and textural interest, like the burrata panzanella topped with the diner’s choice of fresh or smoked burrata and plated with local heirloom tomatoes, sourdough bread, and almond pesto ($26).

While raw bar items are still available, the menu hones in various carpaccios of the sea, land, and vegetable variety. The prime Angus beef carpaccio ($27) features the thinly sliced protein topped with black truffle, aged Parmigiano, arugula, and a hazelnut-porcini purée. The yellowfin tuna and bottarga carpaccio ($30) with spicy tonnato mayo, crunchy fennel, lemon zest, and Toscano olive oil, is prepared tableside — a nice visual perk. Lastly, the heirloom beetroots carpaccio ($20) is a vegetarian spin on the classic appetizer with granny smith apple, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, and Modena-aged balsamic.

On the pasta front, Greco is building on Mimo’s hand-made pasta tradition. Highlights include the spring risotto ($30) with morel mushrooms, asparagus, and artichoke chips, as well as the lobster linguine ($60) topped with Maine lobster, chili, and cherry tomato sauce.

Other noteworthy additions to the menu are the meats and chops, the focus of which is the 48-ounce bistecca Fiorentina ($295). Dry-aged for 55 days, the porterhouse — which can be easily shared — is carved at the table and brushed with smoked garlic oil. The Iberico pork pluma ($62) is something you’ll be hard-pressed to find on menus around the city. This rare cut of pork is sourced from the woodlands of Spain and comes from the neck of the black Iberico pigs. Greco provides a delicate tenderness to the cut with a sous-vide preparation before it’s chargrilled.

A strong word of advice: Don’t skip dessert. Greco is teaming up with fellow Four Seasons chef Hector Llompart, a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to further evolve the pastry and dessert program at Mimo. Previously, Turco led both the dining and pastry departments — but the new changes bring a new focus to Mimo’s pastry program with some showy visual results.

Pastry chef Llompart shows off his experience as a confectioner and chocolatier with some outright astonishing dishes. Like the Mimo tiramisu ($18), which is assembled by a chef in front of guests using fresh cream layers topped with crisp dark chocolate. But Llompart pulls out all the stops for the Amalfi lemon ($15), two incredibly true-to-life lemon shells crafted from white chocolate and filled with basil and lemon confit cream.

Mimo is open daily from 7 to 11 a.m. for breakfast, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch, with dinner served from 5 to 10 p.m. Weekend brunch is offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations can be made here.

2024-04-23T14:31:05Z dg43tfdfdgfd