Although the Italian Market and Grill may not live up to all of its culinary ambitions, the atmosphere, service and variety of classic Italian dishes, offered at moderate prices, all lend themselves to a pleasant experience.
Greeted by pastel-painted walls, low-hanging ceiling fans and an open-pit fire, I found myself in what resembled an open-air Italian café upon entering the Grill. The restaurant’s window-enclosed extension lends itself to the outdoor atmosphere, and the painted walls and pictures, complete with waiters with dark mustaches serving pizza, give the establishment an aristocratic feel, even if the colorful window casings are painted around the panes.
The extension encloses only about half of the sitting area and a large bar; the other half of the establishment looks and feels like a regular, sit-down restaurant. Toward the back there is an open-pit fire grilling pizzas and turning chicken spits. But while the pit is visually interesting, sitting in the windowed extension, I couldn’t smell the food cooking within the pit.
Service at the Grill is fine — my drink was kept full, and bread with oil was offered continuously, even after the entrees had been served.
Along with my dining cohorts, I skipped the slightly expensive ($7 – $9.50) appetizers and began the meal with the Italian salad that came with the salmon. The house dressing was creamier than I expected, but not too heavy, and the salad greens were mixed with chopped celery, a combination I normally don’t like. Despite it’s drawbacks, the salad was large as a precursor to a meal and the main course arrived at the table before any one of my group was finished.
My Salmon “Pico” was tasty, though a little dry, and the mashed potatoes were delicious. The spinach greens were OK, but too salty for my taste.
Other entrees around the table included the Lobster Ravioli Gamberetti with a parmesan cream sauce (with more than a hint of beer) and the Italian Market Sirloin, which was cooked medium well instead of medium rare as my dining companion had previously asked.
The Grill has a normal wine selection and most are from Californian vineyards, although Italy and Australia are represented, as well.
Entrée prices range from $10 to $20, with most dishes weighing in around $15, and wines are $5 to $7 a glass.
The restaurant also offers a Sunday Brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., which was voted best Sunday Brunch in East Tennessee by diners, and cooking and wine education classes are offered all year long.
The Italian Market and Grill is located on Kingston Pike in Franklin Square. For more information, visit http://www.italianmarketandgrill.com.
