Il Forno and Spicy Boy's are two chef-owned restaurants serving big flavors in Nashville
In the headlong reshaping of our city’s culinary landscape, where hotels and hospitality groups are playing key roles, the small, chef-owner-operated restaurant has become a rarity. Vital to a vibrant community, these businesses are the most vulnerable. We’ve dined at two such indies recently that we are pleased to put on your radar: Il Forno, serving authentic Neapolitan fare in Chestnut Hill, and Spicy Boy’s, a bona fide Cajun bar and restaurant in East Nashville.
Il Forno
Five years ago, Chef Egidio (“Egi”) Franciosa and his wife, Jannah, launched Il Forno, a mobile Neapolitan wood-fired pizzeria. The venture was so successful, they decided to make the move to bricks-and-mortar, signing a lease on space in February 2020 (yes, right before the pandemic). Patience and perseverance paid off. Last December, they opened the full-service family-friendly restaurant and bar inside cool industrial digs adjacent to the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood.
“From Napoli to Nashville” is the company slogan, and it speaks to Chef Egi’s heritage—he was born and raised just outside Naples, Italy. In addition to his skill as a pizzaiola (slinging pizzas in both red and white styles), he’s crafting some remarkable salad and pasta dishes.
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Wine and dine under the gaze of actress Sophia Loren — another Naples native and subject of a stunning mural inside the restaurant. The Franciosas work with distributor 100% Italiano for their roster of Italian vintages. You can savor a glass of Montepulciano with a board of salumi and cheeses, or pore down the menu for some of the delectable bites.
Fresella makes a fine starter to share. It's served on a small round of wood-fired bread in an assembly of diced Roma tomatoes, arugula and luxurious dollops of Burrata cheese drizzled in olive oil and balsamic reduction. The Porlezza salad is creative and delicious: at its base is a slice of fried polenta — a kind of reverse crouton — crowned with cuts of Little Gem lettuces napped in Gorgonzola vinaigrette.
Pizzas are superb. We especially enjoyed the Margherita. Chef Egi does the classic Neapolitan pie justice, preparing it with crushed San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte (fresh mozzarella), fresh basil and a swirl of extra virgin olive oil. He makes the dough in the traditional manner with imported Caputo flour, which yields a soft yet chewy crust.
You’ll note four different fresh pastas on the menu. At our server’s suggestion, we ordered the Rigatoni in herbed cream sauce, which comes laced with crumbled black truffle sausage. Wow. It is rustic and lavish at the same time; the essence of truffle permeating the dish.
Ask about the evening specials. On one visit, the chef featured risotto capped with red wine-braised short rib in red sauce. It was expertly prepared — a succulent piece of beef nestled in spoon-creamy saffron-seasoned Arborio rice.
There are four desserts that include panna cotta and a chocolate torte, but, to date, we’ve been stuck on the tiramisu. Presented in a Champagne coup, it is as luscious as it is attractive.
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Spicy Boy’s
Chef and self-proclaimed “Spicy Boy” Justen Gardner Cheney knows true Louisiana cooking. He was raised in Ascension Parish — Cajun country — and can recall big family events where everybody got together and cooked. Pots of gumbo. Etoufees. Crawfish boils. That instilled a passion that ultimately directed his career, working with chefs and restaurateurs in New Orleans, New York and Nashville.
It was in Music City that he decided to put down roots and strike out on his own. His family secured a stone house on McFerrin Avenue, which Cheney almost single-handedly transformed into his fast-casual restaurant and bar. After you place your order at the walk-up window in the main room, find your seat at one of the booths or in the back bar area or the patio.
You can take in the aroma of toasty roux just setting foot into the place. And the lustrous dark brown color of Cheney’s gumbo is visual evidence. Packed with tender hunks of chicken and smoky housemade andouille sausage and finished with fragrant rice and green onion, it is everything you want in gumbo — full-flavored and soul-satisfying.
In addition to the andouille, Cheney makes boudin. And it is the real deal, the link a tasty mash-up of pork and rice. “I try to honor tradition,” he says. “This is like what I would get in a gas station off of I-10.”
Po-boys are another specialty, which you can get in half or full size, filled with the likes of fried shrimp, roast beef, fried catfish andouille sausage, even fried mushroom, if you are vegetarian. We ordered the Benny and Clovis — a NOLA original that dates from 1929 — roast beef “debris” (tender shards of meat in gravy) and crispy fries plied on the split baguette with mayo, shredded lettuce, tomato and pickles. How-wee, it is good. Cheney uses Leidenheimer French bread, the New Orleans po-boy gold standard. He knows what’s best and is diligent in recreating the classics.
”I pattern my roast beef po-boy after Parasol’s,” he says, “and my fried shrimp after Parkway.”
His fried shrimp (lightly battered in seasoned cornmeal, crisp and golden) also comes in platter format with choice of two sides (top-notch shredded coleslaw in comeback sauce) lemon and house cocktail sauce. We also appreciate that Cheney is a fan of Crystal hot sauce and will not abide Tabasco.
Lastly, dessert. Cheney makes a terrific bread pudding and serves it warm under a pour of boozy crème anglais.
Il Forno
ilfornowoodfired.com
1414 Third Ave., Suite 104, Nashville
615-739-6713
Hours: 4-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday
Reservations: Accepted
Alcohol: Full bar
Food: Italian
Cost: Appetizers $6-$19, antipasto platters $22-$82, pizza $14-$19, salads $14-$17, pasta $19-$20, dessert $8
Kids menu: Yes
Spicy Boy’s
spicyboysnashville.com
924 McFerrin Ave., Nashville
Hours: 11 a.m.-midnight Tuesday-Sunday
Alcohol: Full bar
Food: Cajun
Cost: Starters $6-$10, entrees $16, po-boys half $9-$13, whole $14-$20, sides $3-$5, dessert $6-$7
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville restaurants: Reviews of Il Forno and Spicy Boy's
