City: Nashville, TN

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (615) 227-4668

Address: 1017 Woodland St.

Insider Pick:

Description: If your epicurean fantasies are set in Provence or Tuscany, you’ll enjoy dining at Margot, which specializes in rustic French and Italian cuisine. Chef Margot McCormack opened this restaurant in June 2001. It quickly became a hot spot for east Nashville residents, and the buzz spread around town. It’s now one of Nashville’s in places to dine. Housed in a renovated 1930s gas station building in east Nashville’s Five Points area, Margot is cozy and vibrant, with brick walls, antique mirrors, and simple, colorful furnishings setting the tone for either a dress-down or dress-up occasion. Margot also has a nice patio for outdoor dining in the summer. The menu changes daily, and there are usually 6 entree choices. Recent menu samples include tuna tartar with kalamata vinaigrette appetizer; roast pork chop with Gorgonzola, roasted potatoes, and Swiss chard; and braised lamb shank with soft polenta, escarole, and tomato rosemary broth. Desserts always include sorbet and ice cream, often in exotic flavors, as well as three to five other selections, perhaps a bread pudding, raspberry brown butter tart, tiramisu, or chocolate pot de crème. The restaurant has a nice wine list, with many selections from France and Italy, and about 30 varieties available by the glass. Margot is open for dinner Tues through Sat and Sunday brunch. Reservations are suggested, especially on weekends.