Tin Angel Restaurant, Nashville

"Make it good, make it interesting, and try to avoid getting weird for weird's sake." Those are the words of Tin Angel co-owner Rick Bolsom, who recently spoke with Nashville Lifestyles about the values that inform his restaurant’s menu of upscale American food. What's most important to him, though, is comfort. "It's Tuesday night," he said, "I like you to feel comfortable enough to come here when you're hungry."

The Menu

Though Bolsom isn't trying to change the culinary game at The Tin Angel, he is trying to realize a rare pairing of bygone comforts with forward-thinking cuisine. Menus change on a seasonal basis, giving the chefs ample opportunities to discover creative new uses for their frequently locally sourced ingredients. Such ingredients include grass-fed beef and locally grown vegetables, both of which pair perfectly with wines from around the world.

A Look Inside

Evidently, the values of familiarity and creativity have been applied in equal parts to the restaurant itself. Anchored by a freestanding fireplace, The Tin Angel's gently restored interior houses refurbished pub tables, brick archways, and local artwork beneath a pressed-tin ceiling that, along with much of the decor, nods to the building's historic roots.

Raves

• "I hadn’t dined there in a while and was reminded, after an astonishing meal of salmon, rare grilled on a cedar plank with autumn root vegetable hash and black pepper beurre blanc, that dinner at The Tin Angel is not always good. Sometimes, it is great." – The Tennessean
• "In a world full of no-place-specials, Tin Angel is the neighborhood bistro that Nashvillians make their own." – Local Table
• "Though the restaurant is casual, it’s also hardly boring. The menu has an international flair. We ordered Codillo, a Spanish dish of hearty farro risotto topped with pork shank braised in red wine with ginger and tomato. Merely touch it with fork and it falls off the bone." – Nashville Lifestyles