She Who Feasts: Little Hats Italian Market

It feels good to have your socks blown off every once in a while from a good meal. I heard rumors of Nashville's Little Hats Italian Market expanding to Williamson County and was excited to read the news of its official opening. We jumped in the car, excited to see what the hype was about because, as with every new establishment, social media was blowing up with a mix of emotions and feedback.

Let me be the first to set the record straight; the food is delicious. We over-ordered for our meal but instead of our normal feast for two, we wanted enough to take home food to feed two hungry teens.

We ordered a variety of menu highlights and were able to chat with one of the business partners while we waited on our food. We heard about the story of the brand and additional expansion plans for the future. We were also told that they had just received permission from the liquor board to move forward with serving so they will be filling up the bar and begin alcohol service by the beginning of next week.

Our food arrived quickly and took over our tiny table. We started with the arancini, a steaming hot hockey puck of risotto and gooey cheese served with a sweet lemon herb dipping sauce and a cup of house made marinara. It was delicious, cheesy, slightly crunchy and made for a good cousin to traditional cheese sticks. Next, we worked our way through the Italian beef sandwich. My husband is from Illinois and inherited a generational love for this beloved classic so we couldn't resist. Unlike the traditional Chicago roll it is typically served on, the bread was a perfectly prepared on a fresh Italian sub roll, similar in texture to a sourdough loaf with a great crusty exterior and pillowy inside. The generous portion of thinly shaved beef was piled high atop a garlic aioli and served with a cup of au jus and a side of giardiniera. It is delicious. Next time we will request a slab of provolone to be added in keeping with our preferred family version of the sandwich but it is yummy as is.

Our massive bowl of bolognese and rigatoni arrived piping hot. This portion is generous enough for two to share. It had a creamy, smokey flavor from the hint of paprika and large shavings of fresh parmesan. The Bolognese had tiny flecks of fresh vegetables throughout, prepared just the way I imagine an Italian grandmother would make her gravy. The meats pizza arrived with a giant pair of scissors to allow you to cut your portion of the pie. I am a sucker for a good pizza crust and this was a chewy crust perfection with a great bit of char from the oven and soft interior. This pizza featured house made sauce, sausage, cupperoni, bits of super crunchy prosciutto, and a slightly sweet whipped ricotta with ribbons of fresh basil. It is incredible.

We ended our meal with a slice of homemade Ricotta Lemon Cheesecake as we packed up our mountain of leftovers to bring home to our hungry kids. I would suggest you run, don't walk to the market. You can maybe pick up a few bags of fresh pasta to cook at home or one of the other Italian pantry staples that you wouldn't normally find in your average grocery. I promise you will not be disappointed.