Among a cluster of early-20th- century industrial buildings and massive cranes — a sign of Wedgewood-Houston’s reinvention — sits a new, multitiered out- door restaurant patio accented by lush greenery and awash in white lights. On a recent Sunday night, sounds of laid-back electronic pop music spilled out of the newly opened hot spot as patrons hurried in, signaling that Aba is the place to be.
Inside the California-influenced Mediterranean restaurant, there’s a lot to take in. There are 7-foot planters sus- pended from soaring ceilings, in addition to an expansive skylight. On the first floor of the two-story 12,000-square foot res- taurant, there’s even more greenery — and trees flanking wooden tables and leather- back chairs.
A cluster of large Venetian glass chande- liers is a focal point of the main dining room, which — along with the other found and curated light fixtures — gives the restaurant a warm, almost amber radiance.
“I think we’re trying to transport people to summertime in the Mediterranean,” says Marc Jacobs, executive partner and division- al president of Lettuce Entertain You, the Chicago-based restaurant group he oversees with chef partner and “Top Chef” alum CJ Jacobson. “It’s a vacation,” he explains. “We’re taking you away. You don’t know if
you’re here — if you’re in Nashville, if you’re in Greece, if you’re in Israel. You don’t know where you’re at. That’s the goal ... to take people somewhere else.”
Marc designed the restaurant with Avril Zayas, Lettuce Entertain You’s in-house interior design director. Nashville-based Powell was the architect.
This is the third Aba (which means “father” in Hebrew). The other two are in Chicago and Austin. And while the loca- tions may share some common design ele- ments, he says, each one is different. Many of the pieces are collected from galleries and vintage shops from all over the world. In the case of the Italian chandeliers, Marc found one in an antique shop in Spain and then commissioned a vendor in Italy to make more like it.
On the second floor, which seats 80 and can be used for private dining, there are large hanging lights made from vintage Parisian street lamps. Marc has been col- lecting them from shops all over Europe and from a supplier in his hometown of Chicago. He has a warehouse to store all his purchases, knowing that at some point, he’ll have a place for them.
All in the Details
Mirrors with elaborate frames add dimension, while marble tiles add texture to the floors and walls. The noteworthy lighting fixtures — one fashioned almost entirely from strips of soft leather — make their own statement.
“Aba [features] a lot of earthy, warm tones,” says Marc. “We feel like, again, we’re in the Mediterranean — but we’re inland, so we’re among all the trees and all the plant life. So we do a lot of brown and cream and earthy greens.”
Mezze
The menu offers items designed to be shared, such as sweet potato hummus with brown butter tahini and toasted pecan; whipped feta spread with crushed pistachio; and green chili shrimp with garlic, parmesan cheese, and Calabrian chili breadcrumbs. Some items are exclusive to Nashville — including a pork tenderloin kebab with napa cabbage, red onion, pineapple amba and pecans.
Cocktails include spirits and wines from producers in the Mediterranean, as well as collaborations with neighboring businesses, like Jackalope Brewing Company and Diskin Cider.
Private Dining
The restaurant, including the second-floor dining room and the multitiered patio, seats 340 guests. (The patio alone seats 150.) Most of the spacious patio is covered, in case of rain. There will be heaters, fans and misters outside so it can be used year-round.
Currently, the restaurant is open 4-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 4-9 p.m. Sunday.
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