Eating Nashville: Sinema is gorgeous, but does the new menu match the vibe?

Since its opening 10 years ago, thousands of Nashvillians have been drawn in by the opulence and undeniable Hollywood charm of Sinema Restaurant + Bar.

That charm extends throughout the converted Melrose Theater space on Eighth Avenue South. Just search #SinemaSelfie to see the scores of women (and some men) who couldn't resist taking a pic in front of old-school glam dressing room lights and mirrors in the women's restroom, once the background for a Kacey Musgraves photo shoot. In 2018, our own Tennessean reporters ranked it the most bodacious bathroom in Nashville.

Just this year, we called Sinema the sexiest spot for a Valentine's dinner.

Yes, restaurant owners have nailed the vibe. But how's the food?

Sinema started 10 years ago with TV's "Top Chef" contestant Dale Levitski, who moved here from Chicago to take over the kitchen. Two years later, Chef Kyle Patterson — part of the staff since Sinema opened — took over as executive chef, but he left late last year in pursuit of other opportunities.

Chef Shelby Briggs, who according to a Sinema publicist, "draws inspiration from her experiences in world travel," took over after working most recently at the exclusive Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Florida.

We made three visits to Sinema in the past two weeks to sample her food.

Brad: Mack, as soon as you walk in, you can't help but be wowed by what an amazing job designers did in converting the old Melrose Theater, an exclusive film house for Nashville's hoity-toity from the 1940s through the 1980s. I mean, the gorgeous brass-accented lobby bar, the velvet, the black-and-white Hollywood star portrait pictures — so cool!

Mack: It's gorgeous indeed, and I love the art deco touches, the jewel tones and the upstairs bar area, which feels sexy even at 5 p.m. when I visited most recently. It's also notably clean, which must be a chore given the size of the place and what appears to be its popularity. On a recent Saturday night the restaurant was packed to the gills shortly after it opened, though subsequent visits were not quite as busy.

I'd also note the cocktail program has some stellar offerings, including a smoked Old Fashioned and the French Square, a rather large rye-based offering with vermouth, Benedictine and cognac. The bar holds more than 200 whiskies, including some private barrel selections.

If it seems like I'm loading the front end with good news, that's by design. Because there were some clunkers during all three visits we'll have to address, the biggest of which is an oddly uneven hand with seasoning.

Brad: True story. There was either way too much or way too little. But let's start at the beginning. The Caesar salad, well, didn't seem to be a Caesar salad. There was little garlic in the dressing, which seemed more like a lemon vinaigrette than anything else. And, I'm going to nitpick here, but the menu promised an anchovy, and it was MIA. (An anchovy did appear on my salad on my second visit to Sinema.)

I have to say that I was super bummed about the pierogies as well. They sat in a puddle of cold, thick, flavorless gravy, both times I visited Sinema. And, for me, pierogies — dumplings from Central and Eastern Europe that are ubiquitous in my native Pittsburgh — are lightly pan-fried with butter and onions. Sinema's take seemed more, as you said, Mack, like empanadas.

Mack: My biggest quibble was with that sauce, listed on the menu as a potato-leek emulsion. It seemed like it had been both overworked and allowed to cool until pasty. The entire dish, as a result, was clunky and heavy.

The crab and corn Cappelletti needed more salt, acid, heat, really anything. The scallop dish was unevenly seasoned, with one scallop aggressively salted and another naked. A gorgeous salad of carrots, beets and arugula also suffered from too much salt between the feta, pickled carrots, an overly seasoned pesto, croutons and a finishing shower of flaky Maldon salt.

On the other hand was the much-talked-up chicken Parmesan pasta. That chicken, which our server told us the chef learned how to make in Italy, was delicious and deeply flavored. But the tangle of linguine it came on was comparatively bland to put it, uh, mildly.

Brad: Yeah, that crab and corn pasta dish was disappointing because it sounded really interesting. And for me, each scallop I ate, over multiple visits to Sinema, was coated in way too much salt. Barely edible, honestly. It didn't help that the scallops are served with naturally salty pork belly, which, again, is an interesting pairing but the execution didn't work.

The lamb shank came out bland, for me, as well. The cheeseburger? Excellent beef, wonderful fresh Kaiser bun, but overall, bland.

Some better news in the desserts, yeah, Mack?

Mack: Yes but one thing before we move on: My burger was excellent! The best thing I ate at Sinema hands down. I loved the fries on the side which appear to be brined in a vinegar solution before they're fried, which pulls at my Chesapeake Bay-raised heartstrings.

As for the desserts, that was one of the only places where salt was used perfectly, oddly enough. The salted coffee ice cream was delicious in the mocha crumble, for example, though we did encounter some textural issues.

Brad: Yeah, I thought I was going to break the bowl — I had to push down so hard with my spoon on the dark chocolate shell that it smashed into the bottom. But that lemon cheesecake with white chocolate and strawberry pink peppercorn? Indeed, that was good.

I really want to love this place. It's so vibey, as the kids say. And it's a great hang for a few drinks, for sure. The food, though, was inconsistent and, for me, often disappointing. And with no valet service, parking can be challenging.

Mack: To me, this place has a lot going for it, including friendly and accommodating staff, a great bar program and lovely décor. The food is beautifully plated and on the right track conceptually, by and large. Why it's so uneven is hard to say.

So what do you think of Sinema? Have a place you'd like Mackensy and Brad to visit? Reach Brad at brad@tennessean.com and Mackensy at mlunsford@tennessean.com.

If you go

What: Sinema Restaurant + Bar, a high-profile, Hollywood-themed converted movie theater

Where: 2600 8th Ave S., #102

Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday. Brunch is served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Prices: $12 to $28 for starters and $26 to $62 for mains. "Bottomless brunch" is $42.

For more info: SinemaNashville.com

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville dining review: Sinema has sexy vibe but food can miss