There's a wave of new Italian restaurants, options in Nashville. Here’s the latest

Nashville's restaurant scene is flush with new Italian eateries.

The latest announcement comes on the heels of a string of new local fine-dining restaurants that serve Italian specialties from the traditional carbonara and cacio e pepe to salt-baked spigola fish.

Frank Pullara, chef and owner of Franklin's esteemed Culamar and Culaccino Italian restaurants, has announced plans to expand into Nashville. A second Culaccino location is slated to open next summer in Nashville Yards, a 19-acre premier development downtown that houses Amazon, Grand Hyatt and a music venue called The Pinnacle among new homes, retail and entertainment destinations in the Gulch.

"I was really excited for this opportunity and super proud of my team for all their hard work to be recognized for such a staple development for this city," Pullara said.

The planned new Culaccino restaurant joins a wave of new Italian restaurants including Luogo and Carne Mare in The Gulch; DeLuca on the west side; Iggy's in Wedgewood Houston; Salento Italia in Donelson; Yolan and Sinatra Bar & Lounge downtown; Frankies 925 Spuntino in East Nashville; Mimo at the Four Seasons Hotel and Pelato's Brooklyn-style Italian in Germantown.

Pullara believes there is room for even more because of its broad appeal.

"I think Italian food does well in many locations if it's done right," he said. "(It) is very approachable and very simple and if you don't complicate it and let the ingredients speak for themselves guests should respond very positively to it."

What prompted his expansion?

Some Nashville Yards developers who are repeat customers of the Franklin restaurant invited him to bring his flavors to the project in downtown Nashville.

"I was really excited for this opportunity and super proud of my team for all their hard work to be recognized for such a staple development for this city," he said.

On the menu: Braised rabbit corzetti, fermented woodfired pizza

Culaccino will be at the corner of Commerce Street and 9th Avenue North on the ground floor of The Emory residential tower in an approximately 6,700 square foot space with 20-plus-foot-high ceilings and wraparound covered patio. Part of the patio will face The Pinnacle, the development’s planned 4,500-capacity live music venue.

The Franklin restaurant's menu includes scratch-made pasta dishes such as braised rabbit corzetti with wild mushrooms, very good 72-hour fermented woodfired pizzas, seafood dishes, steaks and more.

He also said the newer location will closely mirror the look and feel of the original, and the menus will be identical.

"The only difference from one location to the next is there might be a little more elbow room," he said.

As for now, this is the only planned expansion, Pullara said, though anything is on the table.

"I've always had goals and ambitions that I have discussed with my business partners but we just take one day at a time and make sure what we have is performing up to our standards," he said. "If something comes up at the right time and we feel confident as a company then we will move on it. Opening businesses is very demanding and I try to balance this with my family life with my wife and twin 8-year-olds."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Italian food: Nashville restaurant offerings include new businesses