The Four Seasons’ Mimo had a pretty intense changing of the guard in 2024, and we can happily report that it continues to be a solid Italian option when you’re Downtown. The inside still feels like a modern Tuscan plaza with leafy potted palms and trees, bright sunlight streaming from the floor-to-ceiling windows, and sandy stone walls. But the menu’s been completely overhauled, with some mixed success.
The Italian food here is more of the coastal variety, and dishes tend to skew lighter—meaning plenty of seafood and vegetables—which isn’t a bad thing when you’re grabbing a bite before a show at the Ryman. The meal kicks off with complimentary briny olive tapenade and fluffy cubes of rosemary focaccia. From there, look for things like hamachi crudo with hazelnut, crispy corn, and lemon oil that’s light, bright, and the perfect foil to pastas like rich cacio e pepe ravioli. Other starters, like the meatballs and artichokes, trend bland and simply could use a sprinkle of salt.
The best part of a dinner at Mimo is, without a doubt, the dessert: a dead-on replica of two lemons made from white chocolate and filled with a lemon confit cream and basil gel. It tastes like biting into a piece of summer: light, bright, herbaceous, and bursting with juicy citrus notes.
Food RundownHamachi
Thinly sliced and chilled, each piece of the hamachi crudo delivers a little bit of crunch. That’s thanks to the hazelnuts and crispy corn. There’s also a hit of citrus that buoys the delicate sweetness of the fish.
photo credit: Casey Irwin
Wagyu Beef And Veal Meatballs
So much promise here. After all, it’s wagyu beef and veal—a power duo if we ever saw one. Especially when served with polenta, mozzarella, and tomato sauce. And yet, we find ourselves taking bite after bite, hoping to eventually find an explosion of acid, fat, and garlic that never comes.
photo credit: Casey Irwin
Ravioli Cacio E Pepe
These perfect egg yolk-yellow discs contain a spicy black pepper and truffle sauce that bursts from the pasta like the best, most savory Gusher.
Ora King Salmon
Crispy on the outside and fatty on the inside, the salmon here has got it going on. Unfortunately, the potato puree and the cauda sauce suffer from the same fate as the meatballs—lacking basic seasoning.
Amalfi Lemon
We’ve come to Mimo solely to enjoy this dessert and a glass of prosecco. When you need a little pick-me-up, come here and eat this.
photo credit: Casey Irwin
Dining and Cooking