Grill Americano

Overview

This grand Flinders Lane restaurant from Melbourne hospitality stalwart Chris Lucas (Chin Chin, Yakimono, Society) is quite the showstopper. From the entrance, the lofty 145-seat space sets out to envelop you, presenting a plush vision of rich blue banquettes and waitstaff clad in white jackets.

It's a study in modern elegance, with a steakhouse-style offering of Northern Italian flavours and a name inspired by the Americano cocktail — here, crafted with a cacao nib vermouth and served with chocolate-dipped mandarin.

An impressive 14-metre marble bar offers front-row seats to the open kitchen and its pride and joy: a handmade, custom-built woodfired oven imported from Naples and a Josper charcoal grill.

There's a strong sense of old-school hospitality at play, matched by a menu steeped in European sensibilities made with traditional Italian techniques. Expect elegant tableside finishes aplenty.

Snack fiends and aperitivo aficionados will be all about the cicchetti offering, starring the likes of grilled sardines with pancetta and aged reggiano with organic Piedmontese chestnut honey. Freshly baked focaccia is teamed with green olive butter, and you'll find a premium lineup of Italian salumi.

Grill Americano's signature pasta offerings are whipped up fresh each day. Standouts include a lobster tortellini with saffron and a spanner crab linguini. Though most will find it hard to pass up the selection of steaks, all traditionally finished with a lick of olive oil, lemon and rosemary. Their meaty hero is a hefty 1.2-kilogram Bistecca alla Fiorentina t-bone.

And come dessert there's an unmissable menu of sweet creations that includes a reworked tiramisu and an elegant take on the trifle.

There's an expansive, global curation of vino, with a Coravin system to take full advantage of the 2000-strong cellar collection. Meanwhile, signature cocktails at Grill Americano feature plenty of Italian influence and subtle twists — try the smoked negroni, or a house bellini fusing white peach and elderflower.

Images: Adrian Landers and Grill Americano