POETA AT THE FRANCES MODERN INN SERVES CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN WITH A SIDE OF SENTIMENTALITY.

A delicious food spread including eggplant and spaghetti carbonara. PHOTO BY JESSICA ATTIE PHOTOGRAPHY

In the last few years, “granny chic,” “coastal grandma” and “grandmacore” entered the lexicon, and suddenly millennials started sporting eyeglass chains and linen shorts while scouring flea markets for chintz and crotched blankets. Blessedly, turkey tetrazzini and Jell-O salad never made a comeback, yet we still yearned to find spaces as comfortable and welcoming as Grandma’s kitchen. Now that Poeta is here, we can recapture that feeling anytime—while enjoying meals that give our matriarchs seriously stiff competition.

The vintage vibe inside Poeta. PHOTO BY CHASE DANIEL IN ASSOCIATION WITH KIM LEWIS DESIGNS

Chef Krystal Craig, who co-owns the restaurant with fellow Austinite chef Ian Thurwachter, says it is by design that Poeta’s interiors share a vintage vibe with The Frances Modern Inn, a new boutique hotel sharing the building. “Frances Faust is the grandmother of Vicki Faust, the hotel proprietor, and whom the hotel is named after,” Craig explains. “On initial talks with Vicki about partnering with the hotel as a restaurant, we both knew we aligned after discussing her inspiration behind running a hotel coming from her grandmother’s ‘open door’ policy of all being welcome into her home: Vicki and I both believe the heart of hospitality embodies an ‘all are welcome’ approach to life and business.” No wonder fellow diners seemed equally at ease here, whether perched alone at the bar with a laptop or among a large group.

While the neighborly environment decorated with quirky tassel-trimmed lamps and floral velvet banquettes is likely to spark feelings of nostalgia, Poeta’s menu sits squarely in the category of contemporary cuisine. Much like Intero, the first restaurant Craig and Thurwachter opened, Poeta shares the same tenets of using locally sourced ingredients for an essentially Italian menu at surprisingly reasonable prices. But at Poeta, the menu comprises elevated versions of popular, all-day American-Italian dishes. For example, while Americans expect antipasto to resemble a charcuterie of cheese cubes and thinly sliced processed meats, here it incorporates a crunchy giardiniera of green beans, a colorful medley of olives cured with orange peel, smooth fresh-pulled mozzarella, and a garlicky, silky bowl of whipped white beans served with a few hearty slices of grilled ciabatta. The cravewrothy arancini, spheres of chewy arborio rice tinged with saffron fried to a perfect golden brown, arrives with a savory pine nut ragu and a flurry of shaved parmesan.

Wafflegato on the menu. PHOTO JESSICA ATTIE PHOTOGRAPHY

The trottole, curly pasta coated with pesto and topped with fresh ripped basil and zesty bits of sundried tomato, was easily one of the evening’s many highlights; that is, until the gnocchi dish arrived, with pan-finished potato pillows resting in a puddle of “tomato butter” and snuggled up to pastoral lamb confit. Hearty, comforting, satisfying, and downright delicious, it might just be one of the city’s best creations.

Save room for dessert, as it would be a sin to miss out on chef Craig’s expertise. Her olive oil cake is an irresistible treat, dressed with a subtle grapefruit curd, citrus cream and bits of crunchy meringue, while her layered tiramisu comprises all the luscious traditional components. But the chocolate torte served with a scoop of intoxicating amaretto gelato and a dusting of candied almonds, gets top marks. No doubt Grandma would approve. She might even serve you a second helping. 1123 E. 11th St., poetarestaurant.com