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Nashville, Tennessee

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Dining
March 23, 2006


Dining Notes

by Kay West

Big house

Germantown Café, the neighborhood bistro owned by Chris Lowry (front of the house) and Jay Luther (back of the house), has been under reconstruction, closing briefly for the final stages of the project. The highly anticipated remodeling, unveiled on St. Patrick’s Day, added a private room for 28 guests and a slightly larger bar in the previously vacant space next door, increasing the interior space by 50 percent. The original bar has been replaced with about 25 more dining seats on a raised platform, the better to enjoy views of the Bicentennial Mall, the state capitol, the downtown skyline and the top of the Coliseum, all beautifully framed in the Madison Street windows. Now that the din of construction has cleared, Chef Luther is concentrating on menu revisions to take advantage of the coming growing seasons. Germantown Café, 1200 Fifth Ave. N., 242-3226, www.germantowncafe.com.

Open house

Want an industry-insider’s look at the craziness, chaos and unanticipated calamities of opening a restaurant, not to mention on-camera confessions of what people really think about restaurateur Randy Rayburn? Pull up a seat at Cabana, Hillsboro Village’s newest dining, drinking and high-profile hot spot, on Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. for a screening of Opening Soon, a Canadian-produced documentary/reality show that airs on the Fine Living Channel. The Cabana episode is the show’s first foray into a secondary market (sorry, Mayor Purcell), but apparently Rayburn’s reputation extends far beyond Music City boundaries—he was, after all, the wizard behind the screen of the legendary ’80s bar/restaurant Third Coast. The Opening Soon crew came to town five times over three months and was given complete access to the principals. Cameras trailed Rayburn, Craig Clifft and Brian Uhl as they met with designers, architects and contractors. Frank footage of everyone from builders to busboys shows viewers that opening a restaurant is not for anyone with a weak stomach. Industry insiders offer opinions on the venture; in the interest of full disclosure, I was one of those interviewed. Reservations are now being taken for private screenings in Cabana’s cabanas, each of which has its own flat-screen television. Call 577-2262 or visit www.cabananashville.com.

House wine

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The Preds are icing down the wine to benefit the Nashville Predators Foundation. On Wednesday, March 29, from 6-10 p.m., more than 100 wines will be available for tasting on the floor of the GEC, along with heavy hors d’oeuvres, Levy Restaurants’ culinary creations, Jack Daniel’s whiskey tastings, photo opportunities with Gnash, a silent auction, tours of the locker room and cross-checking with players. Tickets for the event are $65 and can be purchased through www.nashvillepredators.com or by calling 770-2321. Proceeds benefit the foundation’s grants to area charities and nonprofits. Serious oenophiles can partake of the five-course wine dinner at 7:30 p.m. in the Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Club with Napa Valley Vineyards Beringer winemaker Ed Sbragia. The $200 tickets include VIP parking and admission to the wine festival.

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