We're barely into the first days of fall, but the culinary calendar is already filling up faster than Santa’s travel schedule for Christmas Eve. I hope you’ve got some open slots on your calendar for at least a few of these upcoming events, because there’s a lot to plan for!
Middle Tennessee chef Alex Belew must be a very brave man with a strong sense of self-worth. You might remember him from his stint running the kitchen at Murfreesboro’s Dallas & Jane, but he’s now taking on an even bigger challenge. Belew will be a contestant on the upcoming season of Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen, a guaranteed test of how well he can handle psychological abuse.
We’ll still be rooting for him, and worrying about his mental health, as he battles other cheftestants for the chance to have to keep working under the irascible chef Ramsey. If you’d like to cheer for him in person, Belew and fellow contestant Brett Binninger-Schwartz are hosting a watch party for the premiere this Thursday night, Sept. 29, at the Downtown Corner Pub at 151 Fifth Ave. N. from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Go give him some much-needed mental support!
October will mark a momentous event — the 35th anniversary of the venerable Midtown Cafe. Restaurateur Randy Rayburn has been at the helm for most of those years after purchasing it in 1997, and there are staff members that have been there for more than two decades. That’s definitely a rarity in this peripatetic hospitality labor market.
Rayburn and Midtown are commemorating this auspicious anniversary in a number of different ways during the month of October. He has written a fun collection of stories of his career and profiles of the characters he’s worked with and compiled them in a book titled Midtown Cafe: Cheers to 35 Years. Working with Karren Peel, Rayburn also shares stories of Sunset Grill and some of the beloved recipes throughout his career. No, he doesn't give up the details of Midtown’s legendary lemon-artichoke soup, but you can find out how to make voodoo pasta and the habanero butterscotch bread pudding in your home kitchen.
The book will be on sale for $15 at the restaurant only, with 35 percent of sales donated to the Randy Rayburn School of Culinary Arts scholarship program. Midtown will also sell gift cards in the restaurant or online at a 35 percent discount on purchases of $100 or more. Use that discount to save a little bit on your holiday gift giving or just eat cheap at Midtown for the next year! Your choice.
Speaking of that lemon artichoke soup, Midtown will donate 35 percent of all sales of it by the bowl or by the quart to the same scholarship fund. Finally, Rayburn and team really want to encourage diners to visit during October to be a part of the celebration, so they’re offering a special "greatest hits’"menu featuring fan favorites over 35 years, available all of October, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. [Note: a previous version of this article mentioned a different special which was changed before publication. Sorry about that.]
Tuesday, Oct. 4, marks the return of Taste of West Nashville, a celebration of West Side restaurants hosted by Fat Bottom Brewing from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 with ages 12 and under attending for free for the chance to sample wares from 24 food and drink vendors who are local to the neighborhood.Â
Local artists will provide musical entertainment throughout the event, and there will also be a large silent auction benefiting Dream Streets, an organization that supports under-resourced residents to West Nashville. A portion of your ticket purchase will also go to Dream Streets, so buy yours today.
Von Elrod’s is an ideal spot to celebrate Oktoberfest along with the traditional Germantown neighborhood festival. The entire neighborhood will be jumping Oct. 6 through 9 to celebrate beer, food and fellowship. Here’s what the beer hall and restaurant has planned for the long weekend, according to the Von Elrod's folks themselves:
- Thursday, Oct. 6: Big Stein Thursday 4 p.m.-close, where you can enjoy any big beer for the price of a small beer, and we’ll also have a DJ in the beer garden from 5 p.m.-11 p.m.! Our hours for Thursday, October 6, will be 11 a.m.-12 a.m.
- Friday, Oct. 7: Join us for LIVE Bluegrass music and brunch from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.! We will also have a DJ in the Beer Garden from 5 p.m.-11 p.m. with special Oktoberfest & Märzen-style beer offerings! Our hours for Friday, Oct. 7, will be 10 a.m.-12 a.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 8: Come celebrate Oktoberfest with us at Von Elrod’s with a DJ in the Beer Garden from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. and special Oktoberfest & Märzen-style beer offerings! Our hours for Saturday, Oct. 8, will be 11 a.m.-12 a.m. (This is a 21+ event.)
- Sunday, Oct. 9: Join us for live Bluegrass music, biscuits, and Big Ass Mimosas from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.! Our hours for Sunday, October 9 will be 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Jackalope and Von Elrod’s have come together for a new canned version of their joint project, Neighborhood Pilsner, and will debut the new package during the weekend.
Just a quick hitter, but if you’re a fan of barbecue, get thee to Lynchburg Oct. 14 and 15 for The Jack, officially known as the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue. Some of the best pitmaster teams in the world will be competing, and I’ll be judging for the 10th time. Holler at me through the fence of the judging pavilion and say you're a Bites reader, and maybe I’ll see if I can slip you a championship rib!
Le Diner en Blanc is coming to Nashville for the first time to a secret location on Saturday, Oct. 22. I’ve never been a part of one of these guerrilla dining events, but I did witness one in Vegas once as hundreds of people dressed head-to-toe in white descended upon the plaza in front of the Venetian bearing picnic baskets and their own tables, chairs, plates and silverware.
While the idea of a B-Y-O-Everything culinary flash mob seems more than a little weird to me, I’ll trust erstwhile Scene editor and frequent Bites contributor Steve Cavendish’s assessment of the event.
If you’ve got a mind to travel, head west to the Bluff City for the 2022 World Championship Hot Wing Contest & Festival at Tiger Lane in Memphis on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. More than 70 teams will compete for the right to be named King of Wings at this celebration of wings and flats. In addition to the chance to taste wings from many of the competing teams, there will be a wing-eating competition, a corn hole tournament and live music throughout the day.
This is the 25th interaction of the festival, and your admission will be used as a contribution to The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Memphis. To date, WCHWCF has raised more than $300,000 for RMH.Â
Another festival closer to home will be held on Sunday, Nov. 6, with the fifth-annual Nashville Harvest Festival. From 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., City Winery will welcome guests in to celebrate fall with culinary tastings, wine sampling, music and fun. More than 20 City Winery wines will be poured, and VIP guests will have access to exclusive and unreleased wines. Winery tours offering visitors an inside look on the winemaking process will be available all day for an additional $15 per person, and Head Winemaker Michelle Foletta Bell will be onsite to provide guidance during tastings and answer questions.
General admission tickets are $50, and VIP tickets run $80 apiece and include all GA activities plus access to the VIP Lounge with exclusive performances, additional wine tastings and food stations, and a VIP gift bag that includes a bottle of City Winery’s Harvest Fest Wine and a Riedel tasting glass. Designated Driver tickets are $15, and kids under 12 are free with any GA or VIP ticket purchase. Tickets are available here.
Speaking of wine, Husk welcomes the importers from Rare Wine Co. for a very special wine dinner in their intimate Stables private event space on Tuesday, Nov. 8, beginning at 6:30. Chef Ben Norton will craft a multicourse menu to pair with some spectacular Portuguese Madeira wines. Tickets for this exceptional dinner are $175 per person and are available at Husk’s reservation site.
