Sean Porter continues his march toward world wiener domination with the upcoming opening of his latest outpost of Daddy’s Dogs in Madison on Friday, Aug. 2. He’ll open the doors at 1500 Gallatin Pike S. at 11 a.m. with actual comfortable sit-down dining.
Gramp's Garage to join burgeoning Gallatin Pike corridor
"We’re so excited to be coming to Madison and for the opening of this location!” says Porter in the official announcement. “Two words: Air Conditioning! This is our first location with indoor seating, so you could say we're getting fancy!”
I’ve lost count, but I think this might push the number of Daddy’s Dogs restaurants, pushcarts and concession stands to 10 (they're also working on bringing a bar to the East Side), so congrats to the whole organization! If you want to offer your own kudos, drop by on opening day for a chance to win tickets and prize packs for the Titans, Nashville SC and Marathon Music Works.
On Saturday, Aug. 10, the Harpeth Hotel’s 1799 Kitchen & Cocktails chef Thomas Tuggle is joining The Southern Whiskey Society for the upcoming Southern Food & Whiskey Experience. That will take place at Liberty Hall in The Factory at Franklin from 5 until 9 p.m.
The event will kick off in The Pairings Room with 10 local chefs preparing food to pair with whiskeys. After that reception, guests will retire to The Tasting Room for a grand tasting of more than 150 spirits from 30 distilleries. There will also be a premium cigar experience as part of the event.
Tickets range from $99 to $300 depending on tier selection and can be purchased here.
If you’ve never visited Glen Leven Farm, you might be surprised to discover there is a working farm nestled into the middle of Oak Hill, just a few minutes from downtown at 4000 Franklin Pike. Protected and operated by The Land Trust for Tennessee, Glen Leven occasionally opens up for visitors for Community Days. The next one of these will be on Saturday, Aug. 10, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. and will feature the beehives and honey of the farm. The free family-friendly events at Glen Leven feature a 1.4-mile nature trail, a historic home, an education garden and two miniature donkeys.
Another little-known fact: The largest whiskey-consuming country in the world is not the U.S.; it’s India, where more than half of the world’s whiskey is consumed. Of course, India does have four times the population of the United States, and if you go by a per capita consumption basis, Ireland wins in a landslide.
This is all to say, whiskey is a big part of Indian culture, and they produce some really remarkable spirits there. Straight Up 615, the events and journalism project of local whiskey writer Cary Ann Fuller, has invited Ashok Chokalingam of Amrut Indian Single Malts to town in conjunction with Tarak Patel of Elixir Spirits for an evening of whiskey tasting. That will take place from 6 until 9 p.m. at Urban Grub on Thursday, Aug. 15. The event will begin with a cocktail and snack before sitting down to a full dinner paired with five of the award-winning whiskeys of Amrut selected by Chokalingam.
If you’re interested in learning about these rare whiskeys while enjoying a great meal, make your reservations at the event website.
Fans of al fresco dining should mark Saturday, Aug. 24, on their calendars for Dinner & Music Under the Stars at Vanderbilt’s Dyer Observatory at 1000 Oman Drive from 5 until 9 p.m. Attendees will enjoy a gourmet meal prepared and catered by chef Charlotte Miller of Mama Blanche Catering and the young chefs of Cafe Momentum Nashville, along with live jazz courtesy of Annie Sellick and Tom Sturdevant.
Once the stars come out, the observatory’s telescopes will be available for sky viewing. Tickets are $125 per person at the event website, and proceeds benefit Tennessee Local Food.
Finally, the final details are still coming together for this year’s Nashville Whiskey Festival and Battle of the Spirits, presented by Corkdorks Oct. 11 through 13 — but there's a deadline coming up that I figure you’d like to know about. Early-bird ticket pricing will end this Friday, Aug. 1, so if you want to save a little money and know you want to attend, I suggest you jump on it and buy your tickets today!
We’ll share more details for the birds who slept a little later as the event dates approach.
