Well, tonight’s the big night — when chefs from around the South gather in Greenville, S.C., to find out if they’ve won a coveted Michelin star. Or if they've won one of the other designations, like a Bib Gourmand, the level right below a star and named after Bibendum, the Michelin Man (pictured above). Other designations that you might see attached to Nashville restaurant names include the Green Star, created to honor restaurants that are pioneers in sustainable gastronomy, and even more likely “Michelin-recommended” for restaurants that are recognized for having "good cooking."
The reason everyone is flocking to Greenville is that it’s the tire giant's U.S. headquarters. (Like how Bridgestone is headquartered here in Nashville — so don’t be surprised if the French-owned tire company pulls a pretty big flex some year and brings the regional announcements here.)
I’ve attempted to temper expectations, considering the region Nashville is a part of used to just include Atlanta, but now it includes all of Georgia, plus Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. There are some pretty heavy-hitter restaurant cities in that geography, including New Orleans, Charleston and Birmingham, so I don’t expect a ton of stars to be awarded.
But I have heard about quite a few Nashville restaurants getting invitations, including a few surprises that you wouldn’t necessarily consider fine dining but are damned good restaurants. I won’t share any names in advance in case I received some incorrect intel. But I should probably go on the record with some sort of guess, so I’ll say: two or three one-star restaurants in Nashville, 10 to 12 Bib Gourmands, maybe one or two Green Stars and 10 "Michelin-recommended" designees.
If you want to see how wrong I am or just celebrate Nashville’s status as a Michelin-honored dining destination, Josh Habiger and the good folks at Bastion are throwing a Michelin watch party tonight starting at 5:30 p.m. at 434 Houston St. And yes, there will be nachos! The awards kick off at 6:30, and they run through them fast, but there are a lot of states to recognize.Â
Tokyo Confidential lands on a lot of lists of the world’s best bars, and they are bringing their guiding principle of “chaos meets elegance” from Tokyo to Nashville this week on Nov. 5 and 6. Specifically, they’re popping up at Silo, the neighborhood restaurant inside the Canopy by Hilton Nashville Downtown at 920 Division St. (Or as I like to remember it, the former Yazoo taproom.)
From 8 p.m. until midnight both nights, the Tokyo Confidential x Silo Takeover will turn the space into a disco wonderland that I’m sure was what Linus Hall was imagining when he moved his brewery to Madison. Led by the bar’s founder, award-winning bartender Holly Graham, the music and energy will be pumping, the neon will be glowing, and the decor will be straight outta Tokyo.
The event will offer a specialty menu of eight signature cocktails crafted by Tokyo Confidential, paired with collaborative bites from Silo that offer nods to the two capital cities. Those will include the Nashville Hot Pork Katsu Sandwich, the Peking Duck Hot Dog, the Pizza BTS and the Mac & Cheese Menchi Katsu.
There’s no cover to attend the event, but that doesn’t guarantee a spot at the first-come-first-served party. If you want to ensure entry, VIP tickets are available for $25 and include a special entrance and complimentary welcome cocktail in an iconic lucky cat glass. VIP tables are available for reservation for a $75 minimum spend per person. Tickets can be purchased here.
