Despite the fact that I wrote in 2022 that Alex Burch was aiming for a spring opening of his new East Nashville restaurant Bad Idea, well … sometimes things get in the way of progress. Burch has finally managed to overcome all the barriers in his way, and Bad Idea is finally slated for an Oct. 10 opening in the former church sanctuary at 1021 Russell St.
My colleague Margaret Littman noted more than a year ago that chef Colby Rasavong had been tapped as executive chef, so at least the good news is that Rasavong has had the chance to pre-plan menus for all four seasons as he waited to officially get into the kitchen and start working on his list of dinner dishes and late-night bites inspired by his Lao-American heritage and seasonal ingredients to accompany wine expert Burch’s vision of a restaurant centered around a 3,000-plus-bottle wine program.
We’ll let you know more about this particular Bad Idea after we actually get to visit, but until then, congratulations to Burch and his team for reaching the finish line!
Switching to a good idea, Atlanta-based Giving Kitchen has continued efforts to help out restaurant workers in need across the U.S., including from a satellite office here in Nashville. In order to raise awareness of the program and raise funds to distribute to hospitality industry members who find themselves in times of crisis, Giving Kitchen has established a national initiative called Dining With Gratitude.
For the month of October, restaurants are encouraged to sign up to be a part of the program by committing to contribute $1,000 to Giving Kitchen. This gift can be in the form of an online gift or by raising funds through their own in-house campaign. Giving Kitchen has already received pledges from restaurants from Washington to Pennsylvania, including fro here in Tennessee, with Maiz de la Vida, Peg Leg Porker, Chauhan Ale and Masala House, Chago's Belmont Cantina and Black Dynasty Secret Ramen House signing on as early participants.
Some restaurants are pledging to donate the proceeds from a particular dish during the month or a percentage of sales over a specific time period. Others might hold raffles of other fundraisers to get to the $1,000 minimum. Giving Kitchen doesn’t care how they choose to do it, but the organization stands ready to assist with promotion of any efforts by participating restaurants.
In fact, if any of you are old enough to remember when Jerry Lewis used to send out guides for holding your own muscular dystrophy fundraiser as part of his annual Labor Day telethon, Giving Kitchen is doing a similar thing with a handy toolkit to assist any restaurant that wants to take part in Dining With Gratitude. If you’re a restaurant that wants to be a part of the party, it’s not too late to sign up and make your pledge.
When it comes to Southern cider, no one has had a greater impact on the growing industry than Diane Flynt. Her Foggy Ridge Cidery in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia created some of the finest juice I have ever tasted, but she released her last bottle back in 2017. At that point, Flynn made the choice to contribute to the growth of cider as a horticulturist, growing trees and donating seeds to burgeoning cider companies across the region, like a modern-day Jenny Appleseed.
Since many of the apple varieties used in fine cider are heirlooms rarely seen in modern orchards, and the trees can take decades to reach maturity, her efforts have been indispensable in spreading new cideries around the region, including at Middle Tennessee’s Southall Farm. Flynn worked with orchardist Josh Martin to design, plant and grow Southall’s apple crop, and she’ll be returning to the farm and inn Oct. 6-8 for a weekend dedicated to celebrating the history of apples.
The visit is timed with the release of Flynt's book Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived: The Surprising Story of Apples in the South. Flynt will join Martin to host a weekend full of apple-icious activities and educational activities that will hopefully encourage attendees to go home and plant their own fruit trees. If you’re interested in attending, visit Southall’s website to sign up.
I’m a member of the Foodies of Nashville Facebook group, and I appreciate how this large group of food-obsessed locals manages to intelligently discuss Nashville restaurants while rarely getting snippy with someone who asks a question that snobs might think is beneath their dining activities. Looking for a good bowl of French onion soup? They’ll help out. Want to grab a quick, cheap meal before a movie in a mall? FoN is there to help.
The group also maintains a website and has put together its own Foodies of Nashville Restaurant Week, which will actually run for more than a week, Nov. 3-12. Through members’ relationships with restaurants, the group has assembled a roster of more than 20 dining spots that will be offering special off-menu dishes and deals for diners who purchase an FoN Restaurant Week passport for $25. Diners who get their passports stamped will also have the chance to win prizes at the end of the promotion.
While specific dishes and deals are still being finalized, Foodies of Nashville has released the list of participating restaurants, and it’s pretty impressive:
- 5th & Taylor
- Aloha Fish Company
- Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii
- Black Rabbit
- Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer
- Cafe 100
- Chrysalis Modern Italian
- Cledis Burgers & Beer Garden
- Common Ground Bar & Eatery
- Drips Coffee Shop
- Fat Bottom Brewing Co
- Fat Tiger KBBQ & More
- Germantown Cafe
- Hathorne
- J Street Korean Grill & Bar
- Lyncoya Cafe
- Makeshift
- The Mockingbird
- New York Butcher Shoppe
- Primrose Table
- Smokin Oaks Organic Farms
- Tansuo
- The Original Campione’s Taste of Chicago — Gallatin location only
- Trattoria La Caverna
- Tutti Da Gio
Check in for further details and to buy your passport at the event website.
Finally, mark your calendar for a special four-course wine dinner on Oct. 25 at Marsh House in the Thompson Hotel. Marsh House’s excellent sommelier Todd Johnston has teamed up with wine importers Authentique Vin to put together a menu of seven wines from Jura and Loire Valley to complement the four courses coming out of the kitchen.
Only 18 guests will be able to take advantage of this experience that will begin at 6 p.m. and cost $140 inclusive of tax and tip, so you’d better hurry up and make your reservation if you want a seat at the table.
Still waffling? Check out this menu and then get out your credit card!
Course 1: Raw Bar (sparkling)
NV Jo Landron Atmosphères/Loire Valley (fresh, white peach, jasmine, mineral, salty, zesty)
NV Bénédict et Stéphane Tissot BBF/ Crémant du Jura
(spice, yeast, toasty, baked apples, lemon yogurt, sharp, bright, frothy)
Course 2: Fish/Vegetable (white)
2022 François Chidaine Sauvignon Blanc/Touraine (ripe pineapple, mango, citrus, lime leaf, pure & fresh)
2021 François Chidaine Clos du Breuil/Montlouis-sur-Loire (dense, polished, stony minerality, citrus, almond, ripe pear, saline, lemon)
Course 3: Meat/Game (red)
2018 Bénédicte et Stéphane Tissot DD/ Arbois (raspberry, cranberry, rose, violet, spice, clean damp earth)
2018 Bénédict et Stéphane Tissot Trousseau Singulier/ Arbois (floral, aromatic, baking spice, black cherry, sappy, fine-grained tannins)
Course 4: Dessert (sweet white)
2021 François Chidaine Moelleux/ Montlouis-sur-Loire (honey, golden apple, candied pear, rich, baked apple, hard cheese)
*wine offerings may vary slightly depending on availability.
