Far be it from me to tell people how to celebrate major holidays and milestones. ’Twere I a bagel shop, would I choose to have a shellfish boil during Passover? Probably not, but this particular gentile might take the opportunity to enjoy some mudbugs this week. More on that later.
First up is my kind of special day: the annual release of Jack Daniel’s Aged Series, which — though officially unannounced — somehow led dozens of people to line up outside of the Jack Daniel’s visitors' center last Tuesday in hopes of snagging the first bottles at the distillery’s White Rabbit Bottle Shop.
While I didn’t make the pilgrimage to Lynchburg to snag a precious bottle of this year’s releases of Jack Daniel’s 10-year, 12-year and 14-year Tennessee Whiskey, I was fortunate enough to acquire some small samples, and I’ll be sharing my impressions later this week. But I personally wouldn’t wait on anyone’s opinion if you want one of these bottles. I entered an online sweepstakes for the opportunity to buy one of them from the White Rabbit Shop, and you should too — even if it makes my odds worse.
To be clear, this 21-and-up sweepstakes is not to win a bottle — just the right to drive to Lynchburg and purchase a single bottle. But look at it this way: It’s a lot easier for a Middle Tennessee Bites reader to make that trip than a whiskey collector in Texas, so may the odds be in our favor. The sweepstakes only runs through April 7, so click on that link above as soon as you’re done reading this post.
For a more traditional, and certainly not as irreverent, holiday celebration, chef Hal Holden-Bache and his team at Lockeland Table will team up with Persian chef and cookbook author Louisa Shafia to celebrate Nowruz, the 3,000-year-old Iranian (or Persian) New Year. Traditionally, families celebrate the vernal equinox with spring cleaning and a Haft-Sin table set with symbolic ingredients.
The Lockeland team and chef Shafia will use some of those symbolic ingredients as part of a celebratory dinner menu on Thursday, April 2, at 6 p.m. Shafia serves as a culinary liaison for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, and the valuable organization will receive a portion of the proceeds from the dinner. Here’s the planned menu, in their words:
Snacks to Share
radish, herb salad, marinated feta, charred eggplant dip, garlic yogurt, accompaniments
terrine of beet, couscous, onions
smoked trout cake, ceviche, pickled onion, fig mustard
duck, date, and walnut meatballs
First Course
seared beef carpaccio, pomegranate seeds, balsamic glaze, sunflower seeds, herb oil, shaved celery
Second Course
citrus + herb poached fish, lentils w/ olives and golden raisins, citrus herb salad
Third Course
pistachio & almond-crusted braised lamb, tea-smoked rice, tomato stew, sour cherry salsa
Dessert
house-made baklava, marzipan, rose water jellies
Call 615-228-4864 to book your place at the Nowruz table.
Now about that decidedly non-kosher crustacean fest — I was mostly just kidding. I love that Bagelshop and The Gumbo Bros are coming together on Thursday, April 2, from 6 until 8 p.m. to throw a crawfish patio party on Bagelshop’s petite parklet at 2708 Old Donelson Road. The Louisiana boys will be boiling up fresh mudbugs, and Bagelshop will be contributing fun drinks and sweet treats, so what else could you ask for?
Finally, Sushi by Boū also has something to celebrate: one year of operating in a small but elegant private room behind the bar at the Dream Nashville hotel at 210 Fourth Ave. N. Designed for a fast-and-furious barrage of high-quality sushi presentations, Sushi by Boū is a great option for a preshow dinner that’s entertaining, delicious and relatively inexpensive. Especially compared to other omakase options around town, Sushi by Boū’s 12-course and 17-course menu options can be an affordable way to pamper yourself. They’ll also have you in and out in less than 90 minutes so you can head to that show at the Ryman or TPAC or whatever else you have planned that evening.
To celebrate a year in Nashville, Sushi by Boū is offering their signature 12-course omakase edomae-style sushi experience plus a luxurious caviar bump for just $75 through April 19. Sake and cocktail pairings are also available for an additional cost, and you can make reservations at Open Table. Kanpai!
