Y’all must be hungry for the holidays, because as I was preparing this week’s roundup of upcoming events, I noticed that more than half of them are already sold out. I won’t bother telling you about the things you can’t do. Instead, let's focus on some opportunities you can actually take advantage of.
First up is an ode to an old Nashville culinary classic, the spiced round. Now, there are a lot of things I miss about our erstwhile Scene colleague JR Lind, but one of my favorite things about him was when he allowed his obsession with local history grab ahold of him until he beat it into submission. It was even more entertaining to me when there was food involved, as with his treatise about the history of a longtime holiday tradition.
Long a staple of holiday tables across Nashville — and virtually nowhere else — spiced round looked to be headed for extinction.
You probably need to be close to my age (read: “old”) to have actually tasted a spiced round, which Lind describes as a variation of the “rinderbraten, a round of beef stuffed with pork fat, brined and spiced with a special mixture of cinnamon, allspice, cloves and brown sugar.” I remember the congealed sweet/spicy/fatty meat logs as a staple at office holiday parties, and you either steered completely clear of it or piled your plate with it. It was an acquired taste that I eventually learned to love.
Local food writer and culinary historian Jim Myers definitely remembers the spiced round, and I imagine it fits nicely with his Wisconsin heritage, considering it’s a meat treat. Myers has planned a one-night soiree to honor the almost forgotten delicacy coming up on Sunday, Dec. 7, at Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery. Not only will spiced round be served in all its traditional glory, but Myers has put together a murderers' row of Nashville chefs to offer their takes on the dish as part of a multicourse menu.
I’m not kidding about how impressive this list of chefs is:
- Kahlil Arnold - Arnold’s Country Kitchen
- Matt Bolus - The 404 Kitchen
- Josh Habiger - Bastion
- Cart Hach - Hachland Hall
- Karl Worley - Biscuit Love
- Andrew Little - Strategic Hospitality
- Trevor Moran - Locust
- Julia Sullivan - Henrietta Red and Judith Tavern
- Tandy Wilson - City House
- Michael Hanaghan - Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery
The event starts at 5:30 p.m., and tickets are available on Tock. Don’t miss out on this taste of history!
Also on Sunday, Dec. 7, is the Fourth Annual Santa Paws event at Nicky’s Coal Fired as part of their yearly St. Nicky’s holiday pop-up. Caroline and Tony Galzin are converting their cozy Italian restaurant into a full-on “Smoky Mountain Christmas,” straight from the intersection of CMT and Hallmark.
Santa Paws is a benefit for the Tiny But Mighty Fund to raise funds for the Nashville Humane Association. The event runs from 3:30 until 5:30 p.m., so you could drop by on the way to the spiced round supper to shop for monogrammed pet bandanas to benefit NHA, along with $1 from each pizza sold.
Speaking of Nicks, Mangia Nashville chef/proprietor Nick Pellegrino is bringing back his festive Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner for the 15th time on Sunday, Dec. 21. The Italian tradition is always a delicious way to kick off the holiday season, and Nick is bringing a legit menu to the party.
To wit:
House-Made Roasted Garlic & Black Carbon Focaccia
Tuna Crudo, Lemon, Caper, Calabrian Chili
Baccala Montecato, Grilled Polenta
Crab Cake, Mangia Mayo
Frutti Di Mare, Octopus, Calamari, Shrimp
Penne Pasta, Pellegrino Family Christmas Sauce
Lobster Risotto
Whole Red Snapper
Shrimp Scampi
Espresso Dusted Chocolate Truffle
Mini Panettone
All that, plus music and other festivities, is just $95 per person plus tax and tip. It always sells out, so make your reservations ASAP on Resy.
