I hope you haven’t already filled your culinary calendar for October, because it’s going be a busy. The pace will only get faster as Halloween approaches, so you’ll have to schedule carefully — or look into that cloning thing. Here are just a few events worth your consideration.
First off is Black Restaurant Week, which runs from today, Sept. 29, until next Saturday, Oct. 9. This national initiative organizes special restaurant weeks in cities around the country at various times of the year, and now it’s time to shine a spotlight on Nashville’s Black-owned eateries.
Black Restaurant Week celebrates the flavors of African American, African and Caribbean cuisine, and assists Black-owned restaurants by compiling lists of options in each city represented, as well as assisting with applying for grants through the nonprofit Feed the Soul Foundation.
Participating restaurants use the special week to highlight their signature dishes, and the national organization reports up to a 15 percent bump in sales for businesses involved with the initiative. Among Nashville restaurants taking part in Black Restaurant Week are Coneheads, Rolled 4 Ever Ice Cream, Sugaboat's, Vegelicious, Willie B’s Smokehouse, Kingdom Café and Slim + Husky’s, so make it a point to drop by at least one of these spots this week to show your support.
Meanwhile, the booming craft beer scene in Murfreesboro just got a little more interesting with the addition of Middle Ground Brewing Co. at 2476 Old Fort Parkway. The new brewery’s ownership is wonderfully eclectic — a quartet with experience in brewing, design and academics contributed by a husband-and-wife team who teach at MTSU.
Leading the brewing operation is Brandon Bingman, an experienced brewer who worked with Linus Hall and the team at Yazoo for years. In addition to a rotating selection of craft beers, Middle Ground also offers full-service restaurant service with a sandwich-driven menu and plenty of quiet and secluded outdoor seating where you can enjoy your beer and snacks in peace.
While they’re still deciding on a date for a grand opening celebration, they’re already welcoming guests and have planned a last-minute celebration of Oktoberfest. They're calling it Oopstoberfest, because they're such a new business that they almost forgot to take advantage of the annual beer event.
Humbly calling it “the OK-est Oktoberfest in town,” Middle Ground will celebrate the season from 7 until 10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30, with $5 pints of German brews, stein-holding competitions and a prize for the best Oktoberfest outfit. Head on over and welcome them to the neighborhood.
Y’all continue to really enjoy the Scene’s annual Margarita Festivals, so we wondered what would happen if we decided to eschew the lime juice and simple syrup entirely and just threw a tequila festival in addition. Well, you loved that too, so we partnered with Events Hatched for another iteration of the Nashville Tequila Fest, coming to OneC1ty Park on Sunday, Oct. 22, from 6 until 9 p.m.
Your admission gets you to 15 tastes from a roster of more than 30 different tequilas and mezcals, and if you’re still thirsty (and cogent) after that, there will be a cash bar serving up cocktails, plus food from Las Palmas will be available for purchase. A DJ will keep the party pumping, and if you come in costume, you might even win a prize.
Tickets are available at the event website, and proceeds benefit the TennGreen Land Conservancy.
Finally, tickets are now on sale for the annual Tennessee Beer, Wine and Shine Festival at Two Rivers Mansion from noon until 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21. More than 2,000 people are expected to descend on the grounds of the stately mansion to enjoy samples of wine, beer and spirits along with live music, a crafts fair and food trucks.
The perfect way to welcome fall, this festival has been a highlight of the tasting calendar for a dozen years, and this year’s edition promises to be the biggest — and best — yet.
