I know, I know. The Old Spaghetti Factory? If you’ve lived here for half a century like I have, you remember when OSF was considered fine dining downtown, a destination on Second Avenue that offered affordable pasta meals and made for a great date night. Well, guess what. It still does. But if you’re an import to town within the past 10 years, I reckon you never even knew the place existed.
It took a special invitation to get me back there for my first visit since the Reagan administration. The Old Spaghetti Factory has partnered with a national acting troupe to put on Murder Mystery Dinners in the private dining room of their massive location at 160 Second Ave. N. Walking through the front door, I was immediately swept over with feelings of nostalgia by the ornate Victorian decorations, the trolley that you can actually eat in and most of all by smell memories.
They say aromas are some of the strongest triggers of memories; think of burning leaves or a holiday pie. Well, as soon as I arrived, I immediately recognized the sweet and spicy essence of OSF’s red sauce, and I knew exactly what my dinner would taste like. Mystery Dinner attendees are encouraged to dress in character, and to my surprise, most of the assembled crowd had taken them up on the offer to glam up for our “Old Hollywood” themed performance. Even if you don’t, they got plenty of props to drape over you for photographs or as costumes if you get dragged into the performance. (Like I did. No photographic evidence will be provided.)
The entire evening was exactly cheesy enough, from the intentional overacting to the three-course menu featuring a salad, your choice of pastas (get that sweet, sweet spaghetti) and spumoni for dessert. In between courses, guests wander around the room questioning each other and the actors for clues. At the end, each table decides who they thought dunnit, (It wasn’t me, btw — I died), with the best answer winning a prize. If I recall correctly almost every table got it correct the night I attended.
You can order cocktails or wine along with your meal to loosen up your inhibitions if you’d like, and it’s certainly a lot more enjoyable if you participate. The themes of the mystery change from show to show, as do the casts, so you can return for a different show if you enjoyed it. I sure did! It was like a wonderful throwback to a high school date, and if you don’t go expecting haute cuisine, you can have a great time.
The next batch of shows are titled “Totally '80s, Totally Murder,” so you know the costume opportunities will be fun. These shows usually sell out quickly, but they’re always adding new dates, so head to the website and make a reservation. For more information about the acting troupe, you can check out their web page or their Nashville-specific site.
