HERO Doughnuts & Buns
Normally, I would have aggregated this batch of event news into a Monday Menu post, but I’ve been out of town, and the announcements have been coming fast and furious. Let’s take a quick whip-around of what is packing my calendar.
The first news nugget is the opening of HERO Doughnuts & Buns, a new gourmet brioche doughnut shop in Wedgewood-Houston. Locally, the brand started out as a pop-up at the Wedgewood Houston Farmers’ Market, the same way they did in Birmingham, Ala., before expanding to nine shops in four states. The new location at 1131 Fourth Ave. S. joins the original Nashville outpost in Sylvan Heights at 4013 Charlotte Ave.
Starting today, HERO will be open daily from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m., serving doughnuts plus traditional breakfast plates, specialty coffee drinks, burgers, sandwiches, salads and brunchy cocktails.
Get above it all at White Limozeen, the rooftop pool bar at Graduate Nashville in Midtown on Monday, Aug. 14, when local legends East Side Banh Mi will pop up at a pool party from 3 until 7 p.m. ESBM will start serving at 4, but you can RSVP at the event website to guarantee your entry to the pool deck, and it’s open swim until 8. It’ll be like “Caddy Day” at Bushwood!
Miel is celebrating the peak of summer produce with their eighth annual Celebration of Summer Vegetables, where they’ll serve a special prix-fixe vegetarian menu from 6 until 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 16. They will be featuring radishes from the restaurant garden as crudités, a tasting of mushrooms from Henosis, dishes showcasing carrots, corn and melons, and a dessert made from tomatoes.
Reservations for the $85 (plus tax and tip) dinner are available here, and a pairing of three wines and a dessert cocktail can be added for $45 more.
Despite the fact that Josh Habiger did not win Best Chef: Southeast at the James Beard Awards this year (boo, hiss!), the Beard Foundation still loves Nashville and will be bringing their Taste America traveling dinner roadshow to town on Thursday, Aug. 17, for a special dinner at Tailor featuring chef Vivek Surti and guest chef Anya El-Wattar from Birch & RYE in San Francisco.
The event will benefit the participating chefs along with the Beard Foundation programming “in support of equity, sustainability, women’s leadership, and a future where all can thrive for the culinary industry and beyond.”
There will be two seatings at 6 and 8:30 p.m., with wines provided by Belle Meade Winery. Tickets are being sold in pairs for $350 per couple, and are available at the JBF website.
Finally, plan now for the return of two big whiskey events to Nashville. The first is the second edition of The WhiskeyX to Marathon Music Works on Thursday, Sept. 27 starting at 7 p.m. In addition to more than 60 premium whiskey brands offering samples and cocktails made using an international array of brown water, the event will feature a music component with a concert by Paul Janeway, lead singer and songwriter of St. Paul and the Broken Bones.
General admission tickets for the WhiskeyX are $75, and VIP-level tickets are $125, which entitles attendees to early admission and a free cigar in the CAO Cigar Lounge. Buy yours at the event website.
Speaking of CAO, Tim Ozgener was one of the founders of that iconic cigar brand, and has spent the second chapter of his professional life concentrating on OZ Arts, a venue to showcase innovative modern performance art. One of OZ's biggest annual fundraisers is the Beyond Bourbon event, which will be held at 6172 Cockrill Bend Circle on Wednesday, Sept. 27.
Beyond Bourbon certainly has a lot to offer, including the chance to sample more than 30 luxury spirits plus wine, cocktails and beer along with food provided by Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint. Ozgener’s latest venture, Ozgener Family Cigars, will join with Crowned Heads to provide the sticks to smoke in OZ’s beautiful gardens, and there will be live and silent auctions as part of the evening.
Beyond Bourbon starts at 7 p.m., and tickets are available for the event for $250 per person. Patron-level tickets allow for early entry and the choice of one of four limited-capacity luxury tasting experiences, including Pappy Van Winkle, Willett, Harlan Estate Wines and Belvedere. That’s definitely “beyond!”
