May 2015 Food & Drink Happenings
Sophisticakes Open House
Saturday, May 2nd, 2015
Noon – 9 pm
Sophisticakes
707 Porter Rd
Nashville, TN 37206
Cost: FREE
New discovery alert! A little bake shop has opened in East Nashville and you’re going to want to go check it out. Need a birthday cake, wedding cake, or a just-because-I-want-to-eat-cake cake? Sophisticakes is your answer. Self-described as “a custom, bake-to-order, from-scratch cakery”, they use real & natural ingredients whenever possible, and can also accommodate allergy requests.
Not interested in cake? That’s okay, because they can make pretty much any sweet treat you want! Just a few days ago I sampled some of their mini hand pies and WOW. The crust was absolutely perfect, and they’re super cute to boot. In fact, for the last two days, I’ve woken up wishing a bag of coconut cream mini hand pies would magically appear so I could have them with my morning coffee.
But don’t just take my word for it– go see them this weekend for their open house. They’ll have samples and I promise, you’ll be happy you stopped by!
FoodBank:Throwdown
Sunday, May 4th, 2015
4 – 7 pm
Tin Roof
316 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37201
Cost: $40 advanced
$45 advanced (with parking. purchase your ticket with a parking pass, you will receive downtown parking for ONLY $5!)
$50 day of
This Sunday I’m judging a cooking competition for a great cause, the Martha O’Bryan Food Bank. The FoodBank:Throwdown fundraiser will be a friendly competition among Nashville area chefs Kristin Berginson (City Winery), Trey Cioccia (The Farmhouse), Aaron Thompson (The Blue Porch), Rachel Cannon (Two Bits & Tin Roof), and Keith Batts (Martha O’Bryan Center). The chefs will be challenged to use ingredients typically donated to food banks — peanut butter, cereal, pasta, canned veggies, etc.
I’m super excited to see what creative dishes they come up with and would love to see you all there! For ticket information, visit their Eventbrite page.
Man Finds Food Viewing Event (and a burger deal!)
Wednesday, May 6th, 2015
7:30 – 9 pm (show begins at 8 pm)
Mason’s
Loews Vanderbilt Hotel
2100 West End Ave
Nashville, TN 37201
Man Finds Food
On Wednesday night, Mason Bar will host an exclusive viewing party for the Travel Channel series, “Man Finds Food”. Adam Richman, one of my favorite foodie hosts, travels the country on a quest to uncover unique hidden food treasures. During each show, he unveils both off-the-menu items and off-the-grid restaurants, and lucky for us, he made a stop in Nashville!
In this upcoming episode, Adam stops at Mason’s to meet chef Brandon Frohn, and try his hidden dessert that only those who follow the chef on social media know about: the Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Soda. I’ve personally had this amazing concoction more than once, as it’s made with Tennessee Sipping Cream and Goo Goo Clusters! (yes, Brandon loves his Goo Goos, and believe me, he knows how to use them!)
Stop by Mason Bar around 7:30 p.m. for some special hors d’oeuvres from the show as well as happy hour specials – $5 house wines and 20 oz. draft beers. Hope to see you there!
A Winning Burger Deal
Something else to check out at Mason’s during National Burger Month (yes, May is National Burger Month!) is Mason’s Don Quixote burger. This burger recently took home the first place win at Nashville Lifestyles Battle of the Burger, so you’re definitely going to want to try it. Featuring a house short rib and brisket patty, avocado slaw, queso fundido, Mexican chorizo, Goo Goo Cluster mole sauce(!!!) and an egg sunny side up, I’m quite sure it’s going to blow your mind.
From now through Father’s Day, the Don Quixote burger & a Thunder Ann APA can be yours for only $15. This is a sweet deal because the burger alone is usually $16 (and worth every penny).
Generous Helpings
Thursday, May 14th, 2015
6 – 9 pm
City Winery
609 Lafayette St
Nashville, TN 37203
Cost: $50/person in advance here
($60 at the door)
And be sure to stay tuned, as I just might have tickets to give away very soon :-)
Atlanta Food & Wine Festival
Thursday May 28th – Sunday, May 31st, 2015
Midtown Atlanta
Cost: Various pricing levels
Well, it may not be a Nashville food happening, but it is a Southern food happening that’s an easy drive from here, so it’s worth a mention! This will be my 4th year attending/covering/working at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, and each year it seems to get better and better. Several other Nashvillians are usually in attendance showcasing their restaurants and brands, so it’s fun to have a weekend away from home to hang with all of them.
For an idea of what to expect, just take a look at some posts of my previous experiences. You’ll find them here, here and here.
If you’re planning to make the trip to Atlanta to partake in all of the deliciousness, be sure to visit the Goo Goo table in the tasting tents and say hi to me!
Nashville Street Food Month
Entire month of May
All over town!
The Nashville Food Truck Association will celebrate its 3rd annual Nashville Street Food Month in May. The kickoff will be TODAY (4/30) at “Street Food Thursdays” where 18 trucks will serve lunch on Deaderick Street in downtown Nashville.
Trucks scheduled for “Street Food Thursdays” include Bacon Nation, The Confeastador, Crankee’s Pizzeria, Dan’s Gourmet Mac Attack, Deg Thai, Grilled Cheeserie, Hoss’ Loaded Burgers, Julia’s Bakery, King Tut’s, Maggie Moo’s, Moovers and Shakers, Music City Pie Co., Pig N Pit, Pita Pit, Riffs Fine Street Food, Smoke Et Al, Smoothie King, and Yayo’s OMG.
All members of the NFTA will donate a portion of proceeds from May sales to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee and Musicians Corner Nashville. Daily events will be posted on Facebook and Twitter, so be sure to follow along to find your favorite trucks!
Ooh, thank you for the tip on Sophisticakes! I’m actually trying to figure out who I should have make Baby’s 2nd Birthday cake (’cause I sure as heck don’t want to be in charge of it), + since they’re so close to us, I’ll check out the Open House to see if they might be a good fit. Thank you! =)
Funny, I actually thought of you specifically when I was in there! I will definitely be getting Archer’s birthday cake from her next year (and trying to think up some excuse to buy a whole cake even before then). Heather is so nice and the cakes are truly delicious! Be sure to tell her you know me when you go :-)