Butcher & Bee Nashville opens in a few months, and the Charleston location wants to save y’all an eight-hour drive with their preview dinner this Friday from 7 p.m.-2 a.m.
Dinner will include dishes from the Nashville menu, which expands on B&B’s existing mezze and small plate selection and will be heavily influenced by Middle Eastern spices and flavors. Appetizers for the evening will run between $6-12, shareable entrees between $22-30, and a tasting menu will cost $35 per person.
Owner Michael Shemtov says that one of the reasons B&B is hosting this dinner is “to get back to a more casual style.” He points to recent dinners featuring guest chefs and higher price points. “It’s all good but it feels awkward to charge people $90 to come to the Bee,” he says.
Shemtov was born in Israel, and his father’s side of the family all live in the Middle East. “Our chef is Egyptian, so this is our shared heritage,” he says.
Butcher & Bee wants to play up their small plates at this dinner, so expect a lot of variety. There will be several mezze plate options which each have four different components, including the pita bread that’s made in-house. There will be some dishes that were featured at The Daily’s fish preserving class last week (don’t knock it ’til you try it) including a preserved-style wreckfish.
The menu will also feature a lamb pita, a meatball pita with date, yogurt, and a fried egg, a whole cooked fish, and Egyptian-style spiced chicken. Shemtov says each shareable entree is designed for two diners, and that there will also be a vegetarian option. There will be about eight different appetizers as well so come hungry.
One of the Bee’s best features is that whole BYOB thing, so stop by The Daily on your way to dinner and pick up some specialty wines like the Chateau Musar Jeune Blanc — a blend of Viognier, Chardonnay, and Vermentino which was chosen because of how well it will pair with Middle Eastern flavors.
Guests can make a reservation for the tasting menu, but walk-ins are welcome for the normal dinner hours.
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