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This is the exact format subscribers get. Plans are personalized: this sample family has kids aged 1.5, 3 and 6.

Your date night: Speakeasy, then pasta in Germantown

Saturday, November 7, 2026 · Out 6:15–10:00 PM · Budget about $280–315 plus tax, sitter included

The short version: a no-menu cocktail bar in East Nashville before the Saturday rush, then one of Nashville's best-loved pasta spots across the river. Home by 10, and the sitter never has to do bath time.

Do these now

  • Book Rolf and Daughters for 2 at 7:45 PM → OpenTable. Free to cancel up to 24 hours before; after that it's $10 per person.
  • Lock in the sitter for 6:15–10:00 PM (4 hours). Text them the checklist below.
  • Accept the calendar invite (sent to both of you).

We'll text you on Oct 31 (sitter), Nov 2 (reservation) and Nov 7 at 4 PM (day-of). Reply SWAP anytime for a different plan.

Timeline

Time What
5:30 PM Kids eat. Pajamas on the 1.5-year-old before the sitter arrives.
6:15 PM Sitter arrives. 5-minute handoff (checklist below).
6:25 PM Leave. Bring physical IDs, both of you.
6:30 PM Attaboy, East Nashville. One drink each.
7:30 PM Drive to Germantown (about 3 km; allow 10–15 min).
7:45 PM Dinner at Rolf and Daughters.
9:30 PM Head home.
10:00 PM Home. Pay the sitter. Peek at sleeping kids with your wife.

Kids' bedtimes during the date: 7:00 (1.5), 7:30 (3), 8:00 (6). The sitter handles all three, so you're gone for none of the hard part and back before the 6-year-old's "I can't sleep" encore usually starts.

Stop 1: Attaboy

  • What: Speakeasy-style cocktail bar from the team behind the New York original. No menu: tell the bartender a spirit, a flavor and your mood ("bourbon, something with cinnamon, I've had a week") and they build it.
  • Address: 8 McFerrin Ave, Nashville, TN 37206
  • Hours: Fri–Sat 4 PM–2 AM; Sun–Thu 5 PM–2 AM
  • Rules: Walk-in only, no reservations. Parties of 6 and under. 21+ with a physical government ID.
  • Price: No posted prices. Guests report about $18 a cocktail (Reddit, 2023), so plan $36 for two plus tip.
  • Why 6:30: Saturday gets very busy from about 7 PM, so arriving at 6:30 means you'll most likely get a seat.
  • Link: https://attaboy.us/visit-us-1

Stop 2: Rolf and Daughters

  • What: Seasonal New American with house-made pasta and bread, in the old Werthan factory in Germantown. Chef Philip Krajeck was a 2022 James Beard finalist, and the restaurant is in the MICHELIN Guide (per OpenTable).
  • Address: 700 Taylor St, Nashville, TN 37208
  • Hours: Dinner 5–10 PM (the restaurant's site says nightly; OpenTable says Tue–Sun. Saturday is open either way.)
  • Price range: $31–50 per person (OpenTable). Sample prices from the menu updated Oct 16, 2026: sourdough bread $8, pastas $28–30, starters $22–38, mains $40–46.
  • Order this: The sourdough with seaweed butter ($8). One starter to share, then a pasta each. The rigatoni with pork ragu ($28) is the classic.
  • Parking: No dedicated lot. Paid lot on Taylor St; free street parking around the neighborhood.
  • Links: https://www.rolfanddaughters.com · Reserve on OpenTable

Budget

Item Estimate
Attaboy: 2 cocktails (about $18 each, reported) + tip $43
Rolf: bread $8 + 1 shared starter $22–28 + 2 pastas $56–60 + 1 dessert $10–16 + 2 glasses of wine $32–44 $128–156
Rolf tip (20%) $26–31
Sitter: 4 hours × $20.67/hr (Nashville average starting rate, Care.com, Oct 2026) $83
Total before tax $280–313

Save about $60: skip the starter and dessert, or do one drink at Attaboy and have dessert at home after the sitter leaves.

Backup plan

  • No table at Rolf? Try Henrietta Red, a few blocks away at 1200 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208. Oysters and seasonal plates, $31–50 per person (OpenTable). Dinner Tue–Sat 5–10 PM, Sun 5–9 PM. henriettared.com · OpenTable
  • Line at Attaboy? Go straight to Rolf at 7:00 and ask for the bar. They keep a few bar seats for walk-ins every night, so you can have your drink there.
  • Rain? Both stops are indoors. Bring an umbrella for the walk from parking.
  • Sitter cancels? Switch to the at-home date below. Same night, same reservation slot on your calendar, no sitter.

Babysitter checklist (text this to your sitter)

Hi! Here's everything for Saturday 6:15–10:00 PM.

KIDS
- [Name], 6: bed at 8:00. Teeth, 2 books, lights out. Can read in bed until 8:15.
- [Name], 3: bed at 7:30. Diaper/pull-up, sound machine on, one song.
- [Name], 1.5: bed at 7:00. Bottle/milk at 6:45, sleep sack, door closed. Monitor app is on the counter iPad.
- Allergies/meds: [none / list]

FOOD
- Kids eat at 5:30 before you arrive. Snack OK before bed: [fruit / crackers].
- Help yourself to [snacks, drinks].

HOUSE
- Wi-Fi: [network] / [password]
- Pets: [name, any rules]
- No screens after 7:00, please.

EMERGENCY
- Us: [mobile 1], [mobile 2]
- Backup adult nearby: [name, phone]
- Pediatrician: [name, phone]
- Address for 911: [home address]
- Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222
- First-aid kit: [location]

WE'LL BE AT
- 6:30–7:30 Attaboy, 8 McFerrin Ave
- 7:45–9:30 Rolf and Daughters, 700 Taylor St
- Home by 10:00. Pay: $[rate]/hr, [cash/Venmo].

Need a sitter? Find one on Care.com (may be an affiliate link).

Matching at-home date: "Bartender's Choice" pasta night

For a week the sitter isn't happening. Same idea as Attaboy and Rolf, at your kitchen counter.

After bedtime · 8:15–10:00 PM · Phones in a drawer

Time What
8:15 PM Last kid down. Lights low, playlist on.
8:20 PM Bartender's Choice: each of you names a spirit (or zero-proof), a flavor and a mood. The other makes the drink. No recipes allowed. Points for presentation.
8:40 PM Cook rigatoni together. One of you on sauce, one on pasta and bread.
9:15 PM Eat at the table, not the couch.
9:45 PM Dessert and one question from the card below.

Shopping list: rigatoni, a jar of good marinara or ragu (or ground pork + crushed tomatoes + garlic + onion), parmesan, a loaf of sourdough, salted butter, a bag of arugula, lemon, one bottle of wine or two spirits you both like, club soda, citrus, honey, ice, dark chocolate.

Playlist (about 1 hour): start with Nashville and work outward. Try Chris Stapleton "Tennessee Whiskey," Brittany Howard "Stay High," Leon Bridges "River," Norah Jones "Come Away With Me," Al Green "Let's Stay Together."

Conversation questions (pick one):

  1. What's one thing we did before kids that we should bring back?
  2. What's a small thing I do that you secretly love?
  3. If we had a free Saturday with no kids and no chores, what would we do, hour by hour?

After the date: we'll text you Sunday morning: "How was it? Reply 1–5." Your rating shapes next month's plans.

Sources (checked Oct 21, 2026, CT)