"Ramen and beer are one of our favorite power couples. And it just so happens that some of Nashville’s best IPAs and tonkotsu co-exist at Black Dynasty and Bearded Iris, which both share a space in Sylvan Heights. The outdoor patio is the spot, especially on a nippy autumn evening when a night of downing massive bowls of hellfire miso tonkotsu in between sips of a hoppy IPA is better than any visit to a pumpkin patch. There are plenty of picnic tables that you can sprawl out in, and if you time it right, there might even be a live DJ cranking out ambient techno or hip-hop." - jackie gutierrez jones 2