Monday, September 12, 2016

Eat, drink and repeat: Six updates about downtown New Albany food and dining.


When there is time, it's always good to gather various news items and social media postings into one place -- and today there is time. You may have seen them already, but if not, let's begin with Aladdin's Cafe, now rocking its new location at Underground Station.

GOING UNDERGROUND: New Albany's Underground Station fills its last storefront; Station contains 11 businesses and three apartments, by Danielle Grady (News and Tribune)

On Aug. 23, Aladdin’s Cafe closed the doors on its West Market Street location of three years.

There weren’t any public displays of grief for New Albany’s long time-Middle Eastern favorite. That’s because the restaurant would reopen one day later — just at a new location. A shiny, new place at 37 Bank St., with 10 other New Albany businesses and a peaceful, well-paved courtyard.

The mandated monthly local Alcohol & Tobacco Commission hearing took place on September 6, and Aladdin's Cafe passed with flying colors. Final regulatory approval should come in about two weeks,and then adult libations will return to Aladdin's accompany the area's finest Baba Ganoush (among other delicacies).


Taco Steve appeared at the very same hearing on the 6th, garnering approval to serve beer, and subject to the same two-week wait. In the meantime, an Internet list has touted ten places to get tacos in Indiana, and Taco Steve is one of them. As the young folks say, "Woot."


Lunch is now being served at Brooklyn and The Butcher, which also scored an excellent review by Robin Garr in LEO Weekly.

The other night, as we rolled across the Sherman Minton Bridge to New Albany for an evening at Brooklyn and the Butcher, it crossed my mind that New Albany is actually a little bit like Brooklyn.

New Albany, like Brooklyn, is a city across a river from a larger city, long ignored by its neighbors, but suddenly awash with excellent new places to dine, drink and have a good time. And as with Brooklyn, crowds are starting to make their way over to check it out.

River City Winery has long-awaited expansion news.

River City Winery is growing ... next week RCW will begin a long awaited expansion in the old Preston Art Center.


The beginning remodel phase will start with our kitchen expansion. We are excited about this opportunity for growth, but, in the process we do have to make some TEMPORARY changes.

Beginning Tuesday 9.13.16 we will have a new Fall / Winter menu. A few of our well known favorites will not be available during the kitchen remodel ... STARTING MONDAY SEPTEMBER 12 WE WILL BE OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK.

Breweries aren't built in a day. During our New England trip, we visited four breweries that are at least two decades old. These traditions begin, are nurtured and then grow. The investments are made not by political parties and chambers of commerce, but by real people leveraging their own finite resources. As such, congratulations to Floyd County Brewing Company on its first anniversary, and making it past the first "one year" hurdle.


That's six, including Underground Station. I'm intent on making these updates a recurring feature at NAC, so let me know what's up and what I may have missed.

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