The old becomes new: Boomtown Kitchen will replace Cox's -- and a glimpse of Floyd County Brewing's new beer garden.

ON THE AVENUES: Challenges are forever, but downtown New Albany's food and drink purveyors keep on keeping on.

Floyd County Brewing Company's owner Brian Hampton offers a video tour of his establishment's new beer garden (above). The alcohol license for NA Standard (in the former Gospel Bird space) should be in place after next Tuesday's hearing. And, as described below, the outcome at Cox's took a whole week to be announced.

The New Albany branch of Cox's Hot Chicken is no more.

Boomtown Kitchen is the very same "juicy" rumor I heard from the start, but hell, let's let the newspaper have this one. It's a "new concept" from people with restaurant experience; not to nitpick, but the former name of the Barrelhouse in Jeffersonville was Levee, not Levy.

By the way: Levy Pants was Ignatius' sadsack employer in the comic novel A Confederacy of Dunces.

I'll be monitoring the impending comments from social media food and drink experts as they explain how all this activity somehow denotes the end of NA's food and drink community.

New concept to replace Cox's Hot Chicken in New Albany, by Jason Thomas (Christianity on Sunday)

Boomtown Kitchen to focus on affordability, customer service

NEW ALBANY — For the second time in less than a year a new restaurant concept will occupy a revered spot in downtown New Albany's dining scene ...

 ... Now Boomtown Kitchen enters the scene, as owners Andrew and Michelle Collins, who revived the former The Levy bar in Jeffersonville with The Barrelhouse on Market, try their luck in New Albany.

Boomtown, which aims to open June 15, seeks to offer affordable dining options in an elegant setting, with customer service a top priority.

"I love New Albany. I love all the diverse cuisine, and I love the creativity," said Andrew Collins, who has extensive restaurant management experience with Outback Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse. "However, I feel like everyone does a spin on classic dishes. I want to bring you that classic dish.

"I feel like everything is so expensive and so extravagant. I want the good ole salt and pepper, perfectly seasoned, perfectly seared steak. That's kind of our thing" ...

The former Gospel Bird space on Main Street will house a new eatery called NA Standard.

Always keep your eyes on the Alcohol & Tobacco Commission's local board information page. It's a valuable source of information, revealing that the new occupant of the former Gospel Bird space is to be called NA Standard. Further research indicates it will be operated by local food and drink business veterans, which is very good news.

Their most recent project is the well-received 812 Pizza Company in Georgetown, which is the name on the NA Standard alcohol license application.

Tim Smith recently was profiled: Full Plate: Chef Tim Smith of Craft House is being new, by Kevin Gibson (Insider Louisville; February 2, 2019)

Beau Kerley came into Bluegrass Brewing Company some years back as Pat Hagan's partner, and later they opened the Crescent Hill Craft House. As an aside, I'm told Pat retains his previous ownership stakes, but has retired to Florida.

Good for Pat, and best of luck to Beau, Tim and NA Standard. I don't know what they have planned, but what a wonderful patio to work with.

812 Pizza Co. bringing foodie culture to Georgetown, by Danielle Grady (Dec 5, 2017)

GEORGETOWN — Beau Kerley owns two restaurants in Louisville, but when it comes to eating out, he often finds himself at the El Nopal in Georgetown, not just because he likes it, although he does, but because there aren't many dining options in his small town.

In March, Kerley decided to take his 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry and enter Georgetown’s sparse culinary scene. He recruited the help of his then-employee and current co-owner, Tim Smith, who is an executive chef at Crescent Hill Crafthouse in Louisville. (Kerley co-owns the crafthouse, as well as Bluegrass Brewing Co.). After nine months of work, the two are ready to open 812 Pizza Co. (right next to El Nopal, incidentally), on Dec. 11.