I don't have a lot of specifics, hopefully they'll get them to me soon, but word is Rainbow Blossom at Gardiner is set to open on Monday, July 6. I was supposed to get in there and photograph the new shop a bit before it opened but I couldn't work it out with starting the new job. Sorry for that guys, but hopefully I'll make it up to you soon. In any case I am so happy to have Rainbow Blossom in my neighborhood. As soon as I get any grand opening details I'll update this post to let you know them. 

1. Driving home from work yesterday I noticed a couple changes to the restaurant landscape on Baxter Avenue. Something, I don't know exactly what, is coming to the former Nio's location. There's a giant sign that just says Coming Soon! (well it also has a Corona ad). So if anyone knows exactly what is coming soon it'd be swell if you let us know.

Update: Carolyn from Simply PR tells us that she's heard it's going to be an El Tarasco. Having never been to an El Tarasco I can't speak specifically to their food but I'd be happy to have a good Mexican restaurant added to Baxter Avenue. We also hear it might be a Los Aztecs. So it seems likely it's something Mexican.

2. J Gumbo's on Baxter is closed. I haven't been to that location in a while. I go to the one on Poplar Level (look at me getting out of my neighborhood rut!) and have typically had better experiences there than I did at the Baxter one but I'm still sorry to see J Gumbo's on Baxter gone.

If you are so inclined you can kick off your holiday weekend with art. Tomorrow is the July edition of the First Friday Trolley hop downtown. I know The Green Building Gallery is opening a new show by Louisville photographer Sarah Lyon, the Louisville Science Center is having live music outside their front doors (weather permitting) featuring China Huddleston on classical guitar, Rona Osman on violin, and singer/songwriter Jennifer Lauletta, and the Cressman center has a really interesting photography show called "The Brutal Aesthetic" about boxing by the late photographer John Ranard. 

There are few ways to better celebrate our great nation's independence than by getting free liquor samples. What? You disagree? I didn't think so.

Dumante is throwing an Independance Day party at State Liquors on Lexington road. The evening is  going to feature cocktail samples, Dumante infused chocolates from Cellar Door Chocolates and snacks from Le Gallo Rosso.

Friday July 3, 2009
5PM-8PM

State Liquors
3786 Lexington Road
Louisville, KY

Well this is a natural choice isn't it?

Independence Day
Saturday July 4, 2009
11:55PM

Baxter Avenue Theaters
1250 Bardstown Rd
Louisville, KY 40204

Forget wine and cheese apparently beer and cheese is really where it's at. Since I don't drink wine or beer I'll just take the cheese but for the beer lovers among us a Shlafly beer and cheese event must sound just delightful.

Speaking of beer, Jason Falls linked to this interesting post from Accidental Hedonist the other day that details the path from food to beer.

The idea of pairing wine and cheese is one that people are familiar with, but how do you begin to pair beer with cheese? Featuring a line-up of beers crafted by Schlafly Brewing of St. Louis, we will provide a guided tour of how to match cheese with ales, stouts, lagers and more. A great event whether you are a beer lover, cheese lover, or both!

Tuesday July 7, 2009
6:30PM
$5
Call 899-5545 to RSVP

Whole Foods Louisville
4944 Shelbyville Road
Louisville, KY

I know that I don't go to see plays nearly as much as I should. I really do enjoy and appreciate theater and I wish I saw more plays. However it does please me that I get to support theater in Louisville by telling you about so many awesome products and by giving away free tickets. So it is my great pleasure to tell you about BOOM, an, um, probably too interesting for my prude self play that is running at The Rudyard Kipling for three weekends in July. I'm giving away two pair of tickets to the show. Winners can use the tickets for any one of the following performance: July 10, 11, 18 or 19th at 7:30PM. 

Looking for an awesome way to celebrate July 4th? Head to ear X-tacy for Indie Day 2009. Samples, displays, discounts, kick ass DJ spinning, live band, really just all the festiveness you need for your July 4th holiday.

The event, which takes place from noon until 4 PM, will feature not only local businesses, but also live music, including DJ Matt Anthony (WFPK) and the Invaders (featuring members of the Merediths).

The event will feature displays, information, samples, and more from numerous businesses, and ear X-tacy will offer various sales promotions throughout the day, including 20% off on all independent releases all day, with the same discount applied to vinyl offerings during the DJ set from 12 Noon to 3 PM.  Turntable giveaways, goodie bags, and other specials will be offered throughout the day. 

Unless something major comes up at work that prevents me from walking over there, I'm planning to donate blood today at the Louisville Public Media blood drive today. If you work downtown why don't you take a little bit of extra time for your lunch break and do the same?

Come to our building at 619 S. 4th Street this Thursday from 10 to 2 to donate blood. Red Cross volunteers will be set up in the performance studio and you don't need an appointment to see them.

We're always giving stats on WFPL, and here are a few for the blood drive. Each pint of blood you donate can save up to three lives. Without donated blood for transfusions, 4 to 5 million Americans would die annually. And only 5% of eligible donors actually give blood.

via WFPL's excellent new blog "The Edit" written by the awesomeness that is Gabe Bullard.

Since I work downtown now I'm checking out all sorts of places I've never really been to before one of which is Mrs. Potter's Coffee. It's a tiny little shop in the Mueller Building (also known as the downtown driver's license building). I'm not embarrassed to tell you that I've been to Mrs. Potter's more than a couple times since I started my new gig a couple weeks ago. They have all  your standard coffee shop beverages (locally roasted coffee, all the espresso drinks you can shake a stick at, juices, teas, fruit smoothies) plus breakfast and lunch panini (is panini the plural of panini?), a few salads, fruit, yogurt and dessert. I've yet to try the desserts but they have some really delicious looking cakes. What I like about their cake selections is that you have the option to buy either a small or a large slice, instead of a one size fits all approach.

So far I've been mostly sticking with the mild coffee of the day but I have also had a really delicious vanilla latte (the best one I've had in a while in fact) and a banana smoothie. They have lots of other fruit choices and you can make up your own fruit combinations for smoothies. I found out today that next week Mrs. Potter's Coffee will be celebrating their one year anniversary. You should stop in to wish them happy anniversary and buy a tasty beverage.

Mrs. Potter's Coffee
718 W. Main Street
Louisville, KY