Welcome back to Table Talk, where Daily Memphian food and dining editor Jennifer Biggs sends the latest food news (along with a dash of this and that) to your inbox every Wednesday.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. will host an Australia Day 2023 celebration on Jan. 26. (Courtesy Memphis Made Brewing Co.)

Here’s some trivia for you: Australia Day, observed annually on Jan. 26, is the land down under’s official national day. I could tell you more about it, but that might ruin a trivia question for Thursday’s game at Memphis Made Brewing.

And if I’m going to spoil a question, I’d rather it be this one, which comes from the category murderous wildlife: Of the 10 most venomous snakes in the world, how many will you find in Australia?

The answer is 4. That’s 40% of the world’s deadliest snakes, and don’t even get me started on the spiders and the sharks. It’s a terrifying place.

But Thursday is all about fun, and there’s more to the Australia Day celebration than trivia. Memphis Made co-founder Andy Ashby said they’re getting as close as they can to a meat raffle, which is a real thing in Australia — but not legal to do in a bar in Tennessee. Because bureaucratic dream-killers.

“Like a lot of our ideas, this started with a lot of us hanging around, drinking beer and talking,” Ashby said. “But it wasn’t entirely without precedent, because one of our bartenders is Australian and a former employee and good friend is, too. When they told me about the meat raffle, that sounded great. But since we can’t do it, we’ll have an auction and it’s for gift cards that you can use to buy meat.”

The gift cards are from Whole Foods, Charlie’s Meat Market, South Point Grocery and The Fresh Market.

And for extra fun, there’s going to be a Vegemite tasting. Have you had it? I actually keep Marmite, its English cousin, in my pantry and now and again enjoy it on toast with butter.

Heed the advice Ashby was given: “I’ve been told that it’s a situation where less is more.”

The taproom, at 768 S. Cooper St., opens at 4 p.m.; trivia and the auction start around 7 p.m. Categories for trivia are Australian history, media, a photo round and, as stated, murderous wildlife. Damien Klingberg, the Australian bartender, and Nick Van Der Velde, the former employee and friend, will run the game. It’s free to play, and proceeds from the auction will benefit WIRES, an Australian wildlife rescue organization.

“We think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Ashby said. “It’s January; there’s not much going on. And this is entertaining and sort of silly, too.”

Last week we had a fabulous Friday readers’ lunch at Dim Sum King, and if you missed it (or if you just want more), be sure to go to the restaurant at 5266 Summer Ave. on Saturday, Jan. 28, at noon, where you can eat dim sum and also see a lion dance performed, which will be in the parking lot and, to at least some degree, inside the restaurant.

Here’s a link to a video; I can’t promise that our local dance will be like this one, but you can expect the costumes and the fun. 

And speaking of lunch, I’ll have details for you next week about our February lunch, which will be Feb. 16.

Chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman are closing The Gray Canary but plan to move their employees to their other restaurants. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Fly high, little bird: The Gray Canary, Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman’s Downtown restaurant in the Old Dominick building, closes for good after dinner Saturday, Jan. 28. It’s all a matter of Old Dominick needing more space for events, as the local distillery continues to grow. And Ticer and Hudman have plenty going on, with five other local restaurants, one in New Orleans and some new plans in the works. 

But this is great news for Downtown, and coincidentally it’s just next door to Catherine & Mary’s, another Ticer/Hudman restaurant.

The Lobbyist charred okra and cauliflower romesco. (Courtesy Jay Adkins for The Lobbyist)

The Lobbyist has opened and chef/owner Jimmy Gentry is delivering that P.O. Press goodness so many of us loved and have missed these past three-plus years. I ate there last week and give you a sneak peek of the menu, the inside and the plans. 

Jennifer Biggs says the Sichuan pepper jelly chicken sandwich at Loaf in Brooks Café is her favorite — for right now. (Courtesy Loaf)

Loaf in the Brooks Museum of Art café is serving up fabulous sandwiches, which is the good news. The other news is mixed: The sandwich I really liked is part of a rotating menu and might not be available this week — I ate it last week — though something just as great might be. But a little more than half the menu stays the same, and, come on, we all know it’s fun to mix it up a little now and then. So having part of it change weekly is great. 

I reviewed Izzy & Adam’s, a pizza place on Summer Avenue near Bartlett, and you Chicago deep-dish lovers are going to be happy. They’re doing a good job, and you’ll want to take advantage of the lunch specials, too. 

Chris Herrington delivers a $10 Deal from Young Avenue Deli, where he gives us options and, glory be, they all include the excellent fries. 

I did the best I could to find the Goldsmith’s orange chiffon cake and when I couldn’t, I found what I believe must be very close as it’s developed by Pam Lolley, a former Memphian who is the cake maven at Southern Living. 

And all this? Chris and I talk about it on this week’s Sound Bites. 

Finally, some very nice news to close out: Phillip Ashley Rix, owner of Phillip Ashley Chocolates, is a semi-finalist in the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Bakery division of the 2023 James Beard Awards, so a hearty shout-out. We’ll let you know if he advances to the finalists and, of course, if he wins in Chicago in June. Here’s hoping!

Have a great week.

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