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.

I could tell you — and I will, very soon — about Bog & Barley, the new restaurant from the owners of Celtic Crossing that will soon open in Regalia, but really, you’re going to have to see it for yourself.

The bar at Bog & Barley, soon to open in Regalia. (Courtesy Bog & Barley)

DJ Naylor and his wife, Jamie Naylor, just announced their new Irish pub will open in Regalia Friday, April 7, and there is nothing like it in town. They designed it to look like an upscale Dublin pub, and the space that formerly housed Great Wines & Spirits is unrecognizable.

I’ll have much more on this coming soon, but look for acres of wood — and it’s lovely — from the bar to the tables to the floors and walls. There will be snugs, which are little private rooms, a patio set up for year-round use, a mezzanine for all the whiskey tastings to come (and regular seating when not otherwise used). And all the furnishings, down to the chairs, are from Ireland.

They’ll be open for lunch and dinner, so mark your calendar: You can get your first meal there at 11 a.m. the first Friday in April, and you can expect plenty of authentic Irish dishes and creative riffs. Along, of course, with a properly pulled pint of Guinness.

In other news, it looks like Celebrity’s Soul Food on Highland Street is closed, at least for now. A sign on the front door reads that the restaurant is closed but says, “We hope to reopen soon.” The website for Celebrity’s only says that the restaurant is temporarily closed; we’ll update you if it reopens. 

Nashville-based Slim and Husky’s has a Memphis location at 634 Union Ave. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Are you a gamer? Maybe your kids or grandkids are, and if they play Halo, they might see something new and familiar as Slim & Husky’s has been added to a map in the Xbox game. Commenters on Instagram and Twitter are impressed, so I think this is a big deal for the Nashville-based “pizza beeria.” Congratulations! 

You don’t come across something like this every day: On Wednesday, March 29, Jersey Mike’s Subs will give away 100% of its sales to local charities. Not profit — total sales — and we’re not talking chicken feed: Since 2011, the national chain has raised more than $67 million by taking donations during March and doing the Day of Giving one day during the month. Jersey Mike’s at 6139 Poplar Ave. in Memphis and 6518 Goodman Road in Olive Branch will support Youth Villages, and sales from the location at 7780 Highway 64 in Bartlett will go to the Bartlett Police Department Charitable Foundation. Good job, Jersey Mike.

Tara Bolton mixes a martini. (The Daily Memphian file)

Here’s another mark your calendar, though it’s a generalized mark — maybe something you would circle back in the days of wall calendars. March 24 — a Friday this year — is National Cocktail Day, which I know because someone sent me a press release and, in it, they named the top cocktails for all 50 states:

Tennessee’s? The martini. I love a good martini, but I don’t buy that it’s a state favorite in the land of Tennessee whiskey, nor do I believe that Mississippi’s favorite cocktail is a Sex on the Beach. Arkansas’ might actually be a whiskey sour, though it isn’t exactly a rigorously researched study. But this was interesting to me: Of 1,768 people polled, the dollar amount for the “most I’d spend on a cocktail” is $15.54. Hmm. What’s your number?

Now, how about those Muddy’s Therapy Brownies? I was so glad that Muddy’s owner Kat Gordon gave us the recipe when asked, then went and made them for us, so we have a bake-along video. Be sure to read, then follow the link to watch her. We have a recipe on Saturday I think you’ll like, too — we’re moving up on Easter fast, so we need that dessert table ready.

The Veggie Pete at Sam’s Deli. (Joshua Carlucci/Special to The Daily Memphian)

It turns out that a lot of us at The Daily Memphian like vegetarian food, even if we’re not vegetarian or vegan. Last week, Joshua Carlucci found the Veggie Pete at a local favorite, Sam’s Deli, which slid nicely under the threshold for a $10 Deal. 

Buster’s Liquors & Wines owners will open a butcher shop next door to the Poplar Avenue and Highland Street location. (The Daily Memphian file) 

And the exciting news of the week: Buster’s Butcher Shop is coming. The new store will open next door to Buster’s Liquors & Wines at Poplar and Highland in June, if everything goes according to schedule. And it’s exciting. You’ll be able to get great steaks and pork, order fish with a day’s notice and get meat cured on premises by butchers Brad McCarley and Mitchell Marable. There will be a large take-and-bake section and a cheesemonger on staff to guide you through the big selection and, well — you just need to read the details here. 

Everyone have a great week. Spring break is over, and we’re back to normal for now, so back to the grindstone. But summer is coming.

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