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

Big thanks to Chris Herrington for jumping in last week and getting Table Talk to your inbox while I was out. You might know from this week’s column that I had a death in my family; thanks to all of you who have sent a kind word. It’s touching and I appreciate it.

I was grateful that Chris helped me, and I also loved his account of the Herringtons taking on the national parks. The trauma and sadness of the past month needs healing and I plan to take a trip soon that I’ll be able to tell you about when it’s over. I always say I’m going, but this time I am.

But first, I’m getting back in the swing of it. I recorded my first Sound Bites podcast in two weeks this week, and was able to sit down (via Zoom still, but we might be back in the studio as soon as next week) with Kelly English. We talked about what’s going on with his Restaurant Iris move and how his business is going post-vaccine. 

Diners are in restaurants; having people come in and spend money is really not the problem restaurateurs are facing. But the staff shortage continues; folks did not magically show up asking for their jobs back when federal unemployment ended in Tennessee on July 3.

Why, exactly, there’s such a dearth of employees is a whole other story. But we’re seeing the effects of it. Erling Jensen is temporarily closing his restaurant on Monday and Tuesday because his kitchen staff is so slim. Many close one or two days a week anyway, but for the 25 years he’s been open, Jensen has operated Erling Jensen: The Restaurant seven days a week. His hope is that he’ll find more employees within a few weeks and will be back to seven days, though he says he’d prefer eight days a week. 

The Peabody is feeling the pinch too. Tom Bailey tells us that in addition to holding a job fair earlier this week, the South’s grand hotel is offering $500 bonuses to new employees as it seeks to fill 115 positions. 

Of course it’s all about COVID, and I hope you’re paying attention to the rising numbers in our community. I’m on a Health Department email list and I’ve seen the weekly average creep up. A week ago on July 7, the seven-day rolling average was 59. The email this morning, July 14, shows a seven-day rolling average of 123. Jane Roberts told us about this trend last week; please continue to be safe despite the relaxed restrictions in place. 

Roberts also pitched in and told us last week about the Butcher Shop filing for Chapter 11 protection in bankruptcy court. It’s a reorganization and the owners have 90 days to come up with a plan; the restaurant remains open. 

Two new restaurants are opening in Crosstown Concourse, Tom Bailey tells us. Wolf River Brisket and Abner’s should both open this fall. Wolf River Brisket, a small local chain, will open in the space previously occupied by Next Door American Eatery, and Abner’s, a fast-casual regional chain, will go in the space that once belonged to Mama Gaia and later Saucy Chicken. 

When I gave you a $10 Deal this week about the young chow fried rice at Golden City in Cordova, I compared it to the fried rice of my youth at Wah Nam, a Chinese restaurant in Raleigh. I was delighted to read a comment on the story from a reader who used to go to the restaurant and remembers the owner much better than I do; be sure to have a look for a sweet and nostalgic story from readers Tom and Susan Mitchell in the comments to this week’s column. 

In that same column, I caught up with some of the things that happened while I was out here and there over the past few weeks and all last week, and also let you know that the Paramount opens next week and soon a revamped Two Girls and a Whip bakery will reopen under new ownership Downtown. 

I’m sorry about not getting a recipe out for you last week, but I have a good one today. Linda Joplin requested the bean and corn salad served with the crab cakes at Amerigo, and owner Ben Brock was glad to share. It’s the original recipe, not cut back, for several reasons, which you’ll see when you click here.

Have a nice week, friends. Hug someone you love, and if you need to set things right with someone, do it. You won’t regret it.