It is with a heavy heart that I tell you about yet another restaurant closing in Louisville. The casualty this time is Melillo’s, the Italian-American spot on East Market. In a posting to the Louisville Hotbytes forum the owner, Michele Melillo-Clem said “Melillo's has taken the hit from the economy, food costs, taxes, etc. and there is no one out there to bail us out, unfortunately. We will be closing our doors at the end of the year.

Since the economy is probably forcing you to minimize your staff’s holiday bonus this year buy back their good will with a high end steak house lunch.

Morton’s, normally open for dinner only, will be open for lunch on six week days during December. Why six? I’ve no idea, I’m just giving you the info and advising you to take advantage.

Those six days are as follows:
Wednesday December 10, Thursday December 11, Friday December 12
Wednesday December 17, Thursday December 18, Friday December 19

Lunch will be served from 11:30AM-2:30PM on those days.

Morton’s

Avalon has just brought pastry chef Debbie Richter on board. You might recognize Richter’s name as the original owner of Sweet Surrender or more recently for her work at Derby Cafe. She’ll continue to offer some of the dessert favorites at Avalon like brioche bread pudding with bourbon/caramel sauce but will also be adding new, seasonal items to the dessert menu. For example the current Fall treat is a Pumpkin Roulade which is a fancy way of saying a pumpkin roll filled with filled with sweetened cinnamon cheese and topped with caramel and homemade whipped cream.

If I’m going to point out when restaurants are closing around town then I surely must point out when they open as well. Fresh on the heels of Cafe Lou Lou opening at Douglass Loop comes Zaytun Mediterranean Grill opening on Bardstown Road just south of the Loop. Taking over the space where Andrew’s Home Cooking once lived Zaytun is bringing traditional Mediterranean food (falafel, hummus, baba ghanouj, gyros) and Mediterranean influenced American classics (Zaytun’s Tribal Fries, Taj Majal Rings) to a spot in the Highlands that’s been under served for quite a while now.

$10 includes all tastings plus light bites that will compliment our beverages of choice for the evening

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Jenicca’s, the small restaurant and wine bar on East Market, has announced that November 2008 is their last month in business. As sad as it is that they’re going out of business as least the owners of Jenicca’s know how to go out of business with style. On their MySpace blog they announced that for the month of November they’re going to be re-hosting their favorite artists and musicians who have displayed work and played there during the 3 years Jenicca’s has been open.

Ebenezer Scrooge has been shot ... or, rather, the actor who plays him has. He just doesn't know it yet. Someone shot him as he prepared for the final scene, and now he needs to figure out who and why - or he'll be condemned to be forever a haunted man, with no chance for redemption. A new and exciting twist on a timeless holiday classic!

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Vevay Main Street presents First Friday on Jan. 2 in downtown Vevay, IN. Enjoy late-night dining and shopping, gallery openings and artist demonstrations, live entertainment and free carriage rides provided by Esquire Carriage. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Switzerland County Visitors Center at 812-427-3237 or log on to www.vevayin.com.

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Wild Eggs has been so wildly successful (oh come on, I had to say it) in its Dutchman’s Lane/Dupont Circle location that a second location is gestating and will soon hatch (again I say oh come on, I had to say it). The new location will be in the Westport Village shopping center. Construction on the new spot starts this month and the Wild Eggs folks hope to have it open by the very beginning of 2009. Then they planning on world domination.

Chef Michael Paley of the renowned  restaurant, "Proof on Main", in Louisville Kentucky has been chosen to be the  guest executive chef at the 2009 Kentucky Bluegrass Ball.