“I’m not an 8-year-old, I don’t eat things like this anymore, and I certainly don’t enjoy it when I do,” I thought, shoveling into my mouth an insanely delicious wad of crispy crinkle fries from A&R BBQ that were drenched in spicy barbecue sauce, covered in pulled pork, and drizzled with bright-yellow nacho cheese. So, apparently, I do eat things like that. And I did enjoy it. And I’m only slightly ashamed to admit it.

So, I got an email following the post on Petra Cafe from someone who asked to be identified as Raoul (for the record, his name is Richard).

Just read the article about Petra in Midtown—I am guessing this is the Petra that is on Poplar at Kirby? What relation does it have to the Midtown restaurant—Petra’s—that was on Madison where Fuel is now? I always thought it was odd that we would have two same named but totally unrelated restaurants in Memphis, and I believe the Midtown was there before the one at Kirby, so now the Midtown Petra is defunct and rolled into the Kwik Check on Madison, and the Germantown entity has moved in here—is that the case? If someone might answer that question—might help avoid some confusion, otherwise, we might think oh, they have reopened?

The short answer is yes. The long answer is also yes. Let's break it down ...

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with co-owner and head brewer of Boscos and Ghost River Brewing Co, Chuck Skypeck. We’ll pick up here where we left the first part of the interview, in which Skypeck began discussing the seemingly exponential growth of passion and geek-dom from those at the front lines of the craft beer revolution, as well as a brief history of craft beer.

From what I’ve noticed, and this is certainly the case with me, most people who drink craft beer are extremely passionate about it. Any idea why this might be the case?

I think another thing besides craft beer becoming hip and cool among the 21 to 25 year old drinker is another thing that’s really pushed craft beer sales recently, and it’s the local food movement. I find it really fascinating that I’ve been preaching fresh and local from day one— that’s twenty years— and it hasn’t really resonated until now because it’s across a broader spectrum of products that people think of as being fresh and local. I honestly think that that the local food movement of the last few years has really helped craft brewing, and I think there’s a huge percentage of our customers drink our beer because it’s local, not because its considered craft.

Triplette, who was born in Memphis, lived in Charlotte, and moved to Oxford a few years back, took some time to answer questions for Hungry Memphis.

There are probably a million people out there who have shoeboxes and notebooks full of family recipes they've been planning to compile in a book. You actually did it. What makes you so special?
Aside from the fact that I’m a Southern diva, obsessively compulsive about keeping family together, connecting the past to the present, and keeping files of everything in alphabetical, color-coded order? My primary mandate as an ADD adult has been to finish what I start. It only took me about five years to finish this project. That’s AFTER letting the files age in a huge box for years beforehand. As I always say, just give me time and focus, and we’re golden.

Tuesday night I went to Ciao Bella with our resident vegan blogger, Bianca Phillips, to check out the restaurant’s new options for diet-restricted diners. Chef Jonathan Steenerson wants Memphis to know that his kitchen is a friendly place for vegans and carnivores, carb-lovers and gluten-freebies alike.

Steenerson let us sample a number of vegan items that aren’t on the menu, but are available by request. We were particularly impressed with the grilled vegan mozzarella and tomato salad with balsamic reduction and a vegan coconut lemon sorbet.

The other night I tweeted that I had made goop for dinner.

Then, as I was going through photos on my computer, I realized, I had a start of a theme going ...

On Wednesday, December 14th at 4 p.m., The Booksellers at Laurelwood is having a ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking its grand-reopening.

The bookstore has replaced the carpets, renovated the bathrooms, and expanded the children's section.

And the changes extend to the in-store cafe, which has ditched Bronte for a new name The Booksellers Bistro.

At lunch last week, I ordered the vegetarian chili.

On Tuesday, Ghost River Brewing Co. hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at the brewery to celebrate their new bottling line and the distribution of bottled Ghost River Golden Ale to local stores, restaurants, and bars. The addition of the new bottling line is part of a recent $750,000 expansion that began early this year. Additional fermentation tanks were also added, increasing Ghost River’s production from 5,000 to 10,000 kegs a year.

Members of the greater Memphis Chamber (John Duncan), the Barzizza’s of Southwest Distributing, members of the Wolf River Conservancy, and a crowd of about 100 Memphians gathered between fermentation tanks and pallets of kegs to show their support of Memphis’ own microbrewery.

• Eron Jackson, holding a cheesecake

Garden to Groceries/Urban Treats, a project of the Memphis area Boys & Girls Club Technical Training Center, was launched in May. Club members and alumni, ages 16 to 21, make edible items from produce bought at the Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market. They then sell the items. It's an exercise involving everything from cooking to marketing to packaging.

By working with local farmers, the Garden to Groceries-ers learn about sustainability issues. According to the center director Tiffanie Grier, they’ve also been growing their own herbs and some vegetables. In addition, they’ve been working at a local urban farm making their own soil.

Participants first began selling seasonal items, like cilantro/lime/jalapeno pesto and lemon-basil cupcakes, last summer at the Cooper Young market and the Memphis Botanic Garden Farmers Market.

Now Garden to Groceries/Urban Treats baked goods are available at more outlets, and they’re currently taking orders for the holidays.

Just noticed this on the bottom of my receipt from Alchemy ...

... which had me checking other receipts. Just the usual thank-yous-and-come-backs, save for one from a restaurant that suffers from frequent bouts of comically bad service. That one had a helpful guide for tipping.