Downtown diners soon will have another lunch option.
The Health Food Shoppe plans to open a deli inside Cottage Flowers, 236 E. Wayne St., with dine-in and carryout options.
It will host a preview party there with samples from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday.
The Health Food Shoppe Deli Downtown, which will offer sandwiches, hot entrées, soups, a salad bar and desserts, is expected to open Aug. 8.
Hours will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays.
The menu will include some vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes.
The deli will be back in the florist’s former café area.
There are other new eateries on the way:
•SpoonZ Fro Yo, which will sell frozen yogurt that’s made with live active cultures, will open near Target in the Orchard Crossing plaza on Illinois Road.
•Akaungzarr Asian Restaurant will open at 5205 Decatur Road, in the former Freddy’s Pancake House and Copa Cabana Restaurant.
Lucky Moose adds menu items
Lasagna rolls and smoked salmon cakes will be added to the menu at the Lucky Moose, 622 E. Dupont Road, on Thursday.
Other seafood dishes are shrimp and crab Alfredo, salmon (or crab) cake sliders on sweet Hawaiian rolls, and salmon Rockefeller prepared with Pernod (an anise-flavored liqueur), spinach and parsley.
Chicken breasts are prepared two new ways: smoked and chargrilled with barbecue sauce or smoked and deep-fried with Buffalo sauce.
New pizzas (or flatbreads) are margherita and Hawaiian with barbecued pork and pineapple. New sides include mashed sweet potatoes, German potato salad, Baja coleslaw and green beans.
For reservations, call 490-5765.
Barbecue cook-off at Queen of Angels
The Queen of Angels Athletic Association will have an “amateurs only” Backyard Barbecue Cook-off and Bake-off from 5 to 9 p.m. Aug. 13.
It is open to adult and youth (17 and younger) contestants.
The cook-off categories are chicken quarters, pork spare ribs and pork butts. The registration deadline is Aug. 10.
The bake-off categories are cake, cheesecake and pie (fruit, nut and other). This registration deadline is 3:30 p.m. Aug. 13.
Samples, plus other food and beverages, will be for sale during the event, at 1500 W. State Blvd.
For registration information, go to www.fwbbq.com.
Tidbits
•Grabill Dairy Sweet, 13305 State St. in Grabill, now serves fried frog legs for $7.99. It also has Quackers, breaded duck wings. The Quackers, which are served with plum or orange-ginger sauce, are three for $3.49 or six for $6.95.
•Belmont Beverage, 2799 Maplecrest Road, will have a free wine, beer and liquor tasting, with appetizers from Blu City Tavern, from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday. You must be 21 or older to attend.
•The annual African Food Festival will be noon to 5 p.m. July 30 at 3326 S. Calhoun St., near St. Augustine Lutheran Church and across from the South Side High School natatorium. The event is free.
