Does the helter-skelter rush of the malls exhaust you? Are you sick and tired of sticker shock in the dressing rooms of departments stores? Are you broke and looking for an interview suit or an outfit for a first date? Are you interested in putting together an ensemble that no mannequin has worn before you? Louisville has many wonderful thrift, consignment and vintage shops at your disposal; among them four gems: Margaret's Consignments and Collectibles, The Nitty Gritty, Evolve Consignments, and The Nearly New Shop. 

Lately in the world of food, there's been a lot of brouhaha about Umami, the fifth taste (after the more easily recognizable sweet, bitter, sour, and salty) that imparts a fuller, more savory flavor to any dish. Ingredients like aged parmesan, fish oils, and truffle impart this highly desired fifth element, and elevate simple foods into the realm of the divine. This weekend, I experienced a rush of Umami at Avalon on Bardstown road. 

After more than a year and a half, the struggle over the 2100 block of Bardstown Road—bounded by the Twig and Leaf diner at Douglass Boulevard and a vacant building at Princeton Drive—is over.

It's almost time for the dead to rise... and congregate on  Bardstown Road!