Probably. I suspect they just over-played their hand (made worse by choosing the wrong crowdfunding site)... probably felt they had a lot of 'regulars' who had expressed disappointment in the Dodger closing, and an interest in supporting their next venture. Big difference between expressing something, and putting your money where your mouth is. The charitable-handout nature of GoFundMe was a weird choice - there are other crowdfunding options, if they were interested in attracting investors.

I stumbled across an updated site plan for Grasslands in Harbor Landing. In regards to food/coffee establishments, some highlights include:

- Olive Garden
- Starbucks
- Tamarind

See more here: http://harvard.ca/+pub/document/2018...s_Brochure.pdf

Hmm, VERY interesting about Tamarind! While I think I would still rank Caraway Grill as the city's best Indian food (and best restaurant in general), I've been to Tamarind once and it was phenomenal.

Lang's Cafe is burning to the ground this morning. Smoke started pouring out at 6am. Media reports say the brick is crumbing. I don't think there will be anything left.

^Yeah, there won't. The news articles said the fire was too intense and the fire crew had to take a defensive control position instead of a put out position.

I know they've had some difficulties of late, but is the Browns in Harbour Landing ever going to proceed?

I asked the company directly. It is currently not on their radar and they will be emailing the Grasslands website to remove them from the map. That's pretty definite for now that it won't be happening.

The space is shown as green on the map behind DSW. Green means available.

I took a peek into the construction underway in Avenue in the former Malt City space. I was surprised to see that they have completely gutted the place. I expect them to go with the open kitchen concept seen in their other restaurants. It looks like they are moving the bar from the south end to the north end. The designer has a strong affinity for the industrial motif, but it is too early to tell if she is going with that.

http://www.connieyoungdesign.com/

I really like their work, but I'll be interested in how they use the space. It's a lot more open and traditional than much of their portfolio.

Mostly I'm just happy they're putting money into the space. Malt City failed because they essentially half finished the space and then overcharged to pay for that. Mostly as long as they spend some money on sound attenuation I'll be happy.

I was just gonna say, as long as they spend some money on sound absorption, that space will instantly be a million times better.

I never understood why they didn't install any sound absorbers at Malt City, they had them at Flip.

I installed a pile in my space, they make a tremendous difference. Several designers have asked me how I got such great acoustics in a big room with high ceilings, tons of hard surfaces and an entire wall of windows. Even bands that have played in our room have told me how clear they can hear themselves.

I went to the Little Grouse pop-up dinner in Regina - they didn't give details, but said that people who enjoy the food and interior design of Ayden will feel at home in Avenue.

Bingo. I always felt like I was in a place that hadn't quite been finished. It felt as though they had a design plan... but ran out of money & just decided to toss a few tables and chairs into the space & see what happens.

And the sound. Good lord, the sound. Unless the place was empty, you had to yell to hear people at your table.

The food was OK... a couple decent dishes, but overall nothing to write home about (certainly not for the price they were charging & the atmosphere).

I always found the staff to be solid, though.

(similar small (but annoying) item kept me away from Flip - couldn't leave the place without smelling of it. I'd only go there in the evening, when I knew I could go directly home & change clothes. Complete no-go for a workday lunch. They might have eventually fixed the issue, but I went 3-4 times & never returned)

Da Pizza and Curry Express has been sold. New name to come

"The Pizza and Curry Express"?

;)

Da Curry and Pizza Express.

I noticed the sign (Da Pizza 'n' Curry Express is the correct name) was still up on my way to Costco this morning, but on my way back the sign was down. Unfortunately, the new sign was not yet up so I don't know what the new place is going to be -or called.

It was bought by Bay leaves who apparently have another place in Regina. The new sign is up

Bay Leaves is in the Scarth Pedestrian stretch. It seemed to take a while to ramp up, but the last few times I've been there, it's been either steady or pretty much full. Really nice to have an Indian buffet within walking distance at lunch.

There's a new eatery in the Hotel Sask lobby: Cafe Royale.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/caferoyaleregina/posts

Avenue is set to open a week from today. It looks like they will be breaking up the space somewhat:



Pics here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Avenue-R...=page_internal