The Dunavant’s steak and endless fry meal comes with a soup or salad appetizer. Kristen Wile/UP

Q: What place is delivering the best soup game in town?
UP: You can find some delicious soups at restaurants from neighborhood spots to fine dining, and I’m glad you asked this question, because soup is underrated! The Pickled Peach in Davidson always has a solid seasonal rotation. Must-tries around town include the French onion soup at 300 East and nearly any soup from Fenwick’s. Barrington’s, Bruce Moffett’s first restaurant, takes soup seriously, too. If you love a heavy, creamy soup, The Dunavant has indulgent first course soups as an appetizer option to their steak and bottomless fry meal.

Q: When is Superica opening in Strawberry Hill?
UP: They’re still a long way away, unfortunately. When I checked in with them in February, they were hoping for January. I asked if they were still on track with that timeline, and a rep for the restaurants said they were now looking at an early 2020 grand opening.

Q: Does Honeysuckle have vegan offerings?
UP: Honeysuckle Gelato, one of the first stalls to open in Optimist Hall, has sorbet options, which are vegan and rotate seasonally. Right now, they’re serving a watermelon sorbet. The gelatos are not vegan, but they also serve frozen sodas and slushies.

Q: What are your thoughts on the House bill to privatize the ABC system?
UP: I think it’s great that the conversation is happening more frequently now, but the headlines about this one have been a bit misleading. There has been a reading and discussion of House Bill 91, which would do away with ABC stores in favor of an open system, but it’s unlikely the bill will even go to a vote. The changes we’ll see starting Sept. 1 from S.B. 290, however, show that we’re on the road to progress. You can read about all of the changes from that bill here.

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