Fromage [The Cow] 
It’s no secret that here at The Weekend Edition, we really love our cheese. We send you on cheese roadtrips. We give you cheese recipes. We interview cheesemakers. So you can imagine our excitement when we found out that Brisbane is about to get its first licensed fromagerie. Fromage [The Cow] is set to open on Milton’s Park Road this May, and promises to be the stuff of every cheese lovers’ dreams. The space will include a full-service cheese-oriented restaurant (yep, all menu items are based around glorious cheese), a wine bar with matched cheese flights, a takeaway coffee window serving drool-worthy toasties (from three cheese and ham to truffled mushroom and gruyere) and – the pièce de résistance – a glass-walled walk-in cheese room in the centre of the restaurant, housing more than 80 types of cheese to taste and take home. Keep an eye on The Weekend Edition for more details soon – we’re as excited as you are.

Brisbane BBQ Festival
Prepare your bellies – the Brisbane BBQ Festival is returning for 2016 and it’s going to be bigger and better than ever. Announced for Saturday July 2, the festival has upgraded to a bigger space, taking over the lush lawns of the Brisbane Showgrounds. You know what that means? More room for stacked-high burgers, mouth-watering ribs and slow-cooked meat goodness. Get meat sweats from food stalls by Ze Pickle, That BBQ Joint, Bella BBQ, Local Mobile Deli and more, then wash it all down with craft beer from Newstead Brewing Co. and Fortitude Brewing Co. There will also be special barbecue-guru guests, live music, the annual Brisbane BBQ Championship and a whole lot more. Last year’s event sold out – you can buy first-release tickets now via the Brisbane BBQ Festival website.

Trafalgar Lane
We’ve long been speculating what might join Ribs & Burgers in Woolloongabba’s upcoming Trafalgar Lane mixed-use development, and the secret is finally out. Deb and Cosimo de Nichilo will be opening Ristorante La Famiglia, positioned on the Stanley Street end of the intricately designed urban laneway. The restaurant will serve up authentic dishes using seasonal produce and herbs from its living wall, alongside regional Italian wines and limoncello. Lola Coffee will take a hole-in-the-wall space, with a stand-up bar reminiscent of Italy’s traditional espresso bars. The cafe comes from Corinne Chilcott, a coffee roaster, Australian Barista Champion and finalist in the World Barista Championships. Trafalgar Lane is due for completion in May and a couple of tenancies still remain unnamed – we will keep you posted.

Milton Mini Markets 
The Milton Mini Markets has made a triumphant return, under the new management of Goodwill Projects. The lunchtime market will set up on the corner of Cribb and Little Cribb Street every Thursday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, bringing food trucks and gourmet stalls to hungry locals. The market is expanding to also include fresh produce, sweet treats (for when those naughty 3:00 pm cravings strike), live entertainment and rotating specialty stores each week. The same site will come alive on Sundays as of April 17, when the Milton Markets relaunches with fresh farm-direct produce, market provisions, baked goods and more.

Cafe Gia 
You may have noticed the old convenience store on Butterfield Street in Herston is being given a makeover, transforming into Cafe Gia. The cafe is the combined project of mother-daughter trio Gina, Isabella and Alessandra, who – as the daughter and granddaughters of Michael Gambaro – have had their fair share of hospitality experience. Cafe Gia is set to open on April 19, and will dish up homestyle meals for breakfast and lunch, offering plenty of gluten-free options and using fresh produce plucked from the cafe’s on-site veggie and herb garden. Look out on The Weekend Edition for details in the coming weeks.

If you’ve heard something that’s worth mentioning in The Weekend Edition’s Pavement Whispers, email [email protected]