Side Dishes: South End deli expands offerings
The name Outer Space may bring to mind extraterrestrials and black holes, but Chantal and Lia Beliveau, who own a deli by that name in the Flynndog building on Flynn Avenue, want their eatery to be known as "Outer Space, the local place."
To that end, the duo have expanded their Wednesday hours into the evening — right now, they're typically open from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. — to include a show by a local band or theater group, along with a buffet-style dinner themed to match the evening's entertainment.
So on May 21, the Beliveaus will pair the lyrical styling of P.M.P., which combines R&B, reggae and Caribbean sounds, with flavorful food from island nations. On May 28, they'll match a play by Gogol with Russian fare. Dinner service will begin at 7 p.m.; the entertainment starts around 8.
Is the eventual goal to serve dinner on other nights, too? Chantal isn't sure. "I would say that we're putting a toe in the water. We don't want to overdo it," she explains.
The Charlotte natives have another big project: They're organizing a weekly South End farmers' market at the Flynndog. It starts Wednesday, June 4, and runs from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. "My goal is to have everything," Chantal dishes. "We've got some craft people, some produce. I would love to get meats and eggs and cheeses."
Right now they have space for around 12 vendors, with tentative commitments from six. Because the Flynndog has lots of room, Chantal is hoping the market will run year-round, moving indoors when the weather gets chilly. "The landlords are extremely supportive of the concept," she says.
The Beliveaus even did some market research, albeit unscientific. They got lots of encouraging feedback when they floated the farmers' market idea on their neighborhood email listserv, Front Porch Forum.