Madisonville's Element Eatery Food Hall Sets Grand Opening – and The Verve Pipe Is Playing It

Is there any better way to celebrate the opening of a food hall than with some 1990s alt rock?

Madisonville's Element Eatery would say no, as the 34,500-square-foot space gets ready to host its grand opening on Sept. 24 with a concert from The Verve Pipe.

Yes, that Verve Pipe — whose single "The Freshman" hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1997. Is it weird? Kind of. Will the following lyrics been repeating in your head as you indulge in food or drink from one of the food hall's vendors? Probably.

"When I was young I knew everything
And she a punk who rarely ever took advice
Now i'm guilt stricken, sobbing with my head on the floor
Stop a baby's breath and a shoe full of rice."

The multi-platinum band is slated to take the stage at 7 p.m. Sept. 24. The show is free. And Element will be celebrating its opening again on Sept. 25 by screening the Bengals game on 53 TVs and hosting another free concert, this time featuring progressive rockers Chirp at 5 p.m.

“We’re really looking forward to welcoming everyone to the Element Eatery grand opening this weekend. We’re proud of the incredible mix food, drink and entertainment we’ve brought together, and we are ready to open our doors,” says Tyler Troendle, managing director of AT Hospitality LLC , developer of the food hall, in a release.

There are currently 10 vendors at Element:

• Four Mile Pig — An outpost of the Northern Kentucky barbecue joint, which will serve up hickory-smoked meats, cheeseburgers and a Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich
• Little Easy, a Po' Boy Shop — A New Orleans-style sandwich and gumbo shop from the team behind BrewRiver Creole Kitchen
• MashRoots — A hub of College Hill's Latin American eatery specializing in Puerto Rican mofongo
• Rokaru Ramen — Serving ramen and noodle bowls from Blue Ash's Rokaru
• San Jeanetta's Table – Offering "soul food fusion," like mac and cheese bowls and chicken wings
• Taco Oso – A storefront for the taco truck, which serves Mexican American-style tacos and nachos
• Tela Encore – A second storefront for Wyoming's Tela Bar + Kitchen, serving elevated pub grub
• RJ Taproom — A taproom from the team behind Eastgate's RJ Cinema, which will serve its own line of RJ Distillery spirits, along with 48 taps of beer
• Ramundo's Pizzeria – Coming soon, this spot will have New York-style pizza from the local chain
• Solare – A healthy salad and bowl eatery, which will also serve Urbana Coffee

In addition to the drinking and dining options, Element offers seating for 400 inside and more than 200 people on three different outdoor terraces. A release says people can expect more entertainment and events here in the future. The space will also act as an anchor in the developing Madison Square area around the Medpace campus, which includes high-end restaurant Alara and bar Placebo.

Element Eatery is located at 5350 Medpace Way, Madisonville. After this weekend, hours start at 7:30 a.m. with coffee service and lunch at Solare from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Other eateries are open 11 a.m.-9 p.m., and RJ's Taproom plans to expand its hours in the future.

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