The curse of 2920 Taylor Ave. has not struck again!

Relax, all you lovers of southern-style cooking.

Taste of Soul restaurant is not closing.

The FOR RENT sign that appeared this week on the building's facade merely signals that the building has been sold, and there's vacant space available upstairs. Although the restaurant is closed right now, a hand-written note taped to its front door states: "Due to a change of ownership of this property, Taste of Soul will be closed for a short time. We will be reopening soon."

A call to Edrick Scarvers Jr., owner and cook of all that bluegill, catfish, perch, tilapia, fried okra, chicken (yikes, I'm making myself hungry!) and so on, confirms the good news: Taste of Soul, he says, will reopen the second week of February.

Let's hope so. The restaurant's location at 2920 Taylor Ave., on Durand, has appeared cursed in recent years. Long the home of the Stockade, known for its pizza, it has housed a series of less-successful eateries lately. Barney's Memphis Style Ribs opened in March 2006, only to be replaced a year later by Pig 'n Out, which lasted just seven months. Then came Da Brickhouse in October 2007, which was replaced by Taste of Soul in April 2009.