Dolly Llama Waffle Master, an artisan waffle and ice cream shop, planned for Biltmore Park; The RailYard opens in Black Mountain; a look at the Auction House food hall coming to Fletcher
Also, Blue Ridge Roller Derby is back in action with an event April 29
This story sponsored by Citizens Fuel Co., a family-owned Asheville company.
Here’s some of what’s going around. But first, a quick reminder that you can see all newsletters at Ashevegas Hot Sheet. There’s plenty of newsletters with free access, buy you’ll have to be a paying subscriber to read everything. A subscription costs $7 a month or $75 a year. Thank you to everyone who pays to support this local, independent news effort (and my family :). Ashevegas, as a blog, hyper-local news website and email newsletter, has been going strong in Asheville for 18 years. Cheers!
All Day Darling, the cafe/restaurant in the Montford neighborhood, is launching a pop-up concept called The Little Pickle on Sunday, April 23, from 5-9 p.m. The pop-up series explores the cuisine of the Levant, an Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. Think of the food as a family-style Mediterranean feast with juicy wines, cocktails and sourdough pita (including a gluten-free option!) served fresh out of the wood-fired oven, according to a press release. The dinner menu will cost $29 per person.
The RailYard, an expansive bar and restaurant, has opened in Black Mountain. It’s the work of veteran Black Mountain business owner John Richardson, who founded Black Mountain Pizza & Ale House in 2011 and Black Mountain Brewing in 2018, reports The Valley Echo. “Situated across from the railroad tracks, the 7,000-square-foot building contains a 70-foot bar, serving craft beverages and cocktails; a community space to accommodate events; and SmashBalls, a new restaurant specializing in smashed griddled burgers. Just outside of five large bay doors is an open courtyard surrounded by shipping containers that will eventually be home to food trucks, local artisans and vendors.”
Dolly Llama Waffle Master is planning to open in a space at Biltmore Park, according to city construction permits. The artisan waffle and ice cream shop chain started in Los Angeles. The business founders, Samuel Baroux, a French restaurateur, and Eric Shomof, a real estate businessman, say they offer authentic European flavors and techniques, such as Belgian waffles using traditional methods, according to this Florida Times-Union story. The shops offer three distinctive styles: OG Liege Waffle, Hong Kong Bubble Waffle and the Bubble Waffle Jr.
Here’s a look at an architectural rendering for the Auction House, a new food hall planned for Fletcher. John Boyle at Asheville Watchdog broke the news about the food hall last November. Zach Grogan, who works in development with the South Carolina-based Magnolia Property Group Inc., told Boyle the food hall tenant is KO Restaurant Group that operates Hendough in Hendersonville and Gather in Greenville. Mercado Cantina, another concept planned for the food hall which you can see in the rendering, is inspired by the food of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and was developed by business partner Michael Olbrantz, Boyle reports. Gini Marshall of Hive Interior Design posted this rendering at @hive_interior_design on Instagram and gave me the OK to share it. The rendering is by Linsey Gray at @linseygraycreative.
Living Stone Design + Build has announced that it is moving from Black Mountain to Asheville, according to a press release. The luxury custom homebuilder will join sister companies I.D.Ology Interiors and Design, a design firm, and Atelier Maison, a high-end organic furniture studio at 121 Sweeten Creek Road. Along with his wife, Laura Sullivan, owner of I.D.Ology, Sean created a philosophy that applies thoughtful, holistic, and natural processes to designing and building, and teaches clients how to live green, according to the press release. The new location is a place where clients and the public can learn how to make their homes a place of peace, health, and wellness, while minimizing their environmental footprint, according to the release. Living Stone recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and has been based in Black Mountain for 22 years.
Blue Ridge Roller Derby, formerly the Blue Ridge Roller Girls, is back in action after missing three competitive seasons because of the pandemic. The team, formed in 2006, competes in the sport of flat track roller derby, which combines the athleticism of full-contact gameplay on roller skates with a touch of theatrics. Blue Ridge Roller Derby is a member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, the international governing body of the sport. The team won a Division II World Championship title in 2016. The league will kick off its competitive season with a double-header against Charlotte Roller Derby at the Smoky Mountain Event Center at 758 Crabtree Road in Waynesville on April 29. Doors open at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $5 for kids ages 12-18 and are free for children under 11. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at blueridgerollerderby.com.
Contest: Rabbit Rabbit has launched an online contest called the Ultimate Asheville Weekend Giveaway in advance of the launch of its outdoor music concert series this year. The prize package includes VIP tickets to a May show, a stay at the new Restoration Hotel, a LaZoom tour, a Navitat zipline visit and a Grove Arcade package. Check it out.
Here’s more for city construction permits:
Sweets & Seats Cafe is the name of the new cafe planned for the former Blue Dream Curry restaurant location in downtown Asheville at 81 Patton Ave.
Tidal Wave Auto, an automated tunnel carwash, is planned for 3 Regent Park Boulevard.
A new bar with a stage for music may be coming to a warehouse building at 188 Patton Ave.
Sky City Tavern is planning to open in unit 002 of the big building at 144 Biltmore Avenue. A Facebook page describes it: “Creating a new cultural and diverse environment in Downtown Asheville.”
Chuck E Cheese at 104 River Hills Road is getting a major facelift, to include some new paint, sconces, new doors, new games and new seating.
An old two-story house at 19 South French Broad may be converted in an 8-room hotel, according to a request for early assistance from the city’s development office.
Pho House is the name of a restaurant planned for the Shoppes at Biltmore Village shopping center at 190 Hendersonville Road.
Alchemy Yoga and Reiki is planning to move into a space at the shopping center at 275 Smokey Park Hwy.
Asheville Tea Company plans to move into a space at 91 Thompson St. and renovate the space for offices and “the light manufacturing of tea.”
Thanks for reading,
-j