Sly Grog is back; Haw Creek General Store, Romeo's Vegan Burgers, Haywood Famous all in the works; two big Asheville art openings this week; and more
Also, The Uncommon Market celebrates its 10th anniversary this year
This newsletter sponsored by Citizens Fuel Co., a family-owned Asheville company.
In this edition of the Hot Sheet: The Sly Grog Lounge, Haw Creek General Store, Romeo’s Vegan Burgers, Haywood Famous coffee shop, Yee-Haw Brewing, the new Chai Pani restaurant location, The Dweller Game Room and a eulogy for Ingles grocery store baskets all get a mention. Plus much, much more. Here we go:
This week is shaping up to be a big one on the local visual arts front, with two art openings of note on Friday (March 8).
First, Tracey Morgan Gallery will celebrate its new home at 22 London Road near Biltmore Village with its first exhibit, “What Came First.” An opening party is set for 6-8 p.m. on Friday (March 8). The exhibit includes pieces in a variety of mediums. Mountain Xpress contributor Arnold Wengrow has the story here.
Second, the Asheville Art Museum on Friday (with an opening reception Thursday) will unveil to the general public an exhibition featuring an eclectic array of artists working in the genres of Pop-Surrealism, street art and graffiti. “The New Salon” exhibition “will feature a broad range of work, including the Photorealistic and Surreal paintings of Robert Williams, Medieval-inspired works by Daniel Martin Diaz, and the robot-like Deities of Kumkum Fernando. Notable artists such as Mab Graves, Kukula, Lori Nelson, and Todd Shorr exemplify Pop Surrealism’s figurative techniques and fantastical narratives. Shepard Fairey represents Street Art, and the renowned New York-based writer Faust demonstrates the hand style of Graffiti. Folk Art and Americana find expression in the works of Dennis McNett (Wolfbat), MSRA, Ben Venom, and Rachel O’Donnell,” according to a press release. Other artists include Hannah Dansie, Maxx Feist, Danny Reed, Trek6 and Ian Wilkinson. The show is curated by Gabriel Shaffer, formerly of Asheville. Shaffer now lives in the New Orleans French Quarter and is owner and curator of Mortal Machine Gallery there. He is the son of renowned folk/visionary artist Cher Shaffer and learned from a number of pioneering artists in this genre as a youth, according to his bio. “Since a sell out premier at the 2005 Outsider Art Fair, in NYC, Gabriel has exhibited his work extensively throughout various major cities nationally and internationally.”
“YeeHaw” is the name of a project in the works at 100 South Lexington Ave. that may change the use of the existing 7,463-square-foot building into a microbrewery, according to a request for early assistance from the city development office. Here’s the background on what’s been happening at this location. Yee-Haw Brewing Co. opened its flagship taproom in Johnson City, Tenn., in 2015.
Haw Creek General Store could be coming to 7 Beverly Road, the location of a 3,000-square foot building right across the road from Creekside Taphouse restaurant. Early plans under consideration include turning the building into a general store that would include a bakery, sandwich shop and ice cream shop.
The Dweller Game Room, a space featuring arcade games and beer taps, is planned for 17 Buxton Ave. This is a project by Green Man Brewery, located just down the street.
Sly Grog Lounge, a popular music and performance venue that suffered extensive damage in a December 2021 fire, has announced plans to bring the venue at 271 Haywood St. back to life. A clean-up day has been announced, with a grand re-opening set for the weekend of May 17.
A small brewery is in the works for 2 Westwood Place, just off Haywood Road in West Asheville. I have a few more details here.
Haywood Famous, a night-time coffee shop, is looking at opening in the former Emote space at 508 Haywood Road. (Emote moved to a new spot at 444 Haywood Road.) Background on Haywood Famous here.
Chen Garden Asian Bistro is planned for the shopping center at 100 Julian Shoals Dr., unit 10.
Romeo’s Vegan Burgers is planning to open in the Merrimon Square shopping center at 640 Merrimon Ave, unit 203
A new 2,300-square-foot Chipotle fast food restaurant is planed at 550 New Airport Road, a location that’s home to a Clarion Inn hotel and LongHorn Steakhouse.
The Great Escape Room is under construction at 57 Haywood St.
WNC Detail, an auto detailing shop, is planned for 133 Broadway St.
Open Folk AVL, the popular weekly musical showcase, has moved and will now be held at Haiku, the wedding and events venue at 26 Sweeten Creek Road, on Wednesday nights.
Chai Pani Restaurant Group announced a couple of weeks ago that the Chai Pani Asheville restaurant at 22 Battery Park Ave. in downtown would move to the former location of Buxton Hall Barbecue at 32 Banks Ave. in the South Slope neighborhood. In addition to that, the old Battery Park spot will be transformed into a Botiwalla by Chai Pani eatery. (The restaurant group opened a Botiwalla on Haywood Road in West Asheville last year.) Two years ago, Chai Pani won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant, a top restaurant industry honor that soon led to foodies overwhelming the small restaurant with insatiable demand for its Indian street food. The new Banks Avenue digs will vastly expand Chai Pani’s space to prepare food and feed diners. (The new 10,000-square-foot space is three times the size of OG Chai Pani.) The iconic 1920s Banks Avenue building, which was originally home to Asheville's Black skating rink, will be transformed into a space decorated to invoke the following: Bollywood wedding-meets-Bombay Gymkhana-meets-Tata truck parking lot. The seating plan will be changed from tables and chairs to booths, with a new non-structural wall erected in the center of the dining room to separate booths, according to city construction permits. There will be new non-structural posts and lattice over the seating area, as well. Chai Pani is celebrating its 15th anniversary in Asheville this year. Stay tuned for opening dates.
The building at 701 Haywood Road in West Asheville has sold for $2.34 million. The buyer is JENNIEGARY LLC, a company registered to James Meder and Jenni Shacni, according to property and business records. The spot was formerly home to the beloved Mothlight music venue and is now home to the Different Wrld creative studio, event space and bar. The building was initially listed for sale for $2.85 million.
Wildsam, the publisher of pocket-sized field guides that gives an overview of a destination, plans to launch a guide to Asheville in May.
The hand-held baskets at my corner Ingles grocery store have disappeared. They’ve been replaced with those half-sized push carts you see in stores these days. I loved the baskets, because they helped me streamline my shopping experience. First they helped me keep my shopping in check. (Anyone notice how expensive groceries are these days?) And second, with the basket, I could just put it back where I got it on my way out of the store, rather than having to push a cart out to my car and then push it back to a collection point. (Yeah, I’m lazy.) *sigh*
The creators of Blind Date Asheville have announced a new edition of their live blind date show. Blind Date Live: MILF Edition is set for 8 p.m. on April 26 at Grey Eagle Music Hall. “Will there be instant chemistry, or will our hot moms put their dates in time-out?” Your $22 ticket includes a social mixer and a dance party. In addition to that, the Blind Date Live creators Cayla Clark and Ryan Gordon will host Bad Date Mic at 7 p.m. on April 12 at the Haiku meeting and event space. Share your bad date stories with a comedic twist. Tickets are $10. Go to @blinddateliveavl on Instagram for event links.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Blue Mountain Pizza and Brew Pub. Blue Mountain Pizza is a homey eatery for locals to find great pizza and small batch craft beers on Main Street. The restaurant’s owner, Matt Danford, is also known for his generosity, using his business to help raise thousands of dollars to donate to local schools and nonprofits. Blue Mountain also helps feed people at Thanksgiving.
Finally, the The Uncommon Market celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The market has been held at a couple of different locations over the years, but it has found a home at The Foundation off Lyman Street. The market features a variety of vendors selling antiques, craft items, vintage decor, art, jewelry, home furnishings and more. Co-owners Robert and Rebecca Nicholas have curated a great event that is held outdoors on Sundays in April, May, September and October, with an indoor summer market on Aug. 3-4 and an indoor holiday market Dec. 7-8. The indoor markets are held at the Mission Health/A-B Tech Conference Center.
Thanks for reading,
-j