The return of Calabash West seafood restaurant? Also, Chop Shop Butchery opens processing facility, and updates on Hounds Town of Asheville, Mountain Pet Rescue, YogaSix

And Revel Dance Fitness to celebrate West Asheville grand opening this weekend

Note: This story sponsored by Citizens Fuel Co., a family-owned Asheville company.

Here’s more of what’s going around. If you like the Hot Sheet, please consider paying for a subscription. (A huge “thank you” to all of you who do.)

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Correction: In my Oct. 19 newsletter, I listed Soft Surroundings as one of two Biltmore Village shops that closed this year. That’s incorrect. I should have said the two closures are The Compleat Naturalist and Porter and Prince. I apologize for the error and any confusion it may have caused.

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The restaurant location shown at right, in a strip shopping center at 503 New Leicester Hwy., was once home to Calabash West restaurant. Fans of that eatery, which closed about 20 years ago, are hoping for a comeback./ photo by Jason Sandford

A vague post to an Asheville-centric Facebook group has stirred up tremendous excitement. Not surprisingly in this foodie town, it has to do with what sounds like a new restaurant. Here’s the post:

“Hello, West Asheville people! Especially Erwin/Leicester peeps. It’s coming back after nineteen years. Seafood on Leicester Highway, at a well-known location. Can’t divulge much but stay tuned!”

That immediately had food fans thinking of the old Calabash West seafood restaurant, which was located for years in the shopping center at 503 New Leicester Hwy. The Calabash was family owned and operated and served up your classic fried fish dishes. It was a warm community gathering spot, drawing the Erwin High School families and Erwin Hills neighbors. It closed about 20 years ago.

Most recently, the restaurant location has been an Ay Caramba restaurant. That’s all the intel I have right now. Can you tell me more? Email me at sandford.jason@gmail.com.

The Chop Shop Butchery recently opened a USDA-inspected processing facility at a former carpet storage building on Clayton Street near the butcher shop at the corner of Charlotte and Chestnut streets./ photo by Jason Sandford

The Chop Shop Butchery just opened a new USDA inspected processing facility on Clayton Street. The big space (including 1,000 square feet of refrigerated space) will allow the Chop Shop crew to custom cut and wrap meat that local farmers want to take and sell at local markets themselves. The space will also allow the Chop Shop to expand its production of smoked sausages, fermented/dried salamis, meatballs, bacon and more. On a tour of the new space (near the butcher shop at the corner of Charlotte and Chestnut streets), co-owner PJ Jackson told me the project is a huge achievement that he says will improve the Chop Shop and its ability to support all its customers, from farmers and restaurants to individual shoppers.

Guajiro food truck is one of the best new restaurants in Asheville right now. It is posted permanently outside Cotton Mill Studios. You’ll find real-deal Cuban food, huge portions, and an eatery open for breakfast and lunch.

Word on the street: Good Hot Fish, the highly anticipated restaurant by Asheville Chef Ashleigh Shanti, is going to be located in the new Burial Beer expansion spot, which is still in the works right next door to its Collier Avenue flagship.

The Hound, the new bar being built out in the old Greyhound bus station on Tunnel Road, is still coming along.

Cultivate Climbing on Amboy Road./ photo by Jason Sandford

Cultivate Climbing, Asheville’s only indoor climbing gym, has announced new partnerships with two local climbing affinity groups: NC BIPOC Climbers and Southeastern Queer Climbers. Cultivate Climbing, the former Climbmax gym located on Amboy Road, officially opened its doors under a new name and new ownership earlier this fall with a renewed focus on creating a climbing community built on inclusion. Cultivate Climbing hosts NC BIPOC Climbers meet-ups the second Wednesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. and for Southeastern Queer Climbers, the third Wednesday of every month at 7:30 p.m.

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The following news bits are gleaned from City of Asheville building/construction permits on file with the Development Services department. This information is public record. These projects don’t always come to fruition, but offer an early glimpse regarding what may come to pass. So here we go:

Hounds Town of Asheville, a new doggie daycare, is planned for a 7,500-square-foot former Japanese steakhouse at 4 Regent Park Blvd.

International Stone Distributors wants to build a new 4,000-square-foot expansion onto an existing 9,600-square-foot building at 370 Airport Road.

Tidal Wave Auto Spa proposes to build a 3,600-square-foot automated tunnel carwash at 1086 Hendersonville Road. The development will include a pay station, prep canopy, tunnel carwash and vacuum spaces, according to the permit.

$3 movies are back at Asheville Brewing Co.’s location on Merrimon Avenue.

YogaSix, a yoga studio franchise, is planning to open in the shopping center at 1829 Hendersonville Road, suite 80. (That’s the shopping center where Tupelo Honey’s south restaurant is located.) The studio offers six core classes

Retrocade, at 800 Haywood Road in West Asheville, plans to add a bar in its basement.

Mountain Pet Rescue is considering operating a pet adoption and meet-and-greet center, along with a possible thrift store/retail shop, in the former Sun Trust Bank building at 700 Haywood Road.

The building at 387 Haywood Road may be home to a co-work and professional learning center. Plans call for offices, flex seating spaces and a large, open classroom.

Revel Dance Fitness will celebrate its grand opening the weekend of Oct. 28-30 at 1501 Patton Ave., the former location of Terpsicorps. The dance fitness studio “offers a variety of drop-in dance and group fitness classes taught by awesome instructors,” according to its website.

Thanks for reading,

j