Ashvegas Hot Sheet: New restaurant, 67 Biltmore, prepares for opening in downtown Asheville

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Happy Monday! Here we go:

-67 Biltmore: 67 Biltmore is the name of the new restaurant going into the former Laurey’s Cafe space at 67 Biltmore Ave. Andy and Emily Thome are the restaurant owners. They’ll be updating the space and releasing more details soon. Look for a May opening.

-Other new restaurants on the horizon: While we’re talking restaurants, how about a quick update on a few others: Smoky Park Supper Club is chugging along toward a late spring/early summer opening on Riverside Drive; Bonfire Barbecue on Patton Avenue in West Asheville is hiring as it nears opening; Asheville food truck queen Suzy Phillips told the Asheville Citizen-Times that she’s opening in the former Zingers space on Patton Avenue in West Asheville; work is going fast and furious on the new Buxton Hall Barbecue on the South Slope; and Blue Dream Curry is coming together on Patton Avenue in downtown.

-Public art proposal: David Gantt, chairman of the Buncombe County Board of commissioners, announced on Friday that he would propose that his board fund two new public art projects. One is what Gantt called a “history wall” for the interior of the new Buncombe County Courthouse building, with a proposed budget of $25,000. The second is a public art piece for outside the new building, with a proposed budget of $50,000. Gantt said he would make the proposal at commissioners’ May 5 meeting. Gantt made his announcement during a panel discussion of the Creative Sector Summit on Friday.

-New paint for Thomas Wolfe house: The Thomas Wolfe Memorial aka the house where the famous author grew up has been getting a much-needed new coat of exterior paint.

-Billboard changed: Pepsi changed out its deface billboard last week. The prominent billboard seen from Interstate 240 read “Welcome to PepsiTown.” Somebody painted the word “Love” over “Pepsi” on April Fool’s Day so the billboard read “LoveTown.” Pepsi officials said that a vandal had painted “Love” on the billboard, and Ashvegas food writer Stu Helm interviewed a person who claimed responsibility. Still, a lot of people are skeptical and think the whole thing was a Pepsi-orchestrated publicity stunt.

-New Mountain AVL christened: Asheville’s newest music venue, New Mountain AVL, held its official grand opening this past weekend with a three-day concert event featuring several bands. Folks are raving about the new outdoor stage venue.

-Folkmoot USA: The Waynesville cross-cultural arts event known as Folkmoot is this weekend.

-Asheville electro-music festival: Is set for May 15-16 at The Masonic Temple on Broadway in downtown Asheville.

The Asheville electro-music festival brings some of the world’s finest electronic and experimental musicians to the mountains of Western North Carolina. They will be joined by local artists for two days of compelling live music and innovative technology. Musical styles cover a broad spectrum, guaranteed to be creative and original. Live video art
will accompany the concerts in the beautiful and intimate rotunda. Afternoons (starting at 1pm) will feature interactive workshops, demonstrations, and performances. Evening concerts start at 7 pm.

tickets $15 per day
advance tickets $25 for two days

-Synchronous firefly viewing: The dates have been set at the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Pretty cool event.

-Nepal quake: WLOS reports that an Asheville couple from Nepal lost relatives in the big weekend earthquake there.

-Gap event: Passing along this press release for the fashion-conscious:

The crew at Gap Asheville is excited to kick off the perfect summer with our first Gap Style Event of 2015. Join us on Wednesday, April 29th from 5 until 8pm for the launch of our newest Spring and Summer collections, a chance to sit down with our expert style consultants, and complimentary light bites and wine. Roots hummus and French Broad Chocolates will be provided. The evening will feature outfits ready for you to try on using our newest styles, as well as Gap stylists at the ready to help you create a custom outfit that matches your look and personality. With the coming of Summer, it’s time to get a fun and fashionable new wardrobe. Whether you’re going for the perfect festival look or wanting to be cozy at the beach, we’re ready to help you look picture perfect and summer ready. Come join in on the fun and let us do what we do best! This event is free and open to the public.