Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Let’s talk a little about the ever-changing face of downtown Ashvegas. It’s a thriving city, where things are always happening. So we’re going to throw some chum into the Sea of the Voracious Speculation and see what comes of it.
Take this for what it’s worth: rumor, innuendo, wild-ass guesses and such.
BBQ renaissance?
Remember our discussion a few weeks ago about barbecue? Well, there may be a mini-revolution coming to town in the form of a couple of new restaurants. This is good news, because the barbecue offerings in town have been sorely lacking ever since Bill Stanley’s Bluegrass and Barbecue joint shut down low those many years ago.
What used to be the Blue Rooster turned Golden Horn turned Thibodaux Jones turned Raven Grill (for like 30 seconds) will be turned into Ed Boudreau’s Bayour Bar-B-Que. Boudreaux’s has been a not-so-well-kept secret out in Haw Creek for a while.
Boudreax’s is run by Dustin Vanderbunt and Eric Feichter. Vanderbunt came to Ashvegas from New Orleans, where he met Feichter at the Richmond Hill Inn. They joined forces and sound like an ambitious duo ready to make their mark. As long as they know how to smoke some barbecue, they’ll be all right, because every other barbecue shack in town pretty much sucks.
Second on the barbecue front is word that Steven’s Pub turned Charlotte Street Grill is going barbecue. The signs are up – American Barbecue Co., or something. That would be an interesting change for a location long popular with the nearby college crowd at UNC Asheville.
Woolsey Dip-sy do?
Rumor has it that the Woolsey Dip could receive a major makeover – word is that The Hop and Boston Pizza, two local institutions, will shutter to make way for a Sonic burger drive-in.
This rumor is false. There are no plans to do away with two Ashvegas institutions.
The Hop has been serving up ice cream in a family-owned shop since 1954. The treats are homemade and all-natural. Travis Parker is the owner. Boston Pizza is another family-owned place that’s been there on Merrimon next to the Hop for 17 years.
There’s plenty more, but we’ll leave it there for now. What’s your rumor? Lemme know.
