An early edition for Thursday:
-Dobra Tea: Dobra Tea House is open on Lexington Avenue. Has anyone been?
-Elumenati update: The Elumenati in West Asheville has a newly redesigned website. Awesome.
-Young is done: David Young, co-owner of Fugazy Travel in Asheville and a former Buncombe County commissioner, says he won’t seek another term as chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party. State Democrats took a beating in last month’s elections.
-Biltmore on display: The Biltmore House is a setting in a new Lucy Liu two-night special on the Lifetime channel. The romantic comedy is set to air starting Dec. 12. Liu was in Asheville a few weeks ago for the filming of Marry Me. I saw a promo and the Biltmore looks grand, as always.
-Beer guides: Julie at Bruisin’ Ales says visitors guides to local craft breweries and beers are out now. Some 50,000 of the rack-sized booklets titled Craft Breweries & Pubs of Western North Carolina are out and about, and “tailored to locals and visitors looking for the area’s best craft beers.” Good idea. Why didn’t I think of that?
-Crafty-ness: The Big Crafty is coming on Sunday, and that’s got me looking around at all the cool handmade stuff around town. Check out these knit caps by Elerz Handcrafted Hats. I don’t know if they’ll be out at he Big Crafty, but they should. They look great.
-Play station: A Bold Life story details plans for Asheville Arcade, a video game lounge set inside a restaurant/bar that is scheduled to open Dec. 15. Former real estate broker Joshua Aaron and Asheville attorney Leonard Poe. From the story:
There will be plenty to do once entering the arcade. The first floor will have a kitchen serving light finger food and meals aimed at kids, in addition to a full bar for their parents. At least 20 game cabinets will be scattered throughout the first floor, with larger games such as racing simulators linked together for cooperative and head-to-head play upstairs. That second level will also house a Nintendo Wii lounge featuring projection screens and life-size electronic avatars, pinball machines and even a soundproof room which can be reserved for karaoke, Guitar Hero and Rock Band performances.
-Subject Matter Studio show: Drew Finley, a designer for Mountain Xpress and a fantastic poster artist, is opening a show at the DeSoto Lounge on Haywood Road today at 8:30 a.m. You see his work on Xpress covers, and at Subject Matter Studio. Support Finley’s great work.
-Aluminum trees: I miss the Aluminum Tree Museum that used to go up every year about this time. It was based out of Brevard initially, then started moving around. Anybody know what happened?
-Gambling rolls on: Video sweepstakes parlours are officially illegal in North Carolina, but they haven’t shut down. There are conflicting court rulings about their legality, so police are taking a wait-and-see approach. There are plenty of these places around Asheville.
-Soul food review: Chameleon Soul Food on Merrimon Avenue gets a nice review. So does Tomato Cocina Latina in the West Gate Shopping Center next to Earth Fare.
Entertainment tidbits: Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard will perform together in March 2011 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. That would be worth a drive out there. Next week in town, Carolina Chocolate Drops.
-Reminders: The grand opening of the Glen Rock Depot is at 4 p.m. today on Depot Street in the River Arts District (parking details here). And listen in to NPR’s World Cafe at 6 p.m. to hear a music set recorded at Lexington Avenue Brewery a month or so ago during Moogfest, as well as a show dedicated to the work of Bob Moog, the electronics genius who forever changed music with his synthesizers.