Here’s a round-up of some of what’s happening:
The Southern: The Southern, Asheville’s newest bar and restaurant, officially opened on Monday. It’s on the corner of Walnut and Lexington Avenue, in the former Old Europe space and right next door to the Lexington Avenue Brewery.
With it’s great drinks and food menu, and its lovely courtyard, the opening of The Southern marks another high point on the downtown eating and drinking scene. The short ribs entree sounds delicious, as does The Elvis dessert – banana bread pudding, peanut butter gelato and bacon brittle. Yeah. Bacon brittle. There are Highland, Pisgah and Asheville Brewing beers on tap, and there are amazing cocktails offered, including a watermelon-basil margarita.
The combination of The Southern and the LAB makes that corner, for my money, one of the hottest in downtown Asheville right now.
Usual Suspects sale confirmed: I wrote a day or two ago that I heard that Kathy and Les had sold their great restaurant/bar, The Usual Suspects, on the corner of Merrimon Avenue and Gracelyn. That news has been confirmed. Edgy Mama tweets that Greg Siegel, who used to be in the restaurant biz in Asheville, has bought the place. Kathy and Les are going to take some time off to travel, but say they plan to return to Asheville.
Next for the Jolie Rouge space? What’s next for the former Jolie Rouge space on the corner of Charlotte Street and Walnut Street College and Spruce streets? I heard in passing that someone said a “barcade” was coming next. I’m not sure if that’s an official name or just a reference to a bar with a lot of cool video games in it. But that’s the word on the street – barcade.
Night of 1,000 Easels: I talked briefly yesterday with Graham Hackett, the new program director for the Asheville Area Arts Council, who told me he’s got an exciting event coming in September. As I recall, it’s dubbed the Night of 1,000 Easels, and will feature all kinds of paintings on display in the streets of Asheville. Sounds amazing.
Corn maze: It’s corn maze time at Eliada Home again. Last I heard, they were looking for people to helping them out. It’s great fun for a great cause. Check it out.
DIY woodworking shop: The former dry cleaners on the corner of Carter Street and Patton Avenue, which has been sitting vacant for a couple of years, finally appears to have new life. A sign out front saying that a “DIY woodworking shop” is coming soon.
Big plane in the sky: I saw one of what appeared to be one of those big old bombers that occasionally visit up in the sky last night. I haven’t seen any announcement about one of those planes coming to Asheville, though. Anyone?
12 Comments
I've heard about this barcade from a few friends. Hope they have a defender machine!! 😉 keep us posted ash!
I've been outside every evening this week and have seen the plane consistently every day…maybe they are looking for pot farms, ha.
I saw King Kahn & BBQ there. It’s Joli Rouge.
Just ate at the Southern this evening! Excellent!!! The drink menu is wonderful and so is the food!!! Check it out!
Thanks PBnJ and obiwan.
thanks ash.
-grant
Ash, the plane is a P3-Orion used mostly for marine surveillance, anti-submarine stuff, and drug interdiction. The unit that flies in and around here is based out of Jacksonville, FL, they fly up here to simulate long-range missions over the ocean. They do training circuits in the area quite often…mostly touch and go landings.
Grant, I heard there was an event listing created for Facebook, but I couldn’t find it. I’ll post the press release as soon as I receive it.
Curious about this "Night of 1000 Easels" – no info on the AAAC site and I’m pretty sure the contact email is an old employee email. Anybody know what this show might be and how one might participate?
There’s what I assume is an Air National Guard plane that practices "touch and go" landings at the airport on a fairly regular basis. It’s a large 4-prop cargo type plane. I saw it one day years ago from the parkway, and I was actually looking down on it.
Please don’t refer to it as the former Joli Rouge space. As Asheville landmarks go, Max’s Celebrity Deli will always hold a spot in Asheville’s heart.
It’s actually "Sale Pending" for Usual Suspects. The restaurant should change hands by the end of this week, provided there are no last minute complications.