Ashvegas Hot Sheet online: Blue Ridge Parkway cracked; new eats in River Arts District; more

Jason Sandford

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

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Here’s a quick catch-up. Feels like a lot going on:

Plant restaurant has been named one of the 20 top vegetarian/vegan restaurants in the U.S. by Food & Wine Magazine. Congrats!

Blue Ridge Parkway closed: All the rain has made a significant portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway unstable. Thus, one of the busiest sections of the scenic road has been closed north of Asheville. The Asheville Citizen-Times on the parkway closure.

Bull & Beggar, All Souls Pizza now open in the River Arts District: The Bull & Beggar restaurant has opened in The Wedge Studios building, on the back side of the Roberts Street location, while All Souls has opened in the former Silver Dollar Cafe-turned-The Asheville Public space on Clingman Avenue. I visited both this past Saturday. Love the design of Bull & Beggar. I didn’t eat there, but their oysters and other seafood looked awesome. The All Souls interior is not significantly different than before. Their pizza, which I did sample, is delicious. Check out BlogAsheville for more on Bull & Beggar and All Souls Pizza.

New music biz: Dale Neal of the Citizen-Times profiles Josh Blake of IAmAVL, a new music business in Asheville:

“I didn’t think I was going to launch a community-based web channel,” Blake admits, but that’s the new music model that he dreamed up with a little help from his friends. “I’m not a web guy. I’m not a video guy.”

But Blake is the driving force behind IamAVL.com, an online web channel livestreaming music from four area venues, as well as archiving videos from local bands.

“It’s a new approach to the music industry that artists have been screaming for,” said Scott Reese, the videographer who Blake quickly enlisted.

No firing range after all: Buncombe County commissioners are dropping plans for a $10 million indoor firing range after public criticism, the Citizen-Times reports.

You’re up on the drunken Ewok story, right? AnswerWoman Casey Blake of the Citizen-Times is.