PHOTOS: Sneak peek at new West Asheville restaurants set to open

Jason Sandford

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

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We’re keeping a close eye on the three new restaurants set to open on Haywood Road in West Asheville over the next two to three weeks. Buffalo Nickel and Nine Mile West will open soon in side-by-side locations at 747 Haywood Road. Entrepreneur Lynn Foster, who has owned restaurants in the past, has owned the building for 28 years and said it was time for some much-needed repairs and updating.

Foster followed through on her vision for a restaurant in Buffalo Nickel after a plan to have Asheville Sandwich Company move in and open an Asian fusion restaurant fell through. (Instead, Asheville Sandwich decided to open a new location for its sammich shop nearby on Haywood Road, in the former Digable Pizza location.)

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Foster said Buffalo Nickel will offer entres such as pierogies and Pittsburgh steak. Chef-driven food that “will be whatever is the freshest and most local that we can source from one meal to the next,” she said.

Ryan Kline, the chef at Buffalo Nickel, formerly served as sous chef at Storm in Asheville. He tells me he’ll be doing his own spin on classics, influenced by growing up on a farm in Pennsylvania and living near and Amis community. Think scrapple and pierogies with a twist, he says. “We will have something for everyone,” he says, and food you can’t currently find in Asheville.

Kline’s team includes sous chef Brandon Miller and pastry chef Kim Walton. All three have one thing in common, Kline says – they all worked together at Biltmore Estate. Brandon and Kline opened Cedric’s Tavern there and moved about the various Biltmore eateries.

The price point will range anywhere from $3 to $22, says Kline. Miller says the restaurant will serve up delicious food in a great atmosphere, all of which aims to be “a game changer for West Asheville.”

Trey Greer, owner of Asheville’s Elm Construction, has been conducting all three projects – Buffalo Nickel and Nine Mile West, as well as King Daddy’s Chicken and Waffles. And he has been doing a phenomenal job. Each space includes pretty amazing construction and renovation touches. Consider:

-Trey’s crew removed the original tin ceiling at King Daddy’s and then replaced it, piece by piece, restoring its original elegance

-In Buffalo Nickel, Trey’s crew used the original flooring as wainscoting, exposed original brick walls and inlaid a strip of white oak on the front riser of every dark walnut step leading to the expansive, upstairs game room.

-Also at Buffalo Nickel, consider the beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. They come from all across the U.S., says Foster, adding that she just loves the elegant look and dim lighting they throw off.

-In Nine Mile West, Trey’s crew poured a new concrete bar in place. Beautiful.

But back to Buffalo Nickel and its upstairs game room. It’s a massive space with a separate bar. It will feature foosball and pool tables. It has a bank of windows looking down on Haywood Road. And it features exposed beams that are absolutely beautiful.

Foster stresses that she wants to be a good West Asheville neighbor who has strived to provide restaurant space that residents want and will respond to.

“It’s just a lively and virbrant neighborhood. We really want to fit in that neighborhood and give them a place to hang out,” she said.