Food news to go: News of the Asheville food scene in small bites

Closing the book?

Books and Breadboard, a charming breakfast/lunch eatery and bookstore, housed in an 1895 Biltmore Village building, has closed its doors.

Here’s the message on the business’s website:

Books and Breadboard temporarily closed because of non-renewal of lease.

If you have an unused gift card, please email us to arrange a refund.

Thank you for support and we will keep you updated as we progress.

Grace and David.

Emails to the owners of Books and Breadboard have gone unanswered.

In better news …

We missed it when it opened in October, but a new(ish) sandwich shop, Rev It Up Sandwich Shop, has opened at 5 Regent Park, where the Asheville Aquarium store used to be. Sandwiches feature Boar’s Head cheese and meats, cut fresh to order. It’s very much like a Southern deli — here, you can get pastrami on rye, or order a turkey sandwich slathered with house-made pimento cheese. There are burgers and all-beef franks, too, as well as a selection of beers, including PBR for $1.50 and local micros for $3. And why the name? Owners Jeff and Teresa Wright are Harley and hot-rod enthusiasts. The restaurant hosts “cruise-ins” every Saturday and features a collection of racing and motorcycle memorabilia on the walls. 

The great big house of Yao

Further west, Yao (formerly the Asiana Grand Buffet) has reopened on the west side with a fresh remodel. Xpress readers love Asiana, voting it No. 1 in Chinese cuisine year in and year out. Here’s why, from the 2011 Best of WNC poll: “With a buffet laden with hundreds of items, we’re tempted to say that when it comes to Chinese food, Xpress readers, you go Great Wall of China big. Even ignoring the mind-boggling variety under the sneeze-guard, the menu reads like a veritable who’s who of Chinese food, what with General Tso and all of the usual suspects in Hunan, Mongolian and Szechwan style.”

Yao is bigger and badder than ever, boasting a buffet laden with everything from orange-sesame chicken to green jello, a huge bar of dumplings, egg rolls and other deep-fried goods, miles of sushi, a gargantuan salad bar and a spiffed-up noodle bar and Mongolian grill. How big is it? The place seats nearly 400, and employees report that there is sometimes a wait on weekends. Yao is located at 153 Smokey Park Highway. Visit the website for more information.

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