Nibbles:
• Viva Europa is re-opening in West Asheville, close to Sunny Point. The sandwich shop was once located on Montford Ave. where Tod’s Tasties is currently located.
• The former Rocket Club has been sold. A reliable source says that the venue will be turned into a restaurant. Details will be shared when available.
• Hacienda del Sol, a new Mexican restaurant, is now open at 1435 N. Merrimon Ave.
Trick-or-Treat!
At the Hop: On Saturday October 30, from 3 until 4 p.m., celebrate All Hallow’s Eve at the Hop Ice Cream Cafe (640 Merrimon Avenue, suite 103) with Mark Deverges, a local magician and balloon artist.
At Marco’s: Through the rest of the month, Marco’s Pizzeria customers who place to-go orders at either one of the south or north locations may find gift certificates or other treats tucked in their orders when they pick up their food.
On Halloween weekend, Asheville artist Leanne Campagna will be doing face-painting at the north Marco’s location (946 Merrimon Ave.) from noon to 4 p.m., Oct. 30 and 31. Kids are welcome to wear their Halloween costumes.
From the Short Street Cakes blog: “From Saturday, Oct. 30, through Monday, Nov. 1, we will be celebrating the Mexican holiday, Dias De Los Muertos. We will create an altar for friends to place offerings to honor loved ones who have passed, and we will be selling blank sugar skulls with half of the proceeds to benefit Defensa Comuntaria (a local immigrants’ rights organization).
We will provide a decoration station to create bright and beautiful designs on the skulls to celebrate loved ones. I love Las Dias de los Muertos, because I think above all, the lesson of celebrating the passing of time, of death and the seasons of change is a reminder to appreciate life and the beauty in the everyday.”
Short Street Cakes is located at 225 Haywood Road in West Asheville.
New Roots:
The Roots Café, formerly located in the River Arts District, closed late this spring to focus on catering and wholesale production of products like the very good Roots hummus.
Roots is re-opening its café in the kitchen space vacated by the Twin Cousin’s Kitchen in the Grey Eagle Tavern.
Teresa Koch, manager of Roots, says that Roots Café will open in the first week of November, serving dinner when the Grey Eagle Tavern is open for a show. Koch adds that the café will open its doors at 5 p.m. on those days. “That gives people time to come, even if they don’t have a ticket to the show,” she says.
“We loved having the cafe and serving the locals here in the River Arts District, so we’re very excited to re-open and re-connect with the community,” says Koch. “We’re very happy to be open for the public again.”
BIG Copper River
The Flat Rock Grill on Hendersonville Road has closed. The restaurant is undergoing renovations to re-open next year as the fairly similarly named Copper River Grill.
Copper River is a small-scale chain restaurant that serves American favorites in an atmosphere that the venue’s website describes as “comfortable come-as-you-are casual dining.” The decor is described as “reminiscent of an Alaskan mountain lodge.”
The restaurant serves recognizable fare — think prime rib, baby back ribs, pastas. The menu also promises “table-sized desserts,” which sounds frightening. The gourmet pizzas offered include a creation covered in lobster cream sauce, deep-fried shrimp, tomatoes onions and capers.
Other items include a “Firecracker Shrimp” mac-n-cheese with fried shrimp on corkscrew pasta tossed chipotle queso. A featured burger, “Bigfoot’s mother-in-law,” consists of a 12-ounce patty topped with grilled Black Forest ham, fried shrimp, cheese, remoulade sauce and pickles.
My guess is that this restaurant is not geared toward the Slim Fast set.
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“A featured burger, “Bigfoot’s mother-in-law,” consists of a 12-ounce patty topped with grilled Black Forest ham, fried shrimp, cheese, remoulade sauce and pickles.”
Huh? Fried shrimp on a burger? Maybe it’s yummy, but it sounds positively disgusting.