Those of you on Haywood Road probably already know, but the suspense is over: Tolliver’s Crossing, the newest addition to West Asheville’s pub scene, opened for business today.
Initially projected to open months ago, the pub has been hotly anticipated by passersby who peeked through the windows to check on its progress.
The pub promises a menu of Irish-inspired dishes and draft-beer selection.
Visit their MySpace page here.
— Brian Postelle, staff writer
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Supposedly, the Admiral (next to BJ’s Market) is opening this weekend. Looks like a good weekend to be walking home.
marc
A friend of mine applied for a job there a few months ago. He said that in the interview he was told that all of the servers and bartenders were to speak in an Irish accent while serving the customers. I really, really hope they’re not going through with that. It’s just too cheesy for words.
The “help” has to speak with an Irish accent? This is WEST Asheville we’re talking about, not some yuppie playground like Manhattan. And all we need in town is another “pub”. Sometimes I long for the old days when you could hardly find a place to get a beer. And all they served was beer and wine. No liquor. Now you have transplants wandering Pack Square slooshed with a beer in their hand as they listen to rock music and mumble about how much better the neighborhood block parties are “up north”. Geez.
Some of us natives like to have the option of walking up the street to have beer or liquor rather than pay $20 for cab from West Asheville to downtown. And I’ve never overheard anyone talking about kick-ass block parties from up north. I mean, a block party? Was that in teh 1970s that you overheard that?
Easy, cowboy. I’m not trying to start some sort of nostalgia-fueled riot. Besides, what’s wrong with rock music? I like it. Goes great with beer. I’m not even saying that bartenders with fake Irish accents would keep me away from that bar. In fact, I might be inclined to go check it out for all of the unintentional comedy such a pretense will surely provide.
Oh, and cheers to another bar in walking distance. I think The Admiral should have bartenders with regional accents (maybe not the Candler patois, but still). Now if only the Rocket Club would open it’s doors. I can’t freaking wait to stumble home from rock shows every weekend. Notice I said rock, and not “psycho-bluegrass-funk-worldbeat-fusion,” or whatever the yahoos that play at most of the venues in this town call their style of music (after three bowls).
I went last night, and no Irish accents, thank god.
I liked the vibe, but it is VERY smoky, smokier than Broadways. They said that the smoke eaters will be installed next week. Another small quibble is that they don’t serve pitchers, just pints, making the waitresses work as hard.
I’ll definitely be back. I forgot to ask if they had Direct TV (and Thursday Night Football). It would be profitable for them if they did. Plus I can see my house from the front door, kinda.
One bar down, four to go!
marc
Oh man, that would be fantastic if they had the Thursday night games. And I’m glad to hear that the accent thing was just a rumor. I’m pretty confident in my source on that, so to whoever talked them out of that idea. cheers. West Asheville owes you a pint.
Do they have a menu online? What kind of food do they have?
Irish.
You haven’t heard “block party”? Well you are lucky. I have heard lots of transplants with yankee accents wax nostalgic for their northern home and it’s customs. I shake my head and wonder what they are doing here? Oh that’s right. They have ruined their home area with high taxation, bloated government with it’s resultant corruption, rampant immorality, and crime. So they move here for our lower cost of living (due in large part to low taxes), then whine we are not like NYC or Boston? LOL, how dumb is that. Pubs…they belong on Ireland and England. We have BARS here! :)
Yo, “Green is the new Green”… sorry to hear you don’t care for what some local bands are trying to do with the fusing of different musical styles around here. There are plenty of rock bands around here to fill your every wish with playing cookie-cutter, out of tune, low-skill indie rock… there are also some great rock bands as well. Which is it that you pine for? Enjoy what you will, but don’t belittle bands who are trying something different… also, not all of us us who DO play these eclectic music styles smoke up and get high… show at least a little respect for the more straight-edge, SERIOUS musicians in this town. A lot of the musicians you criticize who play those styles of music are university-educated and quite accomplished in many styles across the board. What do you play? Nothing, I’ll bet. Take your ball and go home.
Settle down. The grown-ups were just having a light hearted chat.
I do play, actually. I’m in a local band, and we’re awesome (!!!). Can’t tell you which one and blow my oh-so-enjoyable internet alter ego, though.
I also majored in music in college. And believe me, you’re not the first musician I’ve heard from that pulls the “serious musician” card.
I was friends with tons of people like you all through college. They had spent so much time around “seroius” music that they couldn’t enjoy music that didn’t fire every synapse in their brain with mixed meters and thirty-second note runs. They made fun of me for playing Pearl Jam in the car. They rocked out to Chicago, because it had horns in it and long runs in it. And this was in 1997.
They were a more than a little pretentious about what they considered to be “real” music. But you know what the best thing about music is? There is no definition. Some dude clacking on his laptop’s keyboard is music to some. Completely atonal sludge is enjoyed by many people. And noodly hippie jams are loved by many as well.
And the great part is, nobody is wrong! It’s all music!
So enjoy what you enjoy, and lighten up a little. I’m just trying to be funny. Don’t take yourself so seriously. That way, it’ll hurt less when your ego gets shattered.
And it will. Because no matter how much time and love you put into your music, someday you find yourself in front of a hostile crowd. It’s inevitable.
I recommend you practice shrugging it off now.
Wrong again… I said what I said because you, in one swipe, knocked basically any local band who didn’t fit your definition of what it was that YOU happened to like hearing coming out of a local bar or club. That’s fine… we’re all entitled to our opinions, and if you were trying to be funny, it failed with me. Whatever. Where you’re wrong is in labeling me as one of those dudes who pulls the “serious musician” card. You don’t even know me, so don’t make that judgement call. Read the WORDS that I wrote, and don’t read something INTO them. Perhaps I should have chosen different words, that might have been better. I’ll try again. By “serious musician” I meant a musician that works hard to get gigs, practices, studies their music, and works hard with their band to put on a good show, regardless of the style. That’s where I’m coming from. I hated the music snobs in school that you speak of as well. I was not one of them. I too was listening to Pearl Jam and Chicago while studying in school, and everyone lived happily ever after. I love any style of music as long as it’s written and performed well. My issue with your post was that it implied that bands who played the “fusions” in question were lazy potheads who couldn’t tie their shoes with 3 sets of hands. You know, the typical Asheville stereotype. I’m glad to hear you also studied music in school… more power to you. It doesn’t make someone a great musician, but it helps. Trust me, my friend… I’ve been in plenty of situations already where the crowd didn’t care, hated, or ignored the music that I have played… I play in three bands in the area and do a lot of regional freelancing and studio work. My ego’s already taken its hits, trust me. I don’t need you telling me what to expect. And if you knew one of the bands I was in, you’d know I don’t take myself too seriously. Truce?
Smoke pit, eh? That’s a shame…but I have it on good authority that the “Can you fake an Irish accent” rumors were true. It’s a good thing they dumped this Michael Flaherty Lord of the Dance fake Irish brogue thing…