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.