Asheville restaurant news: Jae is dead; Cook Out coming to Tunnel Road

Here are are a couple of tidbits I've picked up today:

First, the restaurant Jae in the Westgate Shopping Center next to Earth Fare is dead and gone. It's been closed for awhile, with a sign in the window saying something about the restaurant getting new floors or something. Now the space is up for rent.

Once an upscale vegan eatery, and then a fancy Thai place, it seems that Jae just never caught on.

Next, somebody on Twitter says that Cook Out restaurant is coming to Tunnel Road. Here's what wiki has to say about the Greensboro-based restaurant chain:

Cook Out is a fast food privately owned restaurant chain in North Carolina. Founded in Greensboro in 1989, the chain has since expanded throughout the state and now has drive-thru restaurants in over twenty cities. Most locations consist of a double-thru and lack indoor seating - many only offering limited outdoor seating. The restaurants specialize in grilled hamburgers and hotdogs (cook-out style), chicken sandwiches, and North Carolina barbecue. Cook Out is also known for its variety of 41 different "Creamery" Premium milkshakes with choices like "Banana Pudding" and "Chocolate Cherry".

That's all I've got on the local restaurant scene. What about you?

Comments

[Mike]

Wow, definitely looking forward to Cook Out opening in Asheville. Finally.

[Wvler]

Cookout has killer shakes. Their burgers aren't bad either. Looking forward to them opening. Plus, if I remember correctly, they are open till like 3am.

[Marty Weil]

A sign in the window of the long-abandoned Domino's pizza building on North Merrimon says The Sisters McMullin Bakery is coming to that location.

That's according to the signage...

Anybody else heard that news?

[Jordan]

oh man! Cook Out is coming! It is really cheap and pretty good (it's not 5 star dining but for the price, I think it beats out the mega-national chains). The shakes are de-lish too, try the peanut butter chocolate shake, sinful!

[Pixiedyke]

Jae was hit or miss. It's hard to get really excited about a place that could gross you out, even if it could also be fabulous.

Cook Out is amazing and wonderful. I would live at the Raleigh Cook Out if it didn't rain. I think other people live there anyway.

[h]

work has been going on at the old location of the hop on merrimon- would love to know whats being planned for that space.

[SW]

Awesome! I've been saying for years that Asheville could use a Cook-Out. Great burgers and killer milkshakes.

[Theodore]

Love the cookout milkshakes!

[illbdarn]

So Ash, is this what is going up on the old IHOP property?

[TJK]

Prior to being an "upscale vegan eatery, and then a fancy Thai place" Jae was a Thai place with very good food and inexpensive prices, attached to some run down motel in Swannanoa. It was kind of a dump but the food was consistently good and it was always busy.

[SheWhoEats]

I went to collegel in Greensboro, and Cookout was a regular staple of midnight marauding. I regularly invented 10-ingredient milkshakes which succeeding in both angering the staff as well as the line of cars behind me. I can't wait for their seasonal thick and creamy Egg Nog milkshake. It's kind of ridiculous. Waistbands, beware!

I was never that crazy about Jae, and I'm not surprised it's gone. It's a nice space though. Maybe an authentic Korean restaurant could take it's place! A girl can dream, can't she?

Ash, do you know what's up with the Paris Bakery folks? There's a puff of smoke where their lovely little cafe used to be, and although I've been campaigning Creme to offer almond croissants, they won't bend to my demands. Word on the "street" is the Paris Bakery owners, a married couple, were deported. Can this be true???

[Amanda]

I drove by it today, and it looks like Cook Out will definitely be across the side street from IHOP on Tunnel Rd.