New BBQ in Brevard

Another one of the things I miss most about no longer working in downtown Asheville is Ed Boudreaux's Bayou Bar-B-Que.

I made it a ritual to end my work week each Friday afternoon eating the Applewood smoked pork plate while looking out the restaurant window onto Biltmore Avenue and watching all the freaky people pass by as the sun set.

Now I no longer have to make the 45 minute trek to get my fix as management has opened a similar version just east of downtown Brevard (and a five-minute drive from the Lightnin' Lair) near the intersection of McLean Drive and French Broad Road.

The new restaurant is located where Casey Jones used to be. I spent many a night singing on the small stage there, but that's all gone now. In its place is a more roomier dining experience complete with the same barbecue sauce bar featuring 14 different sauces that made me fall in love with Ed's in the first place.

The sign says they will have live music, but I hope at least one night a week that will include karaoke.

To quote Steve Earle, "There ain't a lot you can do in this town, You drive down to the lake, then you turn back around."

'Cept we ain't got a lake.

But now, we do have another great place to eat. Hopefully, Sound Extreme Entertainment will expand their growing empire to this new venue.

=WL=