The new Asheville French Quarter, located at 68 N. Lexington, is continuing to take shape with some changes of venues based on strong business successes and capacity needs.
The popularity and demand for Crêperie Bouchon on a year-round basis is resulting in a move of the restaurant from the interior courtyard to Lexington Avenue beginning October 5.
“We are so proud of our little Crêperie. It’s gone from being Asheville’s “best crêpe secret” to “destination dining” and has outgrown its small interior space,” said owner Michel Baudouin. “Leaf season visitors have discovered our crêpes and our local friends like to bring family over the holidays,” Baudouin continued. “More seating was definitely called for. It made sense to me to make this move now, before cooler weather sets in.”
“By moving to Lexington Avenue,” Baudouin said, “the Crêperie will have a larger kitchen, so we can expand the Crêperie menu. That’s something else we’re excited about. But most importantly, now we’ll be able to keep our Crêperie employees in their jobs year-round.”
The new Crêperie will replace Lafayette, Baudouin’s Louisiana cuisine concept, which will move into the former Crêperie courtyard space and be designated a campeche (kahm-pehsh) – or “fish camp.” The menu will reflect a broader Gulf coast cuisine beyond Lafayette’s current Louisiana fare.
“The famous French pirate Jean Lafitte had the original campeche,” said Baudouin. “It was a little hideaway off the coast of Texas. I’ve always thought of our courtyard as Asheville’s little hideaway. I think the new Lafayette will be a great fit for the location. Since it’s now a fish camp, Lafayette will of course have a much more casual feel.”
The Crêperie’s new menu will be expanded to include brunch, featuring omelets and crepes, pain perdu, and poached eggs with pommes gallette. A new Brie en Croute with housemade red pepper jelly, Bouchon’s Grand Pere Salad and Gruyere-Riesling fondue will also be added to the menu. A new $5 soup menu including tomato bisque, mussel chowder, butternut squash-brie, turtle, chicken noodle, crab bisque and, bien sur, French onion soups will offer a great eat-in or take-out option.
Crêperie Bouchon crêpes will undergo some re-engineering with new options. Traditional French flour-based crêpes along with Brittany-style buckwheat crêpes and Provencal Socca gluten-free chickpea flour crêpes will be on the new menu. New desserts will include two variations of classic liegois (lee-ayzh-wah): Café Liegois (espresso poured over coffee ice cream), Chocolat Liegois (hot chocolate over chocolate ice cream).
Lafayette will continue to serve favorite Creole and Cajun specialties such as boudin balls, shrimp, oyster, catfish and alligator po-boys, crab and sausage gumbo, turtle soup, jambalaya, and red beans and rice. Dinners will feature shrimp creole, BBQ shrimp, crawfish étouffée, oysters campeche. For dessert, diners will find bread pudding, beignets and bananas Foster.
“In October, Bouchon turns ten years old,” announced Baudouin. “I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to achieve, but we’re far from slowing down. I’m fortunate to have a terrific team in place and we’re all looking forward to additional developments in the Asheville French Quarter over the coming months,” said Baudouin. “Stay tuned!”
For more information, visit www.avlfq.com.