ASHEVILLE - A downtown eatery that became popular with lunch crowds is revamping its operations, service offerings and menu at a new location.
In 2017, Brian Smith and his pastry chef wife Laura opened Baba Nahm restaurant specializing in Middle Eastern street food styles at Grove Arcade, 1 Page Ave, Suite 139.
In July, the location closed so the restaurateurs could focus on renovating and reopening the business at 60 Biltmore Ave., several blocks away on a high-traffic main street that cuts through the Central Business District.
Brian Smith said they are aiming for a mid-September or October debut.
“We had a rocking lunch crowd. We want to expand and keep those lunch crowds and not change all that much,” he said. “We’re going to have breakfast and dinner and an all-day menu of the falafels, pita sandwiches and those kinds of things and eventually roll out a dinner menu.”
Yet, many things will change at the new venue for the owners, staff and patrons.
Here’s what to know about the new, reimagined Baba Nahm restaurant.:
Service format
Baba Nahm will no longer offer counter-service but will shift to table service to promote “more personal interaction.”
“Our menu is a little different than burgers and fries so there’s a lot of talking people through the menu,” Brian Smith said. “That works much better from the server table dynamic than it does counter service.”
He said restaurants are a cornerstone of a community and the expansion will allow Baba Nahm to invest in the city.
“It was a great opportunity for us to go, ‘We’re ready. We’re ready to go from the little counter service shop to a full-service restaurant,’” Brian Smith said.
Longer hours
Baba Nahm will extend its service to offer breakfast for early risers and dinner for the evening diners.
“A 24-hour falafel-making factory,” Brian Smith said.
The new hours of operation will be announced.
Larger dining room and kitchen
Baba Nahm’s Grove Arcade location was about 1,400 square feet compared to the nearly 3,200 square feet of the Biltmore Avenue restaurant.
Brian Smith said the larger commercial kitchen will allow the staff to produce more.
“We love the Grove Arcade. We signed the lease in 2016 and opened in 2017 there. They’ve been awesome but it’s just too small. We need something bigger to let us do some cooler things,” Brian Smith said.
He said preserving the history of the building is at the forefront, like the bank of original windows in the 1922-constructed building that offers ample natural lighting in the expansive kitchen.
The contractors are refurbishing the spacious dining room with a tile-lined and concrete-top counter with bar chairs for 12-16 guests, a back bar with a wine wall for storage, and a spread of maple-top dining tables.
The banquettes left by the former tenant, City Bakery, lining the dining room are being refurbished.
Brian Smith said the custom community table made from upcycled wood and steel by a local artist will be brought, which customers may recognize from the Smith’s former restaurant, Rezaz. The table is intended for large parties and wine and Mediterranean menu tastings.
New food and drink menus
Laura Smith, a classically trained pastry chef, has long curated Baba Nahm’s dessert menu. She will further exercise her skills by preparing assorted items for the pastry case like breakfast pastries and scones.
“She has known what she’s wanted to do since she was probably 6 years old,” Brian Smith said. “She has lived her life to do that.”
Breakfast menu highlights include breakfast sandwiches and a breakfast platter with two eggs, bacon and Lebanese potatoes ― which Brian Smith said are like home fries that are fried and tossed in harissa and jus.
“All of this is done with our flair,” he said.
Cinnamon rolls will be made with cinnamon and cardamom.
Brian Smith said last year he witnessed a street food vendor in Morocco making doughnuts in a deep copper bowl over fire which were served in a banana leaf. Smith said Baba Nahm will offer a similar fried dough treat.
The bar's offerings will include a curated selection of beer and wine.
“The whole thing about Baba Nahm is it is fun,” he said. “We give you a lot of options to eat healthy. It’s quick. And the price point is right where it needs to be; it’s what we try hard to do.”
Baba Nahm pop-ups
Baba Nahm is closed during renovations and relocation, but the diners can find the team serving three days a week at a local seafood market and restaurant.
Baba Nahm is hosting a pop-up series at Mother Ocean Market, 640 Merrimon Ave., from 5:30-8 p.m. every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in August.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times .
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Baba Nahm plans table service, all-day menu, pastries spread at new restaurant location
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