One restaurant closes, another opens at S&W Market in downtown Asheville
ASHEVILLE - The S&W Market, a historic downtown cafeteria, will soon have a new Peruvian restaurant in its vendor lineup. However, it means saying farewell to another local eatery.
On Oct. 31, Peace Love Tacos will close at S&W Market, 56 Patton Ave.
The eatery served Mexican cuisine from tacos to street corn and was an extension of owners Paige and Danny Scully’s Mountain Madre Mexican Kitchen & Agave Bar, also located downtown.
The food hall booth won’t be vacant long.
Ana Austin and Santiago Vargas, owners of Mikasa AVL catering company, will be moving into the space, offering authentic Peruvian dishes under the banner Mikasa Criolla.
The opening is slated for Dec. 1.
Austin and Vargas said they’ve long wanted to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant and had their eye on downtown. They were presented with the opportunity by S&W Market management and agreed that the kiosk restaurant model and timing were right.
“It’s a more affordable way to start a brick-and-mortar and it’s in downtown Asheville, which is what we wanted,” Austin said. “We decided to start with Mikasa Criolla which is like the Peruvian-Spanish fusion ― more like what you eat in Peru on a day-to-day basis.”
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Mikasa Criolla will join S&W Market’s roster of Buxton Chicken Palace, Bun Intended, Farm Dogs, Highland Brewing, The Hop Ice Cream and The Times Bar.
Last year, Austin and Vargas, natives of Peru, launched Mikasa AVL with a focus on Peruvian fusion styles with influences including African, Chinese, Japanese and Italian, as a result of centuries of mass migrations to Peru, Austin said.
The business partners will continue hosting pop-up dining experiences, attending local festivals and offering catering services for events, including weddings.
The name “Mikasa” references home and “Criolla” translates to creole in Spanish and is a nod to history, Vargas said.
“It’s the Spain immigrants going to Peru and the mix of the two cultures to create the kind of food in our culture,” he said. “
Mikasa Criolla’s curated menu of quick bites, paninis, salads, comfort foods, desserts and more showcase Peruvian ingredients, flavors and recipes and Spanish influences. Traditional and homemade recipes passed down through generations are present in the offerings, as well as signature recipes and twists.
In Peruvian style, Vargas crafted a recipe for empanadas that have the foundation of pastry dough, queso fresco and Peruvian corn with filling options to rotate quarterly.
The classic chicken chili features Peruvian peppers that the chefs are growing in collaboration with local farmers. And the chef said the ceviche will be made with locally foraged mushrooms.
The unbaked Chicha Morada Cheesecake, made with purple Peruvian corn, has been most popular with Mikasa AVL audiences and is expected to be a hit at Mikasa Criolla, too.
Favorite dishes and sauces once served from Vargas’ former food truck, Out of the Blue, are planned to return, such as the “Pig in the Poncho” sandwich made with slow-roasted pork, sweet potatoes and pickled onions.
And the Pisco Sour, a Peruvian cocktail made with the country’s Pisco brandy, will be available.
Mikasa Criolla will allow Austin and Vargas to share their culinary passion regularly with established customers and introduce new audiences to the Peruvian heritage and cuisine, Austin said.
Mikasa Criolla
Where: The S&W Market, 56 Patton Ave., downtown Asheville
Opening: Dec. 1
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday
Info: For details, visit mikasa-avl.com and swmarketavl.com. Follow on Instagram at @mikasaaavl.
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 Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville S&W Market: Peruvian restaurant to replace Peace Love Tacos
