ASHEVILLE – A downtown Asheville building that’s been home to Fiore’s Italian and Korean House restaurants will reopen this week with a new tenant, an Asian steakhouse and sushi restaurant.
Miyako House will open for lunch and dinner Feb. 20 at 122 College St., serving a vast menu of pan-Asian food including hibachi filet mignon, Thai curries, Chinese dishes, teriyaki plates and noodles.
There are four partners in the business, including husband-and-wife managing partners Raymond Li and Jessica Gao.
Gao said her husband has worked as sushi chef for more than 15 years and has a depth of experience in ordering quality seafood and creating specialty rolls. Locally, he’s worked at both Wasabi and Ichiban, she said.
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The rather substantial list of specialty rolls will include a surf and turf roll with spicy tuna and rare steak.
“We know how to take good care of the fish and keep the fish fresh, and my husband knows how to create,” Gao said.
Where did Korean House go?
Korean House, which anchored the three-story College Street building for seven years, closed last year as the pandemic slowed business to a trickle.
Co-owner Jayson Im said he and his sister Kristina Im closed Korean House temporarily in late spring, then tried to reopen later in the summer.
“It wasn’t motivating to us,” he told the Citizen Times then, describing days spent waiting for the takeout apps to signal another customer. “We were sitting here making $5 an hour for a 12-hour shift,” he said.
Korean House should not be confused with Stonebowl Korean, which remains open at 1987 Hendersonville Road.
More:‘It’s not working out’: Korean House closes after nearly 7 years in downtown Asheville
Who gets a discount?
Though Miyako will serve hibachi fare, all of the grill-top cooking will be done in the kitchen, which is not open to the public to view, said Gao.
Though the menu is large, she expects the sushi to be a highlight of the menu. So too with the lunch bento boxes, which will include a teriyaki or tempura entree, an appetizer and a sushi roll for $11.
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Frontline workers will receive a special perk through the end of March, a 20% discount.
Police, firefighters, medical workers, municipal workers and teachers are all eligible while in uniform or with a valid idea proving their occupation.
Miyako House will be open 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday.
Food will be available via online ordering for takeout, and available through several third party delivery apps, including DoorDash.
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Mackensy Lunsford has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years, and has been a staff writer for the Asheville Citizen Times since 2012. Lunsford is a former professional line cook and one-time restaurant owner.
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