AZIA in Greenville began offering brunch at the beginning of the year from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. on Sundays. The menu is a scaled-down version of the original with starters like the Sauteed PEI Mussels, Krunchy Tempura Shrimp Thai Tacos, Hawaiin Ahi Poketini and Miso Soup. Selected sushi is available too, with rolls such as the Flame, Azia, Volcano and Surf 'n Turf.
Brunch entrees include Grilled Scottish Salmon, Keahi Crab Cake Benedict, Kings Bread French Toast, Lamb Sausage and Buttered Biscuit, Country Ham and Eggs or Pan Seared Veal Tenderloin. On the sweet side the Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a crowd-pleaser, along with the Cappucino Mousse Cake, Strawberry Pastry Puff and Fresh Berry Sundae.
As far as beverages go, there's an added bonus -- Azia is just within the city limits, so alcohol is served on Sunday.
Azia is located at 15 Market Point Dr. off of Woodruff Road in Greenville. Call 864.297.0788.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Two more restaurants are under construction along Market Point Drive near Shops at The Point as the Interstate 85/Woodruff Road interchange quickly becomes a restaurant row. “We have started to call this area Uptown Greenville, and we are excited to see other business and other restaurants coming into the area,” says Peter Lieu, owner of Azia and Lieu’s Chinese Bistro.
MikeEvans and KeithMarshall are renovating the vacant BobEvans location with plans to open Pinky’s, a meat-and-three establishment, according to sources. Meanwhile, RickGodleys is the new franchisee for Indigo Joe’s, a 7,500-square-foot family sports bar and restaurant currently under construction. “It has a dining area with 54 high-definition televisions and a kids’ game room,” Godleys says of Indigo Joe’s. “It’s going to be a family-type of sports bar, where a lady can come in by herself and wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.”
Godleys is a jack-of-all-trades. He founded Regional Finance Corp. in Greenville, a consumer finance company. He sold the business in March to Palladium Equity Partners LLC, a New York venture capital company. Godleys still owns 10 percent. Along with two partners, Godleys had owned – and has since sold – Carolina Barbeque in Spartanburg. He also buys, sells and trains barrel racing horses in Fountain Inn. Godleys says he’s investing close to $4 million in the restaurant. The televisions account for $210,000. Indigo Joe’s is scheduled to open in mid-November. “The menu is very diverse,” he says, “from hamburger to filet mignon.”
Indigo Joe’s and Pinky’s will join neighbors Sticky Fingers, Blue Fire Grill and Azia, an 8,000-square-foot sushi and Asian fusion restaurant that opened in mid-July. Evans and Marshall operate Flat Rock Grille and Blue Fire Grill in the Upstate. Evans was a founder of Flat Rock Grille, which was acquired by a Tampa, Fla., venture capital group in 2006. But just last month, Azalea Management & Leasing in Asheville, N.C., acquired the restaurant group and brought back Evans and Marshall. Evans and Marshall could not be reached for comment. According to county records, Market Point Drive LLC purchased the BobEvans building for $2.2 million in August. Crews last week were stripping the wallpaper and pulling up the carpet.
Location could not be blamed for the BobEvans closure, according to DougWilliams, senior retail professional at Grubb & Ellis|The Furman Co. “BobEvans wasn’t really established well in the South and it really was a corporate decision,” he says. “They had a great piece of property in one of the top restaurant areas.”
California-based Neighborhood Sports Pub Concepts Inc. has one Indigo Joe’s franchise in Florence, three in Georgia and one in North Carolina. Godleys has franchise rights for the Upstate. His two sons, Alan and Tyler, and brother-in-law, RandyLowe, will help operate the restaurant. “I think it’s going to be a very good area for restaurants,” RickGodleys says.
Two other restaurants, Doc Chey’s and Cracker Barrel, are within the Shops at The Point. Across Woodruff Road at The Shops at Greenridge, LongHorn Steakhouse is currently hiring for an October opening.
LongHorn is relocating from the Haywood Road area. Other restaurants at Greenridge are Panera Bread, Brixx Wood-Fired Pizza, Cold Stone Creamery, Red Robin, Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina, P.F.Chang’s and Mimis Cafe.
Another 11,000 square feet of retail space is under construction at Greenridge. Leasing agent CharlesThrift says a 7,500-square-foot building planned to open in front of Best Buy in the first quarter of 2008 will complete the shopping center. “It’s been better than we ever anticipated,” he says. “We could add more today if we had more space.”
Azia’s Lieu says the Point-Greenridge location is central to the Upstate. “We compare it to areas like Buckhead in Atlanta, and with all of the growth around us over the next 10 years, it is the hottest growth area in the Upstate,” he says.
Behind Shops at the Point, McChesney Investment Advisors LLC is serving as master developer for a 75-acre redevelopment of the former HoechstCelanese fiber plant, a portion of which had already been redeveloped into the CrescentCenter. Spokesman ScottDrake says Atlanta-based McChesney plans to close its purchase of the property this fall. The 850,000-square-foot building would be demolished, making room for retail, office, residential and hotel space. The project could break ground in mid-2008. “Shrink the office buildings 10 to 11 stories, it should feel like you are walking around downtown Greenville,” Drake says. “That’s what we envision, a very dense site plan.”
Drake says the property has two areas suitable for large retail partners, including a 14-acre site fronting I-85. “Most of what we are looking at are high-end, lifestyle retail or small boutique-type stores,” he says. According to Drake, McChesney will seek five to 10 development partners. “For every component that we have out, there are interested parties that are in negotiations with us,” he says.
