The Big Easy in Brevard
The old Grover’s building in downtown Brevard has a long history of providing townspeople with basic commodities, whether Chevys or filing cabinets. Louisiana-born chef Jaime Hernandez adds beignets and fried frog legs to that tradition.
Since opening last October, the long vacant storefront at 44 East Main Street—formerly a car dealership, office supplier, and furniture store—has done brisk business as Jaime’s Creole Brasserie. It helps that Hernandez came to town already vetted: Recognized by the national publication Best Chefs of America, he earned a Western North Carolina following at his now-defunct Marshall restaurant, Pork & Pie.
Original oak floors, a mix of communal tables and private nooks, an open kitchen, and exposed steel beams set a convivial backdrop at Jaime’s. Forget the bread basket; here it’s all about airy pork rinds to get you thirsty for the restaurant’s extensive wine list, local beers on tap, and creative cocktails. That all warms up the palette for a menu that reads like the greatest hits of Creole classics, albeit with a Southern twist, from catfish po’boys to mountain trout meunière—a French preparation that involves dredging the fish in flour before roasting the filet, served with a creamy hot sauce.
“We’re bringing a little bit of New Orleans to the mountains,” says Hernandez.
Lest you think Big Easy fixings on the edge of Pisgah Forest may feel like a crawfish out of water, rest assured that Jaime’s embraces its setting. That’s in part thanks to an interior accented with salvaged architectural elements from around Western North Carolina, including a teak hostess stand built from the stair posts of a 19th-century mansion and antique carriage doors repurposed as room dividers in the cavernous space.
Wood-fired pizzas star regional toppings like Benton’s country ham and pickled corn. With a couple of weeks of advance notice, diners can order a cochon de lait—a whole roasted boneless pig cooked over an open fire, which serves a dozen. Sunday brunch cues live Cajun music and a buffet.
And whether dining in for brunch, lunch, or dinner, beignets are always a welcome idea for dessert—because what meal isn’t improved by a flourish of powdered sugar and a helping of deep-fried pastry?
If dining at Jaime’s gets you in a Louisiana state of mind, pick up some turtle soup to go at Market at 36, the restaurant’s new specialty shop next door stocked with regional and Gulf Coast artisan goods, butchered meats, deli, and catering.
44 East Main Street, Brevard, N.C. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and for Sunday brunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 828.883.3388; jaimescreole.com.