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Loft Cafe & Pub opens off Greenville Highway

A Carolina salad, pub pretzel with beer cheese and a Greek pizza are among specialties at the Loft Cafe & Pub at 111 Joel Wright Drive.

Start with a little Italian and a little Mediterranean and sprinkle in local influences shepherded onto the plate by a chef with plenty of Hendersonville experience and you get the Loft  Cafe and Pub, now open at 111 Joel Wright Drive off Greenville Highway.

In a shopping center local people associate with the oldest Ingles in Hendersonville, the Loft offers a varied and affordable menu that features pub pretzels and beer cheese, antipasto, paninis and subs and flatbread and specialty pizzas. It also has a full bar and bargain prices on brew. Where else can you get a Goose Island IPA draft for $3 and a Green Man IPA for $4? A draft Bud Light or Yuengling is $3 and red and white wine range from $5 to $8.50 a glass.

Chef Lee Sedon is a veteran of high-end kitchens and expert on the local palate, having dished out plates at Kenmure and the Cliffs at Glassy before a four-year stint at the Horse Shoe Cafe. After a short-lived cooking gig at a country club in Lexington, Va., Sedon came home to Hendersonville. He describes the Loft menu as Italian-influenced with offerings  of New American.

"We try to be creative," Sedon says.

Examples: a Carolina salad ($7.95), featuring blue cheese, candied pecans, Mandarin oranges, dried cranberries and fresh strawberries; tomato bread ($4.95), the hot Capicola caprese ($7.95), fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil grilled on ciabatta or Tuscan bread; and Margherita, white, chicken pesto, Greek and meatball pizzas, for $8 and $9.

"We want to offer a good value for everything," Sedon said.

Owners Kathryn Uptain, Dianne Trice and Ardjan Morava invested in a total renovation of the old Panther Paw space to add natural light, a game room with two pool tables, a bowling game and juke box. The Loft's full bar is already attracting an afternoon crowd.

"I believe we're going to do amazing," Uptain said. "Everybody that's come in has had a positive experience with the atmosphere and the cuisine."

The popular El Paso has moved from Greenville Highway to Spartanburg Highway. Publix is moving ahead with building plans on one side and Ingles plans to replace the relic on the other. The Loft Cafe is poised to intercept the northbound Flat Rock traffic and capitalize on the coming southside boom.

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The Loft is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Phone: 828.595.9997. It's on Facebook.