New jazz, craft cocktail bar, Save Me The Waltz, opens Oct. 26 in S&W Cafeteria building

Mackensy Lunsford | The Citizen-Times

ASHEVILLE — It's an exciting descent, the approach to Save Me The Waltz.

The stylish new jazz club and craft-cocktail bar has filled the basement space of the historic S&W Cafeteria building with moody lighting and a gleaming white cement floor.

An assortment of plush, high-backed chairs, crystal chandeliers and glossy black wainscoting contrast with exposed piping, brick and other industrial elements.

But the approach to the club, past an antique host stand to the right of the S&W's main entrance, down a dim stairwell, reveals little but the floating sounds of jazz.

There's a corner to turn, a door to pass through, a screen to peek around before the interior is revealed.

Like good music, the introduction to Save Me The Waltz, named after Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald's sole novel, only builds anticipation.

Fitzgerald is honored, along with Humphrey Bogart, Ginger Rogers and Rhett Butler, in a mural by local artist Ian Wilkinson near the bar.

The mystery of the approach is intentional, said Ashley Williams-Faber. "We kind of want it to be like, where are we going, what are we doing?"

Asheville needed more jazz venues

Williams-Faber owns the club, and now the upstairs craft cocktail bar The Times, with her husband Chris Faber.

The Greek restaurant that opened on the floor above earlier this year is now shuttered. The couple say that floor will eventually hold a locally focused marketplace.

This basement space was formerly home to the Ellington Underground, a music club that closed earlier this year following a statewide ALE sting.

The venue came equipped with a crisp sound system and a low stage. The question was how to fill it, Williams-Faber explained. "We were like, what's missing here is jazz."

There's also a space to fill between the loud pub with poor acoustics and venues like the Orange Peel and the U.S. Cellular Center, Faber said.

"There's not many places where you can go and have a conversation with your friends in a little more mature venue, a place where you can relax a little."

A 'silent' drinks menu

The couple is concerned about acoustics and fostering a place for conversation, enough to install sound baffling over the seating areas — enough, even, to build a "silent" cocktail menu.

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The core cocktail menu is created around drinks that can be stirred quietly or batched and poured. Of course if you'd prefer your drinks shaken, not stirred, you won't be dismissed, Faber insisted.

"We'll shake it if it has to be shaken, but if you're ordering off the menu, it won't make any noise."

It's a thoughtful approach, coming from years of hospitality and bar experience, he said.

"Let's think about something more than what's the cocktail taste like. How can we make it interactive, make it look unique without being off-putting?"

The couple, born and raised in Seattle, worked for Heavy Restaurant Group before moving to St. Augustine, Florida. Following a three-month Fernet-sponsored tour to show off the spirit in bars around the country and world, they settled in Asheville.

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Williams-Faber helped open The Times at the S&W before moving over to John Fleer's Rhubarb to manage the bar there.

They wanted to experience the seasons again but also be a part of the ever-growing cocktail scene in Asheville. They've already begun: Faber serves as vice president of the United States Bartenders Guild Asheville.

"There's definitely a market for expanding the cocktail game," Williams-Faber said.

Molecular mixology touches

They have two venues in which to do it, but they want distinctly different vibes: The Times will remain a bit nerdy, but also casual and playful. Save Me The Waltz won't be formal, but it will offer some dressed-up, grown-up swank.

Drinks at Waltz will be creative, with molecular mixology touches. Think lime juice, spherified, bursting with fresh acidity in a mojito. Imagine olives steeped in unconventional brines, slowly imparting flavor in a martini.

"We want to spice it up, make it exciting and interesting for us," Faber said.

The wine list won't adhere to a region or theme. It will have some depth, with about 30 bottles and another dozen or so available by the glass. The bar will have a Coravin wine system, which uses a needle and argon gas to pour wine without removing the cork.

For wine drinkers, that means getting to sip glasses of wine not normally available outside of the whole-bottle price.

And, yes, there's beer too: about eight taps' worth, and they'll be mostly devoted to local breweries. Other taps will offer cider, wine or cocktails.

Chinese food on the side

The owners have enlisted Sarah Cousler, former Buxton Hall sous chef, to run a semi-permanent Chinese-food pop-up, Little Devil's Club, in the space. Cousler already runs the food program upstairs at The Times bar.

Waltz's menu will include lo mein, fried rice, egg rolls and shareable plates.

Chinese food, the owners said, is unexpected. "There's not really any place we know of downtown that serves that," Williams-Faber said, "And Sarah's phenomenal."

"It's really strange doing Chinese food in a venue like this," Faber said with a laugh. "It's just kind of weird enough that it works."

Cousler, they shared, is moving on next year to open her own place, so more pop-up concepts are likely to follow.

And the music?

As for music: Waltz will host a live-jazz house band Wednesday through Friday nights, with Saturdays featuring rotating musicians and bands.

Save Me The Waltz will be a private club, and the owners want to be sure it's a comfortable one too.

To that end, access will come with seat assignments, Williams-Faber explained. "If you want to leave your stuff here and go dance, we want you to feel comfortable doing that."

Although the space holds 150 standing for private and other scheduled events, only 70 people at a time will be admitted on normal service days, Wednesday-Saturday.

The club also accepts reservations, which can be made via Yelp, at the soon-to-be-live website and by calling 828-774-5017.

Wednesday and Thursday hours will be 5 p.m.-midnight. Friday and Saturday hours will be 5 p.m.-1 a.m., with a food happy hour from 5-7:30 p.m. Music begins at 8 p.m. The remainder of the days will be reserved for private events and other shows.

Save Me The Waltz is at 56 Patton Ave. Entrance is through the main door, then to the right and down a flight of stairs. There is also elevator access.