Mountain Burrito by day, Major's Supper and Social by night

Major’s Supper and Social in Valdese was a hit on opening night, drawing in dozens of people to fill the bar and tables in the dining room which, earlier in the day, had been occupied by Mountain Burrito customers.

Yes, Valdese now has a location where two separate restaurants occupy the same space … but at different hours of the day.

Major’s opened its doors for the first time on Friday, Sept. 5, at 5 p.m. Co-manager Steve Yorsz said the first night went well.

“It didn’t get too crazy,” Yorsz said. “But everyone was really happy. We got a really good bar crowd both Friday and Saturday night.”

Major’s is a collaboration between Yorsz, co-manager Courtney Morse, and Mountain Burrito owner Mike Brown.

The food has a strong Asian flare, and the cocktail menu offers high end drinks — and the selection is only going to grow, Yorsz said.

Yorsz said customers seemed to enjoy the chicken cutlet sandwich, shredded chicken bowl, and the Bahn Mi.

The bowl, he said, was shredded chicken over rice with green beans and black bean garlic sauce and Korean drunken egg over rice.

Bahn Mi is a traditional Vietnamese dish with pork, cucumbers, and cilantro. Major’s take on it pairs pork with pickles, brie cheese, mint, and cilantro.

Popular drinks, Yorsz said, were the Old Fashioned with bourbon and black sesame syrup (which is made in-house), the pineapple shrub margarita, and an olive oil martini.

In time, Yorsz hopes to add more entrees such as steak, and fish collar made from hamachi or red snapper.

Some vegetarian dishes are already available, Yorsz said, but that selection will grow over time, as well.

With the restaurant just starting out, the menu and prices aren’t set in stone yet. But, as an estimate, Yorsz said customers can expect entrees to cost between about $16 to $25 depending on the dish.

“We’re working with some of the choicest purveyors we can find,” Yorsz said, noting that pork is purchased from Heritage Berkshire Pork. Chicken is bought from Choice Farms.

When choosing what dishes to serve at Major’s, Yorsz said it came down to personal preference.

“We (Yorsz and Morse) both really enjoy a lot of different cuisine,” Yorsz said, noting the broad umbrella of Asian cuisine is a favorite. “It really just came from a thought of, ‘How can we do something different, but also how (can we) be approachable for the local community,’ just based on our general feeling of people’s taste around here.

“So, we thought, ‘We’re kind of in a semi-rural, Southern town and people are really into comfort food. … Why not see if we can bring some comfort food with some little different flavor profiles?’ So, we kind of like to describe it as, what we’re serving as Asian comfort food.”

Yorsz said he and Morse — who has deep roots in the community — would love to see Valdese as a town where people come from Hickory or Charlotte “and go walking around and hit five or six places and have a nice afternoon.”

“That’s what I’m counting on in doing something like this here, and kind of like, taking a risk in a market that … is less tried and true than opening up a place in Charlotte,” Yorsz said.

Mountain Burrito in Valdese is open Wednesday to Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Major’s Supper and Social is, at least for now, open Friday to Monday from 5-10 p.m., but the kitchen closes at 9 p.m. The two restaurants exist in the same building at 149 Main St. W. in Valdese.