I was pleasantly surprised by some of the Biltmore wine. The piedmont(s) of NC and Virginia make perfect sense as wine producing regions and they seem to be getting there based on some limited tastes.

Interesting how little action there is in this thread compared to Charleston, even though, having now been to both, Asheville may not have as extensive a dining seen as Charleston, but it's pretty damn close. One difference is that Asheville's dining scene does not reflect the Southern influence as much as Charleston's.

I'm not a picture/full report kind of guy, but here is some current information based on our visit:

The Admiral: This place is still terrific. Located in a former corner bar, the food is fun, creative and top notch. Think sweetbreads as a take off on chicken wings, with ranch dressing, a siracha sauce, and Texas Pete Jelly cubes (made out of the hot sauce). Or, oysters with an aoli that has fish sauce (Chicago restaurants, please do this)

Curate: A top flight tapas restaurant, easily at the level of Mercat a la Planxa in Chicago.

Nightbell: We didnt' try it, but it's the new restaurant by the Curate chef, who trained in El Buli and with Jose Andres in DC.

Table: A great farm to table restaurant, the bread was some of the best I've ever had.

Rhubarb: We didn't try it, but it looks to be doing very well.

Asheville is 1 hour from Smokey Mountain National Park, has the Biltmore, a funky wharehouse art district, a downtown with everything from art galleries to hippy clothing stores and a top flight dining scene. Highly recommended for your next vacation!

Had a lovely couple of days in Asheville in late June. Highlights, food/bev-wise were:
* A nice late lunch at Salsas, a funky little Mexican/Caribbean spot in the main town area. A nice variety of salsas, good guac and an interesting salmon dish that we shared. All very fresh. The Caribbean influence was fun.
* Terrific food and funky sour brews at Wicked Weed. We didn't get to the Funkatorium (where the sours, etc. are featured) but they had a decent selection of them at the main location. And the food was excellent. We shared Melon Gazpacho, a salad (don't recall what was in it but it was great), Crab Cakes and a delicious fried chicken sandwich with house kimchi and miso mayonnaise.
*Sunny Point Cafe--as good as SteveZ says!!!
*Rhubarb--good--not as good as I was hoping--not sure why--it just left me a little cold. Nothing wrong with it--just maybe our expectations were too high.
*High Five coffee--best coffee of the trip. Met some nice people and an awesome dog

Loved the area--we'll be back for sure!

Man, I should've checked this thread before a couple of recent stints in the area. We wound up at the Biscuit Head near the medical center (417 Biltmore Ave #4F, Asheville, NC 28801). A bit of an odd location but a tasty breakfast. I went with the Fried Green Tomato, it was decadent but delicious.


We also stumbled upon Rocky's after a long day of hiking. We really enjoyed the chicken - I went with medium. We took advantage of a nice daily special on whole rotisserie chickens and picked up two to use during the rest of our trip for sandwiches, etc.


We ate dinner twice at the Sierra Nevada taproom - a great place to visit for anyone who enjoys beer and food. Very picturesque with a lot of activity outside. Tried the lamb belly BLT which was very good. The wings are also excellent - like little lollipops.

any recent intel?

My sons were down there between Xmas and New Year. They loved Buxton Hall BBQ and the brewery next door. They went two nights in a row.

Buxton Hall Barbecue,
32 Banks Ave, Asheville, NC, 28801

Catawba Brewing Company
32 Banks Ave, #105, Asheville, NC 28801-4018

Any updates? I’m here til Friday and will have most evenings free. Prefer places that are easy to do solo, since I’m here for work and don’t have the hubs with me this trip. Thx!

We were there in April. Had a great meal at The Admiral, a little out of the way, but surprisingly good. I had the beef tartare platter. I don't remember what the other three in our party had, but all were impressed.


Mayfels, downtown, also wasn't bad for creole food.

The Admiral
400 Haywood Rd,
Asheville, NC

Mayfels
22 College St
Asheville, NC

Hi all,

Any recent intel? Heading to the area next month and would love some LTH-style guidance.

Thanks!

=R=

Ill be heading there for the first time in May and have started some light research. Curate has been highly recommended and neng's Jr and Chai pani have been nationally recognized recently.

It’s been a couple of years since my last trip but all of these are still open and can’t imagine much has changed but you can check the various reviews to be sure:

Sovereign Remedies is everything you could ask for in a bar. GREAT cocktails, both creative and classic. Excellent food—everything locally sourced and so fresh and delicious. Most of all, warm, knowledgeable staff. I spent a lot of time in Asheville between 2019 and 2021 and every trip meant multiple meals at Sovereign Remedies.

Another favorite dinner spot is Cucina 24, recommended by every chef and bartender I talked to and they weren’t wrong. Sit at the front bar and ask for the chef’s choice menu and enjoy. Just a great experience from cocktails through to dessert.

My other fave spot was Bull & Beggar—they used to have a great happy hour oyster special —no idea if they still do but they had a nice selection and they were pretty ridiculously cheap between 5:00-6:00-ish I think. The rest of the menu was kind of French-influenced Gastropub—I remember the steak tartare being particularly good. And, again, great barstaff.

I enjoyed Curate—pretty typical tapas but well done. Another fun bar to hang at though very busy and buzzy.

For lunch, I ate at Red Ginger a lot—it was close to my office and besides Sovereign Remedies, the place I most wished I had back home. Good variety of well-executed dim sum and small plate Chinese dishes —legit Szechuan wontons, Yu Siang eggplant, Pork belly bao—even chicken feet

My and other recs above (Sunny Point Cafe, Wicked Weed, 12 Bones Smokehouse, High Five coffee) are all still good as well.

I’m sure there are new hotspots but you’ll eat and drink well at any of these spots. Looking forward to seeing some updates and, hopefully, getting back there myself!!

Sovereign Remedies
29 N. Market Street
Asheville NC 28801
828-919-9518
http://www.sovereignremedies.com/

Cucina24
24 Wall Street
Asheville, NC 28801
828.254.6170
http://www.cucina24restaurant.com/

Bull & Beggar
37 Paynes Way
Asheville, NC, 28801
http://www.thebullandbeggar.com/

Red Ginger Dim Sum & Tapas
82 Patton Ave Suite 100, Asheville, NC 2880
+18285058688
http://www.redgingerasheville.com/

Had a wonderful meal at Rhubarb in March. Great charcuterie and pimento cheese hush puppies

If you are at all into crafts, I highly recommend this craft museum: https://southernhighlandguild.org/folkartcenter/ . It strictly carries regionally made craft that are absolutely stunning. Quilts and wood projects were the highlight for us, but there is much more.

Just back from having spent about a week in the area. Overall, the Food & Bev scene was really impressive, especially for a town of its size. There were plenty of solid options that resulted -- almost exclusively -- in enjoyable meals. Sadly, we did not make it to Sunny Point Cafe or Sovereign Remedies, both of which were closed for 'winter break' during our visit, whatever that is.

Our first stop was Sunday brunch at Vivian . . .


Vivian - 348 Depot St, Asheville, NC
In the River Arts District.


Bloody Mary | Homemade mix, vodka, splash o' stout, pickles, house pork rind
Huge, tasty and nicely spiced. If anything was missing, maybe it was a touch of sweetness to balance things out.


Bagel & Lox | Everything Bagel from Honey Badger Bakes with smoked salmon, herb cream cheese, capers, cress and trout roe.
Generously loaded up with some very flavorful and well-chosen toppings. Under it all, I thought the bagel was exceptional.


Nordic Deviled Eggs | Deviled egg halves stuffed with smoked fish, potato, and cornichon and topped with caviar.
These were very tasty flavor bombs. It was brunch, so why not get some extra eggs, right?


Vivian's Two Egg Breakfast | House-made pork sausage & bacon, fried eggs, big buttery biscuit and breakfast potatoes.
This was an excellent plate across the board. I really enjoyed the spicing in the sausage. I think the potatoes were baked, smashed open, doused in some fat and then roasted. Yummylicious!


Big, Buttery Biscuit
A closer look. Tender, crumbly and really buttery. An excellent take!


Country Benedict | House-made thick cut ham, buttery biscuit, hollandaise, poached eggs and breakfast potatoes.
Great stuff here, too. Eggs were a bit over for my taste -- jammy but not runny -- and there wasn't enough hollandaise but we'd already had so much food, it hardly mattered.


Cinnamon Roll | Maple brown butter and cinnamon sugar (also from Honey Badger Bakes)
I'm not much of a sweets person but I've been on a bit of a cinnamon roll kick lately, so when I saw this on the menu, I had to order it. Really amazing. Possibly the best version I've ever had. A great ferment on the dough and I loved the sticky/crackly pool of semi-hardened sugar that formed at the bottom during baking. Between this and the exceptional bagel, I'd say that Honey Badger Bakes should also be an Asheville destination. Unfortunately, we weren't in town long enough this time to try it but next time, for sure.

So Vivian . . . great food, nice space, friendly service, reasonable prices and a well-stocked back bar. I'd love to try their dinner menu, which also looks great. Highly recommended.

More Asheville places coming up, in the order in which we visited them.

=R=

Vivian
348 Depot St
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 225-3497

Through a very nice connection, who offered it unsolicited when he learned I'd be in Asheville, I was able to get a Sunday night table at Chai Pani. No comps or anything like that but considering how busy it was -- and their no-reservations policy -- the assurance of a no-wait table felt like a real gift. So glad we accepted their offer . . .


Chai Pani - 22 Battery Park Ave., Asheville, NC
The place was hopping. In spite of temps in the mid 20'sF, there were several groups waiting outside for tables.

With just two of us, we didn't have a ton of ordering power but we did our best . . .


Bhel Puri | Puffed rice, flour crisps (puris), crunchy chickpea noodles, roasted chana daal, cilantro & onions tossed with tamarind, green, and spicy garlic chutneys
Loved this vibrant flavor bomb of varying textures. So much going on here but it all combined into a beautiful, compelling and irresistible dish.


Kale Pakoras | Indian-style savory kale fritters made with curried chickpea batter. Served with green chutney & sweet yogurt
Yowza! Not only the tastiest pakora I've ever had but quite possibly the best kale I've ever had . . . and I really like kale.


Aloo Tiki Chaat | Crispy Indian potato fritters served on spiced garbanzo bean stew topped with tamarind & green chutneys, sweetened yogurt, and crunchy chickpea noodles
Another winning dish. The fritters would have been great on their own but combined with the chickpea stew, the chutneys and the marinated red onions, this was over the top in the best possible way.


Sloppy Jai (aka Kheema Pav) | Spiced lamb hash simmered with tomatoes, ginger and aromatic spices. Garnished with onions & cilantro, green chutney, sweet yogurt and served on two toasted buns.
A fun take. Very lamb-forward, which I appreciated.


Daal & Paratha
Both great, with the layered, flaky paratha being one of the better renditions I can remember. There was also a tasty bowl of saag paneer but I failed to get a meaningful shot of it.

All in all, just a wonderful spot, and a fantastic meal. I can easily see why it's getting the attention it's getting. Bold flavors, diverse textures, well-conceived combinations and well-executed dishes. When I'm back in Asheville, this is an absolute must-stop. It's a no-brainer.

=R=

Chai Pani
22 Battery Park Ave
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 254-4003

Your Chai Pani post is wonderful and exactly why I never ate there on my many trips-I was almost always solo for dinner and I always need a wide variety of dishes when I have Indian food—with no options for leftovers or ordering power, this was one of a few places I never made it to.

boudreaulicious wrote:Your Chai Pani post is wonderful and exactly why I never ate there on my many trips-I was almost always solo for dinner and I always need a wide variety of dishes when I have Indian food—with no options for leftovers or ordering power, this was one of a few places I never made it to.

We did okay with two. Portions were not enormous but we definitely had some food left over. Eating here as a solo diner might be frustrating, unless one were to make multiple trips and limit ordering to one or two dishes per visit.

Our next Asheville meal was a lunch at Loretta's Cafe, a kitschy-quirky sandwich shop on the second floor of a vintage downtown building . . .


Loretta's - 114 North Lexington, Asheville, NC

Made the call to eat here mainly because we were in the mood for sandwiches and Loretta's came up via a variety of conduits (searches, word of mouth, direct advice, etc.)


Heartbreaker | chicken salad, hickory smoked bacon & melted provolone cheese, grilled on house-baked light wheat bread.

Described as their number one seller on the menu, I admit I was hesitant. I'm not usually a fan of warm mayo-based sandwiches. But this was delicious and well conceived. Loved the interplay of mushy (in a good way) chicken salad and the crispy bacon.


Italian Stallion | Genoa salami, mortadella, tavern ham, provolone, banana peppers, Italian dressing, romaine lettuce & roma tomatoes on a Tuscan baguette.

With the exception of the tomatoes -- which had absolutely no business on this sandwich, and which I promptly removed -- this tasty combo was nicely composed, generously portioned, and delivered fully on its promise.


Big Lo | hot roast beef, melted cheddar cheese, pickles, lettuce, red onions & 1000 Island dressing on grilled house-baked light wheat bread.

Described on the menu as being "like a Big Mac, but made with real food," this was definitely a delicious combo.


Sides | pasta salad, potato salad
Neither of these really moved the needle much for us (too cold and/or under-seasoned), and with the chips and pickles that accompanied sandwiches, we would have been fine if we hadn't ordered them.

Really good stuff here. Very glad we tried it. I'm sure there are other sandwich opportunities in Asheville but these were made with care, and were creative, tasty, ample and reasonably priced.

=R=

Loretta's Cafe
114 N Lexington Ave
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 253-3747

This was a bonus meal, between lunch and dinner. Little Pigs BBQ is located between where we were staying and where we always seemed to be going. After passing it a number of times, we decided to stop in for a bite . . .


Little Pigs BBQ - 384 McDowell St, Asheville, NC


BBQ Tray | BBQ, slaw and 3 hushpuppies.
Pork chopped and hushpuppies fried to order but still, nothing too exciting here. Not bad but nothing compelling, either. There were a couple of sauces -- in squeeze bottles on our table -- that helped things along a bit. Obviously, BBQ in NC is a thing unto itself. We didn't have time to dive into this region's offerings or do much homework but my suspicion is that with a little bit of effort, one could find better nearby.

=R=

Little Pigs BBQ
384 McDowell St
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 254-4253

So funny that you were passing Little Pigs a lot—it’s around the corner from the Apt complex in which my CEO and a few other folks from my client lived —a lot of the employees were transplants and it was one of those places that people got referred to, I guess. We had a holiday party in their party room for which the CEO’s assistant ordered Dickey’s BBQ-a very pedestrian national chain place (we have/had a few in the Chi/NWI area) and I couldn’t understand why they’d do that over a place around the corner that looked decent.

boudreaulicious wrote:So funny that you were passing Little Pigs a lot—it’s around the corner from the Apt complex in which my CEO and a few other folks from my client lived —a lot of the employees were transplants and it was one of those places that people got referred to, I guess. We had a holiday party in their party room for which the CEO’s assistant ordered Dickey’s BBQ-a very pedestrian national chain place (we have/had a few in the Chi/NWI area) and I couldn’t understand why they’d do that over a place around the corner that looked decent.

That is a questionable but all-too familiar path of decision. We Americans love our familiar brands but in this case, given what we had a Little Pigs -- and having never had Dickey's -- I can't say it was the wrong decision. But yeah, all things being equal, I always choose local, especially when I'm traveling. I want to taste the the place I'm visiting.

Speaking of which, next up was a place that you and several others recommended highly, Red Ginger . . .


Red Ginger Dimsum & Tapas - 82 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC

This was especially tough with only 2 of us but we did our best . . .


Sauteed String Bean | dry-sauteed string bean with mild spicy garlic sauce.


Sze Chuan Wonton | steamed dumpling with shrimp and pork in home made hot pepper sauce, garnished with cilantro & sesame seed.


Pork Dumpling Shanghai Style | traditional Shanghai style steamed dumpling with ground pork and chopped green onion.


Potstickers | traditional pan fried pork dumpling in home style.


Steamed Pork Ribs | steamed short spare ribs with black bean sauce.


Dan Dan Noodle | ramen noodles with minced pork, yau choy in chef’s special mild spicy sauce.


Salt & Pepper Prawn | lightly fried prawns with garlic, scallion, jalapeno, cilantro sautéed w/ chef’s salt & pepper seasoning.


Chow Fun | wok fried wide rice noodle with onion, scallion, bean sprout, egg and chicken.

All in all great meal. The only place it fell down a bit was on the noodles. The dan dan were just not to our liking. They were very brothy, with zero ma-la, and a far cry from any version I'd ever had before. That's why we decided to try the chow fun. They weren't much better. Kind of slippery, no discernible wok hei and just kind of bland. But other than those two noodley missteps, we thought the food was great. Friendly, informative service and a nicely lighted, comfortable space.

=R=

Red Ginger
82 Patton Ave, Suite 100
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 505-8688
No functioning website at the time of this posting

Did a little homework (here and elsewhere) and stumbled upon a delicious and well-worthwhile 1-2 Punch. These 2 places -- Taqueria Muñoz and Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack -- are almost directly across the street from each other . . .


Taqueria Muñoz - 1438 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC


Masa
Making tortillas to order from fresh masa is always a very good sign.


Salsas
Tomatillo, arbol, pico de gallo and escabeche, etc.

We tried a few tacos . . .


Cabeza & Lengua
Absolutely loved both of these meaty, unctuous bad boys.


Carne Asada & Al Pastor
Near-perfect asada, though the pastor was a bit sweet for my palate.

I was happy that we saved room, since both Titus and the late, great Steve Z had mentioned neighboring Rocky's . . .


Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack - 1455 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC


Comforting Neon
With a sign like this, you can almost count on it being great.


Two Thigh Dinner
With mac & cheese, slaw and fries. The chicken (medium) was stellar, picture-perfect and quite hot. Crispy shell on the outside and juicy meat under it. Really flavorful all the way through. Loved the fries and the mac & cheese. We never found a slaw we liked during our entire visit to Asheville. Sadly, this watery-sweet take was no exception.


Thigh & Drumstick Dinner
With collard greens and what was probably the best corn pudding I've ever had. It was boldly herbaceous and not an overly sweet mush-fest.

Quick stop before leaving . . .


Funny & Wise
These amusing signs are on each restroom door.

=R=

Taqueria Muñoz
1438 Patton Ave
Asheville, NC 28806
(828) 412-3331

Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack
1455 Patton Ave
Asheville, NC 28806
(828) 575-2260

As I mentioned a few posts back, we ate (and drank) very well in Asheville. The F&B scene was impressive. That said, there were a couple of meals that didn't really make the grade. Having only visited them once each, I'm not going to bother listing them here. But don't worry. If you end up playing restaurant roulette in Asheville, the odds will definitely be in your favor.

Last wraps on our way out of town were some breakfast tacos at Taco Billy . . .


Taco Billy - 201 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC
Open all day but known for their breakfast tacos, which are served all day.


Migas Taco (front) & Billy Holiday
Migas: eggs, onions, jalapeños, tomatoes, crispy-fried tortilla strips, and cheddar-jack cheese
Holiday: sausage, eggs, cheddar jack cheese


Billy Joel (front) & Billy Ocean
Joel: bacon, eggs, cheddar jack cheese
Ocean: home fries, eggs, cheddar jack cheese

We really enjoyed these. Other than the Migas, I can't say any of them really rose above the sum of their parts but they were all quite tasty, and gigantically portioned, especially for the price. We didn't get hungry again until well after we were back home.

So, that's a wrap on Asheville . . . for now. We thought it was great and anticipate returning sooner than later. I'd just try to time a future visit for when the weather is likely to be more conducive to spending time outside. It's just that kind of town. The weather there was certainly better than at home -- which was in the sub-zero range while were visiting -- but it was still unusually cold, with a lot of rain and overnight lows dipping into the single digits. That didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves but I look forward to experiencing it again in drier, warmer times. It's an inexpensive, short flight from Chicago and once there, it's a super interesting town where there's a ton to do. And it's not going to break the bank, either.

=R=

Taco Billy
201 Haywood Rd
Asheville, NC 28806
(828) 505-0088


Super Cheezy Tourist Picture from The Biltmore House

Fantastic Ronnie! Spending a week out there in May and this is great intel

WhyBeeSea wrote:Fantastic Ronnie! Spending a week out there in May and this is great intel

You're most welcome. My pleasure. Guessing that May will be a perfect time to be there.

Please, after your trip, let us know where you ate and drank.

=R=