Tantalizing take-out: West Asheville welcomes newcomer Bella Pizza, a Italian take-out restaurant equipped with a brick oven. Bella is the brainchild of Mesh Mesh Gohar, a chef who spent eight years in Italy baking bread and perfecting the art of true Italian pizza. Thankfully, Gohar brought his culinary knowledge to the mountains of Asheville, offering specialty thin- and thick-crust pizzas, breads made from scratch, calzones, pastas, salads, sandwiches and desserts. Bella Pizza is located at 1093 Patton Ave., and can be reached at 252-3171.
New face in Black Mountain: The Cellar Door restaurant in Black Mountain opened June 6, showcasing the talents of executive chef/owner Sandra Ewing and lead chef Brian Stout. The menu features local indigenous cuisine with an “upscale twist,” utilizing seasonal produce. For lunch, the chefs dish out such fare as aioli-dressed burgers made with hormone-free local beef, and for dinner, there’s local trout, rack of lamb and ample vegetarian options. The restaurant offers lunch Monday through Friday, brunch on Sunday, and dinner seven days a week starting at a relatively early 4:30 p.m. For more information, call 669-9090.
Through the grapevine: It’s a banner month for local wine fans, with several tastings in the offing.
On June 22, Left Bank will showcase five courses of such fare as skate wing with blood-orange beurre blanc, venison and smoked beef tartare, with boutique wines from the Koves-Newlan Winery of Napa Valley. $59 per person. Call 251-5552.On June 26, the Southside Cafe will host a five-course wine dinner in honor of Deborah Sizemore, a Claxton School teacher who recently passed away. A generous portion of the proceeds will go the Deborah Sizemore Music Scholarship and the Asheville City Schools Foundation. $50 per person. Call 274-4413 or visit www.southsidecafeasheville.com.On June 28, The Greenery will offer a five-course menu showcasing the traditional tastes of South Africa paired with South African wines. $55 per person. Call 253-2809 or visit www.greeneryrestaurant.com.
— Mackensy Lunsford
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