Martha Nell’s: Café on the Square has begun speaking with a Texas twang, revamping its menu and adopting the new name Martha Nell’s. Tracy Adler, owner of the venerable downtown-Asheville eatery (pictured above), partnered earlier this year with Vonciel Baudouin, who has led the restaurant’s transformation. In addition to Southeastern favorites such as mountain trout […]

When it comes to barbecue, North Carolina is pretty much a two-party state. There are two competing camps in the pit-cooked pig arena: The Eastern faction, which favors whole hog sauced with vinegar, and the Piedmont contingent, which backs pork shoulder with a tomato-laced sauce. ‘Cue aficionados with the audacity to embrace alternate platforms—say, the […]

Cornerhouse: The casual eatery adjoining downtown Asheville’s S&W Steakhouse has shifted its focus from customers who wake up early to those who get off early, scrapping its breakfast menu for a pub-grub lineup aimed at the after-work crowd. Cornerhouse Café recently reinvented itself as Cornerhouse Music, Food and Spirits, with the music starting at 5:30 […]

Stir Fry Cafe: With the opening of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro at Biltmore Park mere months away, another chain has debuted an upscale pan-Asian eatery in South Asheville. Stir Fry Café, which operates four outlets in Tennessee, recently opened its first North Carolina location at 1829 Hendersonville Road. The restaurant specializes in fusion favorites, including […]

Flavor: Continental cuisine with a Southeastern bent Ambiance: Sophisticated casual Price: $8-$21 Where: 111 S. Main St., Hendersonville Contact: 698-5598 Web site: www.square1bistro.com Hours: Every day, 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday brunch, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.  Rare is the restaurant that makes good on its local foods promise. Rarer still is the restaurateur who doesn’t want to […]

Maggio’s Pizza: Stephen Maggio, who has long traveled with his wife Jamie Thomas’ eponymous band, is slowing down—sort of. After years of operating a mobile pizza kitchen at live shows, Maggio recently put down retail roots at 1093 Patton Ave. in Asheville. But just because Maggio’s gone stationary doesn’t mean he’s becoming sedentary: “I’m hoping […]

Photo by Kenny Raskin Farm dinners There’s rarely a formal announcement of farm dinners: Although Green Toe’s event was a come-one, come-all affair, invitations weren’t widely distributed: Friends, neighbors and CSA members received an e-mail about the dinner. The best way to find about such feasts is to ask around at tailgate markets and watch […]

Photo by Jonathan Welch Hard Lox Festival: Judaism stands alone among the world’s major religions in its culinary hold on its adherents: So enduring is the bond between Jewish culture and cookery that early 20th-century rabbis groaned openly about the rise of “bagels-and-lox Judaism”: Jewish Studies scholar Jenna Weissman Joselit quotes one 1940s rabbi as […]

Early Girl Eatery: Even not-so-early girls will now be able to enjoy biscuits and gravy at Early Girl Eatery, thanks to owners John and Julie Stehling’s recent decision to serve breakfast all day. The change came “in response to loyal customer demand,” Julie writes. The downtown-Asheville restaurant (pictured above) has also extended its hours, dispensing […]

There’s no shortage of Vietnamese-food fans in Asheville. But since there is a much-lamented shortage of Vietnamese restaurants, local eaters craving the inimitable cuisine have little choice but to make their own phos and sticky rice. Luna Nguyen is hoping to help them do so with panache. Photos By Jonathan Welch Nguyen—late of At Luna’s, […]

Rita’s Cantina: A brand new restaurant in Biltmore Village is putting the Tex in Mex, with square footage befitting the Lone Star state. Asked to describe Rita’s Cantina, owner Chip Ladigo immediately says: “We’re a 9,300-square-foot restaurant seating 250 people.” Photo by Jonathan Welch Ladigo moved from Florida to open the eatery in the 2 […]

Something’s about to happen in Western North Carolina that happens in few other places across the Southeast: fall. Fresh as it gets: Chef Edwin French picking produce in the kitchen garden with kitchen garden staff. Courtesy Biltmore Estate Current climate trends excepted, Appalachia has four distinct seasons, a meteorological rarity below the Mason-Dixon line. The […]

Carmel’s Restaurant And Bar: In a tourist town, diamonds are a restaurant’s best friend, and Carmel’s (pictured) now has three of them to flaunt. The relatively new Grove Arcade eatery was recently awarded three Diamonds by the AAA travel-rating service, an honor bestowed upon a mere 4 percent of the more than 60,000 restaurants and […]

Flavor: Soulful Southern standards Ambiance: If Oxford American magazine ever opened a restaurant, it would probably feel—and sound—something like this one. Price: $7-$12 Where: 77-B Biltmore Ave. Contact: 255-8080 Hours: Tue-Sun, 4 p.m.-2 a.m.  At first glance, Mo Daddy’s doesn’t look like a particularly local place—or at least not the sort that oozes with authentic […]

Photo By Jonathan Welch Roman’s Take Out: There’s a new lunch spot in Fairview: This summer, Roman Braverman opened Roman’s Takeout at 913 Charlotte Highway. The menu features salads, sandwiches and Hickory Nut Gap Farm burgers, including one dressed with a house-made avocado-dill ranch. Roman’s (pictured above) is open weekdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. […]

A bad ham made it safer to drive in McDowell County. This month marks the 50th anniversary of the McDowell County Rescue Squad, an organization formed after stunned area residents watched ambulances from neighboring Burke County charge through their streets in response to a Mayday plea from Eugene Cross Elementary School. At 3 p.m. on […]

Thirsty Monk: Babies really don’t belong in bars—unless it’s a Tuesday at the Thirsty Monk. The downtown-Asheville pub has launched a Babies ‘n’ Beer happy hour for parents and their very-underage offspring. “I thought it would be fun to start a baby-friendly happy hour at the Monk for newish parents to meet each other and […]

Of all the many tasks farmers are called upon to do, from castrating livestock to mucking out stalls, few chores are more dreaded than killing chickens. Photos By Kenny Raskin “It’s a nasty job,” says Stephen Robertson, who raises free-range Cornish Rock Cross birds on his hilly 40-acre farmstead in Madison County. “When we come […]

More to love: Marshall’s French Broad Taqueria is about to double its capacity. Photo By Jonathan Welch French Broad Taqueria: Marshall’s top taco joint is going from cozy to cosmopolitan with a revitalization loan from the Land-of-Sky Regional Council. The loan will allow owners Heather Brown and Amy Newton to expand their locally sourced café […]

Flavor: Chinese of your choosing Ambiance: For $1 delivery charge, your own living room Price: Varies Where: 48 Westgate Parkway Contact: 236-3839 Hours: Sun-Thu, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri-Sat, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. If I was a Beijinger, I probably would have munched on a Big Mac during the Olympics opening ceremonies last week, or watched the […]