Firestorm Café & Books, billed as a “worker-owned community event space,” has officially opened at 48 Commerce Ave. in downtown Asheville, adjacent to The Thirsty Monk. The collectively owned coffee shop has already hosted a number of progressive-minded events, but—as of May 24—it’s keeping regular hours: Every day, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. In addition […]

After burying his nose in it, rudely slurping it with his lips slightly parted and stepping back to savor its phantom flavors in his mouth, Banks Thomas has decided the coffee he’s sampling tastes like blueberry custard, goes down like wine and is a downright pleasure to drink. Coffee connoisseurs in the making: A recent […]

S&W Steak and Wine opened late last month in the refurbished S&W Cafeteria in downtown Asheville. The restaurant features a tight menu of steakhouse classics: Entrées include prime rib, filet mignon, a New York strip and veal rib chop. Old-school apps are also on offer, with shrimp cocktail, oysters, French onion soup and a classic […]

Jerry Hunter can deal with festivalgoers queuing up to heave frozen hunks of his family’s signature livermush. And he’s gotten used to folks joking about the product, a corn-and-pig parts loaf that’s appeared in many a millworkers’ lunch pail. But what still galls him is that so many people refuse to even try livermush, standing […]

West Asheville residents have all screamed for ice cream, and apparently Lucy Crown was listening. Crown and her sister-in-law Marissa Brooks are readying to open Two Spoons Ice Creams at 721 Haywood Road this weekend. “We decided to open Two Spoons because it was the one thing Haywood Road was missing,” Crown explained in an […]

Even those eaters who can’t abide gluten can still enjoy pizza, quesadillas and beer—or so goes the moral of dietician Laurie Steenwyck’s lecture on gluten-free dining, scheduled to coincide with the South Asheville Earth Fare‘s Gluten-Free Fair on May 31. Steenwyck is scheduled to speak at 11 a.m. and noon on May 31, while samples […]

Bruisin’ Ales is introducing more sophisticated suds to the ballpark this summer, with a series of three pre-game events at Asheville’s McCormick Field designed to spotlight high-end beers. The program begins with a “Pop the Cap” celebration on June 27, featuring North Carolina brews and hors d’oeuvres, reconvenes Aug. 15 for a Beer 101 workshop […]

Mitch Mechanic believes there’s only one failsafe way to gauge a restaurant’s quality: Check its waste oil. Photos by Jonathan Welch “Don’t read the reviews,” the hyperkinetic Mechanic declares as he pokes a vacuum hose thick as an elephant’s trunk into a grease collection bin behind the Grove Arcade. “Look at their oil. A really […]

Raise a glass for Asheville’s Green Man Brewery, which finished in fine form at the Carolinas Championship of Beer, held at the Hickory Hops Festival in Hickory on April 12. Masterbrewer John Stuart submitted five beer brands for judging, and brought home four medals: gold ones for the India Pale Ale and the Belgian-style Abbey […]

According to a recent New York Times story probing the quasi-scientific practice of predicting election results by scouring voters’ pantries, certain brands of cereal or types of alcohol apparently correlate pretty well with partisan leanings. Relaxing with a tall glass of bourbon? Might as well just slap a McCain sticker on your car, the theory […]

Just in time for wedding season, Williams-Sonoma has opened its first Asheville location. The behemoth kitchen retailer has taken up residence at 10 Brook St. in Biltmore Village. For hours and more information, call 277-3707. Observant Jews this week are mainly eating matza, but the Jewish Community Center in Asheville is already looking forward to […]

There’s no such thing as a free lunch—but there are plenty of discounted dinners. Eat out the smart way and save some cash. Not all the meal specials in Asheville vanish when spendthrift tourists come to town. Although we’re in the off-season for gastronomic bargain hunting, many local restaurants are still offering deals that make […]

As the landscape sprouts, it makes seasonal sense to eat green, leafy things. That’s why the Earth Fare in West Asheville is celebrating spring with an all-vegan beer dinner next Thursday, April 24. The menu, prepared by vegan chef Gail Doherty, will feature Asian-esque dishes made with local, organic foodstuffs. A portion of the $25 […]

Westville Pub in West Asheville is turning 6, and its customers are getting the birthday gifts. A customer-appreciation raffle will run all next week, with the celebration culminating at a Saturday, April 19, party featuring Ten Toes Up. The Admiral, also in West Asheville, has added another meal to its repertoire, serving Sunday brunch on […]

When the nation’s founding fathers needed a stiff drink after a day spent dickering over articles of confederation, they had a triumvirate of alcoholic beverages from which to choose: Wine, beer and cider were all consumed by colonists with equal gusto. If anything, cider had a slight edge over its fellow tipples, with the average […]

Growing faster than a hog raised on whey, Shane’s Rib Shack recently opened its eighth North Carolina outlet on Airport Road in Arden. Shane’s, a family-friendly joint which offers barbecued pork and chicken by the sandwich and platter, has opened almost 100 locations since its founding in 2002. “Our long-term goal is to have in […]

While a few courageous kitchen enthusiasts have always been militant about eliminating the middleman from their culinary escapades—who needs a butcher when you have a sharp knife?—most home cooks still cede the vast majority of their pantry preparations to the experts. Even accomplished amateurs, who would never dream of buying canned stock, often shy away […]

In what might be the best development for local carnivores since 12 Bones came to town, Four Points by Sheraton has launched Asheville’s first serious steakhouse. Hulsing Hotels’ Chop House Asheville Downtown, located alongside the future Sheraton (aka the former Best Western) on Woodfin Street, opened last week for breakfast and dinner. According to a […]

Flavor: Decadent Ambiance: Snazzy coffeehouse vibe Jael and Dan Rattigan will cure you of eating cheap chocolate forever. I’m not much of a chocolate fan: I’d much rather finish my meal with a cheese course than something sweet. If any of my tastebuds were tuned up to enjoy the stuff, their enthusiasm was tamped down […]

This year’s Asheville Artisan Bread Festival—the fourth annual edition—will feature return visits from bread maker extraordinaire Peter Reinhart, local mavens Jen Lapidus and Pierre Lestieux, and Culinary Institute of Charleston’s star instructor Jeffrey Alexander. All four bakers will lead workshops at the daylong festival, scheduled for Saturday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. […]