Cúrate's Katie Button cut her intern teeth at one of the most creatively advanced kitchens of our time, Ferran Adrià’s elBulli, the five-time “best restaurant in the world,” according to Restaurant Magazine. Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark, bumped the now-closed elBulli out of first place in 2010 and still holds the title. Helmed by chef René […]
Cultural preservation through food and drink fits well with this area's hyper-local focus and reverence for handmade goods, says Cynthia Turner, a recent transplant to Asheville from New Orleans. Turner is impressed by the prevalence of artisan items and the fervor for local beer and food. "You feel it, you see it and people are […]
Michael Moore made a quiet splash in Asheville when he began the Blind Pig supper club in 2011. The concept is simple but exciting and long-overdue in this area. Much like other similar events across the country, talented chefs collaborate to present a themed dinner in a secret location that ticketholders don't learn about until […]
A new food truck, El Kimchi (photo by Bill Rhodes), starts serving in downtown Asheville in the next few weeks. Another one, Phoyabelly, will start selling Vietnamese food early next year.
If you live in Asheville, you likely know about Tupelo Honey Café's sweet potato pancakes and Early Girl Eatery's egg biscuits. Chances are also good that you've stood in line for Sunny Point's huevos rancheros or Over Easy's smoked-trout omelet. If you've missed out, get thee to these standbys before tourist season returns. But even […]
Xpress recently visited the French Broad Chocolate Lounge to find out a little bit more about the process of making chocolate from bean to bar. Check out the video after the jump.
The Asheville Public (or TAP) hosts its soft opening this weekend in the River Arts District, in the former location of the Silver Dollar. The official opening date is Monday, Dec. 19.
I'm standing in an urban oasis. Under bright grow lights, Thai, Genovese and Italian sweet basil grow surprisingly big and almost impossibly green. The low trickle of the hydroponic system lightly gurgles, while strains of classical music infuse the room with tranquility. In one corner sits Dr. Robert A. Sweeney (he has a PhD in […]
This year, Santé‘s annual bubbles fundraiser raises money for Little Iron Man and little Marough Gardner.
Now that Simma Down is closed, plans are in the works for bringing soul food back to the historic Ritz building.
It’s cold, wet and nasty out there, and all we can think about is soup. Whether it has noodles or not, here are just a few of the places around town to find it.
Dan Rattigan gently places a chocolate bar on the table, followed by a handful of beans. The bar is wrapped in shiny, food-grade foil, and it glints like the prized golden ticket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In this case, the prize is the chocolate, and this is no standard bar. For one, it […]
Our holiday guide runneth over, so we thought we’d continue to shoot you gift ideas for the food lover on your list until the holidays are over. Here, we offer a look at something special from Tupelo Honey.
The new laundromat and bar holds its grand opening on Saturday, Dec 10, but opens for business earlier next week, on Dec. 5. What will you find inside? Suds, soaps, books, games and good eats. (Photo by Bill Rhodes)
Home for the holidays is a nice notion, but having family around for too long can get claustrophobic. Whether you want to round up the troops and head out or just make a solo escape, chances are good that you won't want to eat heavily before any of the inevitable big meals. In talking to […]
The holiday season is a celebratory time of year, full of friends and family — many of them getting all kinds of snookered on liquid cheer. And, although it’s hopelessly heavy, eggnog certainly has its place. But we think wine — red, white or rosé — is the best way to celebrate with a little […]
In the West, we're likely to associate any kind of powdered food or beverage with inauthenticity. Powdered lemonade, powdered cheese sauce and powdered milk — they all smack of the artificial. Matcha, a dried, finely milled, shade-grown Japanese gyokuro green tea, busts the notion of powdered food as inferior alternative, and is emerging locally as […]
Local chocolate makers Jael and Dan Rattigan of the French Broad Chocolate Lounge have made the cacao confection their life’s work — and they’re poised to take it to the next level (with video of the Rattigans — and chef Mark Rosenstein’s pyrotechnics — at a recent Blind Pig underground supper club event).
Whether you want the turkey and all the trimmings, prefer tofurkey (or a squash turkey, as pictured) or just want to skip all the hoopla altogether, Xpress has a suggestion for how to have a local holiday. In this post, you’ll find a list of independent restaurants open on Thanksgiving. We’ll continue to update throughout the week. Please note any additions in the comments field. Happy food-centric holiday!
Goats have an undeserved bad reputation. They’re charged with eating absolutely everything and smelling fiercely bad while doing it, like a teenage boy, but with more facial hair. At least in our beef- and chicken-centric corner of the world, the bearded ruminant's rather lowly status has kept its meat off the mainstream menu, but times […]
Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company demonstrates a corporate takeover of the right kind (Photo by Bill Rhodes). The local pizza business plans to take control of a now-defunct Domino’s Pizza takeout/delivery location in south Asheville in December says Doug Riley, an APBC owner. Another local restaurant hasn’t fared as well. And guess what? An Atlanta woman with a successful Ethiopian restaurant in Atlanta is looking at Asheville to open an Ethiopian restaurant.
