It’s time to fill your belly for a good cause. The Buncombe County Schools Foundation will hold its annual Eat Out for Education celebration on Thursday, Nov. 9. Dozens of local restaurants are pitching in to make it happen. Here’s how it works: Take yourself, your friends and your family out for a meal at […]

On a blustery day in late October, the WNC Farmer’s Market was the picture of autumn. Leaves pirouetted through the air as small children with woolen caps pulled over their ears dragged their parents about searching for the perfect pumpkin to turn into a jack-o’-lantern. A young boy, perhaps 6 years old, considered a brilliantly […]

Bonnie’s Little Corner Store, the long-time Asheville tobacco staple that used to rest on the corner of Pack Square, has opened back up at 1 Battle Square, across from the Grove Arcade. In addition, the owners, Bonnie and Hector Contreras, have opened Havana Restaurant adjoining their tobacco shop. The restaurant serves Cuban and Latin cuisine […]

On Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m., the Grove Corner Market at Asheville’s Grove Arcade features a variety of fresh seafood straight from the Carolina coast, live music on the sidewalk, fresh pastas, pesto and more. For a time, that was the only day of the week that market shoppers could find warm and crusty […]

National taste-master Sara Moulton will visit the WNC Farmer’s Market this Friday, Oct. 20, at 11 a.m. Moulton is the host of the Food Network’s Sara’s Secrets, executive chef at Gourmet magazine, food editor for ABC’s Good Morning America and the author of several popular cookbooks. At the market, she’ll discuss “the beauty of fall […]

Flavor: Native AmericanAmbiance: Rustic and riverside Ten minutes after arriving at Spirits on the River, also known as Spirits Native American Restaurant, my Picky Companion commented that “this is a distinctly Asheville experience.” How very true, I thought. The reasons for such an observation were numerous. For one, we were seated on a plant-filled wooden […]

Now’s your chance to get up close and personal with “The Garlic Freak,” aka Hominey Valley garlic farmer Tom Sherry (he was profiled in the Sept. 27 Xpress, you might recall). On Thursday, Oct. 19, the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project will host a fragrant fund-raiser at Sherry’s Whistlepig Farm. Dinner will be cooked by local […]

Season’s Restaurant at Flat Rock’s Highland Lake Inn has announced their new fall menu. Executive Chef Peter Fassbender has developed a selection of seasonally appropriate, warming dishes such as wild-mushroom vol-au-vent, duck confit napoleon and a banana-pumpkin tart. For more information on Season’s menu selections or the Highland Lake Inn, visit www.hlinn.com. With a nod […]

October is a busy month for Asheville’s The Weinhaus. On Wednesday, Oct. 11, the store will join chef Paul Brady and La Caterina for a multicourse wine dinner beginning at 7 p.m. Cost is $55, all-inclusive. On Tuesday, Oct. 17, it will will join Australian wine importer Deborah Gray at Zambra for a tapas-and-wine extravaganza […]

Flavor: Upscale modern-American comfort foodAmbiance: Warm and welcoming; open kitchen and artwork add urban flairOf Note: Award-winning, extensive selection of wines from all over the globe At first glance, the Chef’s Table in downtown Waynesville is an unassuming little spot. While it is charming in its scale and interior warmth, the eatery is a bit […]

Bruce Bowen, the man who opened The Wine Guy South in 2002, is retiring. In his honor, the south Asheville wine store is hosting a tasting and store-wide sale. The folks at the Wine Guy will have a wide variety of wines open for tasting, and savings up to 30 percent. Visitors will also get […]

What:A series presented by Earth Fare with Culinary Specialist Chris Aquilino, featuring beer dinners that showcase regional brews and wine dinners that highlight local distributorsAmbiance: Dressed up enough that you forget you’re in a grocery storeOf Note: The next event, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m., will feature the French Broad Brewing Company Beer is quickly […]

The chefs of the Boathouse Restaurants and authors of The Boathouse: Tales and Recipes from a Southern Kitchen will appear at Malaprop’s on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. Douglas Bostick and Jason Davidson will sign books and prepare samples of food featured in the book, which draws on influences from Charleston to Asheville. The cookbook […]

Ambiance: Casual and comfortable mix of funky urbanity and classic tones; gets noisy with a big crowdService: Good, but plenty busy The word enoteca literally means “wine library” in Italian; however, the Italians use the word to refer to a gathering place where people can meet, sip a little wine and nibble a bit. In […]

Hector Diaz strikes again! The unstoppable force that is Diaz is planning to open yet another restaurant — this one in the Grove Arcade. Yes, we’ve already heard of Modesto, another Diaz establishment slated to open in the Arcade in September. But now he’s also planning a Mexican restaurant/tequila bar in the space formerly occupied […]

Ambiance: Bare bones bar with a great beer selection, a good crowd, and a fun game to playService: Good As far as I can tell, there are only two drawbacks to the Root Bar Number One. First, there is the sand. The sand that forms the floor of the bar’s “rootball” court (for a description […]

Asheville’s Old Europe, previously located on Battery Park Avenue, has relocated and redefined itself with a great new location on the corner of Lexington Avenue and Walnut Street. The new spot retains a cozy European cafe atmosphere and the same homemade pastries and desserts that Old Europe is well known for, but has added table […]

At its heart, Southern food is a tapestry of flavors, the result of a complex weaving together of the various cultural and regional cuisines that developed throughout the South’s elaborate history. Consider, for example, the food of the Southeastern Lowcountry, a region of lush estuaries and marshes and generous expanses of coastline. The distinctive cuisine […]

Anntony’s Caribbean Cafe at Asheville’s Grove Arcade recently closed its doors, but the monthly African food fest the eatery hosted will continue going strong. This Sunday, Aug. 20, La Cuisine de L’Afrique returns to a nearby locale — just down the block at the Grove Corner Market. There Chef Oso and crew will serve up […]

Flavor: Modern Southern-American with an emphasis on seafoodAmbiance: Laid-back, upscale beach style – think CharlestonService: Varies; on this particular occasion, quite good During the calm before the storm that is Bele Chere, my Picky Companion and I decided to make one last foray for the week into a relatively tranquil downtown. Just before the beer […]