Sometimes it seems like Asheville’s all about the booze. We’re Beer City, USA, after all. But where to sip something special sans suds? Asheville has a large selection of drinkable treats that are alcohol-free. Buchi Kombucha is a perfect example of how locally focused and healthy Asheville can be as a whole. The fermented-tea drink […]
In WNC, we’ve got mountains, an agreeable climate, good food and a thriving beer scene, complete with brew-centric festivals. What more could you ask for? Someone to drive you around from brewery to brewery while you liberally sample? Well, we’ve got that too. Brews Cruise, started by Asheville local Mark Lyons, provides an insider’s take […]
What’s that little green symbol next to some of the restaurants in our guide? The Appalachian Grown logo is a trademark of Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. ASAP created the logo as a tool to help identify authentically local food. It’s on fresh produce and packaging and displayed by participating grocers, restaurants and other businesses. These […]
How is it that Western North Carolina is blessed with such a thriving food scene? Great local agriculture helps. That’s where the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project comes in. ASAP’s mission is to help local farms thrive by linking farmers to markets and supporters and building healthy communities through connections to local food. “ASAP’s work over […]
Asheville boasts an abundance of local food. All of the ingredients that make this area’s restaurants stellar (along with the finesse of our local chefs, of course) can be found at tailgate markets nearly every day of the week, at least during the growing season. Visiting tailgate markets gives you the opportunity to meet the […]
This town is long on charm, but short on souvenirs. But if you’re looking for a taste of Asheville that you can take home with you, we're practically up to our eyeballs in locally made mustard, jams, hot sauce and chocolates. Here are just a few of our favorite things. Many of these foods are […]
[Editor’s Note: Just an apple’s throw away from Asheville, Hendersonville (home of the Apple Festival) is its own culinary destination. Xpress invited Laura Huff of popular Hendersonville-based food blog The Carolina Epicurean to point out some of her favorite tables. For restaurant reviews, chef profiles, information on cooking classes and more, visit carolinaepicurean.com.] Square One […]
Sometimes Asheville can feel too crowded. When tourist season’s in full swing and the streets are choked with cars, trucks and buses, a place like Hot Springs can be just the ticket. Conversely, sometimes Asheville feels too small — especially when you’re trying to buy something embarrassing at the grocery store. When you want to […]
Western North Carolina is full of talented farmers, artisan food producers and wine makers. You might even go so far as to call WNC “America’s Tuscany” — the perfect place for a food-and-farm adventure. Let the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project be your virtual travel agency, guiding you to the freshest tomatoes, the most scenic apple […]
It's like an accountant doing their own taxes, or a lead singer going to a Karaoke bar on a night off — sometimes what you do for a living is not what you want to do with your spare time. Case in point: chefs often don't want to be in charge of cooking when they […]
Asheville Eats & Drinks is published annually by Mountain Xpress, P.O. Box 144, Asheville, NC 28802, (828) 251-1333. Visit us on the Web at www.mountainx.com. Email: xpress@mountainx.com. We have taken great care to ensure the accuracy of information contained herein. However, we are human and capable of error, and restaurants do change their services. Please […]
In this special one-year anniversary episode of the Elitist Bastards Go To The Movies podcast, Mountain Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther share their thoughts on current releases Thor, Something Borrowed, Jumping the Broom and Everything Must Go. The dynamic reviewing duo then discuss the classic Ken Russell film Savage Messiah (next week’s Asheville Film Society screening) before giving their critical forecasts for this weekend’s new releases Decisions, Bridesmaids and Priest.
The first Fair Trade Asheville Fashion Show was this past Saturday, May 7, in the Lexington Avenue Brewery’s back room.
In the May 4 food article, “Going Wild,” we reported that Alan Muskat served an appetizer made with air potato on a wild-foods walk he recently hosted. We reported that it's highly recommended that you refrain from eating air potato. Muskat had this to say: “When you looked up ‘air potato,’ you no doubt found […]
MPAC debts discharged Last August, Mountain Xpress reported that some groups and individuals involved in a Fourth of July Block Party organized by the nonprofit MPAC hadn’t been paid (see “MPAC and the IOUs: A Complex Situation,” Aug. 10, 2010 Xpress). MPAC is an arm of MAYSA, the Mountain Area Youth Soccer Association. Randy Bassham, […]
For me, as for most of the other employees, working at the Swannanoa Valley Youth Development Center was a calling. I’d been a teacher there since 2001; many others had worked there much longer. Our mission was to nurture troubled boys from across the state and to help them turn their lives around. The hours […]
To say that Hop'n Blueberry Farm is, well, hopping is an understatement. The much-used word “diversity” takes on a whole new meaning on Van Burnette’s small farm just east of Asheville. These days, he explains, a farmer has to be a grower, entrepreneur, tour guide, marketing pro — and manual laborer. Mountain Xpress: How did […]
I am very distressed that Asheville Police Chief Bill Hogan has decided to retire. This is a clear signal to me that [city staff] does not know the quality character of this city official or the workings of the Asheville Police Department. I suggest that each of [them] become better informed. At 64 years old, […]
So you’re looking to get some ink: a new tattoo, something cool that lets the world know what you’re about. Being frugal, though, you start searching online to find the best deal in town. Eventually you stumble on a Facebook page for a local tattoo artist. After a few rounds of back-and-forth, he gives you […]
It appears that the employees of the entire Buncombe County criminal “justice” system are afflicted by a particular pathology that makes it virtually impossible for them to conduct themselves in an honest and legal manner. I for one am sick and tired of corrupt local police, sheriffs and district attorneys running riot in the judicial […]
We read Richard Thatcher's love-fest letter to the editor (regarding Whole Foods) with amusement [“Wholly Satisfied with Whole Foods,” May 4 Xpress]. Wow. We moved here from Atlanta to get away from pseudo-Republicans like you. If you don't want to support local Asheville businesses and be a part of the community, why don't you go […]
