Small Bites: Which chef will reign? White Duck expands hours and more

Allez cuisine! 12 Bones Thomas Montgomery and crew hope to smoke Thomas Ward and the rest of the Fig folks (get it?) in the WNC Chefs Challenge on April 3. Photo by Matt Rose

WNC Chefs Challenges on a roll

WNC Chefs Challenges continue at the Century Room at Pack's Tavern. Week one (Tuesday, March 20) pitted Storm Rhum Bar's chef Owen McGlynn against Square One Café's chef Rob Keener in a culinary battle over the secret ingredient, local cheese.

Storm Rhum Bar emerged victorious with the help of one of the judges favorite dishes of the evening, a salad of shaved fennel, beets, orange supremes, feta-buttermilk dressing, microgreens and shaved tomme (a semi-hard cheese). Week two (March 27) pitted Boca's chef Stewart Lyon and team against chef Peter Fassbender at Highland Lake Inn (visit www.mountainx.com/dining to see the results of that competition).

Next week's competition (Tuesday, April 3) looks to be a hot one, featuring chef Thomas Montgomery and the rest of the 12 Bones Smokehouse talent versus the Fig Bistro crew, headed by Thomas Ward. Want to go? Chefs Challenge dinners are $49 per person. Reservations can be made by calling Pack's Tavern at 225-6944. For more about the competitions, visit http://avl.mx/cb.

Taking it to the street

Anthony Cerrato's new restaurant, Strada (Italian for street), is coming along at a rapid clip. The Italian eatery, located at 27 Broadway St. in downtown Asheville, should be open by the time you read this (at press time, it was slated to open on Tuesday, March 27). http://stradaasheville.com.

Duck tales

Beginning April 1, the White Duck Taco Shop will be open six days a week for lunch and dinner (11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday though Saturday). The taco shop has also increased patio space (perfect for sangria-sipping). 1 Roberts St. http://www.whiteducktacoshop.com.

Outstanding

Once again, The Market Place’s William Dissen has been selected to participate in this year’s Outstanding in the Field at East Fork Farm in Marshall. Outstanding in the Field is an outdoor dining experience that takes place on farms, fields and other outdoor arenas around the world. The event isn’t until Sept.19, but we wanted to let you know because tickets go fast. For more information about the event and to purchase tickets, visit http://outstandinginthefield.com.2

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