Hard Lox Cafe: For 364 long, corned beef-free days a year, Asheville doesn't have a Jewish deli. But October marks the annual return of the Hard Lox Café, a Jewish food and heritage festival, at which noshers raised on knishes and chopped liver have a chance to get their fix. The celebration, jointly sponsored by Congregation Beth HaTephila and the city's Parks and Recreation department, typically draws thousands of people to its food stands and crafts tents. Hard Lox, on Battery Park Avenue alongside the Grove Arcade, is scheduled for this Sunday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.hardlox.com.
The Green Sage: Downtown Asheville's resident green-leaning café has introduced a food-delivery system as environmentally sound as its recycling practices: The Green Sage is now using a bicycle to deliver food orders around downtown on weekdays. "We're trying to be ecologically friendly," explains owner Al Kirshner. While the restaurant prefers for its customers to place their orders at least one day in advance, Kirshner says day-of orders can sometimes be accommodated. To learn more, call 252-4450.
Grove Park Inn: Denny Trantham, who previously served as the chef de cuisine for Grove Park Inn's Blue Ridge Dining Room, has been named the resort's executive chef. A Haywood County native and Johnson & Wales graduate, Trantham spent six years at Grove Park before leaving to helm dining services at Western Carolina University. He then worked at Harrah's Cherokee Casino before returning to Grove Park last year. "Denny has always been committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure his guests and staff members are taken care of," executive food and beverage director Jeffrey Piccirillo writes in a release.
The Lobster Trap: The Lobster Trap has its lowbrow and highbrow bases covered this month, hosting events celebrating catfish and fine art. The second annual Eddie Kiefer Catfish Supper, scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 p.m., features freshly harvested catfish steamed Vietnamese-style and noodles served family-style. "We will not know how many fish we have for the dinner until late Monday night," executive chef Tres Hundertmark writes. "Seating will be very limited." Hundertmark reports that 15 diners scored seats last year; the restaurant begins taking reservations for the $30 meal on Tuesday at 10 a.m.
Later that week, the Lobster Trap will celebrate the release of a 2010 calendar featuring Hundertmark's recipes and paintings by local artists Peggy Horne Taylor and Linda Cheek. The opening reception is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. For more information on either event, call 350-0505.
Fall Menus: Leaves are changing, and so are menus: A number of leading Asheville restaurants have debuted their fall menus over the last few weeks. Over at Sunny Point in West Asheville, new offerings include a crispy chicken waffle with wild-mushroom gravy; a pistachio-and-apple salad and garlicky greens served with cornbread, molasses butter and housemade hot sauce. Boar ragu is back at Cucina 24, while The Market Place has just unveiled its first under-new-ownership bill of fare including pork "osso bucco" with cheddar-jalapeno grits and duck accompanied by Wedge beer-braised cabbage.
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