My hungry Valentine

Troy and Sons is offering moonshine-infused truffles with flavors like salted caramel made with Australian pink sea salt and chipotle-spiced dark chocolate ganache with crushed pink peppercorns. Let me just say this one more time: moonshine-infused chocolates. That’s just sexy. *UPDATE: Seems they’ve run out, but you can contact them to find out when they’ll have more. Visit the website for details.

And speaking of sexy, French Broad Chocolate Lounge pastry chef Holly Wiest posted this lovely photo of the cosmic love-potion truffles that the shop is making for the day of hearts, crowned with organic rose petals and infused with a locally made “love elixir”:

Laura Huff over at Carolina Epicurean has a great Valentine’s Day lineup here.

While The Market Place has a lovely dining room, we are particularly fond of the new bar area with its menu of small plates and casual feel. The restaurant is serving up a good-looking Valentine’s Day menu with a number of small plates for you and your squeeze to share. They’ve got kumamoto oysters — 6 for $15 — which are typically quite small and very delicious and beg for a glass of dry sparkly. Here’s the deal with raw oysters: they’re completely sexy to eat on a date, as long as they’re dainty like these. Making loud sounds while trying to hoover a gigantic gulf oyster out of a dripping shell is, you know, not so hot.

While we’re on the subject of hot, the Red Stag Grill is just that. It’s a great place for a very special date, dark, gorgeous — all those things. The Valentine’s menu, while full of cliches (“lusty” lobster bisque or “cupid’s” green salad, anyone?), looks great and can be viewed here.

Also, Sunset Terrace at the Grove Park Inn still has tables open for Valentine’s Day, which we find somewhat amazing (click on the Sunset Terrace link for reservation info). There’s not much more of a romantic setting than the Grove Park Inn while the sun sets over downtown Asheville. Also, the Great Hall Bar now features Troy and Sons moonshine cocktails. Maybe you can arrive early, grab a drink and perch in rocking chairs with cocktails and a bowl of truffle popcorn and talk while the sun sets and then head to dinner? Good lord, should we tell you where to buy the flowers, too?

While we’re not going to do that, here’s where to get everything but the flowers: The Appalachian Vintner has wine, of course (being a wine shop and all). The AV also carries locally made chocolate from Black Mountain Chocolates as well as organic coffee from Dynamite Roasting and local handmade cards from Le Button Box. So there you go. We’re like your love coach over here.

And, although it’s a little bit of a drive away (and not on Valentine’s Day), we wanted to clue you into a wine dinner that’s taking place on Saturday, Feb. 18, at Snowbird Lodge, a scenic inn in Robbinsville, N.C. The dinner will feature French wines paired with an all-French five-course fixed menu. The wines are hand-selected by Steve Pignatiello, the Burgundy authority at the annual Food and Wine Classic at the Cloister on Sea Island, Ga., among other things.
Here’s a little info about him. Again, click the link above for reservation info.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list. If you have an addition, please feel free to add it in the comments or (as always) you can send your food news to food@mountainx.com. We’ll be here all week, lovers.