Small Bites: Tod’s Tasties turns into All Day Darling

All Day Darling, the restaurant emerging from the old Tod’s Tasties in Asheville’s historic Montford section, is nearing completion and should be open soon, its owners say.

“Mid-November, to be pretty darn close,” says Jay Weatherly, who also owns High Five Coffee. Weatherly’s business partner is Jacob Sessoms, who owned the old Tod’s and owns Table restaurant and Imperial Life bar downtown.

Tod’s Tasties closed in July for the renovations, much to Montford’s sorrow, even though Sessoms and Weatherly promised to carry some of Tod’s favorite dishes over into the new restaurant, like the Buddha bowl and the Thunderbird fried chicken sandwich.

Construction has taken a while, partly because the building is historic (it was a service station decades ago and a cab stand after that) and partly because the owners have been enclosing the outdoor seating into a glassed-in area with folding garage doors. The renovations have been “a big undertaking,” Weatherly says.

All Day Darling will seat about 25-30 people, just like Tod’s, Weatherly says. People will enter through a bay door, and there will be a half-bay door for ordering drinks and picking up orders. Patrons will place their orders at the counter, but the flow will be a lot better than it was at Tod’s.

All Day Darling will maintain Tod’s neighborhood feeling, and its new menu will include entrée bowls, hearty salads and small dishes for sharing over drinks and conversation, says Sessoms, who like Weatherly, lives nearby. Dishes will be built around the baked goods, like flatbread and gluten-free breads, created by Laura Goetz, Table and Tod’s lead baker for a decade, Sessoms says.

All Day Darling, at 102 Montford Ave., will be open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week.

Taste of Asheville turns 10

Taste of Asheville, Asheville’s biggest culinary event, celebrates 10 years of bold flavors and palate pleasers on Thursday, Nov. 15, at The Venue in downtown Asheville. Presented by Mission Health and hosted by the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association, 2018 Taste of Asheville: Taste & Tunes will assemble more than 40 of Asheville’s independent restaurants for an evening of small bites, craft beverages and spirits. This year, AIR has teamed up with the Asheville Buskers Collective to highlight the city’s celebrated street musicians.

Taste of Asheville is Thursday, Nov. 15, at The Venue, 21 N. Market St. VIP tickets (6 p.m. admission) are $100; general admission tickets (7 p.m. entrance) are $75. No tickets at the door. Buy tickets at avl.mx/5ek.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Let the good times roll during the New Orleans-themed jazz dinner Thursday, Nov. 15, at Jargon restaurant on Haywood Road. Chef Marcus Day’s grandmother was a Creole cook who had a strong influence on him growing up and inspired him to love cooking, he says. Day is presenting this one-night-only dinner menu of cocktails, small and large dishes, and desserts. Dishes will include trout court bouillon, green onion sausage charcuterie, shrimp-stuffed mirliton squash and bread pudding with rum sauce. Live New Orleans-style jazz will be presented by Les Chats Violet (Alex Bradley, Lenny Petinelli and Kyle Snuffer, members of Empire Strikes Brass).

Jargon is at 715 Haywood Road. Make reservations by contacting the restaurant at 828-785-1761 and through avl.mx/5eg or the Reserve app.

Mills River holds a tasty holiday market

Mills River residents will sell products made from food they’ve grown at the Mills River Holiday Market on Saturday, Nov. 17, at Mills River Elementary School. The indoor market, put on by the Mills River Farmers Market, will kick off the holiday season with local offerings of homegrown food, home business products, woodcarvings, knit/crochet items, fabric crafts, jewelry, candles, art, ceramics, pottery, home décor and other items. Organizers note that this isn’t a flea market, so no used or old things will be available.

The Mills River Holiday Market will be held 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, at Mills River Elementary School, 94 School House Road, Mills River.

Admiral+Desoto+Tastee Diner=Galactic

Galactic Pizza, one of West Asheville’s newest restaurants, has a solid West Asheville pedigree. Owners are Jonathan Robinson, part owner of The Admiral, and Natalia Robinson, of Tastee Diner. Other owners are Sabrina White and Tim McMurrin, owners of Desoto Lounge, and Doug Ellington, who owns the Sardis Road building that Galactic Pizza is in. Galactic Pizza opened Thursday, Oct. 25, serving New York-style pizza with a crust made from cake yeast, which gives it a moistness that dry yeast doesn’t, Jonathan Robinson says. The restaurant will offer standard toppings, but also homemade vegan pepperoni and cheese. The chicken banh mi pizza was a big hit during the soft opening in late October, he says.

Galactic Pizza is at 339 Sardis Road. Hours are 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday.

Capella on 9 rolls out fall drinks, dishes

Served atop the AC Hotel in downtown Asheville, Capella on 9’s new fall menu carries on the restaurant’s focus on local ingredients. “Especially around Asheville, I’m always more excited about the fall flavors and produce than the spring and summer selection,” chef Rakim Gaines says. “There’s just so much more that reminds me of my childhood here in Asheville.” One of the fall dishes he is offering — short rib — reminds him of the simple home-cooked meals his mom made, he says, “but at Capella, we add some flair by braising it with root vegetables and serving baby harissa carrots on the side.” Food and beverage director Brandon Maynard loves the smoked apple syrup, made from Hendersonville apples, that is in the restaurant’s hot toddy. Other fall drinks at Capella on 9 include S’age La Vie (The Chemist white brandy, Absolut Extrakt, sage honey syrup and Vya vermouth) and Matcha Do About Nothing (Appleton rum, Smith and Cross rum, matcha tea, almond milk, coconut, port and lime).

Capella on 9 and AC Hotel are at 10 Broadway.