If last year’s Halloween Bar Crawl is any indication, hundreds of ghosts, goblins and caped crusaders will be returning to the streets for the gathering’s latest iteration.
The fifth annual crawl begins at Catawba Brewing Co. – South Slope on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 2 p.m. From there, bar creepy crawlers will descend upon several downtown bars, breweries and distilleries, including Banks Ave. Bar, Daddy Mac’s Down Home Dive, Dalton Distillery, One World Brewing and Scandals Nightclub.
Each location will feature its own version of themed specials and cocktail concoctions, such as a $3 blood shot and $4 witch’s punch at Banks Ave., $6 spooky juice at Daddy Mac’s and $5 ginger rum punch at Dalton Distillery.
“Asheville is one of our favorite cities with some of the most diverse venues for our crawls,” says Nick Lunde, district manager for the Carolinas sector of the national Crawl With US brand, which puts on the event. “It’s very important to us that we foster healthy relationships with local business owners.”
A variety of themed contests and performances are also on the crawl’s agenda. You can expect Banks Ave. drag shows at 6 and 8 p.m., a dog costume contest at Catawba Brewing Co. from 2-4 p.m. and a dance party to end the night at Scandals featuring all the classic bone-rattling Halloween hits you know and love.
The winner of Asheville’s best costume, voted on via social media, will receive four free tickets to the next Crawl With Us event (a holiday bar crawl in December benefiting Toys for Tots) as well as entry into a nationwide contest with a $1,000 grand prize.
“I hope people have fun and show up to support their local community,” says Lunde. “Most importantly, we want everyone to get home safe and have a reliable mode of transportation. Have fun and be safe!”
Tickets cost $15 per person in groups of four or more and $20 for single tickets. Visit avl.mx/c39 to purchase tickets and for additional information.
Barbe-boo!
When thoughts of Halloween treats conjure in your head, you probably think of gooey chocolate and tart fruit candies. But what about barbecue?
On Friday, Oct. 28, the brand-new Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ location on South Slope will hold its second annual Hatch-O-Ween Halloween party in partnership with Hatch Innovation Hub, Hatchworks and a number of other local neighbors and partners. The celebration runs 7-10 p.m.
While the party is free to attend, Bear’s is offering VIP access tickets for $30 per person granting early entry at 6 p.m., two complimentary drink tickets (alcoholic or nonalcoholic) and barbecue bar bites. Live music from multi-instrumentalist Marcus Gullen kicks off at 7 p.m.
A costume contest begins at 8 p.m., including cash prizes of $100, $75 and $25 for the three top winners. A Brides DJ will provide a photo booth set up from 6-10 p.m. so all guests can go home with pictures of their ghoulish attire.
Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ is at 135 Coxe Ave. Visit avl.mx/c36 for tickets and additional information.
The Monster Smash
Smasheville, the food truck specializing in pasture-raised, dry-aged smash burgers, celebrates its one-year anniversary with a smashing Halloween party Thursday, Oct. 27, 5-8 p.m., at The Brew Pump in West Asheville.
Prizes will be awarded to the scariest, funniest and best couple costumes. The first 50 patrons to purchase a sandwich will receive a free order of house-cut fries. Local Grateful Dead tribute band Dirty Dead will perform 5-7 p.m. Smasheville founders and operators JT Noah and Kevin Ogren will also be handing out a specially made bearnaise fry dipping sauce while supplies last.
“The purpose of this event is to embrace community,” says Noah.
“It’s our way of saying thank you to all the patrons that enjoyed our food and supported us over the past year,” adds Ogren.
The Brew Pump is at 760 Haywood Road #3136. Visit avl.mx/c33 for additional information.
Heat up your Halloween
Urban Orchard Cider Co. calls on all cider-loving creeps and spooky creatures to join its ninth-anniversary party and Halloween bash on Saturday, Oct. 29, at its South Slope location. DJ Erik Maddox spins from 4-7 p.m., followed by Cousin TL taking over for the remainder of the late-night party.
A special “fire flight” will be unveiled featuring six separate ciders made with local peppers from Smoking J’s Fiery Foods. Costumes are encouraged during this free event, as the top three get-ups will be awarded gift cards following a round of Instagram voting.
On the significance of this occasion, operations director Josie Mielke says, “It’s really a celebration of everyone that has supported us for all these years, and I hope that our patrons, especially the ones that have purposefully spent their dollars with us over the years know how integral they are to our survival and how grateful we are to be able to continue to serve our cider nine years later.”
Urban Orchard Cider Co. is at 24 Buxton Ave. Visit avl.mx/c34 for additional information.
Pre-trick-or-treat eats
Looking for a place to bring the kids before they make their trick-or-treat rounds? Kids younger than 12 eat free at Buxton Hall Barbecue on Monday, Oct. 31, 5:30-9 p.m., with the purchase of an adult meal.
The whole family is encouraged to adorn their best costumes during their visit. “Our pastry team will be making some spooky treats for Halloween, and Brunswick stew is finally back on the menu just in time for the colder months,” says Charlotte Beck, a public relations specialist representing Buxton Hall.
Buxton Hall Barbecue is at 32 Banks Ave. Visit avl.mx/c37 for additional information.
Taste of The Bear
FX’s and Hulu’s new hit show “The Bear” has captivated audiences with its frenetic yet heartfelt capturing of life in the kitchen and honest depiction of the off-hour struggles often faced by those in the culinary industry.
Inspired by the show’s true-to-life portrayals, chef Sam Etheridge (previously of Ambrozia) will team up with Metro Wines on Thursday, Nov. 3, 4-6 p.m., for a thoughtful re-creation of dishes featured in “The Bear” paired with Materra wines.
The evening’s four-course menu will include Carmy’s lemon chicken, Sydney’s cola-braised short rib with fennel salad and, of course, a Chicago Italian beef mini-sandwich. Etheridge even hints at the possibility of a jelly doughnut dessert to close out the themed evening.
“It’s a dinner idea I have wanted to do since seeing the show,” says Etheridge. “The menu was selected from dishes they had made from the show that I thought would pair well with selected Materra wines. I hope people feel like they get a taste of Chicago, have fun and enjoy what the wine shop has to offer.”
Metro Wines is at 169 Charlotte St. Tickets cost $50 per person. Receive 10% off your ticket price with the purchase of six bottles and 15% off with the purchase of 12 bottles or more. Visit avl.mx/c35 for tickets and information.
Name a better duo
900 Degreez Pizza recently moved from its original location at 20 Stoner Road to 131 Thompson St., joining New Origin Brewing.
“Our original location wasn’t ideal because there wasn’t enough traffic to really grow the business like we wanted to,” says Drew Soifer, who co-owns the food truck with his wife, Anne. “New Origin approached us and asked if we’d be interested in making the brewery our new permanent location, and since we loved their beer, it all seemed to work out nicely.”
With a large, designated parking lot directly next to New Origin, the 900 Degreez food truck, which is notably larger than the average truck, has plenty of space to open shop and provide patrons with a place to sit down and enjoy wood-fired pies washed down with fresh brews.
Drew also hints at new collaborations integrating New Origin’s beer with his pizza, breads and sweet treats. “I’m working on a pumpkin stout barbecue sauce and have plans to use the brewery’s spent grains in our breads,” he says.
New Origin is one of a select few breweries in town making its own yeast with which to brew. This yeast, too, will be experimented with by Drew to create new flavor profiles in his pizza doughs.
“It all comes down to community for us,” says Drew. “We’re so grateful for this opportunity and looking forward to seeing what the future holds.”
Visit avl.mx/c38 for news and updates on 900 Degreez Pizza’s social media pages.
Sweets for a Cause
Since 2018, Corner Kitchen and Chestnut (have donated a portion of dessert sales each quarter to a local nonprofit as part of the Sweets for a Cause initiative. Previous recipients of this program include Asheville GreenWorks, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, ACS Foundation and more.
Our VOICE, a local nonprofit working to support survivors and prevent future acts of sexual violence and human trafficking, has been announced as the fourth-quarter 2022 beneficiary of the program.
“This support will go toward helping make sure our neighbors who are healing from sexual violence and human trafficking can get support from Our VOICE 24/7 via our crisis line, in person at the Family Justice Center and/or receive trauma-focused counseling from our therapists,” says Our VOICE Executive Director Rita Sneider-Cotter. “We cannot end sexual violence and human trafficking in our community alone, and we are so appreciative of Corner Kitchen and Chestnut Restaurant for being a part of the solution.”
Corner Kitchen is at 3 Boston Way; Chestnut Restaurant is at 48 Biltmore Ave. Visit avl.mx/c31 to learn how you can support Our VOICE’s mission.
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