Beer Scout

Recently Opened: Lookout Brewing Address: 103 S. Ridgeway Ave., Black Mountain As Oyster House moves up from a nano-sized brewing system, another small-batch system has just come online out in Black Mountain. Housed in a small strip behind Lucky Bamboo Café, Lookout Brewing is easy to miss if you’re not, well, looking out for it. […]

Breakfast in Biltmore Park

When in doubt, throw an egg on it — that's the tack Another Broken Egg Café seems to take, judging by the menus of its two dozen (or so) locations throughout the Southeast. The brunch chain will open a café in Asheville's Biltmore Park in early fall, according to spokesperson Heather Freeman. The address, 27 […]

Eat all about it

Feast your eyes on the newly released Mountain Xpress Eats & Drinks guide. You can find the glossy pamphlet at news boxes around town and at your favorite bars, restaurants and grocery stores. This year's edition includes enticing photographs, theme-based write-ups and listings of 600 or so independent, edible businesses. Not sure what to eat […]

Apple of your stein

Many wonderful things come from the Wedge — the beer, the food truck fare, the pigeons. And now, Asheville's first locally made cider is available at there too. On Wednesday, June 5 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., the Fletcher-based, micro-cidery will party to commemorate its first release, the “summer blend.” “I liked to say we're […]

Are we still Beer City?

Talking Asheville Beer “This past September, we drove clear across the country leaving one amazing beer city (Seattle) for another. Why Asheville? This is a true beer community … local beer culture is supported by bars and restaurants that almost exclusively offer local beers, community members that are enthusiastic and interested helping small businesses thrive, […]

The pour-fect match

Perky pints Julie Atallah of Bruisin’ Ales recommends herbal beers for pairing Bison Brewing’s Honey Basil Ale Once a seasonal beer, the California-based brewery started producing it year-round due to its popularity. Trade Winds Tripel This Belgian-style brew pairs sweetness with a touch of Thai Basil at the finish. Smuttynose Farmhouse Ale Can you taste […]

Lunch on the loose

Lunch — say it aloud. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue; more like, it does a belly flop. It’s a mundane word for an equally mundane meal—that is, if you’re eating PB&J with celery sticks at your desk. But lunch can be so full of possibility. It’s a break in the day that shouldn’t […]

Lunch at large

“Steak pizza,” reads the sign outside of Carmel's. “Tourist food,” I think: approachable, nearly absurd and totally decadent. Heck, who wouldn't want a steak pizza? But I have a different meal in mind. I want to understand the tourist appetite, and what better classroom than a food tour? A jaunt around town with eight visitors, […]