The French Broad Vignerons made their group official last month. They became incorporated prior to judging the Asheville Wine and Food Festival's Amateur Wine Maker Competition. Traditionally, a vigneron both grows grapes and makes wine, combining the roles of a viticulturist (grape cultivator) and an oenologist (wine maker). While some of the French Broad Vignerons […]
Tag: Straight Dish
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Isis Restaurant and Music Hall hiring, to open this fall
Isis Restaurant and Music Hall briefly lit up Haywood Road last week as the owners tested out the historic theater's marquee. Surrounded by cheerful red and yellow lighting, the message read, “Coming soon. Apply in person.” Scott Woody and his family, who have owned the building since 1998 and collaborated on its restoration, will meet […]
Catawba Valley Brewing searching for a second home in Asheville
Scott Pyatt, owner of Catawba Valley Brewing, is scoping out Asheville real estate in search of a second home for his brewery in Morganton. The expansion will serve as a distribution center, tasting room and small-batch brewery. “I want to open up a boutique brewery doing nothing but really interesting, super-cool beers,” he says. Pyatt […]
Farm Burger and new brewery to open in Leader building
As of Aug. 30, the deal is official: grass-fed burgers will make a home in the Leader Building. Atlanta-based Farm Burger is moving to the Leader Building at 10 Patton Ave., next to Salsa’s. The building will need to be renovated, and the restaurant could open next spring, says co-owner George Frangos. Farm Burger and […]
A product of a complex process
In high summer, when the heat reaches its peak, there's energy and excitement in apple country. The fruit brightens on the branch as growers prepare to pick the earliest varieties — Honeycrisp, Gala, Golden Delicious and Green Mutsu. Ripening and readiness beam from the trees in clusters visible from the roadsides. Harvest season begins. Picking […]
FOODWIRE
You cheddar believe it Western North Carolina will soon have a cheese trail, ushering us into the ranks of regions such as the state of Vermont and California’s Sonoma and Marin counties. The project has been in the works since last winter, but the Gouda gurus recently became incorporated and launched a website. The WNC […]
Brews News
There are lots of special beer releases and fun festivals coming up in late August and September, as always. Some of my favorite beers are released this time of year — Oktoberfest lagers, pumpkin beers, wet hopped ales and more. I’m salivating just thinking about the crisp carbonation and warm spices of fall. Oktoberfest beers […]
Goodbye Viva Deli
You will not be able to get a delicious caprese sandwich from Viva Deli tomorrow. Or the next day. It’s probably not a good sign for an establishment when its Haywood Road marquee — which typically shouts out daily specials and funny sayings — says that one of the coowners is an “A-Hole.” That sign […]
Farm Burger coming to town
Farm Burger coming to town Grass-fed, dry-aged, fresh ground-burgers have not given up on downtown Asheville. After a year and a half of scouting locations, the owners of the Atlanta-based Farm Burger confirm that they are doing their darndest to come north. “We are negotiating a space and want to come to Asheville,” said owner […]
And the winner is …
It’s official: the title of Best Chef in WNC goes to David Ryba of Inn on Biltmore. He earned the honor in the Aug. 23 finals, after six months of battles in the WNC Chefs Challenge competition. It wasn’t easy — chef Jason Roy of The LAB was a worthy competitor. The chefs serve very […]
Foodwire
Salsa’s goes next door Where succulent sweets once reigned, spices and salt will take over. Salsa's Mexican Caribbean Restaurant, a downtown Latin food stronghold for the last 18 years, will take over the space formerly occupied by the Sisters McMullen Cupcake Corner, which closed on Sunday, Aug. 12. Hector Diaz, founder and owner of Salsa's […]
A transition of tradition
When Creekside Taphouse opens in Haw Creek, owner Brendan Dennehy hopes it will represent more than just food. Sure, he's designing a menu — and an ambitious one at that — but he also sees himself as creating a sense of community in the east Asheville neighborhood. “We feel the neighborhood deserves a really good […]
Going native
The intersection of U.S. Highway 70 and Whitson Avenue could be anywhere in America — a few low-lying buildings are scattered about at random, and the prevailing feeling is one of utilitarian grunge. But it's not just anywhere; it's Swannanoa. Yet despite the area's haphazard appearance, a determined group of locals has managed to create […]
Chef’s Challenge: It comes down to Roy versus Ryba
Semifinal 1: Allen versus Roy Lexington Avenue Brewery put a hurtin' on Knife & Fork in the Tuesday, Aug. 15 semifinal of the WNC Chef’s Challenge culinary showdown. Nathan Allen of Knife & Fork was last year’s reigning “Best Chef in North Carolina” — but he won’t retain the title. Diners and judges instead gave […]
Introduction
Santa Barbara butterflies and the dirty South bring to a close our three-part series, The Last Supper, in which area chefs illustrate their ideal final feasts, course by course: Who will be there? Will there be music playing? Will it be solemn or celebratory (or both)? Table’s Jacob Sessoms and William Dissen of The Market […]
William Dissen and the butterflies
For his prospective last meal, William Dissen, chef and owner of The Market Place, doesn't want to overdo it. "I could have listed off a dozen things that I had to stuff in,” he says. “But, for me, I'd want to savor each and every one of them — take my time with it. I […]
Really loud rap music and expensive food
Jacob Sessoms, the James Beard Award-nominated chef and owner of Table, wants to keep it simple. "For anyone who likes to eat oysters, oysters are obvious," says Sessoms. "So is raw fish. Eating something so pure when you eat all the time, that's what really counts. But, for me, what really is my favorite thing […]
Latin fare for everyone
Maria Soto grew up loving mole sauce. Her eyes gleam as she describes her mother standing over the family stove on special occasions, stirring the intoxicating combination of chili peppers and chocolate. Soto's new restaurant, Aqua Cafe and Bar, will also serve mole on special occasions, bringing an authentic taste of Mexico to Asheville. The […]
The last word
Several people I interviewed for this piece asked for my last meal. Here it is: Course 1: Kumomoto oysters, glass of Veuve Clicquot la Grande Dame brut. Course 2: Toro, crisp, extremely cold sake. Course 3: Maryland crab soup — must be from Baltimore or Annapolis. Ice cold Pilsner (preferably French Broad Brewing could unearth […]
Foodwire
Time for taste In the 2010 Best of WNC poll, Mountain Xpress readers named “Jewish Deli” one of Asheville's still-needed restaurants. The next January, Viva Deli opened at 625 Haywood Road. After 2011's votes were tallied, Viva tied for first place in the “Sub Shop/Deli/Sandwiches” category and a New York-style deli was no longer on […]
Introduction
In the Aug. 1 Xpress, we asked area chefs Adam Bannasch, Reza Setayesh and Brian Canipelli to describe their ideal — and thankfully hypothetical — last meals. In part two of The Last Supper, a three-part series, we proposed the same sobering concept to Cúrate’s Katie Button and Damien Cavicchi from the Biltmore Estate. For […]