Jason Sellers of Plant, a vegan restaurant on Merrimon Avenue, has one tip for Fourth of July: “Grill everything,” he says. “For example, if you’re serving cold sandwiches, grill some romaine lettuce lightly first. The added taste of the flame will liven up the other sandwich ingredients.” Sellers provided this vegetarian summer grill, a dish […]
Biker Billy, née Bill Hufnagle, has been riding motorcycles since 1986. "I wanted one when I was 17, but my mom knew that I was a little too wild and crazy, so she wouldn't sign on the papers on that one — which probably saved my life!" Of course, notes the Harley-riding Hufnagle, he's been […]
Tiger Mountain Thirst Parlour opens on Broadway A new bar, owned and operated by Jamie Hepler and Sean Bickford, has opened at 103 Broadway. As if Tiger Mountain Thirst Parlour isn’t enough of a mouthful, the bar’s outgoing message also adds “Mirror-ball Sanctuary” to the moniker. The bar serves a small but solid selection of […]
According to Tupelo Honey Café South's new bar menu, one of the basic and noble tenets among Southerners is the understanding that a great (not just good) cocktail is necessary after the workday. So, the popular new-Southern restaurant has stepped up its bar game to include a number of forward-thinking craft cocktails that shy away […]
The New York Times calls it "summer in a bottle," a "rare example of improving on an already perfect cocktail." The author is poetically smitten over a bottle-carbonated Americano soda, a refreshing, low-alcohol tipple comprised of a simple mix of water, Campari, sweet vermouth and orange. Cynthia Turner, the bar manager at the Magnetic Field, […]
Jessie Ratliff, Table's bartender since October 2011, invokes Jeffrey Morgenthaler's name quite a bit when he describes his own methods behind the bar. Morgenthaler is considered a pioneer of mixology — or perhaps, more accurately, a revivalist. He's created a hub of cocktail creativity at Clyde Common in Portland, Ore., a city from which beverage […]
The Junction opened down the street from the Magnetic Field in 2011, creating a corridor of excellent craft cocktails on Depot Street ,where there was little more to drink before but beer. The restaurant and bar has simultaneously developed the menu in both the kitchen (courtesy of Camp Boswell) and the bar (most recently courtesy […]
On June 13, Mountain Xpress’ annual salute to WNC’s thriving culinary scene hits the streets. Eats and Drinks, our colorful and glossy guide to the best of local food (and beverage), can now be found on stands and in purple Xpress boxes throughout the area. To celebrate, we offer a sneak peek of the guide […]
Fighters: Nate and Cynthia Kelly. Specialty: We create meals that we have fond memories of, and it allows us to put heart and soul into every bite. Our truck Earl's specialty is his ability to get really bad gas mileage. Plan of attack: Letting the air out of the other trucks’ tires. We also plan […]
Fighters: Caroline Whatley and Kim Dryden. Specialty: Luscious pizza pies. Plan of attack: Salty, sweet, nutty, bitter. Super powers: Kim has unusually long orangutan arms, so she will be able to toss pies, woman the oven and plate dishes while standing in one place. Caroline, because of her conservative Catholic upbringing, has never smoked a […]
Fighter: Marni Graves. Specialty: Authentic, Southwestern style red and green chili. Plan of attack: We might have to smoke the others out. Secret super powers: Taco fluffers. Favorite vegetable: An Anaheim pepper, roasted and peeled. If you've had it, you know why. Weapon of choice: Our trusty tortilla press. Any words for the opponents? Our […]
Fighters: Craig Schulz and Shaun Parcels. Specialty: Falafel — Duh. Plan of attack: Annihilate our opponents with ample amounts of 375-degree peanut oil. Secret super powers: Chickpea flour. Favorite vegetable: Tomatoes and peppers for umami and culinary versatility. Weapon of choice: Robocoup MMP or a 190 VV immersion blender. Battle song: “Champion” by Kanye West. […]
Fighters: Capuchina Taylor and Josh Armbruster. Specialty: Savory food, fresh spring rolls, rich broth and tasty variations on pig. Plan of Attack: Have great ingredients, pair them with great local beer and don’t let anything get in the way. Secret powers: Locally sourced foods, an awesome team of renegade cooks, a whole lot of pork […]
Engines revving, Asheville food trucks are idling at pole position. Fighting an eventually successful campaign to vend downtown may not have been enough to satisfy the food-truck owners’ taste for racing, it seems. Not content to quietly feed tacos, barbecue sandwiches and falafel to the masses, they’ve turned on each other. In a test of […]
The Ursa Minor Coffee truck can be found in the food-truck Lot at 51 Coxe Ave., near the bus terminal. Though the truck serves excellent espresso drinks, we’re also particularly partial to the tom kha iced tea, a nod to the flavors of one of the best soups in the world. No, it doesn’t contain […]
Spring in the mountains is a fickle thing, so we’re not sure whether it will be a tad chilly or hot as blazes by the time you read this. Whatever the weather, one thing’s for sure: sizzling temperatures are in our future. And, while iced coffee has its place when you need a cool-down, sometimes […]
Dobra Tea Room on Lexington Avenue remains a popular place to relax with a pot of hot tea, sure. It also makes for a perfectly quiet nook in which to cool down. Fans of matcha, the antioxidant-rich, metabolism-boosting powdered green tea, might want to try the cool and bracing Forest Dragon, a concoction that “provides […]
For meltingly hot days, the French Broad Chocolate Lounge offers up this striking little number, a perfectly civilized float that remains both caffeine-free and vegan. Even though the concoction of rose and hibiscus soda and fresh mango sorbet is light, bright and airy, the drink carries a mysterious name — the Voodoo. We asked owner […]
It's no wonder that the second- and third-largest craft breweries in the country, not to mention another top-30 brewery announcing on their heels, all plan to build brewing facilities in North Carolina. The state is home to 60 operating breweries and brewpubs, 10 of which are in the Asheville area, and the sourcing of state-grown […]
The WNC area is a new craft-beer hot spot. But will the influx of new industry turn a certain area — i.e., the River Arts District — into a brewery boomtown? New Belgium Brewery's planned move near the river in the next couple of years is a boon to the area, say most RAD-dwellers. Asheville […]
It’s acronym city on the west side of Asheville these days. The Asheville Public, also known as TAP, is welcoming the Paris of the South Flea Market back to the RAD beginning Saturday, May 19, running every following Saturday and Sunday through mid-October. What to expect? Beginning at 8 a.m. on the restaurant’s lawn (aka […]
