Common New Year’s resolutions aren’t something to look forward to. Who gets excited about eating less or exercising more? But it doesn’t have to be that way. This is Asheville — let’s make our resolutions with a beer in hand. Learn more about beer A-B Tech’s new degree in Brewing, Distillation and Fermentation is great […]
With winter now in full swing, many locals are cutting the chill by turning on their slow cookers or looking for the daily soup specials at their favorite local eateries. From borscht to beef-and-barley, area residents and restaurants are cooking up spoon-friendly nourishment in myriad forms. Xpress is celebrating Asheville’s take on soup and stew […]
Traditionally, everyone has a beverage in their hand to raise high when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. Why not welcome the new year with some new spirits? Xpress asked two local bartenders to offer some fresh tipples for end-of-the-year toasts, and I offer one of my own.
A change of just one little letter turns a chili pepper — an ordinary spicy restaurant garnish — into a chile — an authentic, traditional New Mexican treat. The green Hatch chile packs a unique flavor profile, and West Asheville’s Zia Taqueria is one of only about 20 restaurants in the country where diners can […]
As we peruse our local grocery store shelves, we can all rest assured that the familiar arrow symbols and numbers displayed on product packages mean the material can be recycled. Right? “This is a common misconception,” says Barry Lawson, president of Curbside Management in Asheville. “The symbol actually tells you what kind of material the […]
Asheville Independent Restaurants recently named its new executive board for 2014, tapping Posana Café co-owner and Executive Chef Peter Pollay as president. Chosen as president-elect at the end of 2012, Pollay replaces outgoing president Sherrye Coggiola of The Cantina. AIR's membership is composed of more than 90 independent restaurants, and its 2014 board represents a […]
If artisan pizza and a glass of crisp, hard cider sound like a perfect combination, the Very Noble New Year’s celebration, a collaboration between All Souls Pizza and Noble Cider, may be the ideal way to ring in 2014. On New Year’s Eve, All Souls will feature a prix fixe menu with an optional Noble […]
A new restaurant, Vue 1913, has debuted in Asheville’s historic Omni Grove Park Inn, promising an American twist on the European brasserie. The name pays homage to both the inn’s panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the opening date of the original Grove Park Inn, which was July 12, 1913. Traditional French brasseries […]
There’s something about the smell of gingerbread that transports me back to childhood, at home on winter break, baking walls and roof pieces in the oven with my mom and brother, the sweet aroma filling the kitchen as we mixed up batches of colored frosting in anticipation of building our edible creations. In homage to […]
There is a little stone building on Tunnel Road in east Asheville. To me, it has always been a cool-looking building, but nothing more. Historically, it was a meeting place for the American Legion. However, recently I realized that behind that amazing architectural exterior there’s a cozy, bohemian, European-inspired cafe. Honestly, I didn’t know there […]
In the Oct. 29 issue, we looked at the life of a food truck owner from two different perspectives: the newbie (Roaming in the Raw) and the old-timer (Gypsy Queen). Following that story, Bill Drake, owner of the Decrepit Old Geezers Sausages (D.O.G.S) hot dog and sausage truck, responded to Xpress, “It seems like all […]
This is the last week for diners to enjoy Chef Daniel Wright’s creative comfort food at the Tomato Jam Café; the Biltmore Avenue breakfast and lunch spot closes on Friday, Dec. 20. According to Wright, it was business as usual until about six months ago when he got a phone call from owner Deb Maddox, […]
Betty Sharpless drives a van adorned with flowers, an “Outrageous Older Woman” bumper sticker and a red kayak perched on top. She’s one of those instantly likable people who emanates charisma, warmth and welcome. Twenty years ago, Sharpless cooked up the idea of a cookie party to benefit clients of Loving Food Resources, and she’s […]
Wicked Weed has made a name for itself in its first year in business, from becoming the first Asheville brewery to routinely keep two-dozen of its own beers on tap to bringing back the first gold medal to Asheville from the Great American Beer Festival — but what was it like on the inside?
When I asked the former Chik-fil-A line cook turned James Beard Award-nominated Asheville Chef Elliott Moss — formerly of the Admiral and Ben’s Tune Up — to pick a restaurant, he chose one that is near and dear to me, Cucina24.
No, that’s not a typo (nor is it the name of a new Sex Pistols cover band from the East), it’s the name of the new pop-up dining concept recently unleashed at MG Road. On Monday nights, “MG Road will be in full character for Punk Wok. The decor, the service and the drinks will […]
Flowers and freshly prepared food are the first things you see when you walk into Katuah Market. If you look to the right, there’s a café with exposed wood beams. If you look to the left, there are a few rows of registers where shoppers will check out. Produce separates the prepared food section from […]
For those who haven’t served time in food service, health regulations require that foods sold to the public must be prepared and stored in a commercially certified kitchen. The exception is when foods are prepared in a customer’s own home and stored for consumption on the premises. That’s how personal chefs roll: They show up […]
Editor’s note: Ed and Cathie Osada of Osada Bee Farm in Asheville have been keeping bees for more than 30 years and selling their honey, beeswax candles and baked goods at the North Asheville Tailgate Market for 28 years. In 1972, I read about a pecan pie recipe in a magazine. The baker used the […]
Kenneth Cole might be a name that appears on lots of people’s Christmas lists, but if you’re all about shopping and eating locally, you may be more interested in learning about Ken Cole, an organic apple farmer with deep roots in Western North Carolina. Cole has supplied both the apples and the applesauce recipe used […]
In October, Xpress correspondent Jonathan Ammons explored a few South Asheville dining options. In this issue, Ammons is back with his take on two North Asheville eateries that offer their own brand of comfort food.s
