Question 1

A Dang Good Lunch at Veranda Cafe, Black Mtn

Accepted Answer

All we wanted was a dang good lunch and unwind after finally coming to a decision on some new furniture at Tyson Furniture Company Inc. in Black Mountain. So we headed over to a long time favorite, Veranda Cafe. Descriptions in photo captions.
Creamy Potato Soup and half a Veranda Club: Black Forest ham, oven-roasted turkey breast, bacon, lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese, and mayo on sourdough bread.
 
Cranberry Turkey Sandwich: Oven-roasted turkey breast, Swiss cheese, mayo, lettuce, and house-made cranberry chutney on locally-made cranberry walnut bread. So good!
Veranda Cafe
Website
119 Cherry St
Black Mountain, NC 28711

Question 2

Exploring WNC Gems: The Pure and Proper

Accepted Answer

Friends Joe, Paula, and I needed some recharging after exhaustive furniture shopping in the maze known as Tyson Furniture in Black Mountain. What better place than Pure & Proper, located in what originally was the 1941 Pure Oil gas station, 114 E State St, Black Mountain.
Pure & Proper owners Richard & Heidi King and Chef Jake Whitman worked together to take the building, that had been empty and neglected for 20 years, to a deliciously engaging eatery.
For the longest time, I thought they were located outside of downtown Black Mountain. They&#8217;re not. They&#8217;re just off the main downtown intersection, around the corner from Tyson Furniture.
Two things struck me: the different & interesting MENUS and the build-out that kept so much of the building&#8217;s original character front and center, some aspects I imagine, with a wink & nod towards theme and uniqueness.
Take their Brussels Sprouts, described on the menu as made with: &#8220;makhana sauce, buttermilk raita, Calabrian balsamic reduction, with pomegranate [seeds] and cashews&#8221;. Chef Whitman has said in past interviews (not a quote) that he likes to incorporate a little Asian/Japanese here and there in menus to keep things interesting. I definitely caught that vibe from the sprouts dish. And it was beautifully plated with the pops of pomegranate red throughout.
Seating is fun and comfortable with faux fur &#8220;throws&#8221; on chairs and high top seating for two inset into the wall just off the bar. I&#8217;m looking forward to patio seating in nice weather. And hadn&#8217;t noticed, but Paula pointed out that their host stand is a large tool chest. Perfect.
Of note, Chef Jake Whitman has &#8220;chefed&#8221; in Asheville area eateries that take different approaches to their menus, serving up creative fare. Chef Jake and Ali Whitman opened a brand new restaurant, Bev&#8217;s Steak, in Black Mountain on December 2, 2025. Concerned, I called Pure & Proper and was reassured that Jake is still involved with the restaurant and menu development.
Now you have at least two good reasons to head to Black Mountain for an excellent meal &#8211; Pure & Proper and Jake and Ali Whitman&#8217;s Bev&#8217;s Steak.
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Bev&#8217;s Steak

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Question 3

Milton's: sumptuous elevated dining in Black Mountain!

Accepted Answer

It was a dark and stormy night . . . but totally worth battling wind and rain from the edge of Hurricane Nicole to celebrate a birthday at Milton&#8217;s in Black Mountain.
I first met Executive Chef Edwin Bloodworth eight years ago when he was running the kitchen at Lex18, a N. Lexington Ave restaurant (no longer in business) in Asheville. He served up one of the best meals I&#8217;d had to date!
It wasn&#8217;t until we chatted with Chef Edwin this time that I realized he&#8217;d been at Gamekeeper Restaurant & Bar in Boone during the time I was producing the High Country Small Plate Crawls. If you&#8217;ve never been to Gamekeeper, you must go. Their food is interesting and fantastic. They&#8217;ve done some major remodeling since I&#8217;ve been, so I also need to get back up there.
This is the second time my husband and I have been to Milton&#8217;s, in the historic Monte Vista Boutique Hotel. Both were the type of dining experience you can&#8217;t stop thinking about. Chef Edwin has been at the helm of Milton&#8217;s Black Mountain in the The Monte Vista Hotel for about 8 months now, and he&#8217;s knockin&#8217; it outta&#8217; the park! Feast your eyes on some of what&#8217;s coming out of his kitchen now, as well as what&#8217;s to come on his soon-to-be-finalized new menu in the Gallery below.
Every, Single, Dish was presented beautifully and was absolutely delicious! Flavors were balanced, yet set each other off perfectly.
We were there for dinner, not a media preview, but Chef didn&#8217;t let that stand (smile). As we were about to give our most fabulous server, Jennifer, our order, she looked me directly in the eye and said, &#8220;you&#8217;ll get what you get.&#8221; Oh, okaaay . . . We did eventually get what we were going to order, but before that happened, a &#8220;new menu preview&#8221; tasting parade happened. Do. Not. Get. Me. Wrong. We loved every minute of our evening! It was a completely fun, magical way to celebrate Bill&#8217;s birthday! Especially as we&#8217;d had to cancel the original date due to a family emergency.
NOTES:

As you look through the Gallery at all the lusciousness, keep in mind some of the tasting dishes &#8211; marked as NEW MENU COMING SOON &#8211; are still in the process of being tweaked, so they might look/taste a little different when finalized. Read &#8220;finalized&#8221; as &#8220;Chef&#8217;s best and most delicious take on the dish&#8221;.
Pictures from our first meal at Milton&#8217;s are marked PREVIOUS MEAL in the Gallery.

If you haven&#8217;t been to the historic (National Register) Monte Vista Hotel in a while, things have changed. A few years ago, Southern Proper Hospitality (Atlanta), &#8220;together [with] a few other Black Mountain partners acquired the hotel and redesigned the accommodations to create a comfortable and classically hip boutique mountain oasis.&#8221;
It&#8217;s lovely inside and out! In nice weather, it&#8217;ll be hard choosing between cozy inside dining, and dining on their pretty back patio. Both have fireplaces.

Milton&#8217;s
Cuisine and Cocktails
308 West State Street
Black Mountain, NC 28711
828-669-8870

Question 4

Strings & Suds Festival Brings Roots Music To Black Mountain, NC

Accepted Answer

Organizers of Jam In The Trees, The Pisgah Brewing Outdoor Stage Series, and HoosierDevil are proud to bring Strings & Suds to Black Mountain, NC. On August 23rd and 24th, Pisgah Brewing Company’s legendary taproom and outdoor stage will host Tex-Mex troubadours The Mavericks, roots music mainstays Donna the Buffalo, double-neck guitar slinger Junior Brown, the King of Americana himself Jim Lauderdale, and mandolin-wielding songstress Sierra Hull. Additionally, Strings & Suds will feature Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, YARN, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, Danny Burns, East of Monroe, and Ashley Heath and Her Heathens. Fans should be sure to expect special artist collaborations and sit-ins each night.
“We wanted to combine years of concert experiences from some of Western North Carolina’s most notable independent promoters while focusing on the crossroads of Americana music,” says Pisgah Brewing’s talent buyer, Benton Wharton . “We also wanted to keep some of the performances intimate, allowing fans to really hone in on the songs that make this music so great.” Festival consultant and co-founder, Steve Johnson adds, “My family has been involved in promoting music festivals and events in North Carolina for as long as I can remember. Strings & Suds is a way for me to continue that tradition, build on all the musical experiences I’ve gained over the years, and experiment with combining artists, art, and aesthetics to create an event where unexpected artist collaborations can occur and attendees feel like they are part of the event’s fabric and not just a ticket holder or a face in the crowd.”
The event will host an intimate evening on the Pisgah Taproom Stage on Friday, August 23rd. Saturday will see Strings & Suds spill out into Pisgah’s stunning Outdoor Stage, in addition to Taproom shows, giving fans an idyllic day to sip on Pisgah Brewing Company beer while listening to their favorite Americana artists. For good eats on-site, visit any of our local food trucks with options for all taste preferences and dietary needs. In addition to food, local artisans and craft vendors will set up and fans can take a brewery tour inside Pisgah Brewing. For those not wanting the night to end, the After Hours Jam will be hosted by Jim Lauderdale and feature artists from Saturday’s lineup, as well as other special guests, on the Taproom stage. VIP ticket holders will receive early entry, preferred parking, a private bar, private port-a-lets, artist meet-and-greets, a VIP event laminate, and a commemorative event poster. VIP ticket holders will also be able to bring a chair into the VIP section and will get to enjoy one of three guided brewery tours and tastings throughout the day on Saturday. Visit http://www.pisgahbrewing.com/ for more information.
VENDORS:
Honeycreek Pottery
Stoned Beautiful
Humble Bumble Beads
ARTeries Mobile Boutique
Shady Daze Hats
Feathers, Fate, & Steel Boutique
Blue Lotus Design Studios
Grift Town Goods (Grift Town Goods will be live screen printing Strings & Suds t-shirts on demand!)
FOOD TRUCKS:
Purple People Feeder (Friday night & Saturday)
D.O.G.S. (Saturday)
Mountain View BBQ (Saturday)
Root Down (Saturday)
Grateful Roots (Saturday)
VIP EXPERIENCE:
VIP guests have early entry, preferred parking, a private bar, and private port-o-lets.
They receive a unique, commemorative event poster and VIP laminate.
VIP&#8217;s can participate in a guided brewery tour and tasting, and are given three tour times to choose from so they don&#8217;t miss their favorite band.
VIP&#8217;s can participate in artist meet & greets; our participating artists are Jim Lauderdale, Sierra Hull, & YARN.
STAGE SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY (intimate performances on taproom stage)
Danny Burns (8:00-8:45)
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen (9:15-10:30)
Ashley Heath & Her Heathens (11:00-12:15)
SATURDAY (taproom stage)
East of Monroe (1:45-2:30)
YARN (3:15-4:15)
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers (5:00-6:00)
Late Night Jam (10:45 until&#8230;)
SATURDAY (outdoor stage)
Jim Lauderdale (2:30-3:30)
Sierra Hull (4:15-5:15)
Junior Brown (6:00-7:00)
Donna the Buffalo (7:30-8:45)
The Mavericks (9:15-10:45)
About Pisgah Brewing: Pisgah Brewing Company is located in beautiful Black Mountain, North Carolina just miles from one of America’s most precious watersheds. Specializing in craft brews made with all-organic grains and malts, Pisgah Brewing’s flagship beer, Pisgah Pale Ale, is a staple of the Asheville, NC beer scene.
Founded in 2005, Pisgah is known for producing some of the most sought after craft ales in Western North Carolina. Pisgah Brewing Company boasts a cozy taproom which is open daily with live music and events throughout the week, while also hosting events throughout the summer on Western North Carolina’s premier outdoor music venue, the Pisgah Brewing Outdoor Stage. For more information, please visit click HERE .

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