Q: Eden's Garden: Fantastic Debut on Main Street Hendersonville!

Barrie and I separately (not on purpose) went to Eden’s Garden this past Friday to try their Açaí Bowls and Smoothies and absolutely loved both! She was familiar with Açaí but I wasn’t. Part of my initiation was learning Acai is pronounced “ah-sah-EE”. Owner Eden Almog told Barrie that she’s still tweaking the menu, adding things like what the options are for “choice of drizzle”, and maybe another detail or two. My small Carolina Coast Bowl (Small $9.99, Large $12.99) made with Açaí sorbet, strawberries, pineapple, granola, honey, and shredded coconut was so good! That’s the purple sorbet peeking out from under all the toppings. Just wow. We both were pleasantly surprised at how crunchy the granola stayed. My smoothie, a 16oz Heavenly Nectar Smoothie (12oz $7.99, 16oz $9.99, 24oz $11.99) made with Pineapple-Mango Sorbet, Mango, Peach Pineapple, Apple Juice, and Orange Juice had great flavor. Sweet, but not too sweet. Really good! You can find Eden’s Garden at 432 N Main St., Hendersonville, NC 28792. Look for the very narrow entrance to the long, slightly wider space. Their phone number is (828) 844-0108. This was their Soft Opening week. As of now, hours will be Seven Days a Week from Noon to 5pm. It looks like in the future they’ll take orders on their Website. Bottom line – GO! You won’t regret it.

Q: Food Allergies? Pies By Di' Bakery's Got You Covered

Food allergies? No problem! Listen below to Pies By Di’ owner, Diana Casteel, talk about all new Breakfast options, and you won’t believe the extent she goes to bake for folks with food allergies! Whether you have food allergies or not, you’ll love this cute Hendersonville Bakery. Not included in the video is that her husband bakes Peanut Butter cookies at home, so alergy causing ingredients are kept out of the shop. Pies by Di’ Horse Shoe Village Shops 3632 Brevard Road Hendersonville, NC 28791

Q: Birthday Girl chooses . . . Never Blue!

Six of us celebrated a friend’s birthday over dinner at Hendersonville’s Never Blue. I hadn’t been in a while, so was really looking forward to a “fresh” post-pandemic experience. Conclusion? They’re still rockin’ their menu, drinks, dessert, service, everything! Notes: The vibe at Never Blue is fun, colorful, and energetic. Can’t talk about other’s experience, but our server did a great job. Many menu items are unusually creative. Expect quality ingredients. Portions are generous. Yes, the Pumpkin Love dessert looks a little . . . , but it’s supremely delicious. Outside seating is available in warmer weather. Descriptions of each image are in the gallery below. Never Blue 119 S Main St Hendersonville, NC 28792-5083 828 693 4646

Question 1

New Coffee Shop and Climbing Gym Opening in Hendersonville

Accepted Answer

NEW COFFEE SHOP opening at 417 South Main St, Hendersonville in the the old Badcock Home Furniture & More store. The building&#8217;s main new tenant is Basecamp Boulders, &#8220;Hendersonville&#8217;s first climbing gym&#8221;, founded and owned by Jack Lynch. UPDATE: see their working site-plan and wall design here: https://www.basecampnc.com/about
The building itself has an interesting ownership history that includes another surprising (to me) local business, as well as an out-of-state LLC. I haven&#8217;t had time to dig through and verify all the details, but the important thing is this feels like a winner.
I first met Robert and Emily Gunn in March, 2023. They were in the Ecusta Market and Cafe planning stages and stopped to check out another food/products related company in Crate Wine Market&#8217;s parking lot.
They&#8217;ve just recently made their official &#8220;WE’RE OPENING ANOTHER COFFEE SHOP!&#8221; announcement:
We are in the very early stages of opening Crash Pad Coffee, a small coffee shop inside the upcoming Basecamp Boulders (a climbing gym & fitness studio) located at at 417 South Main Street in downtown Hendersonville. We’ve officially signed our lease, we’re starting the buildout with our new friends at Basecamp, and we are SO EXCITED!
Basecamp Boulders owner Jack Lynch
If you were around during the construction phase of Ecusta, come follow along for this one too! Crash Pad Coffee is built around the idea of a crash pad becoming home base for a day out climbing. It’s the place to sit, take a break, talk through the next climb, and hang out with your people. We want the coffee shop to feel like that too.
A place to land before you get back out there. #FuelForTheAdventure
And this is important: you do NOT have to be a member of Basecamp Boulders to come to Crash Pad! We’ll have our own entrance off Church Street from the parking lot shared with Blue Ridge Beer Garden, plus dedicated Crash Pad parking spaces.
We do hope you check out Basecamp though because this place is going to be incredible — climbing for kiddos and adults, a 24-hour fitness center, personal trainers, showers, sauna, cold plunge and more. How cool is it that we’re getting a climbing gym downtown???
Crash Pad will be a much smaller operation than Ecusta, but you can expect the same incredible coffee program you know from us here, high-quality local pastries, a solid smoothie lineup and easy grab-and-go sandwiches and salads.
Robert and I really love what we’ve already built, and somewhere along the way we realized we REALLY like building community-focused hospitality businesses. We’re so excited to be part of the Basecamp Boulders story and to create another little gathering place in Hendersonville.
No website yet, but Crash Pad Coffee is live on Facebook Basecamp Boulders and Instagram @basecampboulders, so come follow along as we build this thing.

Question 2

What’s Up With Dixie Diner & Laurel Park Road Work?

Accepted Answer

In light of swirling misinformation and confusion about the Brevard Road/US 64 Improvement project through Laurel Park and which businesses/properties will be affected, I spoke directly with all primary sources involved in the project, getting the real skinny.
Those sources would be the owner of Dixie Diner (the restaurant business), the owner of the property and building housing Dixie Diner, who also owns the Car Wash and Energy Mart gas station & convenience store, and the DOT Civil Engineer referred to me by DOT state, regional, and local offices, that’s working on the project.
Here’s What’s Up:

The DOT has never had and does not have any plans to require demolition of any buildings.
Proposed easements for drainage, construction, and utilities along US 64 will mean loss of Dixie Diner’s front parking lot and some land in front of both the Car Wash and Gas Station at the US 64/Brevard Rd/Daniel Dr intersection.

This should mean a permanent Dixie Diner front parking lot sinkhole fix. Finally.
Not sure if the Dixie Diner rear parking lot will be expanded.
Dixie Diner’s front door will be 25’ to 30’ from the new Sidewalk.
Energy Mart pumps have already been removed from the gas station, but underground tanks will remain in place for now. No word yet on whether pumps will be placed somewhere else on adjacent property with access to the tanks or not.

The roundabout at US 64 and Daniel Drive will be raised about six feet from current road level. (Should be interesting)
A new retaining wall will curve around the corner of the gas station closest to the Daniel Dr roundabout.
Both sides of US 64 will have a 5’ wide Bike Lane AND a 5’ wide Sidewalk.

NOTE: I believe this project has a 2028 estimated completion date. You know how construction goes. Changes and delays happen. Business and property owners can always change their mind and decide to put land or buildings to different uses. Just know the DOT is not taking any buildings as of now.

Question 3

Eden's Garden: Fantastic Debut on Main Street Hendersonville!

Accepted Answer

Barrie and I separately (not on purpose) went to Eden&#8217;s Garden this past Friday to try their Açaí Bowls and Smoothies and absolutely loved both! She was familiar with Açaí but I wasn&#8217;t. Part of my initiation was learning Acai is pronounced &#8220;ah-sah-EE&#8221;.
Owner Eden Almog told Barrie that she&#8217;s still tweaking the menu, adding things like what the options are for &#8220;choice of drizzle&#8221;, and maybe another detail or two.

My small Carolina Coast Bowl (Small $9.99, Large $12.99) made with Açaí sorbet, strawberries, pineapple, granola, honey, and shredded coconut was so good! That&#8217;s the purple sorbet peeking out from under all the toppings. Just wow.
We both were pleasantly surprised at how crunchy the granola stayed.

My smoothie, a 16oz Heavenly Nectar Smoothie (12oz $7.99, 16oz $9.99, 24oz $11.99) made with Pineapple-Mango Sorbet, Mango, Peach Pineapple, Apple Juice, and Orange Juice had great flavor. Sweet, but not too sweet. Really good!

You can find Eden&#8217;s Garden at 432 N Main St., Hendersonville, NC 28792. Look for the very narrow entrance to the long, slightly wider space. Their phone number is (828) 844-0108.

This was their Soft Opening week. As of now, hours will be Seven Days a Week from Noon to 5pm. It looks like in the future they&#8217;ll take orders on their Website.
Bottom line &#8211; GO! You won&#8217;t regret it.

Question 4

Food Allergies? Pies By Di' Bakery's Got You Covered

Accepted Answer

Food allergies? No problem! Listen below to Pies By Di&#8217; owner, Diana Casteel, talk about all new Breakfast options, and you won&#8217;t believe the extent she goes to bake for folks with food allergies!
Whether you have food allergies or not, you&#8217;ll love this cute Hendersonville Bakery.
Not included in the video is that her husband bakes Peanut Butter cookies at home, so alergy causing ingredients are kept out of the shop.
Pies by Di&#8217;
Horse Shoe Village Shops
3632 Brevard Road
Hendersonville, NC 28791

Question 5

Hearth and Herron - A Hendersonville, NC Experience

Accepted Answer

There are reasons for choosing to have a meal at a restaurant bar instead of a dining room table. It’s easy conversations with people in nearby seats. Same with the bartender. View and vibe can be very different, also.
Love the warm, cozy feel in Hearth and Herron&#8217;s bar. There’s probably 10 to 12 seats. Walls are exposed historic brick. The lit shelves of bottles in front of exterior windows make a big impact. Haven’t been during the day, but I’m guessing those shelves would look great then, too.

Prime example, dinner at Hearth and Herron this past Sunday. People on one side of me were visiting from near Fort Mill, South Carolina. It was interesting to hear their thoughts on Hendersonville and which restaurants they’d tried. On the other side, a woman who lives in Hendersonville and her friend visiting from Tryon. They told me which dishes they’d had and what they though about them.
The friend was raving about the Wood Roasted French Feta, with market vegetables, orange marmalade, and grilled slices of Underground Baking Co Sourdough Bread.

He made it sound so delicious, I had to order it, even though I planned on dessert and could have stopped after the dish I will forevermore rave about &#8211; Flying Cloud Farms Winter Squash Salad with freekeh, parmesan aioli, arugula, and pumpkin seed gremolata. What’s “freekeh”, you ask? It’s “a cereal food made from green durum wheat that’s roasted and rubbed to create its flavor”. It’s crunchy and delicious! See image at top of article.
Biggest personal takeaway after chatting with the two bartenders is that they make their own Limoncello. I’m a Limoncello fan. We almost always have a chilled bottle of Limoncello on hand at home. They were kind enough to give me a taste. I’m still shaking my head at how good it was. Clear, smooth texture, and great lemon flavor!
The other takeaway is what the lead bartender said about staff. “We’re a small crew, we all like each other, and work well together.” As far as I could tell, watching interactions, all of that is true.
Oh! Speaking of bartenders, the lead bartender said he’s really getting into the finer points of wine and is looking into starting Sommelier courses. Hope he does well and brings that knowledge to H&H.

From the beginning, Owner Chef Bradley has said this would be a Mom & Pop/family restaurant. After meeting and talking with his wife, Marisa (sweetest ever), I can share that their young boys also help out doing things like stacking old brick kept after demo and buildout of the 1930 building’s interior, and stacking firewood. Marisa went on to say “as soon as they’re 14, you can expect to see them working in the restaurant.”

This landed well with me because our three children started doing chores when they were toddlers. Things like setting the table, bringing milk in from the front porch milk box, getting the mail. Easy, but a responsibility and something that helped the family. When they got older, they each had a cleaning caddy and were responsible for various rotating chores around the house: cleaning bathrooms, washing floors, vacuuming, dusting. Ready for life after they went off on their own.
Hearth and Herron has been open a few months now and are consistently busy. Chef Brad mentioned that some folks come in a little warry, but as soon as they see the menu, they visibly relax.
Speaking of their menu, it changes daily depending on market availability. Some items change, not the whole thing. Where’s the menu? If you’re having trouble finding their menu, they post it daily as a Story on their Instagram account. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, comment and I’ll explain. If you don’t have an Instagram account and can&#8217;t view their account/menu, take a chance and go. I&#8217;m confident you&#8217;ll be glad you did.
Sunday, November 2, 2025 Menu
They don’t have a website as of now, and may or may not have one. Even if they did have one, it would be pretty tough (possibly expensive) to change the Menu on a website every day.
Dessert: daily dessert, that’s right, one dessert is offered each day, and might not have an official name. When I said I’d like to order a dessert, they did a good job describing it to me: &#8220;it&#8217;s like creme brulee meets flan topped with an ice cream quenelle, with baked apple and nut halves in a light caramel sauce&#8221;. Take a leap. Whatever it is, it&#8217;ll be good!

Bottom Line: Go! You won’t regret it. Bar is first come, first served. seating Make a Reservation on Resy if you want a table.
More on Chef Bradley Herron: https://carolinaepicurean.com/a-conversation-with-chef-bradley-herron-hearth-and-herron-owner/
Chef Bradley Herron Background: https://carolinaepicurean.com/new-hearth-and-herron-restaurant-to-open-at-337-7th-ave/
Hearth and Herron
337 7th Ave East
Hendersonville, NC 28792

Question 6

What's Happening on Hendersonville's Main Street - July '25 Update

Accepted Answer

Here’s what’s new on Main Street, Hendersonville as of this past Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Quite a few changes have happened since my previous update almost a year ago. Something&#8217;s definitely happening. It feels a little like a &#8220;sea change&#8221; of sorts. Replacement and/or movement is happening that involves new businesses, but also some businesses that had been at their locations for decades. Images below.
429 N Main St &#8211; The Beehive Resale Shop has moved into a space two doors down, previously occupied by Just Ducky, at 449 N Main St. They&#8217;d been at 429 N Main for 42 years! If you didn&#8217;t check them out before the move, definitely take time to visit their new spot. I&#8217;ve found a few great deals in the past. I previously identified, in error, Willow Hill Soap Co in a different unit at this address as closed. Willow Hill Soap Company is open and thriving!
449 N Main St &#8211; You already know The Beehive Resale Shop just vacated this space. An interesting concept, Blue Ridge Bardega (Website: https://blueridgebardega.com/) is going in. They describe themselves as &#8220;a sophisticated, community-driven retail and social destination that blends the charm of an upscale wine and beer shop with the ambiance of a boutique market and lounge.&#8221; I&#8217;m curious to see what that looks like. Sounds a little like The Blue Door Bottleshop & Beer Hall on 3rd Ave E. Maybe more upscale? Maybe not?
448 North Main St. &#8211; Christian Science Reading Room had been in this space for decades. The &#8220;coming soon&#8221; sign reads, &#8220;The Emporium Market: Foods, Coffees, Teas, Gifts&#8221;. Looks like this is a second, different type of location for the Emporium on Main at 424 N Main St. They say they&#8217;re &#8220;opening our Market at the corner of 5th and Main St! Looking for some unique General Store/Market vendors! Coffee & Tea items, Kitchen Items, unique gifts and souvenirs.&#8221;
321 N Main St &#8211; Tartans Sports Bar closed in May this year. They had a good-sized loyal following. According to some, it seems like they had a difficult time recovering from Hurricane Helene issues &#8211; loss of power, drop in business, etc. This space is now for Lease.
225 N Main St &#8211; The &#8220;Something Special Coming Soon&#8221; signs have been up for quite a while after Four Seasons (Christmas, Garden Decor & More) shop closed. I thought of it as a Christmas (plus) shop. Not sure when they closed, but posts on their Facebook page go through Christmas 2024. According to the Historic Preservation Commission website, it doesn&#8217;t seem that they&#8217;re currently reviewing this building/space, even though their sign is on the door.
241 N Main St &#8211; Mia&#8217;s Marketplace has closed. The space is now for lease. Opened (I believe) in 2017, it was &#8220;A Marketplace of unique Items offers a diverse selection of antiques, art, vintage finds, vinyl LPs, books, kimonos, Southwestern and vintage jewelry, home décor, and soy candles. An interesting spot to explore.
101 S Main St &#8211; The Kingmaker&#8217;s Draft closed quite a while ago. Now this corner location is about to open as Pinky Promise Bar. I had a chance chat with someone in the know about what to expect. She said things like, &#8220;lots of color inside, fun, and to expect amazing cocktails created by Timmie Hoffman, owner and creative mixologist&#8221;. Follow their progress on Instagram @pinkypromisebar.

Question 7

Bake Me House Now Open on Church St in Hendersonville, NC

Accepted Answer

Meet Thipayapa Thanyadolchanokdech, aka Emily Roper, owner and baker at Bake Me House, 414 N Church Street, Hendersonville, NC. She&#8217;s been baking since before landing in Hendersonville a couple years ago, but this is her first brick and mortar bakery. Officially opened this past March 4th.
I can&#8217;t imagine the hours she keeps, doing everything herself! By that I mean not only baking everything you see in the shop, but making drink ingredients and syrups, cleaning all the equipment she and her husband had installed in the back, and cleaning the public-facing shop. I drove by before the shop&#8217;s opening and she was out front cleaning the windows and door glass.
Thipayapa Thanyadolchanokdech, aka Emily Roper, owner and baker at Bake Me House, 414 N Church Street, Hendersonville, NC
Some people refer to Bake Me House as a &#8220;Thai Bakery&#8221;. I&#8217;d say it’s an “Asian-influenced” bakery from cookies to cakes to drinks. In general that means less sweet, but delicious.
DRINKS
A few Thai drinks are available (see images). I tried the Milk Tea with Cream Cheese Mousse. It’s made with “Premium Black Tea, creamer powder, and brown sugar syrup”.
IN THE CASES
This day the smaller one on the counter held cookies you&#8217;re used to seeing like Chocolate Chip and Red Velvet. The larger case held the fun stuff &#8211; Japanese Cheese Cake (link to Emily describing Japanese vs NY Cheesecake), Matcha Cake, Coconut Cake, and more, all sold by the slice in containers.
I left with a slice of the Coconut Cake to share later with Bill. We both loved it. The frosting on top was so light and fluffy. Probably her Whipped Cream Cheese Mousse. The cake itself was a little denser than I expected, moist, had small pieces of pineapple throughout, and was just sweet enough. So good! Friends Barrie and Mark tried and liked many of the cakes. They feel all of them were low in sodium and sugar.
If you&#8217;re interested, Emily uses pretty top notch ingredients: Matcha, Chocolate, Butter. Browse through the photos on the bakery&#8217;s Facebook Page and you should be able to spot her ingredient posts.

Question 8

Spice of Life reimagined as community-oriented Ginkgo Tea Life

Accepted Answer

Spice of Life, opened in 2019 at 240 North Main Street Hendersonville, is restructuring and rebranding under their new name, Ginkgo Tea Life. Plans were already in the works, but after Dobra Tea closed in Asheville, owner Jeff Swientek became even more certain about the change.
Jeff’s making changes he hopes will foster a community gathering space. A place where you can relax, read, spend time with friends, while enjoying hot or cold tea or one of a few other drinks available if you’re not feeling tea that day. The day we were there, he had strawberry lemonade, blackberry black tea (turmeric bliss), and purple papaya berry non-tea drinks.
“Spice of Life is becoming Ginkgo Tea Life &#8211; a full service tea house and Tea Bar! We no longer carry spices, oils, rubs, etc. Stay tuned for updates and progress!!” – Jeff Swientek
A variety of cozy seating areas for various numbers of people are already in place, with more in the works. A large community/tea tasting table is also being custom built for center stage in the front half of the shop. When all the new seating’s in place there should be room for about 40 people.
A beautiful, long custom built wood counter has already replaced some of the previous retail space and shelves. Jeff or an employee will be making and pouring the tea of your choice. Pick from dozens of Chinese and Taiwanese loose leaf teas. (See Gallery) You’ll be able to experience “dry pours” and more formal tea brewing & pouring. I’m guessing a very formal pouring will need some advance notice.

The smaller, original bar for brewing and pouring, remains farther back in the space. I’m guessing it seats about four or five.
A new bar and “overflow” seating area will be created through a door to the very back where you can watch employees make Chai, Matcha, Teas . . . &#8220;all the things&#8221;. They’ll be pouring hot teas, iced teas, herbal elixir blends, seasonal teas, and more.
Pre-packaged foods from a baker in Hendersonville will be available. They’ll be the same Standard, good GF, and Vegan items that were offered at Dobra, if you&#8217;re familiar.
The new Ginkgo Tea Life website isn’t complete yet, but you can still find them at https://spiceoflifeinc.com.
Ginkgo Tea Life
240 North Main Street
Hendersonville, NC 28792
828-692-6363

Question 9

What Happened on Main Street!

Accepted Answer

Pay attention or you might find the Hendersonville Main Street shop/restaurant/brewery you’ve frequented for years is gone and a new business is in its place. It happened to me. All I did was blink. Images of most locations below.

119 S Main St – This previous Never Blue location is becoming the 9th Tipsy Taco

(Tex-Mex with a Little Twist) location. It’s a Greenville, SC based franchise.The space is totally gutted, being prepared for the new buildout. Frank Roman, owner of the new Hendersonville franchise, as well as two other Tipsy Taco locations, said in a recent Hendersonville Lightning article, &#8220;It should be about two months of work” and “he hopes to open Tipsy Taco by Labor Day for sure.&#8221;
Background: Tipsy Taco is a Greenville, SC franchise with eight locations in and around Greenville, SC. Company owners Lazaro Montoto, Tony King, and Brian Shelton talked about their plans in this 2020 article, &#8220;New Tipsy Taco owners have aggressive plan for growth&#8221; A Feb 2023 SC Biz News article says &#8220;Roman comes from a music background and moved from Miami to Greenville about five years ago.” Read even more background in this BlueRidgeNow May 29th article.

101 S Main St &#8211; The Kingmaker&#8217;s Draft (Board Games & Beverages) has closed. This space is currently available, as is the 2nd floor office space.
114 N Main St &#8211; Moes Original BBQ has closed and is relocating to 1794 Asheville Hwy, Hendersonville, the previous Zen Hen locatation.
238 N Main St &#8211; Bone & Bottle Butcher Shop is still in the buildout process.
305 N Main St &#8211; Eclat Realty + Co has opened in the previous 305 Lounge and Eatery location, moving from their previous East Flat Rock office location at 126 W Blue Ridge Rd.
341 N Main St &#8211; Orchard Properties has opened in the previous Goldcrafting by Phillips location.
424 N Main St &#8211; The Village Green Antique Mall space is now The Emporium On Main with quite a variety of vendors. They might be right when they say, &#8220;Over 80 Vendors! Something for everyone!&#8221; They advertise “Handcrafted, Handmade, Upcycled Resale, Vintage, Antiques, Ladies Boutique, Doggy Boutique, General Store, Fiesta Dinnerware, Collectibles, Woodworking, Stained Glass, Pottery, Fabric Art, and Artists – all under one roof!” I can confirm there’s plenty to choose from and it feels bright and fresh inside!
425 N Main St – Franklin, NC Caffé REL French bistro owners Tracy and Katie Passmore are opening their 2nd location in the previous D9 Brewing spot. According to a recent Hendersonville Lightning article, it sounds like it’ll be a while before they’re open: “We have to build a whole kitchen, which will take some time. We’re not in a big rush.” No pictures of this one.

Question 10

Feta Flav - Rich, Filling, Very Greek!

Accepted Answer

Looking for a restaurant that serves authentic Greek food? You&#8217;re looking for Feta Flav in Hendersonville!
We stopped in for dinner yesterday, a Saturday. We didn&#8217;t have a problem getting seated, but it was busy. That was good, considering I was interested in checking out the &#8220;whole package&#8221; &#8211; getting a feel for how they would handle being busy, as well as food quality, pricing, presentation, authenticity, interior feel, cleanliness, and service.
So what&#8217;s my take? Feta Flav&#8217;s an all-around winner! It&#8217;s a classic, intimate neighborhood eatery, where owners move between the kitchen and front of house. Servers are friendly and personable. The food&#8217;s authentic, made from &#8220;recipes [that] are over 300 years old and and passed down from family members.&#8221;
The Owners
This is how they describe themselves: &#8220;Chef Alex Baxevanis boasts his two cultures Greek and American in his menus. He loves to cook traditional flavors with bold spices, simply plated. Chef Ashleigh thrives with playful and fun flavors in her desserts and breads.&#8221;
The Journey
Although Co-owners & Chefs, Alex and Ashleigh Baxvanis are known for their food truck, and now this restaurant, they have backgrounds in a variety of hospitality/culinary ventures.
What&#8217;s Next
Renovations are underway in the space next door. They were using it as a commissary for their food truck, but are now converting it into a second Dining Room for additional restaurant seating. I think they&#8217;re going to need it.
Wine and Beer are coming soon. They want to keep it simple, so there are intentionally no plans to have a full bar. Things change, of course, but that&#8217;s how it stands as of now.
Meal Notes

I ordered more than I normally would so we&#8217;d be able to sample a variety of dishes. The plan was to take home whatever was left.
When I heard about the flambéed Goat Cheese, ordering it was a no-brainer! Melted inside with crusty, crunchy edges. Awesome. We put some of it on more toast that came with it. Perfect, because it&#8217;s rich.
Portions &#8211; every single dish &#8211; were large. Go hungry!
Spanakopita in Greek means &#8220;Spinach Pie&#8221;. You may have, but I&#8217;ve never had so much spinach inside Spanakopita! It was a nice mix of onions, feta, and aromatic herbs. I scooped a little out and used it to top a slice of toast.
Sliced & toasted house-made Foccacia bread is complimentary for each table. Now and then Chef Ashleigh changes up the type of Focaccia she makes.
One of the specials this night was Fried Brussels Sprouts, one of the most delicious things I had in a while. Tried to stop after a few, pushed the plate to the end of the table, but kept reaching over with my fork for just one more. 🙂
Bill would have never ordered the &#8220;side&#8221; House Salad as his Gyro side if he&#8217;d known how big it was going to be.
Speaking of the Gyro, my gosh, take a look at the amount of meat in that thing! The Lemon Potatoe side had great flavor, but could have been cooked just a &#8220;titch&#8221; more.
Dessert. Bummed they were out of Baklava, but Ashleigh had made Kataifi, something new to me. It&#8217;s &#8220;a Greek dessert made of shredded phyllo dough that&#8217;s rolled into nests, brushed with butter, and filled with nuts. The dough is then baked until crispy and soaked in lemon honey syrup&#8221;. Liked it a lot, but to be fair, I need to compare it to Ashleigh&#8217;s Baklava. 🙂

The Space
Inside, the restaurant has a bright, fresh feel in traditional blue and white. Loved the framed posters in Greek on the walls, and the traditional Greek paterned vase and flowers on the table.
It&#8217;s a good thing they top their tables with paper. We made an uncharacteristic mess. No excuses, just a messy fact.
Feast Your Eyes

Feta Flav
2111 Asheville Hwy
Hendersonville, NC 28791
(828) 595-2365

Question 11

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION - Trailside Brewing Company!

Accepted Answer

LOCATION. LOCATION. LOCATION. It&#8217;s in the name and they have it &#8211; Trailside Brewing Company.
They&#8217;re in a historic, multi-building complex known as Lennox Station, located right &#8211; and I mean RIGHT &#8211; on the Ecusta Trail in Hendersonville&#8217;s Lennox Park Historic District.
Lennox Station co-owners &#8220;Dale Salvaggio-Bradshaw and Steve Bradshaw, Dr. Charlotte Riddle and Clement Riddle and Alisa and Bart Salvaggio raised their children together in Hendersonville and have been friends for over 20 years. The families are all lovers of the outdoors and consider the property the perfect location for their vision.&#8221; &#8211; Hendersonville Times-News, April 9th, 2022.
&#8220;The vision for the space includes a neighborhood grocery with locally-sourced meats and produce, a bakery and café, brewery and a restaurant.&#8221; &#8211; Hendersonville Times-News, April 9th, 2022.
The original building that houses Trailside Brewing was &#8220;built in 1915 and retains much of the character of the original structure. Lennox Station has been the home to the Freeze-Bacon Hosiery Mill, the Wing paper Box Company, and later, the first Hendersonville Lowes. Learn more fascinating history of Lennox Station.
Trailside&#8217;s interior Tasting Room is expansive, but somehow feels warm and welcoming. It&#8217;s cool that you can get an up close and personal view of the brew tanks right behind the counter.
We were wondering if it would get really loud with a lot of people inside, but even as the crowd built, the noise level didn&#8217;t. It&#8217;s probably similar when live music is playing.
There&#8217;s another huge open space adjacent to the main tap room/brewery that looks set up for overflow and/or private events. That&#8217;s just a guess on my part.
Just outside is plenty of patio space with a variety of seating options, including a killer Fire Pit. They&#8217;ve surrounded this space with fantastic planters that are full of flowers and lush greenery in growing months. I didn&#8217;t include an off-season picture because I couldn&#8217;t get past the barbed wire look of the empty vines.
Between us, we had a pint of Trail Hazer IPA and a 1/2 pint of Community Brew Stout. Both tasty. If you&#8217;re not feelin&#8217; beer, they also serve up Wines, Prosecco, and Non-Alcoholic drinks. A food truck was parked right outside the side door, which seems to be a daily thing. Not sure, but I&#8217;m guessing this will continue even after the new Market and Cafe open.
Exciting news about the new Market and Cafe coming soon to Lennox Station in a following post. I was lucky enough to randomly run into and chat with the lovely couple that&#8217;s taking on this project. They gave me a peek at the plans for both the Market and Cafe and I can say with confidence, the entire project is going to be awesome!

Trailside Brewing Company
873 Lenox Park Dr
Hendersonville, NC 28739

Question 12

Claywood: Something Deliciously Different in Hendersonville

Accepted Answer

Three of us tried Claywood for the first time a few days ago. We waited until they&#8217;d been open for a couple months and had a chance to get their footing.
During those months, the three things I heard most often were, &#8220;owner Carly is so nice&#8221;, &#8220;it&#8217;s too expensive&#8221;, and &#8220;their &#8216;boards&#8217; are too big, have too much piled on them, and I have to dig around to get to what I want&#8221;, in that order.
I can confirm that owner Carly IS very nice after many online conversations with her. I wasn&#8217;t able to attend their opening preview, but they did know when three of us were coming in. That said, I can honestly say we got one bit of special attention (a complimentary board), but otherwise were treated like everyone else.
My take after an evening at Claywood
We had no idea that complimentary board was headed our way (thank you Carly), so we ordered a Mimosa Board, and three Small Plates: Carrot and Ginger Salad, Caramelized Brussels Sprouts, and Spanakopita Strudel. It would have been way too much food even without the complimentary smaller board. We had time to cancel the Sprouts, but nothing else. We each brought a small box of fruit, cheese & more home.
Boards
If you look at what&#8217;s on each board and what it would cost you, at current prices &#8211; to purchase all of those ingredients, prep, and serve &#8211; the price is fair. Many of their boards are large, so it may feel like the price is high, but you&#8217;re not just paying for what&#8217;s on the board, you&#8217;re also paying for preparation, presentation, service, ambiance, convenience, and overhead. And Claywood&#8217;s boards are meant to be shared, so there&#8217;s that.
If it makes sense for them financially, it would be nice to have one or two smaller boards on the menu.
As far as having to dig for what we wanted, we didn&#8217;t have any problem getting whatever we wanted from the boards. Everything&#8217;s presented beautifully. A feast for the eyes and belly. Small gold-colored tongs and spoons for sauces come with the boards. I admit to using my fingers once or twice. Don&#8217;t judge me.
Small Plates
I feel like a couple small plates might be priced a little high, but overall, they&#8217;re reasonably priced. Very much like what you&#8217;d expect at other area restaurants.
Brunch
Not only does Claywood&#8217;s current Brunch Menu look especially delicious, prices are average among nicer restaurants in the area.
Cocktails, Wine & Whiskey
Claywood&#8217;s classic and original cocktails listed on their menu average just under $16. I consider that expensive for Hendersonville. You can always order a basic (like a G&T) cocktail made with &#8220;well liquor&#8221; if you prefer. They have a nice selection of NA cocktails, too.
That said, from what I experienced, Claywood&#8217;s bartender Bret is exceptional. Tell him what liquor you like, taste preference, etc., and he&#8217;ll whip you up something delicious. Sit at the bar and watch the show. No pressure, Bret. 😉
Their curated Wine & Whiskey programs are solid. They already have over 120 bottles in the whiskey program to choose from. Keep an eye on the offerings as they grow.
The Space
Claywood&#8217;s tag line is &#8220;Wine & Whiskey Social&#8221;. They&#8217;ve done a great job converting a long, narrow rectangle into a warm, cozy space with sofa seating, leather-like sofa and club chairs like you&#8217;d find in a lounge, nice bar seating, and a few tables. It&#8217;s about socializing and conversation. In the back of the space is what they call &#8220;The Social Room&#8221;. It&#8217;s the only place I saw with a screen on the wall. As of now, it&#8217;s for overflow seating and private events. It&#8217;s lovely. See the gallery below.
The Crew
As soon as we walked in, two out of three working the open kitchen recognized me, and I them. I knew Sous-Chef Jordan and Line Cook Alex when they worked at The 2nd Act, The Buzz, and now Claywood. Love living in a town where this happens! Chef W. Flakes is new to the area. He goes by &#8220;W&#8221;. Just say the letter.
I also recognized our server Chris. He&#8217;s currently working at Claywood and another spot in town. He&#8217;s pretty amazing, handling the entire dining room by himself this evening. Bret might have jumped in a couple of times? Every picture I took of Chris is blurred to some extent because he rarely stopped moving.
Bottom Line
Claywood&#8217;s offering a relaxed, elevated experience that&#8217;s new for Hendersonville. The demographic leans younger, but not exclusively. Feel is somewhere between &#8220;bohemian&#8221; Asheville and &#8220;professional&#8221; Greenville, SC. Dress? I&#8217;d suggest &#8220;dressy casual&#8221;. It reminded my friend of being in a bigger city, hanging out with urban professionals after work.
Go to Claywood and see what you think. Pretty sure you&#8217;re gonna to love it!

NOTES:

Claywood&#8217;s Menu is a little hard to find on Mobile screens. It&#8217;s found by clicking the image under &#8220;Claywood Food And Cocktail Menu&#8221;.
Live Music Friday evenings from 6-8pm
They&#8217;ve paid for dedicated parking, free for customers, in the lot next to their building. Not sure if that will continue after the 7th Ave road construction is completed?
It&#8217;s quieter than many other bars. At least it was this night.
Claywood&#8217;s a good spot for meeting up with friends for drinks.

Claywood
317 7th Ave E
Hendersonville, NC 28792
Phone: (828) 471-7500
Facebook & Instagram

Question 13

Liv Ehrhardt's Unique Take on the Bakewell Tart at Shine

Accepted Answer

Me: “Hello, Shine? What’s on your Dessert Menu tonight?”
Shine: “Lemon Bakewells.”
Me: “We’ll be right over!”

Shine’s Patissier, Liv Ehrhardt, has created her take on the historic British Bakewell Tart with a deconstructed Lemon Bakewell Tart that&#8217;s plated with balsamic roasted blueberries, lemon curd, white chocolate mascarpone mousse, and dollops of whipped cream topped with dainty White Chocolate crunch Pearls.

NOTES: 1. The mascarpone mousse is encased in delicate white chocolate shells. 2. That&#8217;s an absolutely delicious baked sesame crisp accent behind the Tart. 3. Not sure what&#8217;s in the whipped cream dollups, but it wasn&#8217;t your everyday whipped cream.

I’m telling you, my sister and I were in heaven. My sister had a Lemon Drop Martini with hers (said it’s the best she’s had), but I wanted to taste nothing but each part of the dessert on its own, as well as mixed with others, so I stuck with water.

What is a Bakewell Tart? Its creation is generally thought to have been a mistake. Mrs. Greaves, landlady of the White Horse Inn (gone now) in the Derbyshire town of Bakewell, England, asked her cook to create a jam tart. Instead of mixing almond paste and jam into the pastry, the cook spread the mixture on top, creating an egg custard resembling a pudding. So, it was originally called a Bakewell Pudding.

It’s thought that early in the 20th century it became the Bakewell Tart when the recipe was modified, replacing the egg custard in the pudding with frangipane

Some say it dates from 1820. Some say 1860. It definitely dates back to at least 1845 when the recipe first appears in the “Modern Cookery for Private Families” cookbook by Eliza Acton.

Back to Liv! The actual Bakewell Tart portion of her “Lemon Bakewells” dessert is two layers of what tasted like crumbly, buttery shortcrust pastry, with fruit jam in the middle. Not sure if there was frangipane with the jam? I admit to being so intrigued and happy with the dessert that I became immersed in trying bites of various taste and texture combinations.

Interesting Tid-Bits: 1. August 11th is National Bakewell Tart day in Great Britian. 2. Many people are so enamored with the Tart and its history, they travel to Bakewell.

Hope Liv keeps this one on the menu for a while!

If any of you Home or Pro Chefs out there have corrections or additions to the Bakewell Tart info here, definitely let me know. I hadn’t heard of the Tart before, but was so fascinated by the dish, it inspired me to do a deep dive into its history.

Question 14

Birthday Girl chooses . . . Never Blue!

Accepted Answer

Six of us celebrated a friend&#8217;s birthday over dinner at Hendersonville&#8217;s Never Blue. I hadn&#8217;t been in a while, so was really looking forward to a &#8220;fresh&#8221; post-pandemic experience. Conclusion? They&#8217;re still rockin&#8217; their menu, drinks, dessert, service, everything!
Notes:

The vibe at Never Blue is fun, colorful, and energetic.
Can&#8217;t talk about other&#8217;s experience, but our server did a great job.
Many menu items are unusually creative.
Expect quality ingredients.
Portions are generous.
Yes, the Pumpkin Love dessert looks a little . . . , but it&#8217;s supremely delicious.
Outside seating is available in warmer weather.

Descriptions of each image are in the gallery below.

Never Blue
119 S Main St
Hendersonville, NC 28792-5083
828 693 4646

Question 15

Vintner's Table opens (softly) at Burntshirt Vineyards

Accepted Answer

Burntshirt Vineyards Hendersonville has announced the Oct 7th Grand Opening of their impressive new restaurant, Vintner&#8217;s Table, but if you can&#8217;t wait, they&#8217;re quietly running a soft opening, open to the public. Go with the understanding that they&#8217;ve set up a pretty big restaurant, bar, tasting bar from scratch and are still working out a few kinks. They&#8217;re probably dealing with the same staff shortage as every other restaurant.
Our friends went for lunch this past Thursday and had such a great meal, they asked if my husband and I wanted to go back with them for dinner on Friday.
&#8220;Vintner’s Table provides four separate menus for your dining convenience: a full Dinner Menu and Lunch Menu available at the restaurant, a Terrace Menu offering small bites and appetizers on the extended patio sections, and a Children’s Menu available throughout the serving area.&#8221; BurntshirtVineyards

We had the pleasure of meeting Executive Chef Paul Caricato. Loved how excited he was about the huge kitchen and his menu. The kitchen IS huge &#8211; and everything is still shiny and new. Chef Caricato was nice enough to give me a tour.
MY TAKE
Vintner&#8217;s Table is very good now, and will be GREAT &#8211; after they find their legs.

All pasta is made in-house. You can tell.
The menu isn&#8217;t extensive, but there&#8217;s enough variety that you should be able to find multiple dishes you&#8217;ll like. Not sure if they&#8217;ll expand it or not.
Two of us ordered the 6 oz Filet Mignon entrée. They were both cooked beyond medium rare (as ordered), but were delicious nontheless. On second thought, I&#8217;m wondering if they were cooked correctly, but there was an issue getting them out of the kitchen in a timely manner, like lingering under a warmer or something that caused continued &#8220;cooking&#8221;?
If they haven&#8217;t changed the menu yet, they don&#8217;t have Tartuffo, but DEFINITELY get the chocolate mousse caramel cake they&#8217;re serving in its place. It&#8217;s completely melt-in-your-mouth fabulous!
There were a few minor glitches during our meal, but I&#8217;m confident they&#8217;ll be smoothed out by their grand opening.
We love Burntshirt wines, but it&#8217;s nice to have a choice. They&#8217;re also serving up cocktails at Vintner&#8217;s Table.
If you like to linger over your meal, the wood seats might start talking to you.
The biggest challenge will be the noise level inside, especially when there are more than a few tables occupied. We were able to talk more easily after the large party of about 12 next to us left.  It&#8217;s not going to be easy to fix that while staying true to the lodge-like interior design. It&#8217;s all hard surfaces, top to bottom. Hope they can figure it out.
I&#8217;m looking forward to a meal with a glass of wine on the large covered patio in warm weather. For now, maybe a table in front of the also large fireplace.

Bottom line &#8211; you should go, enjoy the food & wine, and support what is ultimately going to be a Hendersonville jewel.
Burntshirt Vineyards
Vintner&#8217;s Table
2695 Sugarloaf Rd
Hendersonville, NC 28792
828-685-2402

Category: Hendersonville

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