Q: Chow Chow: An Asheville Culinary Event, Tickets on Sale Now!

Tickets for Asheville’s new culinary festival, Chow Chow are officially on sale! Set for September 12-15, Chow Chow is a new category of food festival, created to celebrate the unique community of chefs and makers throughout Asheville and Appalachia. The schedule’s nearly two dozen signature events highlight the diversity of the culinary landscape. To purchase tickets and to learn more about Chow Chow visit the official festival website, chowchowavl.com SCHEDULE OF EVENTS AND TICKETS Click here below to see the schedule of events, and purchase your tickets. BECOME A CHOW CHOW VIP By purchasing a VIP ticket, you’ll become a Friends of Chow Chow passholder and receive: An invitation to attend special Chow Chow Friends Party Access to: Pickled in the Park Grand Tasting for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday VIP Party on Thursday VIP Lounge at Pack Square Mountaintop Soiree Opening Party on Thursday Chow Time Closing Party on Sunday $500 to use toward other Chow Chow tickets Opportunity to attend select sold-out events through July 31, 2019 (based on availability) Personal concierge service throughout the year with ticketing VIP bag VIP recognition on website A portion of membership fee is tax deductible LEARN MORE AND BECOME A VIP

Q: New Restaurant/Bar Opens on Main St. Hendersonville

Hendersonville welcomes it’s newest Restaurant & Bar tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 14th when Cask and Wine on Main opens at 536 N Main St. NOTE: name change from Cask and Vine to Cask and Wine on Main. Taglined – “Casual Dining • Fine Spirits • Wine” – Cask & Vine will have a focus on excellent Bourbons, as well as other liquors and wine. Expect “on the rocks” pours of 2oz, rather than the 1 1/2oz more commonly seen. Cocktails look to be priced between $10 and $13, with many at $11. Not sure what well drinks will run. Food is intentionally portioned generously. “We expect most people will be leaving with boxes”, says Bivens. As far as the menu, look for Pub Fare, Salads and “Plates” served with a salad and roll. Possibly Deviled Eggs, Brisket Chili, Hot Browns, a little Surf, and a little Turf. Owner Steven Bivens will open the doors for lunch service at 11am. Planed hours are Monday – Saturday 11am to 9pm and Sunday Brunch, with a dedicated Brunch menu, from 11am to 3pm. Soft jazz will be played as background music most of the time, but don’t be surprised if some other genres make an appearance. When I stopped in today and talked with Steven, I noted a new tin ceiling, a new service bar build half way back in the space, and black tablecloths on plenty of tables. Walls have been painted black, which can sometimes be a problem, but I think this space will carry it off. Especially in the evenings when the lights are low. FACEBOOK See you there!

Question 1

Chow Chow: An Asheville Culinary Event, Tickets on Sale Now!

Accepted Answer

Tickets for Asheville&#8217;s new culinary festival, Chow Chow are officially on sale! Set for September 12-15, Chow Chow is a new category of food festival, created to celebrate the unique community of chefs and makers throughout Asheville and Appalachia. The schedule&#8217;s nearly two dozen signature events highlight the diversity of the culinary landscape. To purchase tickets and to learn more about Chow Chow visit the official festival website, chowchowavl.com
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS AND TICKETS
Click here below to see the schedule of events, and purchase your tickets.
BECOME A CHOW CHOW VIP
By purchasing a VIP ticket, you&#8217;ll become a Friends of Chow Chow passholder and receive:
An invitation to attend special Chow Chow Friends Party
Access to:

Pickled in the Park Grand Tasting for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
VIP Party on Thursday
VIP Lounge at Pack Square
Mountaintop Soiree Opening Party on Thursday
Chow Time Closing Party on Sunday
$500 to use toward other Chow Chow tickets
Opportunity to attend select sold-out events through July 31, 2019 (based on availability)
Personal concierge service throughout the year with ticketing
VIP bag
VIP recognition on website

A portion of membership fee is tax deductible
LEARN MORE AND BECOME A VIP

Question 2

Mysterious Black Door appears on Hendersonville's Main Street

Accepted Answer

Mysteriously appearing from Hendersonville&#8217;s storied past, a past that included hidden stills, fast cars, and revenuers, this black door leads adventurous souls up a dark, creaky flight of stairs.

Will you dare go up those stairs? If your answer is &#8220;yes&#8221;, you&#8217;ll be rewarded with access to a brand new space that&#8217;s over a century old.
Renzo Maietto, owner of Renzo&#8217;s Ristorante on the 1st floor, was recently exploring the upstairs of this 1904 building and found old bottles that once held illegal liquor. He also found the original door to the speakeasy that conducted business on the sly here, allowing entrance to only those who passed the door-keeper&#8217;s visual test through a sliding peep hole.
A cozy lounge area with a sofa and small high-top that seats 4 or 5 flanks the entrance in to what will be &#8220;SPEAKEASY&#8221;, reborn by Renzo. If you&#8217;re a people watcher like I am, this will be the place for you. Everyone that goes in to the speakeasy has to pass right through the middle of this space.

Renzo has kept original floors and ceiling, but is adding pizazz with beautiful chandeliers and sconces. There&#8217;s also a small stage area for live music. Not wanting any of this to be taken too seriously, he&#8217;s also added a few slightly campy touches you&#8217;ll appreciate.

Revenures caught up with poor Clarence &#8220;Fatty&#8221; Howard just off of Main Street back in the 1920&#8217;s. You don&#8217;t need to worry, though. This time &#8217;round everything&#8217;s legal.

Another twist will be currency used here. At this time, I believe patrons will purchase &#8220;casino chips&#8221; either in the speakeasy or downstairs at Renzo&#8217;s, and use them to buy food and drink. And as of this writing, you can purchase a particular quantity at a discount.
If you haven&#8217;t been to Renzo&#8217;s, here are some pictures recently taken by friends of mine when they stopped in for a bite. I expect the entire Renzo&#8217;s menu will be available in the speakeasy. Perhaps some additional small plates?

Beef Carpaccio: Refined thin slices of beef tenderloin topped with shaved Parmigiano and arugula. Garnished with mustard aioli and capers
Scheduled opening is at the end of April, but you know how construction goes.
SPEAKEASY
504 N Main St
Hendersonville, NC

Question 3

Trippin' to Hemp Happy Farms

Accepted Answer

We had a group of family and friends visiting from the NC Coast this past week and a few of them were looking for pain relief that had so far eluded them. They wanted to visit Hemp Happy Farms (https://www.hemphappyfarms.com/), which I hadn&#8217;t heard about, and was surprised to find that it&#8217;s right in my neck of the woods!
Even after doing a fair amount of research on the whole hemp-helps-with-pain-relief thing, there was still some confusion. What&#8217;s CBD? Doesn&#8217;t it come from the same plant folks smoke to &#8220;feel no pain&#8221;? Wait. Now we&#8217;re talkin&#8217; THC.
CBD, extracted from the blooms of certain cannabis plants is what all the buzz is about. But not all CBD is the same and it can be used in a number of ways.

&#8220;There are a variety of ways you can take hemp oil for pain management and each has its benefits. The serving size varies from method to method and person to person.
Drops under the tongue are a fast way for the CBD to enter the bloodstream. You’ll feel the effect shortly thereafter.
Edibles are foods that are baked with hemp oil in the ingredients, often brownies, cookies, or salad dressing. You won’t notice the effects for around an hour or so and even less on an empty stomach. Each beforehand and be patient.
Capsules and gummies are another way to consume hemp oil if you’re adverse to the flavor. They take longer to break down and enter the bloodstream, so you won’t feel the effects as soon as you would with oil drops under the tongue, but eventually, they get absorbed.
Topical creams with hemp oil are used to massage sore muscles and apply topically to areas with pain. The effects are felt immediately but don’t last as long as when you ingest the oil.
You can also smoke the CBD oil through a vaporizer and e-liquid oils. This is a fast-acting method that enables you to feel results quickly, however, some people prefer not to inhale from a vaporizer.&#8221; ~ highlandpharms.com

We called first, just to be sure after seeing a couple different addresses. Turns out the location near me has the smallest grow-house. There are a couple of others, one of which is about four times as large as the one we toured.

One of the co-owners of this family-owned-and-operated hemp flower farm heard we were outside and met us at the grow-house door.
She raises hands in the air and says, &#8220;ahhhhhh&#8221;, this dude practically qualifies as an agricultural scientist! He was incredibly knowledgeable about all aspects of production.

He showed us the many, many different types of cannabis plants they grow hydroponically, explaining the different CBD oil effects each produces.
Other plant types were mixed in among the cannabis to help reduce insect and disease issues. They bring in ladybugs and praying mantis to also help control unwelcome insects. No pesticides are ever used.

We did ask about legal issues, permits, and plants that might produce THC. He explained that they&#8217;re regulated by the NC Department of Agriculture. As soon as a flower bud appears, they have to notify the Dept of Ag. Then an inspector comes to the farm and tests all flowers to make sure there is no THC present.

We learned about the various ways to use CBD oil, how quickly each acts, how long the pain relief lasts, etc. They are NOT telling customers what to use. They just describe what each product does and you make your own decision on what you think would work for your situation best.
Small on site shop
I first learned about CBD when a friend of mine had a horrific accident and couldn&#8217;t get acceptable pain relief with traditional medications. The only thing that worked for her was taking CBD capsules.
I was about to pursue the same course of action when dealing with a herniated lumbar disk, but was finally prescribed a pain med by my neurologist that worked. To that point, nothing had touched the pain at all, except an ice back that numbed my back.
That said, some of our visitors have ongoing pain at various levels and were looking for better/different ways to manage it. As of today, after using the Hemp Happy Farms CBD salve, they are experiencing pain relief and are very happy with the product.
BEST WAY TO BUY Hemp Happy Farms products is online: https://www.hemphappyfarms.com/shop/ If you have questions about their various products, start with their FAQ page: https://www.hemphappyfarms.com/faqs/ Still have questions? Give them a call (828)513-1155, email hemphappyfarms@gmail.com , or contact them though their website here: https://www.hemphappyfarms.com/contact/

Question 4

Word on the (Main) Street in Hendersonville

Accepted Answer

After decades at 425 N Main St in Hendersonville, landmark Swanson&#8217;s organ, piano, and gift shop closed. Word on the street is, what&#8217;s about to happen should be a winner.
Not too long after Swanson and Sons Management, LLC put the building up for sale, it caught the eye of Franklin, NC based Vandrake Investments, LLC.
And it looks like it didn&#8217;t take too long after the mid-February, 2019 sale for the new owners to begin demolition work on the 1896 building.
Word on the street is that it&#8217;s going to be a coffee shop/wine bar at street level and an apartment upstairs.
Just look at that original rock wall! I&#8217;m so hoping they can save that and incorporate it into the new space. So many cool things you could do with that.

There&#8217;s a LOT of brick in Hendersonville. Much of it is original to the historic buildings lining Main Street. It&#8217;s especially nice when that, too, can be incorporated into new use designs. Imagine what those walls have heard over more than a century in this mountain town.
Main Street recently lost a coffee shop on it&#8217;s southern end, leaving Black Bear Coffee Co at 318 N Main St to support the coffee habits of locals and visitors on their own. They&#8217;re one block away, on the other side of the street from this new coffee shop (if that&#8217;s what it&#8217;s really going to be). But given what I&#8217;ve been able to learn about the new owners at 425 N Main, I&#8217;m thinking this coffee shop/wine bar is going to have a totally different vibe than Black Bear.
Disclaimer: I could be completely wrong, but don&#8217;t think so! 🙂

Question 5

Peppervine now open in Charlotte, NC

Accepted Answer

Peppervine, created by the partnership of husband and wife team Chef Bill and General Manager Anita Greene of Banner Elk’s Artisanal, and Robert and Robb Lackey of Imagine One Companies and Café Rule in Hickory, NC, debuted in Charlotte’s SouthPark neighborhood recently. The restaurant offers the team’s seasonally inspired, artful cuisine, and elevated service.
At Peppervine, the team creates an approachable, yet sophisticated environment reinforced by a menu, offering modern textures and flavors, that support local farms. Chef Bill Greene brings an artful interpretation and an enduring culinary prowess to the kitchen serving seasonal, progressive dishes. Guests will be treated to Imagine One Hospitality’s approach to truly memorable dining experiences and elevated service.
Peppervine’s progressive American menu emphasizes local farms, seasonal products, wild seafood, and pasture-raised meats. The housemade products such as breads, stocks, charcuterie, and ice cream will artfully be showcased in dishes such as the baked-to-order Pimento Cheese Scones with pepper jelly and sorghum butter; Baked Sunchoke with crème fraiche, shallot butter, and malt vinegar; Lumache accompanied by confit rabbit, sugar snap peas, mint pistou, and beech mushrooms; and Beef Short Rib “Pastrami” with carrot BBQ, spiced cucumber, and shiitake duxelle.
To heighten the experience, the beverage team has curated a thoughtful wine list that complements the flavor profiles built by Chef Bill and the dining menu that changes every day. Chef Bill works in tandem with his sommeliers and team, tasting and selecting each bottle to create harmonious dining and wine options for guests. Housing a selection of old and new world wines incorporating beloved vintners and lesser-known, on-the-rise labels, bottles of wine are on display in a glass-enclosed centerpiece of the restaurant’s design and is located in the middle of the dining room. An additional wine reserve is prominently on display in one of two private dining spaces. Cocktails at Peppervine receive inventive takes and thoughtful spins on classics such as the A5 Negroni devised of wagyu-infused Toki whiskey, compressed Campari, and orange reduction as well as the Manhattan Progress comprised of Bulleit rye, sweet vermouth, star anise, and cedar smoke.
Wine, food, and drink come together in the warmly-designed space with a light color scheme illuminated by large windows and soaring ceilings. The main dining area is anchored by a sculptural wood installation from Alabama based artist Alex Pate, that is complemented by paper artist Jocelyn Chateauvert’s light fixtures. In partnership with Shain Gallery, a regular rotation of high-profile art adorns the walls and is also featured via a state of the art 4k laser resolution projection on a 120” custom coated theater painted wall within the main dining area. The inspired visuals pair with the food and drink reflecting the overall artistry of Peppervine.
Peppervine serves dinner from 5 p.m. &#8211; 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m. &#8211; 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with the bar opening at 4:30 p.m., and is closed for service Sunday. Reservations can be made by calling 980.283.2333 and on OpenTable. For more information, please visit peppervine.com and stay up to date on Peppervine by following Instagram and Facebook.
Imagine One is the parent company of a host of businesses, including air and water filtration, music & events, and restaurants including Café Rule in Hickory. Founded by Robert Lackey more than 40 years ago, it now encompasses over 40 companies, creating more than 20,000 products that can be found in more than 45,000 stores. Imagine One is known for changing entire industries, including fan & lighting, convenience stores, and postal products. As a brand, Imagine One has a long history of revolutionary markets, bringing creativity, design, branding, innovation and developing businesses in a way to transform the consumer market place.

Question 6

Two Radical New Dining Concepts to open in Hendersonville!

Accepted Answer

Two radical new dining concepts are on the verge of opening in Hendersonville, NC. They&#8217;ll be joining the burgeoning dining scene in this charming mountain town.
The FIRST NEW CONCEPT was inspired by a door &#8211; that&#8217;s right &#8211; a door. It was discovered on the top floor of a historic Main Street building, and has a dubious history.
You would have knocked on this side of the locked door.
Someone manning the door would slide the cover to the side to take a look before allowing you inside.
Here&#8217;s a hint:  behind this door was an establishment some people back in the day would have called a &#8220;Blind Tiger&#8221;. They would pay to see a blind tiger, or other animal attraction, and get a little bonus thrown in. A liquid bonus sometimes called &#8220;mountain dew&#8221; or &#8220;hooch&#8221;.
They&#8217;re still working on an official name, but are getting closer to opening every day. I got a sneak peak inside yesterday and think it&#8217;s going to be a fun addition to Main Street.
The SECOND NEW CONCEPT is opening in the space formerly occupied by Jongo Java at 117 S Main St., and it&#8217;s going to be truly unique. In fact, it&#8217;s the first of its kind in Hendersonville, and as far as I know, the first of its kind in the United States.
I&#8217;ve been sworn to secrecy on the concept, but can share the name: Madame Roqué&#8217;s Meat Emporium and Pickled Curiositiès. 
Many of you know two things: 1. this new restaurant is being opened by the creative husband and wife team behind what comes out of the kitchen at Never Blue, the restaurant next door, and 2. their last name is Roqué.
You know how hard it is to prevent leaks these days. It&#8217;s true in the restaurant biz, too. Some non-specific info has slipped out, but come April (hopefully), all will be revealed.
One of the adult drinks that&#8217;s currently in development is this Mangonada! Que es &#8220;Mangonada&#8221;? Well, it is a deliciously velvet mango smoothie with #chamoy* and #tajin** salt rim with chunks of fresh mango and a #tamarind candy straw . . . add #tequila if you are so inclined.

*Chamoy is &#8220;a variety of savory sauces and condiments in Mexican cuisine made from pickled fruit. Chamoy may range from a liquid to a paste consistency, and typically its flavor is salty, sweet, sour, and spiced with chillis.&#8221;
**Tajin is a condiment, most consisting primarily of chile peppers, lime, and salt.
The type of restaurant may be expected by some locals, since rumors have already been flying, but the details will be unexpected. An even bigger surprise toward the back of the space may just cause some raised eyebrows. In fact, I pretty much guarantee eyebrows will be raised. That said, it&#8217;s gonna&#8217; be fun!
Follow along as Jesse and Edson Roqué post photos of their progress, menu testing, etc. on their brand new Instagram feed @meatemporiumhvl

Question 7

Best Asheville Restaurant? A conversation with insiders and locals

Accepted Answer

Following is a Facebook conversation on the Best Asheville Restaurant. A lot of different restaurants are named, but you&#8217;ll see a few more often than others. If you&#8217;re looking for an excellent place to eat out in Asheville, you now have a pretty thorough list of very good options.
Keep in mind this is a conversation on Facebook, which as a friend noted, can take &#8220;a more relaxed tone.&#8221;
Carolina Epicurean: A local Asheville pundit recently said, some consider &#8220;XXX&#8221; the best Ashevile restaurant. I couldn&#8217;t have disagree more! Which restaurant do YOU think is the best in Asheville?
Carolina Epicurean: Just so y&#8217;all know, I really want to get everyone&#8217;s opinions. This isn&#8217;t click bait! Those 10 Best this and that lists almost never get information from locals. So thank you for your honest opinions!
Coleman: Can I be totally honest and say that I am not impressed with the Asheville dining scene? I&#8217;ve lived here for six years and never been to the same restaurant twice.
Tracy Leigh: Coleman is it the food, the ambience, the waitstaff? What is Asheville lacking that would impress? Honestly inquiring.
Coleman: I would say that the ambience fits the scene. The vibe is fantantastic. I find the food to be sub-par and outdated, with a lack of variety and an emphasis on cookie cutter corporatism. I find the service to be mean spirited. Don&#8217;t get me wrong. I would love to see my new home develop a truly vibrant scene, but, it&#8217;s not going to happen if a scene rests on its laurels without proper criticism. As it stands, the consensus best restaurant in town is an overpriced turn and burn tapas joint that&#8217;s pumping 800 covers a day. We can do so much better than that.
Tracy Leigh: Coleman have you compared Zambras to Curate?
Carolina Epicurean: Excellent questions, Tracy! Can&#8217;t say I totally disagree with you Coleman. A dining scene that begins as edgy and creative can become passe when everyone is doing it, and menus can become stagnant when founding chefs open additional locations and concepts, especially out of state. Think celebrity chefs and franchises. I don&#8217;t have a problem with it. It&#8217;s a valid choice toward growth. All that said, there ARE excellent, talented chefs in Asheville that care deeply about what they&#8217;re doing. Lots of care for less fortunate and community service.
Coleman: I have not. But, that&#8217;s a bit of my point. What is the big deal about overpriced tapas in Asheville? Is there some Iberian enclave in Asheville that I am unaware of? It strikes me as as there is some bizarre sense of displacement in the city. Nine Mile was a horrifying space/time warp of a restaurant that seems as if it jumped out of a Darden executives worst nightmare? Jerk Chicken Nachos? Jerk Chicken tortellini in white wine cream? I can&#8217;t even get started on the taco trucks.
Coleman: Carolina epicurean. It&#8217;s hard to judge what we all deem as quality. Let&#8217;s establish a single, we&#8217;ll known restaurant as a baseline. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate Buxton Hall?
Marcia: Coleman, yeah nothing is consistent. I have been to some places more than once, but it is hard to name a favorite.
Carolina Epicurean: Coleman, I&#8217;m not going to get into rating 1-10 right now.
Coleman: I understand that. You have a promotional site. I find it very interesting that nobody wants to criticize Asheville area restaurants. It&#8217;s almost impossible to find a bad review of anything in the city. It&#8217;s a very dangerous trend that does nothing to help a scene suffering from boredom and repetition.
Marcia: Coleman, I agree. I am a total foodie, spend a great deal of my money on food. I love local, but many of these places simply aren&#8217;t that good. I guess you would have to break it down by cuisines. Buxton is another more hype than great. I feel like I could go give them some pointers and then when someone asked about barbecue or even southern, I could rate them. I give honest reviews, not meant to be mean or bad, but it is some celebrated, but awful restaurants here.
Marcia: Carolina Epicurean, So true of Nine Mile&#8230;Caribbean? No!
Joe: Five points or Little Pigs!
Carolina Epicurean: Joe, Hate to say it, but I took ice cream outside on a hot day at Harry&#8217;s and Piggy&#8217;s and it didn&#8217;t melt!
Joe: Carolina Epicurean &#8230; what’s Harry’s & Piggy’s ?!
Carolina Epicurean: Joe, it&#8217;s in Hendo. Never mind. I got it confused with Little Pigs when I was replying.
Richard: Why would an epicurean ask such a question? At 2 in the morning I’d nostalgically answer the Hot Shot.
Carolina Epicurean: Haha. An important part of being an epicurean is research and gathering input. 🙂
Mitchell: I&#8217;m pretty sure you know where I stand. Seems to be a general consensus that Cúrate is the best, but I also see a lot of other great restaurants in the comments.
Carolina Epicurean: Mitchell, yes. It would be interesting and energizing, especially for locals, to see a little more craft exploration at Curate, though.
Marcia: Mitchell, not if you are really hungry.
Chrissie: Curate! But we love Posana too
Carolina Epicurean: I haven&#8217;t been to Posana in a while, but I&#8217;ve never had anything but wonderful meals there.
Chrissie: Oh and I forgot to add Buxton Hall. So yum
Linda: I love all the vegan gare Ashville offers
Carolina Epicurean: Yes, Linda. I know for a fact, people have based moving to the Asheville area on Vegetarian and Vegan options.
Kelly: Nine Mile, BinBeriBon, Copper Crown, Post 70, Sunny Point, Limones
Carolina Epicurean: Copper Crown is excellent!
Marcia: Carolina Epicurean , Nine Mile is not Caribbean, don&#8217;t like it and Post 70 is so so, but way better than Post 25.
Kelly: Marcia Nine Mile is Caribbean inspired. Delicious. Big portions, excellent price point, very friendly staff. Yummy cocktails and excellent local beers,and cidars. I enjoy post 70 because in that part of town there are not many choices for good cocktails and food. Its a locals favorite! I love sitting at the bar and the ever-changing themed menu of small plates are all delicious.
Pinecrest Bed & Breakfast Inn &#8211; Asheville, NC: Best is relative. Do you want the best $11 burger or do you want to drop $48 each for an experience? As owners of a b&b, we get asked all the time “where should we eat?” Then we start asking questions that give us clues about what would be “best” for them. And you really need to knock on our door some day you’re in AVL and say hi!
Carolina Epicurean: I&#8217;ll definitely stop by some time. Been wanting to do that for a while. I answer folks the same way you do. There are just so many places to choose from. What cuisine, ambiance, price point? Any allergies or diet preferences-vegetarian, vegan, etc.? I really wanted to see what answers I&#8217;d get throwing that very general question out there. I&#8217;m getting good information. Been thinking about writing an article on the most underrated chefs/restaurants in the Asheville area for a while now.
Diane: Carolina Epicurean good idea. Whether Curate is on the top or bottom of your list, they get plenty of press so throw a bone to some of the hidden gems. Expectations need to be realistic as well, right? How do you live up to &#8220;it&#8217;s the best restaurant ever?&#8221;
Janet: I think the fuss over AVL restaurant scene is grossly exaggerated. The only one we’d make plans to go to is Polanco, the rest are just ‘blah to ok’.
Carolina Epicurean: Going out on a limb, are we Janet? ?
Janet: Carolina Epicurean you know it!
Paula: Bull and Beggar for sure. And we also really enjoyed Red Ginger.
Carolina Epicurean: Ooo! Temporarily forgot about Red Ginger. Another underrated spot in town.
Jason: At Asheville’s first Stoobie Awards live event, Vivian restaurant wins big: http://ashvegas.com/at-asheville-first-stoobie-awards-live-event-vivian-restaurant-wins-big
Carolina Epicurean: Vivian has been at the top of my list for a while now. Such a creative mash-up of cultures and cuisines, including Nordic and foraging (also basic to Nordic) Great recap of the awards, Jason!
Jason: Carolina Epicurean Thank you for sparking a great discussion here; hope to see you out and about soon!
Carolina Epicurean: It&#8217;s always fun to run into you, Jason!
Wren: I love Zambra!
Carolina Epicurean: Gosh! Haven&#8217;t been to Zambra in years! Always good food and a good bar program. When we first went, we had to use our cell phones to see the menu. Then the servers started offering flashlights. It was hysterical watching the dining room as random people turned them on and blinded themselves and others in a small radius. Another place I need to get back to!
Marcia: Yeah, kinda dark and grungy, haven&#8217;t been in a long time.
Wendy: All Day Darling Cafe
Chris: Wendy we just ate there last week!
Carolina Epicurean: Haven&#8217;t been yet, Wendy. Guess I&#8217;d better get there asap! 🙂
Wendy: Their greens are amazing. Even for breakfast.
Chris: Carolina Epicurean The Steak Bowl was great.
Shannon: Chestnut, Rhubarb, Curate&#8230; The Admiral gets special mention.
Barbara: Curate but lots of great choices!
Matthew: Vivian, cucina, admiral. They are all outstanding.
Wren: Nine Mile — Unique, nowhere else like it.
Lynn: Wren Barnett agree
Mike: nowhere in Jamaica that’s for sure!
Beth: We also love Gan Shan Station. My husband lived in Singapore and has travelled for business in Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, etc. He said it’s the most authentic he’s tasted. We love the whole crispy snapper!
Hannah: yes! Gan Shan is great!
Beth: We still love Curate, as sharing small plates is our favorite way to eat. There are so many, it’s hard to choose!
Lisa: Curate, hands down
Nancy: Red Stag Grille
Paul: Curate without question
Amie: Ambrozia & cucina 24!
Chris: Zambra Tapas
Jeffrey: Limones
Beth: AUX Bar
Beth: Ghan Shan Station
Kristen: Cucina 24, Bull and Beggar, Vivian&#8230;Over Easy for brunch&#8230;OWl for baked things
Jason: Vivian restaurant just won Best New Restaurant AND Restaurant of the Year at last night&#8217;s Stoobie Awards.
Malcolm: Admiral, table, vivian.

Question 8

Fresh Hendersonville Chefs Outed!

Accepted Answer

What happens in the kitchen, stays in the kitchen. They&#8217;ve kept it quiet, but I&#8217;m going to expose a couple fresh Hendersonville chefs!
They didn&#8217;t exactly sneak in to town, but fresh-to-Hendersonville chefs Max Kopshina and Joe Visone joined Chef Don Paleno in the kitchen at newly opened Shine without much fanfare. They&#8217;ve been butchering, grilling, and creating ever since.
Chef Max Kopshina is &#8220;a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York. He attended The Academy of Culinary Design, Seabreeze High School, Daytona Beach, Florida.&#8221; His later attendance at the CIA included an internship at the quintessential Napa Valley restaurant Press, in St. Helena,California. Then Max spent four years in New Orleans, Louisiana at Cochon, along side James Beard Award winning chefs learning his way around a hog, working as a butcher, and eventually earning a spot as Sous Chef.&#8221;
Chef Joe Visone is a Palm Beach, Florida native and recent resident of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. He loves time in the kitchen or by the grill perfecting family recipes . . . especially his Italian side&#8221;. I&#8217;m especially looking forward to trying those dishes, Chef!

Hendo locals know Chef Don Paleno as the creative force behind the food truck at popular Triskelion Brewing prior to joining Shine. But what they might not know is that he is an &#8220;American Culinary Federation Certified Executive Chef and current chapter president of the WNC Culinary Association of the ACF.&#8221;
&#8220;His career has included positions as sous chef at The Boathouse at Beach Inlet, Isle of Palms, South Carolina, executive chef at The Bayhouse Restaurant, M. Waterfront Grille and The Old Collier Golf Club in Naples, Florida. Locally, Chef Paleno has led as executive chef at Champion Hills Golf Club, and The Colorful Palate Catering Company.&#8221;
Keep an eye on this crew as they tweak recipes and Shine&#8217;s menu, making improvements during these first few weeks open to the public.
Welcome to Hendersonville, chefs!

Question 9

If you see this woman . . .

Accepted Answer

Be sure to say hello, and if you have questions on anything and everything Never Blue, ask away. She&#8217;s new General Manager and Chef de Cuisine Casey Maness, and she&#8217;ll have the answers.
What&#8217;s the big deal about Chef Maness taking over as General Manager and Chef de Cuisine? Since they don&#8217;t have to cook all day, do prep work, or manage three Sous Chefs and other staff, owners Jesse and Edson Roque are now free to do more of what they&#8217;re really good at &#8211; developing and tweaking recipes. It also frees them up to take a more &#8220;big picture&#8221; approach.
A new team is now in place and more big changes are under way at Never Blue! Chef Jesse Roque (pronounced &#8220;RowKay&#8221;) outlined both front and back of house improvements that have already happened, or are in the process of happening.
FRONT OF HOUSE

A new, creative as always, menu is in the works. It should be on your table shortly after Valentine&#8217;s Day.
If you had&#8217;t noticed, Never Blue&#8217;s take on classic cocktails has been on their menu as of the previous menu revamp. Find them under &#8220;Updated Relics&#8221;.
Cooking Classes, Demos, and Special Dinners are in the works.

BACK OF HOUSE

New employees will be hired only after careful and extensive vetting.
Staff Team Leaders are in place, and will be involved in training and continuing education.
Quarterly fun/team building staff activities outside of work have already been taking place and will continue quarterly.

VALENTINE&#8217;S DAY & LOVE LOCKDOWN!
Talk about creative! Check out their new Love Lockdown program AND their fabulous Valentine&#8217;s Day Menu. See all Never Blue events here. Making a reservation would not be a bad idea!

NOTE: Love Locks will be monitored. Locks that are not associated with a lock purchase or donation will be removed.Epicurean Notes:

All members of a party need to be present before that party is seated.
Get 10% off your bill if 1) you pay with cash, and 2) everyone at the table pays with cash.

Above all, Jesse, Edson, and their team want you to know that they welcome everyone at Never Blue and will do everything possible to make your experience wonderful!
Never Blue
http://www.theneverblue.com/
119 S Main St
Hendersonville, NC 28792
Phone: (828) 693-4646

Question 10

Summiting the RAD

Accepted Answer

Something&#8217;s happening in Asheville&#8217;s RAD (River Arts District). If you haven&#8217;t been in a while, it feels like a shift is in process. Artists and others are moving to an area closer to the river. Summit Coffee is one of them.
They did an exceptional job repurposing the interior of this building.
Image: Brady S, TripAdvisor
Live plants act as a counterpoint to brick and steel, softening the feel just enough. It made me happy to see real instead of silk.

Indoor plants improve concentration and productivity (by up to 15 percent!), reduce stress levels and boost your mood — making them perfect for not just your home but your work space, too. ~ Sophie Lee, nbcnews.com

Off to one side is a broad set of stairs that takes you up to a cozy loft with communal table. It&#8217;s intimate enough that a quick conversation with the woman pictured was easy. Be aware that laws of nature apply here &#8211; warm air rises.

This is one of five Summit Coffee locations, including their Roastery and original location in Davidson, NC.
After all, it&#8217;s about the coffee. Take a look at the information under &#8220;ESPRESSO&#8221; on the menu below. See &#8220;& Water&#8221; and &#8220;& Milk&#8221;? With water = Americano. With milk = Latte, Cappuccino, etc. If you want a milk drink, choose your size in ounces and add the dollar amount listed to $2.50 for the espresso.
Under the hood: grind, tamp, pull. If you love coffee, sit at the counter and inhale.

There&#8217;s a small kitchen/prep area in one corner where they put together limited, but creative menu items. Pictured below is a toasted Everything Bagel topped with a generous spread of mashed avocado, drizzled oil, and dried pepper flakes. It wouldn&#8217;t be a stretch for me to call this lunch.

Places like this are what make Asheville Asheville. Different, quality, hip, honest.
Plan to spend a day in RAD exploring artist&#8217;s studios, galleries, and eateries.
Summit Coffee
https://www.summitcoffee.com/asheville/
4 Foundy Street suite 20
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: (704) 895-9090

Question 11

Haywood Common: Uncommonly Cool in West Asheville

Accepted Answer

Quick one this time to let you know about a sweet spot in West Asheville. Haywood Common has been around for a while, but I hadn&#8217;t had the chance to go until today when I met a friend for lunch.

Such a cool spot! And their menu is a grab bag of interesting. Follow the link and take a look.
We got there on the early side, hence the empty seats. These booths soon filled up.

And a large party wandered in, taking their places at a table that had been set up for them in advance.

Even though I&#8217;m an omnivore with no particular dietary restrictions (Vegetarian, GF, Dairy, Etc.), I thought it was nice that our server Crawford described the Soup of the Day (Broccolli and Cheese) by first saying adjustments could be made for Vegetarians and Vegans.
Even though that soup tasted like homemade with love, it wasn&#8217;t especially photogenic. Probably because it wasn&#8217;t colored or flavored up, or thickened with corn syrup.
I had their House Burger (not pictured). It&#8217;s made with grass-fed beef, topped with white cheddar, caramelized onions, arugula, smoked garlic mayo & pickles, and served on potato bun. It was just as good as the soup.
My friend had the Pork Belly Banh Mi: crispy pork belly, herbs, nuoc cham, apple kimchi slaw, charred leek mayo, baguette. I thought this was an interesting way to serve pork belly, and I didn&#8217;t ask, but I think it was pretty tasty.

Here&#8217;s the real surprise. Crawford &#8211; remember, he was our server &#8211; and his wife Jess, have a sweet business of their own called Beeswax & Butter. They make lovely desserts like these macarons. Here&#8217;s their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/beeswaxandbutter/
Left: Rose Shell with Fig Puree Buttercream Right: Pine Nut with Pine Cone Bud Syrup and Gin Buttercream
The Rose Macaron Shell is made with ground petals from food grade standard roses, &#8220;creating a bright floral characteristic, with a little bitterness and green apple flavor&#8221;. Both were totally delicious!
Epicurean Note: No street parking? Park in the big parking lot that&#8217;s to the left as you face the building.
Haywood Common
https://haywoodcommon.com/
507 Haywood Rd
Asheville, NC 28806
Phone: (828) 575-2542

Question 12

The Montford Rooftop Bar - Off Season

Accepted Answer

Articles have been written about visiting tourism destinations in the off season so you can engage with the folks that live there, getting to know the place as they do.
That may be true, and I&#8217;m usually the first to chat up visitors, help them find what they&#8217;re looking for, etc., but what I like about Asheville&#8217;s off season is lighter traffic (sometimes), easier parking, and that it&#8217;s generally less crowded.
Today&#8217;s cold temps and wind-whipped &#8220;chill&#8221; meant it was a perfect day for comfort food and drinks &#8211; inside. But with a view, since the sky was a clear Carolina Blue.
That&#8217;s how we ended up at Hyatt Place and The Montford Rooftop Bar. We stepped inside the main lobby for a look-see before heading up to the 8th floor. Take the dedicated elevator in the outer lobby to get up to the bar.
It&#8217;s a nice space divided into a few cozy spots. A small patio with fireplace is off the largest sitting area (not pictured).

It must have been providence, choosing The Montford, because it&#8217;s here that I found a new love. Credit where credit is due. The bartender heard from our server that I like Port and Medeira. None were on hand, so she brought over a variety of bottles she thought I&#8217;d like instead, and began describing each. &#8220;This one is similar to a Vermouth&#8221;, she says. I sighed wistfully and said, &#8220;Oh, I like Vermouth&#8221;.
Her eyes lit up! She practically bounced back to the bar, saying over her shoulder, &#8220;You are going to LOVE this!&#8221; And boy was she right! I am in love.

This beautiful 4oz, well-chilled pour ($10) fairly glowed as it basked in the sun.

It seemed only right to snack on cheeses and &#8220;seasonal accompaniments&#8221; as we sipped our drinks and took in the view. It was just the thing: Roots and Branches Crackers, Green Hill Cheese (similar to Camembert), hard Asher Blue Cheese, both from Sweet Grass Dairy, and Raw Cow Gouda served with fruit preserve, almonds, olives, mustard, and a little honey.

So here&#8217;s to you Asheville, with your beautiful blue skies, and layered mountain ridges in all directions. Especially in the off season.

Epicurean Note: Valet Parking is free. Just get your ticket validated on your way out.
The Montford Rooftop Bar
199 Haywood St
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: (828) 505-8750

Question 13

Biscuits, Beer, and BBQ - NEW in South Asheville

Accepted Answer

Asheville businesses are prospering, and they&#8217;re looking to surrounding communities for additional location sites. Biscuit Head and 12 Bones Smokehouse owners are both opening new locations in South Asheville (aka Skyland). They and the new 12 Bones Brewery Brew Master filled me in on their plans as I took a peek behind the curtains.
Biscuit Head
Tagline: &#8220;Put Some South in Your Mouth&#8221;
Website: http://www.biscuitheads.com/
Address: 1994 Hendersonville Rd, Asheville, NC 28803
The sign&#8217;s been up long enough to have folks asking if the latest Biscuit Head location will ever open. Partners Jason Roy, Michael Wester, and their wives have hung tough through almost a year of site/building upgrades at the old Dunlop Tire location and do indeed hope to open in January. As anyone familiar with construction knows, &#8220;hope&#8221; is a safer word to use than &#8220;plan&#8221;.
Businesses supporting other local businesses and artists is a way of life here. Jason mentioned that approximately 15 local artisans have worked on this project, including custom-built benches and tables. The fun wall art below is by Jenny Fares of Asheville&#8217;s Sound Mind Creative.
 
Power was scheduled to be turned on this same day, so it was just a little dark inside, even with lots of windows on the front wall. I&#8217;ll just tell you that restrooms sport very cool tile floors and cat head wallpaper.
Biscuit Head is known for biscuits the size of a cat&#8217;s head and their Jam Bar. If you&#8217;ve been to one of their other locations, you&#8217;ve probably never seen empty jam bar, right? Well, here&#8217;s your chance. Jason was pretty happy it was in and ready to be filled with butters, jams, jellies, and honey.

The decor made me smile: a little Industrial; a little Artsy; with just a smidge of Millennial. Two things I especially like are the shelving and the lampshades that make me think of old-timey bee hives. Biscuits and Honey. Get it? And don&#8217;t miss the nod to history in the form of the original Dunlop sign mounted up high on a wall in the dining area.

Parking could have been nightmarish with just a few spots, but go around back and you&#8217;ll see more parking space created by digging in to a hillside. It could have been strictly asphalt, but a mixture of asphalt and paving stones makes for a nice look and I&#8217;m guessing they&#8217;re environmentally friendly via drainage.
Looking toward the right side of the building, you can see where the enclosed patio with  will be. There will be garage doors (think tire shop) that&#8217;ll be open in nice weather, large heaters for cooler weather, and a fun mural by well known local artist, Gus Cutty, in the works for the side of the building.

Yes, they are now hiring. Give &#8217;em a call if you&#8217;re interested.

For a little taste of what you can expect in the way of food and decor, take a look at this July, 2014 article I wrote about the very first Biscuit Head in West Asheville: &#8220;Why yes, I AM a Biscuit Head&#8221;
12 Bones Brewery & 12 Bones Smokehouse
Tagline: &#8220;Tender Butts & Sweet Racks&#8221;
Website: https://www.12bones.com/
Address: 2350 Hendersonville Rd, Arden, NC 28704
Take a look at the VERY cool building that now houses the latest 12 Bones Smokehouse location, as well as a new concept for owners Bryan and Angela King, 12 Bones Brewery.
Image: Bing Maps
Looking at the front of the building, the Brewery is on the left and the Smokehouse is to the right. Don&#8217;t panic, you&#8217;ll be able to get a beer with your food and vice versa. Seating areas include a long narrow space between the two concepts, in the Taproom, and outside on a narrow patio behind the building. If you&#8217;re lucky, you&#8217;ll get a close up &#8211; very close up &#8211; look at slow-moving trains as they go by the patio out back. It doesn&#8217;t happen too often, but does happen. I love trains, so I&#8217;d be good with that.
Not sure how the pad outside the double doors will be used. Possibly another small patio so you can eat, sip, and watch the traffic go by?
There&#8217;s plenty of parking in lots at either end of the building, so no worries there.

As far as tank rooms go, this one&#8217;s a pip. On the other side of a wall to the right &#8211; out of camera view &#8211; is the Taproom with bar service. I&#8217;m holding back images of the bar so it&#8217;ll be a surprise.
Brew Master, Scott Hettig, comes to 12 Bones Brewery from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, via a one year stint doing &#8220;production brewing&#8221; in Greenville, Mississippi. The return to &#8220;brew pub&#8221; brewing brought Scott back to the creative side he missed: collaborations with a restaurant, beer dinners, and beer pairings. As soon as he and his wife arrived in Asheville, they fell in love. Mountains, four seasons, and all. Sounds familiar, right?
Scott explained that the goal is to have the brewery up and running at the same time the Smokehouse opens, but it&#8217;s looking unlikely as of this writing due to various issues and delays. He also mentioned that as of now, the Taproom will have different (longer) hours than the Smokehouse.

So back to the double door entry. Right inside the door is where you&#8217;ll be ordering your Smokehouse fare. I do love their BBQ, so I&#8217;m pretty darned happy about this. Watch for your order to be placed by fast moving hands and arms flinging the paper it&#8217;s written on along a wire to the kitchen.

Speaking of the kitchen, the 12 Bones South location on Sweeten Creek Rd will be closing permanently on Saturday, January 5th. The upcoming widening of Sweeten Creek Rd played a part in this decision.
Almost the second it closes, all kitchen equipment will be moved to this new location, including the condiment station in an upright piano. Same menu and same employees, too.
Another piece of information of note is that the buildout includes a good-sized private event room with a small bar, access to the rear patio, brewery, and smokehouse.
On a design note, I was happy to learn that what looks like reclaimed wood is actually reclaimed wood.

As soon as they&#8217;re up and running, I&#8217;ll be popping in for some biscuits, beer, and BBQ.

Question 14

New Restaurant/Bar Opens on Main St. Hendersonville

Accepted Answer

Hendersonville welcomes it&#8217;s newest Restaurant & Bar tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 14th when Cask and Wine on Main opens at 536 N Main St. NOTE: name change from Cask and Vine to Cask and Wine on Main.
 
Taglined &#8211; &#8220;Casual Dining • Fine Spirits • Wine&#8221; &#8211; Cask & Vine will have a focus on excellent Bourbons, as well as other liquors and wine.
Expect &#8220;on the rocks&#8221; pours of 2oz, rather than the 1 1/2oz more commonly seen. Cocktails look to be priced between $10 and $13, with many at $11. Not sure what well drinks will run.
Food is intentionally portioned generously. &#8220;We expect most people will be leaving with boxes&#8221;, says Bivens.
As far as the menu, look for Pub Fare, Salads and &#8220;Plates&#8221; served with a salad and roll. Possibly Deviled Eggs, Brisket Chili, Hot Browns, a little Surf, and a little Turf.

Owner Steven Bivens will open the doors for lunch service at 11am. Planed hours are Monday &#8211; Saturday 11am to 9pm and Sunday Brunch, with a dedicated Brunch menu, from 11am to 3pm.
Soft jazz will be played as background music most of the time, but don&#8217;t be surprised if some other genres make an appearance.
When I stopped in today and talked with Steven, I noted a new tin ceiling, a new service bar build half way back in the space, and black tablecloths on plenty of tables. Walls have been painted black, which can sometimes be a problem, but I think this space will carry it off. Especially in the evenings when the lights are low.
FACEBOOK
See you there!

Question 15

Matthew Register Announces First Cookbook -SOUTHERN SMOKE

Accepted Answer

Pitmaster and chef Matthew Register proudly announces his first cookbook – SOUTHERN SMOKE (Fair Winds Press / May 7, 2019 / $25.00), debuting May 7th, 2019. Find it on Amason here: https://www.amazon.com/Southern-Smoke-Traditions-Treasured-Reimagined/dp/0760364028
Matthew Register and his wife Jessica opened Southern Smoke BBQ in 2014 in Garland, North Carolina, carrying on a family tradition of smoking pork the old fashioned way – low and slow over an oak wood fire in their custom designed smoker, “Jezebel.” Since, Register has become equally well known for his seasonal, Southern sides, elaborate feasts offered through South Catering, his South Supper Series and Southern Smoke BBQ food truck.
For years, Register has been obsessed with the history of southern recipes. Armed with a massive collection of cookbooks from the 1900s and overflowing boxes of recipe cards from his grandmother, Register has cooked his way through these timeworn classics and made them his own, sharing them alongside his North Carolina pulled pork and Memphis style pork ribs at Southern Smoke BBQ. Locals and tourists alike flock to his restaurant in Garland, North Carolina (population 700) for these old Southern dishes and wood-smoked barbecue. Register’s first cookbook will share the barbecue, sides and deep-rooted Southern food traditions he celebrates every day at Southern Smoke BBQ, as well as the time-honored stories that accompany so many Southern dishes.
In “Southern Smoke,” Matthew explores the dishes and foodways from iconic barbecue regions – North Carolina, the Lowcountry, Memphis and the Delta – sharing anecdotes along the way about everything from Eastern versus Western based BBQ sauce to the origins of Marigold Tomatoes in the Delta and pitmaster tricks-of-the-trade. Southern breads find a home here as well, including everything from skillet cornbread and benne seed biscuits to chocolate chess pie and pecan-studded bread pudding.

Start off in North Carolina, the home of slow-smoked pork and tangy vinegar sauce. Other highlights include chicken quarters with church sauce, barbecue potatoes, collard chowder, and pork belly hash.
Travel the Lowcountry, where seafood meets barbecue. Go all out with frogmore stew, pickled shrimp, and fire-roasted oysters, or sample unique recipes like funeral grits, likker pudding, and James Island shrimp pie.
Then take a trip to Memphis and the Delta, a longtime barbecue hub known for dry-rubbed ribs. Other standouts might surprise you! Learn the secrets behind Delta tamales, Merigold tomatoes, okra fries with comeback sauce, and country style duck.

About the Author
Chef Matthew Register and his wife Jessica own Southern Smoke BBQ, which has been featured in Food & Wine magazine, on The Today Show, and was named one of the top 25 BBQ restaurants in the US by Men&#8217;s Journal. They also own South Catering and the Southern Smoke BBQ food truck. Matthew has always had a passion for fine food and the outdoors, and he prides himself on incorporating fresh, local ingredients. Raised in rural, Eastern North Carolina, he grew up in a community that formed inseparable bonds through deep-rooted traditions at the dinner table. These traditions are ones that he hopes to sustain, not just for his three young children, but for his community and those who dine with him, as well.
Follow Chef Matthew Register on Twitter @SouthernSmokeNC and on Instagram @SouthernSmokeBBQofNC and Southern Smoke BBQ of NC on Facebook. Visit www.SouthernSmokeBBQNC.com for updates!
SOUTHERN SMOKE
By Matthew Register
Publishing: May 7, 2019
$25.00 US · $33.00 CAN · 208 pages · Trade Paper Over Board
ISBN: 9780760364024
Fair Winds Press, an imprint of The Quarto Group
Press Release

Category: NC Mountains

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