Q: Scuppernong Produce, on the Scuppernong River

Columbia, NC – Last week I stumbled upon the most delicious strawberries (dark red and sweet all the way through) at a road-side stand as I drove from Asheville to the Outer Banks. They were grown at Scuppernong Produce on the Scuppernong River in Columbia, NC. Other types of produce are also grown at Scuppernong during all but the coldest months. And what goes with farm-fresh fruit? Cheese! A huge wheel of Hoop Cheese is usually on hand. When a woman asked for a half pound of the cheese, one of the farm’s owners called me over to see the 1905 Computing Cheese Cutter in action. Was the setting on this over 100-year-old bladed machine accurate? Take a look at the weight of the slice the Computer cut as measured by a current-day digital scale. Pretty darned close. If you’re driving US-64 near the NC coast or in Columbia, NC, take a few minutes and stop for some very good fruit or other produce, and hoop cheese to go with it. Oh, about those strawberries, I picked up half a flat to share with the group of media folks (from NY, KY, CA, and NC) I spent a few days with touring the Outer Banks. It’s Got to Be NC, right? Scuppernong Produce 87 Riverview Farm Ln Columbia, NC 27925 (252) 796-7541

Q: Koreana, for something different in Arden, NC

Arden – Tired of lunch at the same places time after time? If you find yourself in Arden, NC running errands (Lowes, OfficeMax, World Imports, Best Buy) like I do and want to grab a bite, there really aren’t that many options apart from fast-casual spots like Ruby Tuesday, Olive Garden, Chili’s, and fast food outlets like McDonalds, Arby’s, and Sonic. Ready for something different and delicious? Pop into Koreana for lunch or dinner. They’re on Airport Rd. near Walmart. Sweet Tooth and I did just that today. We ordered appetizers since we were hungry, but not starving. Sweet Tooth got the Bang Bang Shrimp ($9) and reports the coconut mayo sauce was especially good. I wanted to try their Korean Style Vegetable Pancake ($11), comparing it to a most fabulous vegetable pancake I’d had at Gan Shan Station (Asheville) quite a while ago. Although it didn’t beat out Gan Shan’s version, it was good. I’ll have the half that went home with me for a snack tomorrow. Read more about Koreana, with photos, in my first Koreana review. Koreana 221 Airport Rd Arden, NC 28704 Phone:(828) 676-2844

Q: Brunch at The Local Joint

Fairview – It’s about the food. Okay, the decor is cute with a ketchup/mustard color scheme, and innovative touches like the window shades, but for me, it really is about the food at The Local Joint. PIC and I took the scenic route from Mills River over to the Joint this morning for brunch (Breakfast Menu). Can you guess who had what? Benedict $8.50: Two poached eggs, ham and Hollandaise Sauce on a toasted English Muffin. Read a previous review with lots of details and photos here: “Best Kept Secret? The Local Joint Exposed!” The Local Joint 1185 Charlotte Hwy Fairview, NC 28730 Phone:(828) 338-0469

Q: Behind the scenes at Blue Ridge Distilling

Bostic (Golden Valley, NC) – Home of Defiant Whisky, Blue Ridge Distilling does things a little differently. It’s a nice drive out to their rural Bostic (Golden Valley), NC location where you can visit the gift shop at their recently purchased 500 acre Girl Scout Camp main lodge, and tour the distillery. You’ll learn about their put the barrel into the whiskey instead of the whiskey into the barrel method. Eric Meech, Distiller Our tour was led by Distiller Eric Meech. I’ve run into Eric on a few occasions outside Blue Ridge Distilling. Nice guy. Eric Meech, Distiller Bottled and ready for labeling.

Q: Casual Luxury at The Firehouse Inn

Rutherfordton – What to do with a cool building that once housed the firehouse, city water, and police departments when it’s no longer needed? Turn it into a gorgeous Bed and Breakfast, of course! Co-owners Keven and Kitty McCammon purchased The Firehouse Inn, a beautiful 6 bedroom bed and breakfast, from previous owners who had completely remodeled the interior. Since the purchase, they’ve made it their own. The lowest level serves as home to BlueRidge Design, Kitty’s interior design company. She has exquisite taste, by the way. It’s chock full of the cutest and most beautiful gifts and products. I had the opportunity to spend some time with Kitty while staying at the Inn. Think lovely southern born and raised woman with character strong as steel. She is the proud owner and manager of Maple Creek Farm, where she and her husband raise Texas Long Horn cattle. You can buy the famously lean Maple Creek Farm meet at BlueRidge Design shop.We hopped into Kitty’s Hummer (right, a Hummer) and drove out to the farm for a look-see. Because the cattle would walk away if they sensed strangers, Kitty drove right out into and around the hilly pasture. Talk about fun! The Firehouse Inn 125 W 1st St Rutherfordton, NC 28139 (828) 286-9030 BlueRidge Design 134 N. Washington St Rutherfordton, NC 28139 828-286-8069

Question 1

An Historic Inn, Six Cabins, Two Guys, and their story

Accepted Answer

Asheville/Candler, NC &#8211; An easy fifteen minute drive west of downtown Asheville, grand dame Engadine Inn, of Engadine Inn and Cabins, has presided over comings and goings from her hillside vantage point since 1895.
Image: ashevillebba.com
Engadine began life as private home to Captain John Keais Hoyt, &#8220;a former Confederate Officer in Company K, 3rd Alabama Infantry in Stonewall Jackson’s Brigade&#8221;, and his family. Captain Hoyt planted grapevines and became a successful vintner, selling his popular Engadine wine nationally as well as locally.
Sadly, during early prohibition, authorities came on to the property and destroyed barrels full of aging wine, bottled wine, and production equipment. Can&#8217;t begin to imagine how the Hoyt family felt as they stood by helplessly watching a lifetime of work destroyed.
The good news is that one of Captain Hoyt&#8217;s original grapevines still grows on the grounds. Perhaps one day, there may be Engadine wine available again?
Over the years, Engadine has been a summer home, full-time home, and beginning with a conversion in 1994, an Inn. See the full history of Engadine, including why the name &#8220;Engadine&#8221; here.
Engadine, the Inn, sits snug against a hill that acts as prow for the 12 acre compound known as Engadine Inn and Cabins. Six rental cabins have been placed strategically for optimal views on rolling hills behind the Inn.
As guests of Engadine, courtesy of Rick, Tom, and the Asheville Bed and Breakfast Association (ABBA), my husband and I paid particular attention to detail during our two night stay. The Inn&#8217;s interior is gorgeous and kept very clean, as was our cabin. Full of fantastic woodwork and architectural touches like fabulous, carved hinges on room doors. Of course, the first thing I noticed, me being me, was their food-related Sanitation Rating of 100. Made me smile and anxious to see the kitchen.
Note: my cutoff for dining at Buncombe County restaurants is 92. If their Sanitation Rating is below 92, I turn around and go somewhere else. I qualify this with Bumcombe County because inspectors seem to be subjective by county. My cut off for Watauga County, for instance, is lower because health inspectors there give much lower ratings on average.
We toured the beautiful, spacious Inn rooms, but stayed in the Blue Ridge Mountains Cabin. Our french door entry overlooked a new plateau recently built for weddings and other events. It&#8217;s a lovely spot to enjoy sunsets from. We set ourselves up in two of the colorful Adirondack chairs with a bottle of wine, and glasses from our cabin kitchen, and lazily sipped as we watched the sun go down over the tree tops.
View from our cabin
That&#8217;s the Inn and cabins. What about the two guys? Tom Watson and Rick Bell came &#8220;home&#8221; to WNC, purchasing the property in November, 2014. They have some some pretty ambitious plans for the place, but before I get to that, I&#8217;d like to say these two are pretty golden; funny, sincere, and they can cook! PIC and I are looking forward to meeting up with Rick and Tom for dinner and a night on the town soon.
Rick Bell (L), Tom Watson (R)
Breakfast is included with a room stay, but extra if you stay in a cabin. The thinking behind this is that when the Inn is full, there aren&#8217;t enough seats in the Dining Room. And cabins have their own kitchen, cooking gear, dishes, and utensils. I would like to suggest to Rick and Tom that they provide a starter supply of coffee, creamer, sweeteners, etc., in the cabins.
Rick does the breakfast cooking, rotating menus so you will never get a repeat meal during your stay. He&#8217;s also happy to adjust the menu as much as possible for many dietary restrictions.
Tom was quick to fill our mugs with coffee, and re-fill often, while we chatted with Rick as he cooked.
Our breakfast began with caramelized baked apples topped with yogurt and house-made granola. The aroma had us salivating, waiting patiently to be served.

Oh, I forgot to mention that if you are staying in the cabins, wish to have breakfast, and the Inn is full, there might just be room at the &#8220;Chef&#8217;s table&#8221; in the kitchen. You can also request a Continental Breakfast delivered to your door. The Dining Room is gorgeous and definitely should be enjoyed while visiting with other guests, but if you&#8217;re staying in the Inn for multiple nights, you might ask if you can breakfast in the kitchen, also. We pretty much camped out there.
Baked apple topped with yogurt and house-made granola
The main course was a lovely quiche, two sausage links, home fries and tomato garnish. We did not go hungry.

We spent some time in Asheville; dinner at Posana followed by dessert at French Broad Chocolate Lounge, both in the heart of downtown. Asheville is extremely walkable. Park in a city garage for first hour free, $1 each additional hour. My go-to city garage for the Pack Square area is at the Aloft Hotel on Biltmore Ave. Same pricing.
Since we&#8217;re locals, we spend a lot of time in Asheville, so during our second day at Engadine we headed an hour and a half north, across the Tennessee border to visit Davy Crockett&#8217;s birthplace at the Davy Crockett State Park in Limestone, and President Andrew Johnson&#8217;s home and National Historic Site in Greenville. We were smitten with historic downtown Greenville! More about that easy, scenery-filled road trip in a future post.
Tom and Rick have some pretty amazing plans for the property, focusing on expanding offerings and facilities for weddings, corporate, and other events. Up next, if I&#8217;m not mistaken, is a fresh new exterior refurbishment and paint job. A new website is already in the works and should launch soon.
One of the great things about Engadine is the combined number of rooms, including space for down time if needed, available for groups. It&#8217;s perfect for a family reunions, for instance. Everyone can hang out together comfortably indoors or out.
It&#8217;s not too late to book a stay at Engadine Inn and Cabins for Fall Leaf Viewing! Check availability and make reservations here.
Epicurean Notes:

Once you exit I 40, GPS can be a bit wonky. Following these directions will get you there.
&#8220;Accommodations range from stately quarters featuring free WiFi, cable TV, private bathrooms and gas fireplaces, to cabins with living rooms, full kitchens and private porches. Most rooms have wood floors and some have claw-foot tubs or whirlpools.&#8221;
If booking via online discount sites, note any additional fees.

Engadine Inn & Cabins
2630 Smokey Park Hwy
Candler, NC 28715
Phone: (828) 633-1110

Question 2

Intimate conversation over Cocktails and Small Plates at Isa's Bistro

Accepted Answer

This was a milestone birthday for me, so the celebration stretched over a few days.
My sisters and husband celebrated with me over dinner at Chestnut. Then a few days later, my husband and I celebrated again, just the two of us, at Isa&#8217;s Bistro.
Their dinner menu isn&#8217;t huge and it&#8217;s about half Small Plates and Snacks. The intimate evening called for cocktails and sharing of small plates as we talked about our life together over the last 30-some years and what the future might hold.
Our plates came out of the kitchen as they were ready, tapas-style dining. Mixing and matching was part of the fun.
These Castelvetrano Olives ($5) were a first for me tonight. They looked like mini Granny Smith apples, were slightly crunchy, and had a distinct taste of clove after a light brine. They are my new favorite olive.

French Onion soup is great in the winter when you want a strong, hot, hearty bowl of bread, cheese and soup. Isa&#8217;s lighter version, Vidalia Onion Bisque ($7) is perfect for warmer weather. Served hot, but as a light bisque, it was topped with &#8220;yellow corn crunchies&#8221; and roasted mushrooms. Our server was great through the entire meal. She was attentive and efficient, with no sideways glances when we asked her to bring us two spoons.

On the menu as &#8220;Spring Asparagus&#8221; ($11), I was surprised and pleased with this presentation. Thinly sliced saffron poached fingerling potatoes, hard-boiled quail eggs, Parmesan, and a scattering of dainty greens were tossed, along with the asparagus, in a light truffle vinaigrette. The flavor was terrific, but &#8211; and this may be a personal thing &#8211; although I like asparagus al dente, these tiny spears could have been cooked just a tad longer.

Executive Chef Duane Fernandes has designed a lovely Roasted Baby Beets ($11) plate. Toasted farrow anchors alternating baby beet varieties, topped with sugar snap peas, shaved Parmesan cheese and scattered marcona almonds, and baby arugula. A light citrus vinaigrette pulls it all together.
I wasn&#8217;t too interested in the baby arugula &#8211; a little to much like a vine for my taste. Other than that, everything else on the plate had great flavor and a nice mix of texture from tender-firm to crisp.

Our last dish was Louisiana &#8220;Lobster&#8221; Roll ($12). As we ordered this, we asked our server to cut it in half. That&#8217;s when we learned it would be served on two rolls. Happily the house-made yeast buns were soft and easy to bite through. It was easy to keep the filling from spilling out, also.
I&#8217;m not sure why the word Lobster is in quotation marks, unless it means there isn&#8217;t lobster in the roll? We didn&#8217;t ask, but I&#8217;m thinking it might have been more crawfish, as named an ingredient on the menu, than lobster? A tasty tarragon aioli holds the mixture together.

Chef Fernandes is a comparative unknown (by the public) culinary star that doesn&#8217;t get a lot of coverage. Why? Now, this is my own opinion, unsupported by any hard facts, but I think it&#8217;s because he doesn&#8217;t actively cultivate a following &#8211; asking diners to vote for him as a James Beard Award winner on social media, for instance. And I&#8217;m guessing neither he nor Isa&#8217;s Bistro owners have a publicist or public relations company working to build and maintain media buzz. If they do, they&#8217;re not doing a very good job. Fernandes seems to be happy creating some of the best food in Asheville in Isa&#8217;s basement kitchen without fanfare.
Located right in the heart of downtown, where two popular streets walked by many intersect, Isa&#8217;s patio is a great spot for taking in Asheville&#8217;s bohemian vibe.
Isa&#8217;s Bistro
1 Battery Park Ave
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone:(828) 575-9636

Question 3

Sweeten Creek Brewing - Have you been?

Accepted Answer

Even though the address is 1127 Sweeten Creek Rd, you&#8217;ll find Sweeten Creek Brewing tucked behind street-front buildings, a short way down what looks like a side street.
The building houses a tasting room, a sandwich shop, and the brewery. I can&#8217;t quite decide how I feel about the exterior. It feels like something once nondescript that&#8217;s been given as much creative exterior treatment as it can take.
Inside is another story. This building underwent huge changes, mostly done by the owners, over quite a long period of time. To see what it takes to put a new brewery together, follow this link to their Facebook album, The Making of Sweeten Creek Brewery.

Co-owners Joey and Erica Justice are behind the beer and their partner/co-owner Chad Gibson handles the food side of things. All three have worked enough in their respective industries before opening Sweeten Creek to know what they&#8217;re doing &#8211; and it shows.
As soon as you step in to the tasting room, it&#8217;s pretty obvious this team is creative. They&#8217;ve used old vine-covered downed trees found on the property, and one that a neighbor had to take down, to create beautiful live-edged bartops, tabletops, and wall paneling (the good kind). Upper concrete block walls have been painted a perfectly warm shade of burnt orange.
And see the board above the taps with multiple North Carolina cutouts? That&#8217;s where they post their current beer list. Speaking of taps, they had six of their own, as well as a two from other breweries and a cider ready to pour.

Food can be ordered directly from the sandwich shop or in the tasting room. To get to the sandwich shop you can enter from the outside, or through the tasting room and a corner of the brewery, where you can take a peek at the heart of the operation as you pass through. The menu is limited but offers a good variety, fairly priced, and from scratch. Vegetarians haven&#8217;t been forgotten, either.
Where the magic happens
Sandwich Shop
They were kind enough to let me sample all six of their beers. Loved five of them and would recommend the sixth to friends that like IPAs. My faves were the Porter, the Spring Ale, and Burn Dawger Brown Ale. For your non-beer drinking friends, I did spot some wine behind the bar.

You know, I&#8217;d go to Sweeten Creek Brewing just for the food. Friend Barrie ordered the Meat and Cheese Plate ($12). Charcuterie and premium cheeses were on the plate along with an apple chutney, seasoned seeds, and mustard made with their Black IPA. It&#8217;s served with pretty tasty warm flatbread and crackers. About half of this lunch went home with Barrie.

My Monte Cristo ($8) was chock full of brown sugar brined ham and fontina cheese slathered with dijon, and creatively sandwiched between white bread wrapped in a light crepe batter. It&#8217;s served with berry preserves &#8211; &#8220;for dipping or schmearing&#8221; &#8211; and your choice of side.
That sandwich was huge, hot, rich and delicious. The watermelon salad, made with red grapes, julienne jicama, and mint, was served overflowing a small jar.

Joey Justice was quoted in this Citizen Times article as saying, &#8220;We wanted to find something that we could turn into someplace interesting&#8221;. They&#8217;ve certainly done that. Sweeten Creek Brewing is family and pet friendly. In addition to the brewery, tasting room, and sandwich shop, there&#8217;s an expansive, level lawn area scattered with picnic tables that&#8217;s perfect for hanging out with friends over a beer, as well as special events.
If you haven&#8217;t been yet, get yourself over to Sweeten Creek Brewing.
Sweeten Creek Brewing
1127 Sweeten Creek Rd
Asheville, NC 28803
Phone:(828) 575-2785

Question 4

Scuppernong Produce, on the Scuppernong River

Accepted Answer

Columbia, NC &#8211; Last week I stumbled upon the most delicious strawberries (dark red and sweet all the way through) at a road-side stand as I drove from Asheville to the Outer Banks.
They were grown at Scuppernong Produce on the Scuppernong River in Columbia, NC.
Other types of produce are also grown at Scuppernong during all but the coldest months.

And what goes with farm-fresh fruit? Cheese! A huge wheel of Hoop Cheese is usually on hand. When a woman asked for a half pound of the cheese, one of the farm&#8217;s owners called me over to see the 1905 Computing Cheese Cutter in action.

Was the setting on this over 100-year-old bladed machine accurate? Take a look at the weight of the slice the Computer cut as measured by a current-day digital scale. Pretty darned close.

If you&#8217;re driving US-64 near the NC coast or in Columbia, NC, take a few minutes and stop for some very good fruit or other produce, and hoop cheese to go with it.
Oh, about those strawberries, I picked up half a flat to share with the group of media folks (from NY, KY, CA, and NC) I spent a few days with touring the Outer Banks. It&#8217;s Got to Be NC, right?
Scuppernong Produce
87 Riverview Farm Ln
Columbia, NC 27925
(252) 796-7541

Question 5

Koreana, for something different in Arden, NC

Accepted Answer

Arden &#8211; Tired of lunch at the same places time after time?
If you find yourself in Arden, NC running errands (Lowes, OfficeMax, World Imports, Best Buy) like I do and want to grab a bite, there really aren&#8217;t that many options apart from fast-casual spots like Ruby Tuesday, Olive Garden, Chili&#8217;s, and fast food outlets like McDonalds, Arby&#8217;s, and Sonic.
Ready for something different and delicious? Pop into Koreana for lunch or dinner. They&#8217;re on Airport Rd. near Walmart.
Sweet Tooth and I did just that today. We ordered appetizers since we were hungry, but not starving.
Sweet Tooth got the Bang Bang Shrimp ($9) and reports the coconut mayo sauce was especially good.
 
I wanted to try their Korean Style Vegetable Pancake ($11), comparing it to a most fabulous vegetable pancake I&#8217;d had at Gan Shan Station (Asheville) quite a while ago. Although it didn&#8217;t beat out Gan Shan&#8217;s version, it was good. I&#8217;ll have the half that went home with me for a snack tomorrow.
Read more about Koreana, with photos, in my first Koreana review.
Koreana
221 Airport Rd
Arden, NC 28704
Phone:(828) 676-2844

Question 6

That time we ate crickets . . .

Accepted Answer

Hendersonville &#8211; When Nichole and I get together for dinner, it&#8217;s typically so we can talk about a project we&#8217;re planning, working on, or wrapping up.
This time, we thought we&#8217;d meet up for dinner at Never Blue, just for fun and good food.
We decided to share a Beet Salad ($7.25). It&#8217;s listed on the menu as &#8220;Beets&#8221; and described as &#8220;a light bed of baby arugula topped with brown sugar-malbec caramelized beets, fresh chevre, chopped marcona almonds, and balsamic reduction.&#8221; And it&#8217;s a huge portion. The photo is a little dark, but if you like beets, you must try this dish.

Co-owner/Chef Jesse Roque stepped out of the kitchen for a few minutes to talk to us about her new menu, still in the works at that time but set to go live any day now &#8211; maybe tomorrow Wednesday the 11th, and some recent ingredient changes.
One of those ingredient changes was beef cheeks instead of chuck roast in her Pot Roast. She got my attention describing the cheeks as way more tender than the chuck roast she&#8217;d always used, because I&#8217;d had her pot roast many times and the meat was incredibly tender.
So even though I wasn&#8217;t super hungry, I went ahead and ordered it, knowing full well most would go home with me. Yes. Everything on the plate, including the beef cheeks, was fabulous.

Here&#8217;s where it got interesting. Very interesting. We got a sneak peek at the new menu; new format, new dishes, and an &#8220;Adventurous Tacos&#8221; section. See some of the tentative new menu items at the end of this post.
Along with organ meat dishes, Jesse was pretty excited about including a popular taco sold by street vendors in Mexico. It just so happened all ingredients, including crickets &#8211; aka &#8220;Chapulines&#8221; &#8211; were on hand. So of course Nichole and I had to try it.

Nichole tried Chapulines and I did, too!I had my back to the kitchen door so didn&#8217;t see the crew gather to watch Nichole&#8217;s reaction. This was the first time anyone in the restaurant had tried Chapulines, so it was something of an event.
Honestly, the crickets added &#8220;crunch&#8221; but not a stand-out flavor. I&#8217;m thinking a more subtle flavor from the roasted crickets blended with the sauteed corn, sweety drops &#8211; the little red peppers imported from France &#8211; and queso fresco, creating a surprisingly delicious taco.
We decided the best thing to do following the Chapulines episode was to share one of Never Blue&#8217;s huge and always delicious desserts, Creme Brûlée.

That would have been more than enough for both of us after dinner and the added adventure, but then a most fabulous Peach Bread Pudding appeared at our table. Thanks for the tasty surprise, Jesse! Don&#8217;t know how you got it to taste like fresh peaches, but you did.

Tentative New Menu Items

Tuscan Lover: grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, capers, organic spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, asaigo-parmesan cream sauce, angel hair pasta
Boom Boom: apricot bbq sauce, grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, scallions, and chipotle ranchero
Low Country Ribeye: 16oz hand cut prime ribeye, smoked gouda-sour cream grits, forest mushroom-malbec demi glace
Vampiro (house-made flat bread): madeira onion jam, carred rapini malbec-beet cured garlic cloves, goat cheese ricotta, shaved parmesan
Tripa: crispy beef intestine, house-made green tomatillo salsa

So many completely luscious new dishes. I&#8217;m looking forward to trying most of them.
Never Blue
119 S Main St
Hendersonville, NC 28792
Phone:(828) 693-4646

Question 7

Brunch at The Local Joint

Accepted Answer

Fairview &#8211; It&#8217;s about the food. Okay, the decor is cute with a ketchup/mustard color scheme, and innovative touches like the window shades, but for me, it really is about the food at The Local Joint.
PIC and I took the scenic route from Mills River over to the Joint this morning for brunch (Breakfast Menu). Can you guess who had what?
Benedict $8.50: Two poached eggs, ham and Hollandaise Sauce on a toasted English Muffin.
Read a previous review with lots of details and photos here: &#8220;Best Kept Secret? The Local Joint Exposed!&#8221;
The Local Joint
1185 Charlotte Hwy
Fairview, NC 28730
Phone:(828) 338-0469

Question 8

Excellent, Authentic Dim Sum (Chinese) in Asheville - FINALLY

Accepted Answer

Is there good Chinese in Asheville? The answer has always been &#8220;No&#8221; . . . until now.
Two years in the planning,  Red Ginger Dim Sum & Tapas quietly opened at 82 Patton Avenue during snow and ice storms last week.
Dim Sum is a style of Cantonese cuisine prepared as small bite-sized portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates.
I wasn&#8217;t too sure about Dim Sum and Tapas under one roof, but it works &#8211; in a Chinese kind of way. Tapas are Spanish &#8220;small plates&#8221; and Dim Sum is &#8220;a style of Cantonese cuisine prepared as small bite-sized portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates&#8221;. So, basically Chinese Tapas. You won&#8217;t find plates piled with noodles or General Tso&#8217;s Chicken here.
I was expecting traditional carts rolling through a dining room, slowing at each table so diners could ask for what they wanted, or just point if unsure of the name. In busy Dim Sum restaurants, it&#8217;s common to be charged by the number of steam baskets and plates on the table at meal end.
Owner Mary (Mai) Mendvedev explained she and her chefs felt it was better to serve hot, directly from the nearby open kitchen, which made sense to me. And there really isn&#8217;t room in this space for carts.
Perfect for sharing, each order of Dim Sum usually comes with three to five portions.
First to the table were Pork Dumpling in Shanghai Style. Tip: because there&#8217;s chicken broth inside, avoid chin-drips by taking a small bite, suck the broth, then pop it in your mouth.
Pork Dumpling in Shanghai Style ($8): steamed dumpling with ground pork, chopped green onion, and chicken broth.
These Pork Dumplings are served with an incredibly good (not soy) sauce, made only in and imported from a particular Chinese city. This is the only sauce we used during the entire meal. Each dish is created with flavors that beg to be enjoyed on their own merit.

When you have a group of four like we did this past Friday, the best thing to do is order a number of dishes and share. Ask for a knife if you want to cut some things in half.
I&#8217;m a Steamed Barbecued Pork Bun fanatic, ordering them whenever I can. These are some of the best I&#8217;ve had, in no little part because of the slightly sweet, house-made barbecue sauce.
Steamed Barbecued Pork Bun ($6): roast boneless pork loin with home made chef&#8217;s special sauce.
A star of our meal, Crystal Shrimp Dumplings. Just fantastic! Tip: if dumplings like these stick to the paper underneath, they are not cooked correctly. They should lift right off.
Crystal Shrimp Dumplings ($8): steamed shrimp dumplings with minced bamboo shoots wrapped in thin rice skin.
None of us had tried wine from Russian Chapel Hills Winery, the winery Mai and husband Andrey own in Columbus, NC. We enjoyed the Tempranillo we chose.
A Russian Chapel Hills Winery Tempranillo
Moving toward earthier flavors, we ordered the Black Truffle Shu Mai. Dense and savory, these bites were a great mix of pork, shrimp, mushroom, and truffle.
Black Truffle Shu Mai ($8): steamed ground pork, shrimp, mushroom, and fresh black truffle.
Another take on barbecued pork, these classic Steamed Barbecued Pork Buns were delicious. You will need to peel the paper off the bottom before eating.
Steamed Barbecued ork Bun ($6): roast boneless pork loin with home made chef&#8217;s special sauce.
The only Tapas plate we ordered was Steamed Japanese Sea Bass. Tip: dishes on the menu are numbered. Each number is preceded by a &#8220;D&#8221; for Dim Sum or &#8220;T&#8221; for Tapas. It was good, but next time, we&#8217;ll go for the Baked Chilean Sea Bass. It&#8217;s one of Mai&#8217;s recommended favorites.
Steamed Japanese Sea Bass ($16): with mussels and white wine sauce.
Not especially attractive to look at, but totally yummy. I hadn&#8217;t had a roll like this previously, but really liked the &#8220;rice flour skin&#8221; texture. The sauce was tasty, too. Not just bottled soy sauce poured over the plate.
Beef Rice Roll ($7): steamed beef wrapped in rice flour skin, served with sweet soy sauce.
Tip: sit at the open kitchen counter if there&#8217;s a seat available. Watching the chefs ply their art is entrancing.
Mai explained to our group that the art of true Dim Sum has traditionally been passed down from generation to generation, but that the younger generation now has lost interest. Red Ginger&#8217;s Executive Chef visited the Asheville area from New York City multiple times at the invitation of Mai and her husband, finally deciding it would be a good place to &#8220;retire&#8221;. You&#8217;ll find him in the kitchen, making Dim Sum non-stop.
Chef working the steam ovens
Reg Ginger&#8217;s dessert menu is limited to four offerings as of this writing. One of them is a custom cake made just for the restaurant by iconic Asheville bakery, Karen Donatelli Cake Designs.
Red Ginger Mini Cake ($7)
If you like tapioca, get the dumplings pictured below. Scrumptious!
Tapioca Dumpling ($6): sago, milk, coconut milk, and eggs
Take a look at the photo gallery below, clicking on any image to enlarge, and you&#8217;ll see part of why Red Ginger is something of a higher caliber than usual for Asheville. The other part is the food, of course, but the attention to detail, design, and authenticity of Red Ginger sets it apart from many Asheville restaurants. It&#8217;s more what you&#8217;d expect in a larger, more sophisticated urban environment.
Important Note: Because Red Ginger has filled such a huge demand for good Chinese food in Asheville, and because they are still working everything out, they frequently run out of the most popular menu items by 7 &#8211; 7:30pm. Go early for best selection.
Notes:

The cut metal sculpture (for want of a better word) hung under the outdoor patio ceiling was commissioned and imported from China. There are, or will be, lights above mounted above. During the day, it acts an architectural feature on its own merit, but when backlit in the evening, it will create a leaf pattern below.
Pendant lights above the open-kitchen counter feature a Peony design. Although The People&#8217;s Republic of China doesn&#8217;t recognize a legally designated national flower, most Chinese refer to the Peony as the national flower of China. It is said to bring good luck.
Many finishes and products used at Red Ginger are locally sourced. Table tops (Rainbow Poplar), bar tops, and reclaimed wood on pillars are from North Carolina.
Artwork and some special fine china are hand-made and imported from China. See the six plates in recessed cubbies toward the back of the restaurant and the five pieces behind the bar depecting the Cheongsam style of dress made popular in China in the 1920s.
Service pieces and flatware were designed specifically for Red Ginger and imported from China.

Highly Epicurean Recommended!
Red Ginger
82 Patton Avenue
(near Pritchard Park)
Asheville, NC, 28801
(828) 505-8688

Question 9

Behind the scenes at Blue Ridge Distilling

Accepted Answer

Bostic (Golden Valley, NC) &#8211; Home of Defiant Whisky, Blue Ridge Distilling does things a little differently.
It&#8217;s a nice drive out to their rural Bostic (Golden Valley), NC location where you can visit the gift shop at their recently purchased 500 acre Girl Scout Camp main lodge, and tour the distillery.
You&#8217;ll learn about their put the barrel into the whiskey instead of the whiskey into the barrel method.
Eric Meech, Distiller

Our tour was led by Distiller Eric Meech. I&#8217;ve run into Eric on a few occasions outside Blue Ridge Distilling. Nice guy.
Eric Meech, Distiller
Bottled and ready for labeling.

Question 10

Why Postero Must Not Close

Accepted Answer

Hendersonville &#8211; Another year in the books, business partner and friend, Nichole Livengood (Gap Creek Gourmet), and I celebrated over dinner at Postero.
I&#8217;m a sucker for Brussels Sprouts. Postero&#8217;s take: Carmelized Brussels ($5) with local honey and toasted peanuts was fantastic. A generous serving, it&#8217;s practically a meal in itself. Loved the added crunch of the toasted peanuts.
See the complimentary bread behind the Brussels? It&#8217;s dangerous. It&#8217;s delicious, but be strong. Don&#8217;t be tempted to eat too much. You&#8217;ll regret it when your appetizer and entreé show up.

And just look at this $5 Smoked Butter and Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes appetizer! Both of these dishes are listed as &#8220;Provisions&#8221; on the menu. So good, but huge! Sharing is a good thing.

Just as we were marveling at the size of the apps and how much food we had inadvertanly ordered, Owner/Chef Jason Reasoner sent out Edamame Hummas ($6) from his &#8220;Snack&#8221; menu. Wow! We&#8217;re talking tahini, lemon sauce, olive oil, crushed edamame, and pickled yellow raisins, served with an ample supply of crostini. Now we were really in trouble. We loved the flavor and texture combinations.
Chef told us later that people weren&#8217;t too sure about this dish when he first put it on the menu, but now it&#8217;s sometimes hard to meet demand.

Yours truly was in the mood for something substantial and special. Postero&#8217;s &#8220;Steak&#8221; ($27) &#8211; grilled Beef Tenderloin with smoked butter-cauliflower mashed potatoes, Postero Steak Sauce, Burgandy braised mushrooms, and Blue Cheese butter met the bill big time.
I can&#8217;t say enough about the Postero Steak Sauce. It&#8217;s definitely not your average steak sause. Absolutely fabulous! It&#8217;s the kind of sauce you don&#8217;t want to leave on your plate. And those mushrooms. Terrific!

Every single dish came to the table hot. That doesn&#8217;t always happen at restaurants.
Nichole ordered a Market Plate ($19). This is a gamble I almost took, but opted for the Steak instead. I would have been totally happy with this daily preparation of &#8220;seasonal produce from the fields and local markets&#8221;. What a great combination of nuts, greens, cheese, and other veggies. Yum! Another good plate to share.

We were pretty full, but wanted to finish on a shared sweet note. Even though Chocolate Molten Cake can be cliché, we thought Postero&#8217;s version sounded different &#8211; and it was house-made. On the menu as Chocolate and Peanut Butter ($6), it&#8217;s filled with peanut butter sauce and served with a scoop of salted peanut brittle ice cream. You really have to try this. So good.

Postero must not close. Ever. Hendersonville, NC has needed a fine dining spot for quite a while. The kind of place you previously had to head north to Asheville to enjoy. And if you were paying attention, you would have noticed prices are definitely reasonable for this level of creativity and skill.
Postero is definitely Epicurean recommended.
Postero
401 N Main St
Hendersonville, NC 28792
(828) 595-9676

Question 11

Defiant Whisky Founder Featured in New History Series "Billion Dollar Wreck"

Accepted Answer

BOSTIC, N.C. &#8211; Tim Ferris, Founder and President of both Defiant Marine and Defiant Whisky, is featured in the new HISTORY series, “Billion Dollar Wreck.”
The series follows famed treasure hunter Martin Bayerle and his son Grant as they embark on a complex expedition in pursuit of both personal redemption and a billion dollars’ worth of treasure aboard the renowned and mysterious sunken cruise liner, RMS Republic. “Billion Dollar Wreck” premieres Monday, February 8 at 10 p.m. ET/ PT.
Ferris brings to the expedition years of technical deep-sea salvage diving expertise. It is the kind of high-risk, high-stakes project Ferris’ Defiant Marine knows better than anyone in the world, and it taps into a trait he shares with Bayerle — a determined and relentless desire to beat the odds in projects others would abandon.
“I was immediately drawn to Republic’s undeniable and truly historic story,” said Ferris, “and my role is to identify and manage a myriad of desires and expectations and orchestrate a safe and timely recovery.”
One of the largest and most luxurious ocean liners of its time, Republic sunk shortly after its departure from New York Harbor in the early hours of January 24, 1909. Considered unsinkable, the White Star ship collided with another vessel and now sits at the bottom of the Atlantic.
While on board, Ferris became fascinated with the story. “The history and legacy of the wreck are extremely compelling and motiving.”
Ferris is a likable leader attracted to finding creative solutions to any challenge. Without knowing it, many viewers have already gotten a taste &#8211; literally &#8211; of Ferris’ passion for invention and drive for perfection. And they got it not from his exploits on the ocean, but from his other great love and business — Defiant Whisky. By setting out to produce the best whisky possible in a way previously unheard of, Ferris’ whisky making remains true in all his endeavors — whether on the sea and off.

Defiant Marine Inc. is primarily an emergency response deep-sea commercial diving and heavy ship salvage company. Defiant Marine Inc, works all across the globe on a moment’s notice to provide assistance and experience in solving complex and environmentally-sensitive problems.
Defiant Whisky is the internationally award-winning Single Malt Whisky of Blue Ridge Distilling Company. For more information about Defiant Whisky or to schedule a tour of the distillery, please call 828-245-2041 or email info@blueridgedistilling.com.
Release

Question 12

Greenhouse Moto Cafe to open in Mills River

Accepted Answer

A fun new concept cafe and bar, Greenhouse Moto Cafe, is scheduled to open in 5 weeks at the old Carolina Roses location &#8211; 4021 Haywood Rd in Mills River, NC.
If you&#8217;re not familiar with the area, it&#8217;s close to the new Bold Rock cidery, and surrounded by farm land. UPDATE: for those that are concerned about getting dusty/dirty, they are on a paved road.
 
I had a chance to pop in and talk to one of the two Jeffs that are opening the place. Luckily, he was at a good stopping point in hanging display bikes.
 
Believe it or not, most of these vintage motorcycles are part of the other Jeff&#8217;s collection and are in running condition. Down the road (pun intended), they hope to be able to offer group road trips on these bikes.
I&#8217;m pretty sure I spotted Norton, Kawasaki, Triumph, and lots of BSA&#8217;s. When I mentioned that a certain group might be miffed if there weren&#8217;t any Harleys, Jeff pointed to the lone bike representing. See it bottom right in the picture below.
UPDATE 2/8/2016: My mistake. The black and white bike, bottom right is NOT a Harley. The Harley is hanging just out of view. So, I went back and took a quick pic to satisfy purists (myself included). Check out the second picture down.

Plans are in place for a number of taps featuring local beer and a couple set aside for Bold Rock Hard Cider. Eventually, they&#8217;d like to get their full liquor license.
A kitchen won&#8217;t be happening for a while, so in the meantime, they&#8217;re going to have a couple food trucks on hand. The cool thing about this is that they have so much room in the Greenhouse, the trucks can pull right inside the back so they&#8217;ll be out of the weather.
During the rehab of this huge greenhouse, lots of scrap wood began piling up. They&#8217;ve used the larger boards on a back wall and got creative with smaller strips over this doorway.
It leads to an adjacent space that may eventually house a &#8220;private club&#8221; social space. The kind you pay $1 to belong to to satisfy liquor laws.
Live music will be happening regularly here, too. I spotted a cool looking antique upright piano where the bar&#8217;s going in.
The Jeffs are hoping Greenhouse Moto Cafe becomes a jumping off point, stop, or even destination for local, regional, and long range road-trippers. It&#8217;s close enough to the Blue Ridge Parkway that it would make a great stop.
Of course, you don&#8217;t need to roll up on a motorcycle to be welcomed. Pull up on a bicycle, in a car, or even on foot and you&#8217;ll be welcomed. Jeff made a point of saying the Greenhouse will be a place where everyone is welcome. They hope it becomes a spot where locals hang out.
There&#8217;s no website yet, but you can &#8220;like&#8221; their Facebook page to keep up on their progress and know when they open: Facebook.com/Thegreenhousemotocafe
Greenhouse Moto Cafe
4021 Haywood Rd
Mills River, NC 28759

Question 13

The 10 Best Bakeries in North Carolina

Accepted Answer

Have a sweet tooth like me? These 10 Best Bakeries in NC are listed from West to East across the state, but not ranked within the list.
Many of these bakeries sell at their local farmers&#8217; markets. Check their websites for details.
Karen Donatelli Cake Designs (by Appointment Only) (Asheville)
1000 Hendersonville Road Suite 1
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 225-5751
Owner/Chef Karen Donatelli creates gorgeous confections, including the most sublime cakes and pastries. Donatellis has converted from a retail space to an appointment only format outside of downtown. Kept her bakery on this list just in case you want to order a custom cake or pastries. She&#8217;s that good.
Image: facebook.com/KarenDonatelliBakeryCafe/
Image: facebook.com/KarenDonatelliBakeryCafe/
Underground Baking Co. (Hendersonville)
352 7th Ave E
Hendersonville, NC 28792
(828) 674-7494
Co-owners Lisa and Matthew specialize in breads, but they bake plenty of pastries, too. Two of my favorites are their Almond Horns and Christmas Bread. They&#8217;ve been at their Historic 7th Ave. location for 5 years now, enticing locals and visitors alike to visit a part of town they&#8217;re helping revitalize.
Image: Underground Baking Co Facebook Page
Image: Underground Baking Co Facebook Page
Flat Rock Village Bakery (Flat Rock)
2710 Greenville Hwy
Flat Rock, NC 28731
(828) 693-1313
Flat Rock Village Bakery is housed in a cute building warmed by a wood-fired oven used for baking breads, pastries, and pizzas. If there are any left by the time I get to the bakery, I usually get a Turnover &#8211; any flavor. In warmer weather, find a seat on the spacious deck in the shade under one of the large Magnolias.
Image: Flat Rock Village Bakery Facebook Page
Image: Flat Rock Village Bakery Facebook Page
Amélie&#8217;s French Bakery & Café (Charlotte)
2424 N Davidson St.
Charlotte, NC 28205
(704) 376-1781
Amélie&#8217;s team of owners describe their shop as a &#8220;Parisian shabby chic bakery and cafe serving French inspired fare.&#8221; All I can say is Vive la France!
Image: Amelie&#8217;s Facebook Page
Camino Bakery, Coffeehouse, and Winebar (Winston Salem)
310 W 4th St
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
(336) 721-9990
Camino is one of those sweet spots that anchors a neighborhood. This one happens to be downtown Winston Salem. They have a nice loose leaf tea selection, in addition to espresso drinks, that can be ordered by the cup. If you prefer your cuppa with tea in a bag, they&#8217;ll hand tie one for you.
Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe & Restaurant (Durham)
2706 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 401-2600
A terrific German bakery/cafe. Love this place for a meal, fresh-baked bread, and pastries. Be sure to check out their yearly Oktoberfest celebration and seasonal Christmas Stollen.
Guglhupf
Guglhupf
Loaf (Durham)
111 W Parrish St
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 797-1254
Owner Ron Graff bakes in a 30,000 pound custom wood-fired oven and has set up Loaf in the European tradition; a neighborhood shop where you pick up your fresh-baked goods, rather than a bakery/cafe. Accordingly, Loaf’s interior might be considered minimalist with a bread rack, pastry case and coffee hot pots.
Stop in for items you want to take home, to a friend&#8217;s place, or on a picnic.
Loaf Durham
La Farm Bakery (Cary)
4248 NW Cary Pkwy
Cary, NC 27513
(919) 657-0657
With his wife and partner, Missy, Lionel Vatinet opened La Farm Bakery in 1999 and hasn&#8217;t looked back since. The star here is definitely bread. Vatinet is an acknowledged expert bread baker. He authored the well received book, A Passion for Bread.
I&#8217;ve run into Lionel at the Asheville Bread Festival, Beaufort Wine & Food Festival, and many other events over the years. He&#8217;s an exceptionally nice guy.
Nichole and I stopped in at the Cary &#8220;mother ship&#8221; for lunch and dessert in September. There are plenty of delicious sweet treats made at the bakery, too.
The Peppered Cupcake (Wilmington)
105 S Front St
Wilmington, NC 28401
(910) 399-1088
More than 80 unique flavors from sweet to savory &#8211; served warm. What more could you ask for in a cupcake? Next time I&#8217;m in Wilmington, it&#8217;s a Ginger & Pear cupcake for me! Wait &#8211; maybe the Bourbon Black Cherry & Vanilla Cobbler? No, the Strawberry Basil Cobbler sounds really good. Anyone up for sharing?
Image: The Peppered Cupcake Facebook Page
Image: The Peppered Cupcake Facebook Page

Question 14

Lake Lure's Flowering Bridge

Accepted Answer

Rather than demolish a decommissioned bridge in 2013, folks in Lake Lure got creative and re-purposed it as a walkable garden spanning the Broad River. The garden extends just beyond each end of the bridge, also.
Next time you&#8217;re in Lake Lure, stop, walk the bridge, and breath deeply.
&#8220;Officially dedicated Oct. 19, 2013, the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge blooms on the historic 1925 Rocky Broad River bridge in Lake Lure, NC. When the bridge was closed to traffic in 2011, the Friends of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge came together to create gardens on the 155 feet of the bridge and along a pathway at both ends of the three-arch span itself. With an emphasis on native plants, the Friends mission is to create a “Gateway to Somewhere Beautiful” for the enjoyment of the public.&#8221; ~ Friends of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge
The Flowering Bridge website
Facebook.com/LakeLureFloweringBridge

Question 15

Casual Luxury at The Firehouse Inn

Accepted Answer

Rutherfordton &#8211; What to do with a cool building that once housed the firehouse, city water, and police departments when it&#8217;s no longer needed?
Turn it into a gorgeous Bed and Breakfast, of course!
Co-owners Keven and Kitty McCammon purchased The Firehouse Inn, a beautiful 6 bedroom bed and breakfast, from previous owners who had completely remodeled the interior. Since the purchase, they&#8217;ve made it their own.

The lowest level serves as home to BlueRidge Design, Kitty&#8217;s interior design company. She has exquisite taste, by the way. It&#8217;s chock full of the cutest and most beautiful gifts and products.
I had the opportunity to spend some time with Kitty while staying at the Inn. Think lovely southern born and raised woman with character strong as steel. She is the proud owner and manager of Maple Creek Farm, where she and her husband raise Texas Long Horn cattle.
You can buy the famously lean Maple Creek Farm meet at BlueRidge Design shop.We hopped into Kitty&#8217;s Hummer (right, a Hummer) and drove out to the farm for a look-see. Because the cattle would walk away if they sensed strangers, Kitty drove right out into and around the hilly pasture. Talk about fun!
The Firehouse Inn
125 W 1st St
Rutherfordton, NC 28139
(828) 286-9030
BlueRidge Design
134 N. Washington St
Rutherfordton, NC 28139
828-286-8069

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