Q: Birthday Girl chooses . . . Never Blue!

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

Q: Harvey's at The Henderson Inn

Hendersonville – Guest post by Martha Smith. Two friends and I went to Harvey’s at The Henderson Inn for an early supper before going to Flat Rock Playhouse. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 5 – 9pm, Harvey’s has a small plate menu that is also meant to be shared with friends. Having been to Brunch on Sunday we thought it would be fun to do dinner. The special for the evening was an Asparagus Soup which two of us ordered. It was delicious. Asparagus Soup Other items ordered were Harvey’s Salad wrapped in cucumber with a fried banana leaf to finish it off ($6). Harvey’s Salad wrapped in cucumber with a fried banana leaf Next was Ahi Tuna Tataki ($8), Ahi Tuna Tataki and Wild Mushroom and Truffle Empanadas with cauliflower sauce ($10). Wild Mushroom and Truffle Empanadas with cauliflower sauce Two of us couldn’t wait to order the Creme Brulee for dessert. Yum!! All were delicious. It would be fun to have a group and each person order different things. Plates are brought out as they are prepared and not all at one time. Going at 5pm allowed us plenty of time to get to the playhouse on time. Harvey’s at The Henderson Inn (https://thehendersonnc.com/harveys/) 201 3rd Ave W Hendersonville, NC 28739 Phone: (828) 696-2001

Q: Rustic Grape Wine Bar: respite from the madness

Asheville – Visiting or working in Asheville, when you need a break there’s a sweet little spot tucked away on a corner in the heart of downtown. You’ll find it one block off Biltmore Ave. at the intersection of S Lexington Ave and Aston St, behind the Aloft Hotel. It’s Rustic Grape Wine Bar (https://www.rusticgrapeavl.com/). It’s trendy, leans toward industrial, with a sprinkling of soft touch to cozy it up. Nicely arranged fresh flowers are always part of the decor. There’s high and low seating, including a little nook area set back between the wall of wine and the wall of windows. It’s a great place for groups to gather for conversation. Or on Mondays for the weekly board game night and $2 off all glasses of wine. There are specials on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, also. A charming patio is out front, facing Aston St. There’s not much of a view, but there’s some people watching and not much traffic. At night, light spilling onto the patio and sidewalk gives the corner a glowing, warm look. I was walking down Aston St when the thought of a nice cool glass of wine felt decidedly appropriate. It was warm outside, but not too warm for patio sitting. Note to singles – men or women – you will not feel uncomfortable in the least enjoying a drink by yourself, whether you’re waiting for friends or flying solo. Rustic Grape (https://www.rusticgrapeavl.com/) 14 Aston St Asheville, NC 28801 Phone: (828) 424-7707

Question 1

Brooks Tavern: Tryon vs Hendersonville

Accepted Answer

This is going to be a short article, mostly image-based. I want to say right up front, I&#8217;m a fan of both Brooks Tavern locations. Both have warm and cozy feels. Same menus, but definitely different spaces.
Hendersonville is a smaller space, therefore less seating. Choose between booth or bar seating, plus a couple tables. Original brick walls, lighting and bar design set the tone. It&#8217;s been a local hang out since it opened.
Tryon has a lot more space with multiple table/chair seating areas, a piano in one of them, and bar seating. Tables are topped with black tablecloths, that along with lots of older brick & rock walls & wood beams, add to the knotched up, but relaxed ambiance.
Eight of us met for dinner at the Tryon Brooks Tavern this week. It was a very early dinner, so there weren&#8217;t many people in the house yet. I took advantage and took lots of pictures to share.
Not pictured, because we immediately dug in, are two Appetizers. Both were very good!

Deviled Eggs: classic creamy stuffed eggs with paprika and a sliver of Brooks famous candied bacon.
Fried Mushrooms: fresh mushrooms hand breaded to order, then deep fried golden brown, served piping hot with their homemade Ranch dressing.

Full Disclosure: I&#8217;ve done work for Brooks Tavern, building and now maintaining their website.

Question 2

The Hare and Hound Pub - hunt for good times and food over!

Accepted Answer

Every now and then we make the half hour run &#8220;down the mountain&#8221; from Hendersonville to O&#8217;Darby&#8217;s Liquor Barn in Landrum, SC. This last time we stopped at The Hare & Hound Pub for lunch before heading over to O&#8217;Darby&#8217;s. Opened in 2002, the restaurant&#8217;s a Landrum icon that feels like it&#8217;s been there forever. I&#8217;m guessing the building was probably built in the late 1800&#8217;s to early 1900&#8217;s.
Hare & Hound&#8217;s location at 101 E Rutherford St. anchors both sides of the corner at one end of downtown Landrum&#8217;s two-block stretch of shops, gallerys, and eateries. Landrum&#8217;s historically an &#8220;equestrian&#8221; town. I used to frequent a second-hand shop at the other end of the two blocks. It carried the most beautiful top quality clothes, many sporting equestrian motifs, but sadly it&#8217;s gone now.
Can&#8217;t swear to this without much more research (wink), but The Hare & Hound feels like a community hub. Lunch or dinner hours, there&#8217;s a cozy, family-friendly vibe inside and out. They even have extra high highchairs for high-tops if that&#8217;s your choice for seating. It&#8217;s got that semi-darkish pub feel inside, with plenty of interesting decor. Not so dark you can&#8217;t see your food, though. You&#8217;ll recognize all the dishes on the menu and know how to pronounce all the ingredients. And those dishes lean towards hearty.
Servers are friendly and efficient. They&#8217;ve got a solid cocktail program, as well as wine & beer. Outdoor seating is shaded and lovely in nice weather. Do NOT leave without having Dessert!

The Hare & Hound Pub
101 East Rutherford Street
Landrum, SC 29356

Question 3

Going, Going, Go to Auction House Food Hall?

Accepted Answer

Auction House Food Hall&#8216;s concept is fun and perfect for its Fletcher, NC location at 29 Fanning Bridge Road. That said, I&#8217;m going to sum up my two visits as, first visit &#8211; &#8220;don&#8217;t need to ever go back&#8221;. Second visit &#8211; &#8220;okay, I&#8217;ll give them another try after this one&#8221;. See why I went back after that first visit and the gallery below for more details.
First visit take: love the concept, super creative fun decor, love that they included a pass through bar to lots of fun outdoor seating and stage area, still deciding on exterior only for going from one floor to the other (it was raining this day), hated the dry & chewy Fish Camp Twenty Five Fried Cod Sandwich I ordered, and liked the Crab Hush Puppies. My friend&#8217;s KO Burger burger, ordered with katchup, was impossible to pick up and eat because there was so much katchup on it, everything else slid out into a big katchupy mess.
Second visit take a few days later with two other friends that wanted to give them a try: The Chicken Tinga Quesadilla from Mercado Cantina had plenty of chicken in it and was tasty. Even though three of us liked and shared the zesty Blue Collar Bourbon Social Fried Brussels Sprouts, there were plenty left to take home. We didn&#8217;t order a Burger this time, but DID see one waiting for pickup and it looked 100% better!
Overview: There&#8217;s plenty of seating throughout. Ordering at Mercado Cantina on the main, street level, is fine. Ordering from Fish Camp, KO Burger, and Blue Collar is all done at Blue Collar, and is less than fine. That wasn&#8217;t a problem during the first visit because there weren&#8217;t very many people there. It WAS a problem on the second visit because there were a lot of people there and everyone was in one long line to order. It took quite a while to get up to the counter to place our order. We went back up to the main floor with our pagers and then back down again to pick up our food. All lower level food pickups are done at the center window between KO Burger and Fish Camp.
Spaces:  Weather permitting, I will always choose dining and hanging out in the outdoor space out back. Next, I&#8217;d choose the upper level because it feels open with lots of windows, airy, kind of energized.  There are also a few tables that look good for seating on a narrow upper level deck, overlooking the outdoor seating below.  Finally, downstairs seating.
Parking: Is plentiful and easy in the huge parking lot they put in behind the building. Lower access is quick and easy. Upper level access from the lot is either up exterior stairs on the far side of the building, or up a long accesible ramp on the near side.
Bottom Line: Give them a try. If it&#8217;s not the best on your first visit, go back again, giving them another chance. I&#8217;m really glad I did!

Question 4

Claywood: Something Deliciously Different in Hendersonville

Accepted Answer

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

NOTES:

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

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

Question 5

Nashville's Gulch - perfect for a weekend getaway!

Accepted Answer

Looking for a weekend getaway? An escape to Nashville is the answer! It&#8217;s only a 4 1/2 to 5 hour straight shot on I-40 West from Asheville. Four of us &#8211; two couples &#8211; did just that in mid-December.
We found the perfect AirBnB in The Gulch, for a three night stay. It&#8217;s quieter than staying downtown near all the action on Broadway, yet has lots of excellent restaurants, shops, and a Hop On &#8211; Off Old Town Trolley stop, all within easy walking distance. Of course, sometimes you want to be where the action is. Just not this time.

Just south of downtown lies this once-abandoned industrial area that&#8217;s undergone an urban revitalization in recent years sparking an intoxicating new energy. The exceedingly walkable LEED-certified community is teeming with boutique hotels, high-rise condos, instagrammable murals, shops, live music venues, breweries, and diverse culinary offerings spanning everything from biscuits and Nashville Hot Chicken to Detroit-style pizza, traditional ramen, and Indian food. VisitMusicCity.com

An overview and image galleries (see captions) of our favorite places to Eat, Play, and Stay in Nashville&#8217;s Gulch and beyond are below the map. Use the Open/Close Icon   top left for flyout map location details.
 
Our weekend getaway was full of great food, drinks, and entertainment.
If you&#8217;re new to Nashville, definitely get a one-day ticket for the Hop On &#8211; Hop Off Old Town Trolley. That way you can get a good overview, making note of where you want to go back to and explore more thoroughly.
We took in the Christmas Show at the Grand Ole Opry. None of us had been before and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even the one of, who shall remain nameless, that isn&#8217;t a country music fan, had a good time.
The Musician&#8217;s Hall of Fame and Museum was amazing. Displays that included country musicians, as well as others like Jimi Hendrix and Elvis, sound equipment, instruments, and costumes worn during iconic performences went on and on. Live music and private events are also held here.
Finally, don&#8217;t miss the live music, neon, and partying on Lower Broadway, the city&#8217;s main drag, also known as Honky Tonk Highway downtown, and Printers Alley. I&#8217;d recommend going to both during the day, and again at night for the full effect.
MILK & HONEY &#8211; The Gulch
We try to go to Milk and Honey whenever we&#8217;re in town, especially for breakfast and espresso. There&#8217;s a light, fun vibe, which may or may not involve the energetic full bar. A long wait isn&#8217;t uncommon in peak season, so plan ahead and get there early if it&#8217;s breakfast you&#8217;re after.

THE PUB &#8211; The Gulch
Good food! Good drinks! If you&#8217;re looking for excellent execution of traditional British dishes, order Scotch Eggs and Fish & Chips. Check out their whiskey and beer offerings, also. Cozy atmosphere, which was ramped way up with holiday decorations, and nice, attentive staff.

BISCUIT LOVE &#8211; The Gulch
Best biscuit I&#8217;ve had to date. Crisp/crunchy outside &#8211; light, fluffy inside. Not embarassed to say I could easily make of meal of their biscuits with jam. If I did that, I&#8217;d mis out of the very tasty sausage gravy, though. Feeling adventurous? Check out their &#8220;Brunch favorites with a twist&#8221;.  They serve up very good espresso drinks and take the time to top them off with a rosetta.

PEG LEG PORKER &#8211; The Gulch
Open since 2013, serving up award winning BBQ. They &#8220;cook fresh every day and serve until items run out.&#8221; Everything was very good, but we were especially impressed with the juiciness of the 1/2 rack of dry rubbed ribs! Expect a line, but don&#8217;t worry, they move everyone through pretty quickly.

ADELE&#8217;S &#8211; The Gulch
Adele&#8217;s &#8211; not the singer &#8211; was our choice for our final dinner in Nashville. We wanted to wrap up our weekend getaway with a special evening and excellent food. We experienced elevated, as opposed to fine (although it was fine), dining. They refer to their dishes as &#8220;comfort food&#8221;, which I&#8217;d definitely agree with. We were seated with a good view of where the magic happens &#8211; their very open kitchen. Prep, plating, garnishing, a wood-fired oven, and a wood-fired grill. Our meal and evening were deliciously perfect. Note that they change their menu regularly, so items here may not be available when you go to Adele&#8217;s.
Love that the building used to be a garage and that they&#8217;ve kept just enough of that &#8220;feel&#8221; to make it fun.

Question 6

Birthday Girl chooses . . . Never Blue!

Accepted Answer

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

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

Descriptions of each image are in the gallery below.

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

Question 7

Not a stretch - Tall John's, Asheville's next Best Restaurant?

Accepted Answer

To be sure, I&#8217;ll have to go to Tall John&#8217;s a few more times to make the proclaimation &#8211; &#8220;Asheville&#8217;s next Best Restaurant&#8221; permanent. If last night&#8217;s preview is any indication, there&#8217;s no question about it!
Food hasn&#8217;t surprised me in quite a while, but three of the four dishes we had did just that. I was surprised by unexpected flavors and textures. There was also a little surprise involved with how dishes were presented &#8211; serving dish & utensils, portioned for two. It&#8217;ll be interesting to see if they continue with this approach. Our server confirmed that&#8217;s the plan. It was fine for us, and actually added to the experience, but what if you have a table of four and they all order different things?
WHO
Tall John&#8217;s is helmed by Executive Chef/Owner Trevor Payne and General Manager Jasper Adams.
Chef Payne returns to Asheville, where he has family roots, following an extensive culinary career in Portland, Oregon’s top kitchens (Clyde Common, Le Pigeon, Little Bird Bistro, Olympia Provisions).
Those of you familiar with Asheville&#8217;s culinary scene will know Jasper Adams from Table, The Imperial Life, Cucina 24, and Rhubarb. He&#8217;s a life-long Ashevillian.
WHAT
With a hip, cozy, neighborhood-tavern-like ambiance, Payne has positioned Tall John&#8217;s as &#8220;a place for all occasions for everyone.&#8221; It&#8217;s set to be a destination for everyday meals and special occasions alike, where &#8220;the quality of the food, beverage, and service is just as important as creating an approachable atmosphere where people feel comfortable.&#8221;
Seating capacity is 50 in the dining area and another 20 to 25 on the side patio. They&#8217;re planning a Spring opening for the patio.
The space has undergone extensive interior remodeling. It&#8217;s been modernized, while maintaining the building&#8217;s historic character: the original 1900s-era floors have been refurbished rather than covered over, and a new open kitchen & spacious bar have been added.
That Kitchen Bar definitely brings you up close and personal to the action. It struck me as a narrow space to work in, especially when there&#8217;s a crowd, but there was a smooth flow as Chef Payne directed. Remember this was a soft opening, so first run with patrons. I also wondered if it would get hot with commercial oven, cooktop, and grill about ten feet from our seats. That hood did its job. No unusual heat on our side of the bar.
Payne, son of Asheville artist John Payne, has called upon some of his close relationships with artists and craftspeople to bring original touches to the space. These include custom metal work from Tina and Kayla Councell of Iron Maiden Studios and original artwork from local artist Kevin Hogan (Payne&#8217;s father-in-law).
What&#8217;s behind the name &#8220;Tall John&#8217;s&#8221;? Treavor Payne&#8217;s father&#8217;s name is John, and he&#8217;s tall. They called him Tall John. As Jasper Adams tells it, the name gradually morphed into a feeling of casual comfort and just a generally good feeling.
MENU
The menu will offer &#8220;European-American classics like roasted chicken, cold oysters, radishes and cultured butter, caesar salad, a great steak [and possibly a great burger]. The newly-built spacious bar will serve classics like freezer-cold martinis, an intentional selection of enduring wines from small producers, time-honored draft and packaged beers, and crafted non-alcoholic drinks. There are a variety of seating options to choose from, including outdoor patio seating, a full-service bar, a counter at the open kitchen, and a lively dining room.&#8221;
See the Sample Menu served during their friends, family, and media event in the Gallery befow. You&#8217;ll see dishes are titled, but not described. If you want to know what&#8217;s in the dish before ordering, ask your server.
For instance, the menu said, &#8220;Fall Chicories&#8220;. It was a Chicory Salad with pear, grapes, and a creamy pistachio dressing, topped with cheese. That dressing, though. Seriously delicious! It&#8217;s pictured in the gallery below.
WHEN
Tall John&#8217;s plans to open for dinner service on October 19th from 4-10pm for walk-ins only. Dinner service will be Wednesday through Sunday, with additional offerings, including weekend brunch, daytime coffee, and what the team describes as a &#8220;badly needed in Montford&#8221; retail bottle shop on the ground floor, soon to follow.
WHERE
Located at 152 Montford Avenue, the historic building dates back to 1906. It&#8217;s tucked in among the neighborhood&#8217;s historic residences and old-growth trees. Throughout its history, the building has been home to a Piggly Wiggly and a Pentecostal church before being restored and converted into a restaurant space last occupied by Italian restaurant, Chiesa.
WHY YOU SHOULD GO
What impressed me most was the creative (read delicious) approach Payne takes to his dishes. Even the most mundane &#8211; a side of Baby Turnips. Turnips, you say? Try them before you dismiss the idea. No idea how they make those turnips do what they do. Take a bite, after swiping in the (no nut) pistou, and you get a spash of full, but mildly flavored liquid in your mouth followed by a firm-tender chew.
And those Oysters! Oh. My. Gosh! Definitely put a spoonful of that magic Mignonette sauce &#8211; traditionally made with minced shallots, cracked black peppercorn, and vinegar (either red or white) on top &#8211; followed by a light lemon squeeze.
Our &#8220;Tall&#8221; dish, &#8220;Roasted Half Chicken&#8221; was tender, juicy, and tasty. It made a difference following our server&#8217;s suggestion to add squeeze lemon over top.
I wondered if this was a case of a chef coming from the other side of the country, bringing what&#8217;s standard there as new here. But Asheville chefs have come from all over. He&#8217;s not the first. I&#8217;ve also spent time in Portland without running across cooking like this. Conclusion? It&#8217;s all Chef Trevor Payne.
Tall John&#8217;s
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talljohnsavl
152 Montford Ave
Asheville, NC 28801
828-782-5514

Question 8

Vintner's Table opens (softly) at Burntshirt Vineyards

Accepted Answer

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

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

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

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

Question 9

Itto Ramen Bar and Japanese Tapas opens in Arden

Accepted Answer

Tony Lin, owner of Itto Ramen Bar & Tapas, has opened his third location at 335 Airport Road in Arden.
&#8220;Brand&#8221; content as it relates to food and drink program is creative and completely delicious, if a little confusing. Is it Itto Ramen Bar & Tapas or Itto Ramen Bar & Japanese Tapas? Is the website ashevillejapanesefood.com (Arden location only) or ittoramen.com (all three locations)? Scaling a business up isn&#8217;t always easy.
The Arden location website doesn&#8217;t have a menu posted, but lists their Specialties as Tapas, Sushi, Ramen, and Dim Sum. See the Arden menu here. I&#8217;ll be going back, but if they launch a solid Dim Sum program, you can bet &#8211; well, alot of things &#8211; that my family will be regulars.
Epicurean Notes:

See image captions for names of dishes.
Love the wall mural! Especially The Great Wave by Hokusai Katsushika. Such a classic.
They got the most seating possible into this space. It&#8217;s done well, but you&#8217;ll probably end up talking to people, definitely checking out plates, at tables near you.
Not easy to see in the image below, but there&#8217;s Sushi Bar seating rear left.
Every dish we had, including the Ramen to go we left with, was excellent!

When you go, keep in mind they&#8217;ve just recently opened and there may be a kink or two to work out. And it&#8217;s always good to call to be sure they&#8217;re open before heading out to a restaurant these days.
Itto Ramen Bar & Japanese Tapas
335 Airport Rd
Arden, NC 28704
828-676-0558

Question 10

Forestry Camp: Unique Dining in Asheville

Accepted Answer

So much to unpack here! I was going to write about our dinner for two in mid-December, 2021 at Burial Beer Co.&#8217;s Forestry Camp in Asheville, but major changes are taking place, so it might be a completely different experience for you when they reopen in February.
&#8220;We will be taking a well-needed rest and reflection for the month of January so that we can open anew on February 4th and welcome you into the new Burial Beer realm. Focusing on a taproom lounge experience, new spaces and venues, and immersive tours. Naturally, we had to have killer new grub from the team of Chefs, the latest VISUALS wine and cider, a list of some of the most incredible wines from friends of Burial, and one hell of an upgraded cocktail list.&#8221;
&#8211; burialbeer.com/location/forestry-camp
So, for now I&#8217;ll share images of the magical evening my friend and I spent over dinner and drinks at Forestry Camp. Can&#8217;t wait to see what they come up with next at such a unique location!
About Forestry Camp:
Built by the CCC, the multi-building facilty housed men who worked building the Blue Ridge Parkway. The structures remain much as they were when originally built, making it a very unique property, especially as a tap room, lounge, and restaurant.
Keep up with the latest from the amazing team at Burial:

Burial Beer Co Website
Burial Beer Co Facebook Page
VISUALS Instagram Page: A natural winery from the folks at Burial Beer Co
Forestry Camp Web Page
Burial Beer Forestry Camp Instagram Feed

Forestry Camp
10 Shady Oak Dr.
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 505-4452

Question 11

Holeman and Finch Asheville - in Reverse

Accepted Answer

Why reverse the Holeman and Finch experience? Because Impressed came after Annoyed, which came after Confused, so I&#8217;m leading with the positive and will sum it all up at the end.
Impressed
Uppermost, servers were friendly and top notch. They actually made the evening.
Dessert, Sticky Toffee Pudding served with pour-over sauce and vanilla ice cream, was delicious. There are lots of options on the menu, but don&#8217;t miss the charcuterie, oysters, and chilled seafood. Their charcuterie program is curated and awesome.
From our seats we could see (through the shelving, jars, etc.) cured meats thinly sliced by hand. To the right of the shelves we watched a gorgeous hand-cranked meat slicer in action. We watched Co-owner Chef Linton Hopkins reaching for this and that as he put together charcuterie boards using excellent cheeses and cured meats.
Create your own Charcuterie board from the meat and cheese listings on the menu. It&#8217;s a little confusing. The menu says &#8220;served with bread, nuts, pickles & mustards&#8221; and &#8220;choose one choose many &#8211; all by the ounce.&#8221; So order any combination (all cheeses, all meats, both) and as much as you like, but know that prices on the menu are for 1oz of that item.
Oysters and Chilled Seafood are ordered from a menu (.pdf) laid out like a Sushi menu. Note how many of each item you want to the left of that item.
If you&#8217;re a popcorn fan, try their Bacon Popcorn. Take a bag home with you. It&#8217;s delicious and addictive.
Annoyed
Why would you choose to seat media, on hand to experience all that is your new restaurant, on metal stools, at a narrow counter, at a window facing the street, where the only thing they can see is a reflection of themselves?
We requested different seating and were offered spots at the bar. Only problem was they were directly in front of stocked shelves, so the view of bar action was obscured and servers behind the bar couldn&#8217;t get to us very easily.
Confused
You&#8217;re expecting us, right? Confirmed with a NYC PR company as well as the Holeman and Finch Operations Manager, no one seemed to know what was happening. No one introduced themselves to us, explained anything about the Holeman and Finch concept, owners, or anything else. It felt awkward and confused.
Some of the confusion on our part was because we weren&#8217;t aware of the concept going in. We were expecting table seating in a typical &#8220;restaurant&#8221;. I&#8217;d done my research, but not until we saw the menu did we get that Holeman and Finch is based on a &#8220;Public House&#8221; format. It feels like they refined their concept as an afterthought and are still dotting i&#8217;s and crossing t&#8217;s. Although their parent Hopkins and Company website lists a Holeman and Finch Public House opening soon in Colony Square, Atlanta, this location is listed as Holeman and Finch Asheville.
We weren&#8217;t quite sure about portion sizes and wondered if some dishes were meant to be entrées. Chef Linton took a minute to explain that there are no entrées on the menu, just various dishes of various sizes. Choose from Snacks, Plates, Parts, Meats & Cheeses, Farm, and Sweets. If it matters to you, ask your server about portion size. See MENU (.pdf).
Wrapping it Up
My take: Holeman and Finch is like an intimate, old English countryside neighborhood Public House relocated to Asheville and modernized with current decor. It&#8217;s a place where you should not be surprised if you find yourself conversing with the people at the next table or bar stool. It&#8217;s where I&#8217;d meet up with friends for drinks and food. We&#8217;d most likely end up talking and laughing over a table-top full of shared plates.
&#8220;I prefer it when someone looks like a nice person, and you think, &#8216;I could have a laugh with them in the pub.&#8221;
&#8211; Jo Brand
Even with the confusion and annoyances, I love the Holeman and Finch concept and hope they&#8217;ll tighten things up over the next month or so.
Epicurean Notes:

If you see a red &#8220;86&#8221; stamped on the menu, it means that item is no longer available. You know, it&#8217;s been &#8220;86ed&#8221;. Seems like a labor intensive thing, but on the other hand, it frees up the servers from having to explain what&#8217;s available and what&#8217;s not.
They&#8217;ve put as much seating into this small space as humanly and legally possible. If the patio opens back up (new Avl regs on parking lot seating & heating), some of the seating pressure should ease.
Question menu items if you want details. One of the dishes we had was Blackened Chicken Liver captioned &#8220;buttermilk spoonbread, mostarda&#8221; ($13, see image gallery), The buttermilk spoonbread had a saucy rather than the expected Yorkshire Pudding type consistancy and the mostarda (not everyone knows what this is) was a peach mostarda di frutta.
Holeman and Finch Asheville is the latest offering from Hopkins and Company, an Atlanta based hospitality group. They originally opened this location as H & F Burger right before Covid hit in 2019, shutting down shortly afterward.

Holeman and Finch Public House
77 Biltmore Ave
Asheville, NC 28801
828-417-3053
Sponsored

Question 12

Take the road less traveled to Birchwood Hall

Accepted Answer

Birchwood Hall Southern Kitchen was our latest day trip destination. If you like to drive the back roads like we do, head out from Brevard on US-276 and wind your way up the curvy mountain road, stopping at Looking Glass Falls if you like. After about an hour you&#8217;ll land in Waynesville.
The view when the weather&#8217;s nice during winter months is fantastic! No pesky leaves on the trees getting in the way. Watch for small mountain springs and unnamed waterfalls on your way. Stop at a couple (or more) pullouts, get out and see what you can see.
If you don&#8217;t want to drive the curves, take I-40 West and follow your GPS directions to Birchwood Hall Southern Kitchen, 111 N Main St, Waynesville, NC 28786. It&#8217;s a great place for lunch before exploring Main St shops, or heading back home. Their food&#8217;s tasty and reasonably priced. Note their Sanitation Score in the image below.
The I-40 route is an easy drive. It&#8217;s longer mileage-wise, but takes about the same time as the mountain-view drive.

Question 13

Harvey's at The Henderson Inn

Accepted Answer

Hendersonville &#8211; Guest post by Martha Smith. Two friends and I went to Harvey&#8217;s at The Henderson Inn for an early supper before going to Flat Rock Playhouse. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 5 &#8211; 9pm, Harvey&#8217;s has a small plate menu that is also meant to be shared with friends. Having been to Brunch on Sunday we thought it would be fun to do dinner.
The special for the evening was an Asparagus Soup which two of us ordered. It was delicious.
Asparagus Soup
Other items ordered were Harvey&#8217;s Salad wrapped in cucumber with a fried banana leaf to finish it off ($6).
Harvey&#8217;s Salad wrapped in cucumber with a fried banana leaf
Next was Ahi Tuna Tataki ($8),
Ahi Tuna Tataki
and Wild Mushroom and Truffle Empanadas with cauliflower sauce ($10).
Wild Mushroom and Truffle Empanadas with cauliflower sauce
Two of us couldn&#8217;t wait to order the Creme Brulee for dessert. Yum!! All were delicious.
It would be fun to have a group and each person order different things. Plates are brought out as they are prepared and not all at one time.
Going at 5pm allowed us plenty of time to get to the playhouse on time.
Harvey&#8217;s at The Henderson Inn (https://thehendersonnc.com/harveys/)
201 3rd Ave W
Hendersonville, NC 28739
Phone: (828) 696-2001

Question 14

Photolog: Is the Cambria Hotel and restaurant, Hemingway's Cuba, for you?

Accepted Answer

Asheville &#8211; Antonio O. “Tony” Fraga, Sr., President and founder of FIRC Group, along with his son, Alexander W. Fraga FIRC Group Vice President, and extended family hosted the Grand Opening event for their newest property in Asheville, the Cambria Hotel Asheville (http://www.cambriadowntownasheville.com/) two weeks ago.
A note about Tony Fraga; I was impressed with his sincerity when he spoke to all gathered for the Grand Opening, he stressed legacy and the importance, for him personally, of &#8220;leaving the world better than you found it&#8221;. He also talked about heritage and leaving something for future generations.
The FIRC team put together a lively, Cuban-influenced, oh-so-Asheville celebration I found to be completely refreshing! Three well known buskers were on hand, entertaining folks in the lobby, Silver Drummer Girl, Abby the Spoon Lady & Chris Rodrigues, as well as, The Buskits (amazingly talented 9 & 11 year old brothers), in the 4th floor restaurant and rooftop bar, Hemingway&#8217;s Cuba.
THE GRAND OPENING

I was fortunate enough to spend the night as the Fraga&#8217;s guest. This meant I could give the room and amenities the once over with a critical eye.
Conclusion? The Cambria features architectural design that impacts perception and emotion in a most positive way. For instance, the hotel rooms feel open and welcoming, even though they&#8217;re not especially large, due to angled walls, frosted bathroom glass doors and walls, and special touches like a table-top welcome tableau of local chocolate and complimentary bottled water.
Special touches abound. On check-in, you are offered a glass of champagne. On check-out, you are presented with a gift jar of local honey. Asheville is &#8220;Bee City&#8221; after all. Bedside lights are well placed and switches are easily reached. There are more than enough outlets and USB charge locations in the rooms and the mirror in the bathroom features Bluetooth speakers. Just touch the red button on the mirror and pair your device to listen to your favorite playlists!
In addition to standard rooms, there are 1 and 2 bedroom view suites with sitting/living areas and balconies furnished with very nice seating. The one we gathered in before the ribbon cutting had a great view of the 4th floor rooftop bar as well as long range views of the city and surrounding mountains.
THE ROOM & VIEW

Hemingway&#8217;s Cuba, overseen by Chef Duane Fernandas, has overcome initial concerns of locals regarding menu items and pricing nicely. Definitely go for a meal and/or drinks. A small group of us had &#8220;dinner&#8221; &#8211; really, we shared a variety of dishes delivered to our table and described in detail by Chef Duane. Look through the gallery below for descriptions of each dish.
I really can&#8217;t say enough about the rooftop bar. You MUST not miss it. There are fire rings with cozy, comfortable seating, umbrellas for especially warm days, and fabulous lighting at night. It&#8217;s modern, sleek, and welcoming without &#8220;attitude&#8221;. A comfortable place to hang out with friends over drinks and appetizers.
Epicurean Notes:

Not in the Hemingway&#8217;s Cuba gallery, but Tres Leches Cake, a delicious dessert I&#8217;d highly recommend!
Cambria is a higher end property of Choice Hotels
This Cambria has many custom features and details. It&#8217;s not a typical Cambria Hotel.

THE FOOD AT HEMINGWAY&#8217;S CUBA

Cambria Hotel (http://www.cambriadowntownasheville.com/en-us)&#8217;s
Hemingway&#8217;s Cuba (http://www.hemingwayscubaasheville.com/)
15 Page Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: (623) 432-0198

Question 15

Rustic Grape Wine Bar: respite from the madness

Accepted Answer

Asheville &#8211; Visiting or working in Asheville, when you need a break there&#8217;s a sweet little spot tucked away on a corner in the heart of downtown. You&#8217;ll find it one block off Biltmore Ave. at the intersection of S Lexington Ave and Aston St, behind the Aloft Hotel.

It&#8217;s Rustic Grape Wine Bar (https://www.rusticgrapeavl.com/). It&#8217;s trendy, leans toward industrial, with a sprinkling of soft touch to cozy it up.

Nicely arranged fresh flowers are always part of the decor.

There&#8217;s high and low seating, including a little nook area set back between the wall of wine and the wall of windows. It&#8217;s a great place for groups to gather for conversation. Or on Mondays for the weekly board game night and $2 off all glasses of wine. There are specials on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, also.

A charming patio is out front, facing Aston St. There&#8217;s not much of a view, but there&#8217;s some people watching and not much traffic.

At night, light spilling onto the patio and sidewalk gives the corner a glowing, warm look.

I was walking down Aston St when the thought of a nice cool glass of wine felt decidedly appropriate. It was warm outside, but not too warm for patio sitting.

Note to singles &#8211; men or women &#8211; you will not feel uncomfortable in the least enjoying a drink by yourself, whether you&#8217;re waiting for friends or flying solo.
Rustic Grape (https://www.rusticgrapeavl.com/)
14 Aston St
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: (828) 424-7707

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