Q: Posana: where to go for Sunday Brunch

Asheville – Posana was my husband’s choice for Father’s Day Brunch this year. Oh, okay. I guess I’ll struggle through a meal at one of my favorite Asheville eateries. Even thought it’s one of my favorites, I hadn’t been for Brunch before. Our son lives a few blocks from Posana, so he met us there. He ordered iced tea, which first steeped in this fanciful set up. Things like this add to the experience just enough that they’re kinda cool – not gimmicky. And the tea had great flavor. Not your normal Biscuits and Gravy. Posana’s version has fried chicken on each house-made biscuit half, topped with Jones Dairy sausage gravy, and served with home fries ($13). I didn’t take my usual bite or two, but my son thought it was delicious. I went with a Roasted Asparagus Omelet ($12) which was really nice. As omelets go, this one was light and fluffy, with flavorable, firm asparagus. Normally this Posana Blueberry Brioche French Toast ($12) is something I’d order, rather than my husband. It’s served with sweet corn crème anglaise and blueberry mascarpone. Delicious! See the full Brunch menu here. See all Posana menus here. Posana has a nice patio area. While the weather’s warm, sit there if you can. It’s great for people watching. Posana 1 Biltmore Ave Asheville, NC 28801 Phone: (828) 505-3969

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: When your flight out of CLT is cancelled

Charlotte – What to do when you’ve driven two hours to Charlotte International Airport for a morning flight, it’s cancelled due to bad weather at your destination, you’ve spent hours in various lines, and are re-assigned to an early morning flight the next day? You book a room and spend the rest of the day tooling around Charlotte. We landed at Amélie’s French Bakery, named one of North Carolina’s 10 Best Bakeries, for a couple hours R&R; reading and researching on the Internet. Love the space. Love the pastries. Love the espresso drinks. The baked goods are amazing. Three full cases of them. Below is a “side” room with lots of additional seating. Don’t be surprised if crowds come in, forming a line that winds throughout. Sit back with your treat and espresso drink, taking in the show. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are also available. See all menus here. Epicurean Note: We were at the “mother ship” location, but there are also two more Charlotte locations, a Rock Hill, SC location and an Atlanta, GA location. Amélie’s French Bakery 2424 N Davidson St. Charlotte, NC 28205 (704) 376-1781

Question 1

Cucina24 - Rare Italian Fare

Accepted Answer

Asheville &#8211; Not as in &#8220;uncooked&#8221;, but as in hard to find, Italian cuisine taken to the next level. That is unless you&#8217;re talking about this Steak Tartare sent out to us by Chef Brian Canipelli at Cucina24. Thank you, Chef!

After meeting up with friends for dinner at Sovereign Remedies, we decided to head over to Cucina24 for a(nother) drink and perhaps a little more noshing. Mind you, these friends are slightly crazy foodiots, like me: a PR company owner who reps restaurants, a professional food photographer, and a well known local freelance writer who frequently covers culinary subjects.
We sat at a dimly lit table in the bar, drifting deeper into a conversation examining the difference between chefs (and other creators) as artists versus craftsmen/women. Is there a difference?

Tagliatelle BologneseAs the discussion wound its way through agreements and disagreements, I was reminded of weed-fueled conversations back in the day &#8211; that I never took part in, of course. The difference was this one was fueled by exceptionally good cocktails and sigh-inspiring food.
Oyster Mushrooms, Flowering Thyme, and Fontina Cheese (I think)
The Beef Tartare and Tagliatelle Bolognese (a dish I love) were both really good, but the next two . . . Oh. My. Word. I have no idea what Chef did in the kitchen to create polenta that ascended the more usual mere cooked cornmeal, before topping it with a riot of fresh flavors and textures.
On the right Stracciatella & Tomatoes. I was not familiar with Stracciatella, but was informed by one in our group that it&#8217;s frequently sweet. In this case, it was not exactly savory, but seasoned to compliment the beautiful ripe tomatoes. Absolutely fabulous! Next time I go, these two dishes will be my meal, if still available.
L &#8211; Polenta with Pecans, Peach, and Berries R &#8211; Stracciatella & Tomatoes
All Cucina24 pasta is house made. Don&#8217;t remember the name of this dish or what was in it, but it was just as delicious as the others.

Tasting each dish on the table is always a great way to go. A bite of each was perfect because I was pretty full from our meal at Sovereign Remedies. My choice was dessert: Bitter Almond Panna Cotta with lemon & mint sorbet and blackberries. And coffee.

The Panna Cotta was delicious &#8211; light and had a wonderful &#8220;mouth feel&#8221; as well as flavor. I was reminded just how good when I had Panna Cotta a couple weeks later at another restaurant. Not naming names, but it was a dismal fail.
Our server said the only coffee available at that time of night was an &#8220;Americano&#8221;, but it was more like an espresso &#8211; thick and luscious. My only, and I mean only, suggestion would be to inform people that they will be charged for a second cup when asked if they&#8217;d like more coffee.
Chef Canipelli offers a prix fixe dinner that&#8217;s served &#8220;family style&#8221;, which must be ordered by everyone at the table. It&#8217;s priced at $45. A fair price when you consider the amount and quality of food you&#8217;re getting.
Consider experiencing Cucina24 if you haven&#8217;t been, and go back if you haven&#8217;t been in a while. Heck, go even if you went last night. Chef Brian Canipelli is not known to blow his own horn, so I&#8217;m going to tell you he is a Star Chefs Rising Star 2013 and a semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Southeast award 2016. No small awards.
Cucina24
24 Wall St
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: (828) 254-6170

Question 2

The 11 best North Carolina travel-worthy restaurants in unexpected places

Accepted Answer

Searching for the best out of the way North Carolina restaurants? Here are the top 11 culinary outposts in unexpected places that are absolutely travel-worthy.
A couple on the list aren&#8217;t exactly &#8220;out in the middle of nowhere&#8221;, but are beacons of culinary excellence that stand out among nearby peers, if there are any.
In no particular order:
Off The Square
114 S 2nd St
Albemarle, NC 28001 &#8211; MAP
Phone: (704) 986-0621
http://www.offthesquarenc.com/
Off The Square is literally just off the town square in Albemarle. Albermarle is a small town that serves as Stanly County seat and was a former booming textile mill community. Off The Square was opened by a couple who returned after leaving NC for the bright lights of NYC. They have won culinary competitions such as Best Dish NC. They take pride in sourcing locally, supporting farmers and other producers.
Whatever they&#8217;re serving, it&#8217;s good. If Creme Brulee is on the menu, order it.

Grilled lamb chops with a fresh mint pesto served over garlic mashed potatoes and roasted winter vegetables. Image: Off the Square
Kitchen Roselli (Home of THE Cream Puff)
105 Main St
East Bend, NC 27018 &#8211; MAP
Phone: (336) 699-4898
http://www.kitchenroselli.com/
One of my all time faves! Kitchen Roselli is a family run restaurant that really is in the middle of nowhere. They serve roll-your-eyes-up-in-your-head Italian. Some refer to their Gnocchi as heavenly pillows. I&#8217;ve had them and they&#8217;re amazing. Roselli&#8217;s is especially known for their HUGE Cream Puffs. Order yours when you are seated because they will probably be sold out by the time you&#8217;re done with dinner. #testify
Imate: Kitchen Roselli
Gnocchi. Image: Triad Foodies
Southern Smoke BBQ
29 E Warren St
Garland, NC 28441 &#8211; MAP
Phone: (910) 549-7484
http://southernsmokebbqnc.com/
Matt Register, his wife, and his parents are frequently all on hand. Matt&#8217;s family goes back quite a bit in Garland. Given the chance, they&#8217;ll tell you what used to be here and there around town, including where Southern Smoke BBQ is located. At their last &#8220;Southern Supper&#8220;, my husband and I sat at a table with long-time Register family friends. One told us a story about growing up poor in Garland. The owner of the General Store would help out anyone that needed help with money and in other ways, too. He kept a running total in a book at the store, but never mentioned paying off the loans to anyone. The man telling the story got help through his high school years, including help with what he needed to go to the prom, but payed off all $500 as soon as he could.
The food&#8217;s down home delicious! Be prepared to wait in the line that forms before they open. As of this writing, they are only open on Thursday and Friday from 11:30am to 3pm. They are also working on getting a food truck on the road.
Image: tripadvisor.com/members/charliespr
Blanco Chicken. Image: Southern Smoke BBQ
Chef & the Farmer
120 W Gordon St
Kinston, NC 28501 &#8211; MAP
Phone: (252) 208-2433
http://www.vivianhoward.com/chef-the-farmer/
You&#8217;ve probably heard about Vivian Howard and her husband, Ben. How they are wildly successful, with an award-winning PBS show, an award-winning cookbook, Deep Run Roots, and tons of media coverage.
Again, Vivian and Ben &#8220;came home&#8221; to Vivian&#8217;s home town after honing her chef-cred in NYC. I won&#8217;t bother telling the much told story here since it&#8217;s easy to find online. The thing is, lots of people think this has been easy for Vivian and Ben. That fame and fortune magically came their way. Actually, they&#8217;ve worked incredibly hard to get where they are today. If you get the chance, say hello to Vivian and Ben. They&#8217;re good people.
The food is wonderful. Many dishes are family recipes as they have always been, or tweaked by Vivian. We took a road trip to Kinston with another couple. Dinner at Chef and the Farmer, Dessert and drinks next door at their Boiler Room Oyster Bar, and overnight in a nearby B&B. In the morning, we checked out the Farmers&#8217; Market (had to leave before Vivian got there to do a demo) across the street from Chef and the Farmer and then toured a few wineries on the way back &#8220;up the mountain&#8221; to Asheville.
Image: Chef and the Farmer
Watermelon Salad. Image: Chef and the Farmer
Canyon Kitchen at Lonsome Valley
150 Lonesome Valley Rd
Sapphire, NC 28774 &#8211; MAP
Phone: (828) 743-7967
http://lonesomevalley.com/cashiers-nc-restaurant/
Canyon Kitchen at Lonsome Valley is a seasonal spot, open in the warmer months. Chef Adam Hayes is at the helm. He&#8217;s not only Executive Chef, managing what happens at the restaurant, he also manages the gorgeous organic garden just outside the open-air restaurant and an on-site chicken house. He&#8217;s continually expanding the garden, seeking out heritage seeds in particular.
This is a great place to go whether it&#8217;s for an event or dinner with friends. The food is top notch and the views are killer! Just a heads up, Chef Hayes serves styled courses on large, white plates that sometimes make portions look small. Believe me, you&#8217;ll be happily sated by the time you finish your meal. I love the drive, but for some of you &#8211; you know who you are &#8211; beware winding mountain roads.
Image: Canyon Kitchen
Grilled Duck Breast, Blistered Cherry Tomatoes, Squash Oyster Mushroom, Sweet Potato Puree, Crispy Pickled Onion, Ramp Chimichurri. Image: Canyon Kitchen
Heirloom Restaurant
8470 Bellhaven Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28216 &#8211; MAP
Phone: (704) 595-7710
http://www.heirloomrestaurantnc.com/
Consistantly good food. Owners committed to sourcing locally and supporting farmers. Watch their website and/or social media channels for special dinners like their August 19th &#8220;Best Wines You&#8217;ve Never Heard Of Tasting&#8221; and their August 20th &#8220;Six Course Vegan Tasting Menu&#8221;.
My fondest memory of Heirloom is the time an entire glass of red wine was spilled on me and into my purse, which I&#8217;d set open on the floor for easy camera access. The poor server was mortified. His face . . . They handled it well and we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner, even if I was a bit &#8220;damp&#8221;.
Image: Heirloom Restaurant
NC Lump Crab Cakes. Image: Heirloom Restaurant
Mountain Magnolia Inn, Suites, & Restaurant
204 Lawson St
Hot Springs, NC 28743 &#8211; MAP
Phone: (828) 622-3543
http://www.mountainmagnoliainn.com/
Great food. Great views. Chef Zeb McDermott was born and raised in Asheville. After his formal education, he honed his skills in Portland, OR and Boston before returning to NC. Another one, right? He now attributes his success to &#8220;lots of trial and error&#8221;. Zeb prides himself on sourcing fresh and in season produce and meats, as well as on building lasting relationships with local farmers. Call to make your reservation.
Image: Mountain Magnolia Inn
Atlantic Salmon topped with a sauce made of eggplant, red peppers, garlic and onion served over roasted broccoli. Image: Mountain Magnolia Inn
Gamekeeper Restaurant
3005 Shulls Mill Rd
Boone, NC 28607 &#8211; MAP
Phone: (828) 963-7400
http://gamekeeper-nc.com/
Gamekeeper is a super cool spot in the mountains between Boone and Blowing Rock. Yes, they serve game meats &#8211; probably tastier than what you&#8217;ve had before &#8211; but many standards, too.
It feels like you&#8217;ve found a mountain lodge on top of a hill, out in the woods. A lodge where they know their way around the kitchen. They say of themselves, &#8221; As one of the first restaurants in the area to embrace farm to table, everything on our menu reflects this philosophy.&#8221; And I can tell you that they live that statement.
Gamekeeper is a semi-seasonal spot like a lot of higher elevation mountain restaurants. Beginning in November, they cut their operating days back to Thurs &#8211; Sat, so call to make a reservation and be sure they&#8217;re open. The decor is cozy, warm and welcoming.
Image: The Gamekeeper
Cocoa rubbed, grilled elk denver leg with blue mac and cheese, veggies. Image: The Gamekeeper
Spring House Restaurant, Kitchen & Bar
450 N Spring St
Winston-Salem, NC 27101 &#8211; MAP
Phone: (336) 293-4797
http://springhousenc.com/
I can&#8217;t say enough about Spring House co-owners Lynette Matthews-Murphy and Executive Chef Tim Grandinetti. They are the epitome of Southern grace and hospitality. Their desserts and drinks are awesome, too. If you&#8217;re not up for dinner, check out the Library Bar. It&#8217;s a great place to hang out. The ebullient Chef Grandinetti kills it in the kitchen and is also known for his BBQ prowess.
Grandinetti goes by Doc Brownstone when it comes to BBQ, and holds the multi-day Doc Brownstone&#8217;s Sweet Summer Luv Luv Festival at Spring House every year. Talented guest chefs come in from out of state and have a huge BBQ party. It&#8217;s a ticketed event held outdoors on the tented lawn. You can watch the action close up before, during, and after dinner. Go if you can.
Image: Spring House
Image: Spring House
The Colington Cafe
1029 Colington Rd
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 &#8211; MAP
Phone: (252) 480-1123
http://www.colingtoncafe.com
The Colington Cafe has been in the same Outer Banks (OBX) location for well over 20 years. The restaurant&#8217;s now landmark property &#8220;is one of the oldest deeded properties in the Outer Banks, owned and passed down by many generations of the Twiford family, as was most of the property in this area&#8221;.
It&#8217;s all about seafood, baby. This is where you go for local NC seafood at its freshest and best. If you just can&#8217;t do seafood, there are a few options for you on the menu.
Image: The Colington Cafe
Salmon and local scallops. Image: The Colington Cafe
Kindred
131 N Main St
Davidson, NC 28036 &#8211; MAP
Phone: (980) 231-5000
http://kindreddavidson.com
Kindred is one of the places I was talking about when I said a couple of spots on the list really aren&#8217;t out in the middle of nowhere. But co-owners Joe and Katy Kindred have been crushing it since the day they opened on Davidson&#8217;s main drag years ago. Their approach is seasonal, chef-driven, and they walk the talk when it comes to sourcing both their food and beverages with integrity.
The last time I was at Kindred, my friend and I sat at the bar and had drinks and murmur-worthy appetizers. Actually, I haven&#8217;t had anything less than murmur-worthy at Kindred. If you&#8217;re a regular Carolina Epicurean reader, you&#8217;ll know I publish their cocktail recipes every now and then.
Their menu changes all the time, but may offer things as varied as Grandfather&#8217;s Pickles, Warm Castelvetranno Olives (my favorite olives right now), Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup, Wagyu Beef Tartare, and Ravioli.
Image: Kindred
Santa Rosa plums, stracciatella, purslane, crunchy salt. Image: Kindred

Question 3

Flat Rock Wood Room Ascending

Accepted Answer

Flat Rock &#8211;  Four of us went to Flat Rock Wood Room for dinner a few weeks ago. I really had no intention of reviewing the place. Didn&#8217;t bring my &#8220;big girl&#8221; camera. Only my phone for pics, if I felt so inclined. Just wanted to enjoy a meal with friends.
They knew who I was, but the meal wasn&#8217;t comped or anything. We had excellent service, but as I watched the packed room throughout the evening, everyone else seemed to be getting good service, too. The Owner and the Chef did come over to our table to say hello, which we appreciated.
Speaking of the owner, I hadn&#8217;t realized that the couple who opened FRWR, Wayne and Kim Blessing, are in the process of transferring ownership to a friend, colleague, and dynamo named Jamie Guay. He&#8217;s considered the owner, but I think a few details need completing.
I say &#8220;ascending&#8221; because Wayne and Kim were able to create a top notch restaurant while at the same time competing in BBQ competitions in multiple states across the country. After meeting Jamie, I feel pretty sure he&#8217;s going to take the Wood Room to the next level. He&#8217;s a guy you should know if you get the chance.
One of the things I really like about FRWR is their commitment to community. They fed an awful lot of fire fighters and others during the WNC wildfires. And if I&#8217;m not mistaken, they helped in other ways, too.
For snacking before our entrees arrived, we ordered the Rib Teaser ($10.25): 4 St Louis Ribs served over a bed of onion straws. We put it in the middle of the table so we could all reach in for a rib. After I took the picture below, we each cut our entree into 4 parts and shared all around.

This is their &#8220;Famous Flame Broiled Pisgah Pork Burger ($13.99): hand pattied 7 oz. pork burger piled high with creamy apple slaw, and tangy BBQ sauce served on a grilled brioche bun.&#8221; It does have a little kick.

And served hot, right out of the imported wood-fired oven, Pepperoni Pizza with mushrooms. I&#8217;m not sure of the price with the added mushrooms. It&#8217;s on the menu as mozzarella cheese and pepperoni for $13.75.

All four of us thought the Brisket Stack Brioche Sandwich was the absolute best! It&#8217;s &#8220;1/3 lb of shaved marbled brisket point covered with sauce and grilled with melted provolone cheese then piled on a buttered grilled brioche’ roll topped with a generous stack of fried onion rings and covered with competition bbq sauce. Ohhhhhh yeaaaaaa&#8221; ~ Jamie Guay. PIC and I will be heading back soon so we can each have our own.

After listening to Jamie describe the Buckboard Bacon Melt, I had to order it.
&#8220;Buckboard bacon is bacon made from pork shoulder instead of pork belly. We debone pork shoulder and butterfly it out flat like pork belly. Then we use a mixture of seasonings and pink salt along with brown sugar and maple syrup brining it for 10 days. After this curing process we smoke it to 160 degrees and cool it down over night. Next day its shaved thin When the buckboard bacon melt is ordered We make a Sriracha, honey mayonnaise sauce and layer it on the top and bottom of a Cuban roll. Sliced provolone is then placed on it and a pile of shaved buckboard bacon. We then place our famous southern greens on the bacon and sweet and house brined sweet and sassy pickles. The sandwich is buttered and wrapped very tight with foil and pressed till crisp and hot on the outside and hot and melty-gooey on the inside. The salty sweet delicate flavors enhanced by the collar greens with the crispy texture of the Cuban bread is not found anywhere but the Flat Rock Wood room.&#8221;
If you&#8217;re looking for something a little different and delicious, ask your server if this is available.
The other thing to know is that Flat Rock Wood Room desserts are AMAZING! Kim had previously done the baking, but has since trained a staff member. She&#8217;s definitely rockin&#8217; it!
Lemon Cake &#8211; had a wonderful lemony flavor. Not over the top.
Chocolate cake with raspberry (I think-could be strawberry?) frosting. Fantastic!
Flat Rock Wood Room
1501 Greenville Hwy
Hendersonville, NC 28792
Phone: (828) 435-1391

Question 4

Posana: where to go for Sunday Brunch

Accepted Answer

Asheville &#8211; Posana was my husband&#8217;s choice for Father&#8217;s Day Brunch this year.
Oh, okay. I guess I&#8217;ll struggle through a meal at one of my favorite Asheville eateries. Even thought it&#8217;s one of my favorites, I hadn&#8217;t been for Brunch before.
Our son lives a few blocks from Posana, so he met us there. He ordered iced tea, which first steeped in this fanciful set up. Things like this add to the experience just enough that they&#8217;re kinda cool &#8211; not gimmicky. And the tea had great flavor.

Not your normal Biscuits and Gravy. Posana&#8217;s version has fried chicken on each house-made biscuit half, topped with Jones Dairy sausage gravy, and served with home fries ($13).
I didn&#8217;t take my usual bite or two, but my son thought it was delicious.

I went with a Roasted Asparagus Omelet ($12) which was really nice. As omelets go, this one was light and fluffy, with flavorable, firm asparagus.

Normally this Posana Blueberry Brioche French Toast ($12) is something I&#8217;d order, rather than my husband. It&#8217;s served with sweet corn crème anglaise and blueberry mascarpone. Delicious!

See the full Brunch menu here. See all Posana menus here.
Posana has a nice patio area. While the weather&#8217;s warm, sit there if you can. It&#8217;s great for people watching.
Posana
1 Biltmore Ave
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: (828) 505-3969

Question 5

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 6

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 7

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 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

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 10

When your flight out of CLT is cancelled

Accepted Answer

Charlotte &#8211; What to do when you&#8217;ve driven two hours to Charlotte International Airport for a morning flight, it&#8217;s cancelled due to bad weather at your destination, you&#8217;ve spent hours in various lines, and are re-assigned to an early morning flight the next day?
You book a room and spend the rest of the day tooling around Charlotte.
We landed at Amélie&#8217;s French Bakery, named one of North Carolina&#8217;s 10 Best Bakeries, for a couple hours R&R; reading and researching on the Internet.
Love the space. Love the pastries. Love the espresso drinks.

The baked goods are amazing.

Three full cases of them.

Below is a &#8220;side&#8221; room with lots of additional seating.

Don&#8217;t be surprised if crowds come in, forming a line that winds throughout. Sit back with your treat and espresso drink, taking in the show.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are also available. See all menus here.
Epicurean Note: We were at the &#8220;mother ship&#8221; location, but there are also two more Charlotte locations, a Rock Hill, SC location and an Atlanta, GA location.
Amélie&#8217;s French Bakery
2424 N Davidson St.
Charlotte, NC 28205
(704) 376-1781

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