A Not So Academic Food Blog

Sorry for the delay, here are some ways to save- Asheville Dining Deals

2011-10-31T21:57:00.001-04:00

After a long hiatus, I’m back and in the mood to blog again. Where did I go? Well remember when your parents told you that you should pursue your dreams and you can do anything as long as you set your mind to it? You could say that’s what I’ve been doing paired with a heavy dose of procrastination, watching college football, playing XBOX 360, and a little bit of teaching.

My dream at age 25, from July 15, 2011 to a date TBD was and still is quite comical. I wanted to be and want to be a comedian.

This was a photo taken of me on October 6 at the Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic at The Pulp Lounge. I find this photo very peculiar, because I think it captures the one moment in the 10 plus times I’ve been on stage that I didn’t ask myself the question, “Why in the world are you here? And why do you do this to yourself?”

But comedy is just one dream I have. I dream that someday I may be in shape and be able to last 3 rounds in a UFC cage. If I’m never in shape, I dream that I will win some type of fencing title that nobody has ever heard of. I dream that one day one of my students will think I’m the greatest teacher they have ever had not because they failed to fail my course, but because they learned something profound that impacted their life. I dream that one day my research will revolutionize how health professionals communicate with stroke victims. I dream that Eminem will feature me in one of his songs, and in that moment a lyrical and rhetorical fire will burst from the depths of my soul that I never knew existed. Finally, I dream about being a competent and a dependable food blogger (I know, shoot for the stars kid! Mom would be so proud.).

In the upcoming months, when you visit notsoacademicfood.blogspot.com you should expect more frequent restaurant reviews, recipes, and restaurant saving tips. Depending on how many desserts I skip over the next couple months, you should also expect a much needed web redesign.

Why Blog?

Like most Americans I love food. I come from a family that loves food. Loved it so much in fact that my dad’s midlife crisis was choosing to purchase a new set of pots and pans, and an Emeril cookbook instead of the iconic Harley that usually christens such meltdowns. After watching my dad prepare meals inspired by Bobby Flay, Emeril, Giada De Laurentiis, Guy Fieri, the Neelys, Tyler Florence, and yes even the Tupelo Honey cookbook, I know the hard work that it takes to whip up some of these meals. Or in other words, I blog because some meals deserve/need to be celebrated.

The other reason I blog is because I’m broke. After spending six years in higher education to complete two degrees, I racked up quite a bill of student debt. A student loan bill that eats up most of my monthly teacher salary or in other words, where I spend my money counts, really counts. There are very few restaurant menus I haven’t read in Asheville, not only for the options offered, but more importantly the price. I’ve spent hours on Urbanspoon, Chowhound, and Yelp making sure when I decide to spend my money at a restaurant it counts.

It is clear from Internet research, the best restaurants in Asheville are The Admiral, Zambra, Limones, and Curate. However, these establishments scare me because the money involved, to have a complete meal (drinks, appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert) is money that matters, and to not like a meal after spending that type of money would make my stomach hurt, figuratively and literally.

This is not to say it is impossible to be budget conscious at the above establishments. The Admiral just started offering a late night menu with all items priced below $10 and several months ago, my girlfriend and I racked up a brunch bill at Curate that was cheaper than Sunny Point.

Curate- tortilla espanola de chorizo (traditional spanish potato and onion omelet with chorizo)

huevos rotos con jamon iberico fermin (fried egg over crispy potatoes with cured ham)

torrijas (modesto bakery brioche soaked in a citrus cinnamon custard and seared until golden brown, served with fresh berries and sherry sabayon)

My point is I blog, because I want to add to the mass amount of information already available, pay it forward so to speak, to allow consumers to make smart choices about how they spend their money, celebrate restaurants that offer good food at affordable prices, and at all costs, avoid stomach pains from bad overly priced meals.

So in spirit of being cost effective, I figured what better way to kick off blogging again by sharing how I save while dining out in Asheville. My go to sources for saving on Asheville dining include:

WNC Insider

If you follow me on twitter @Notsoacademic or read a few of my past blog posts, it’s no secret I love WNC Insider. I love WNC Insider because it’s the best deal to save money on dining in Asheville. The 2012 line up which is on sale now, features BOGO deals (Buy one entrée get one free) at 65 restaurants for only $33. That’s insane!

WNC Insider has introduced me to some of my favorite Asheville meals, which include:

Asheville’s Best Pizza

Iannucci’s Sicilian Style Pizza topped with Italian Sausage, Egg Plant, and Fresh Tomatoes. I would eat this baby for dessert!

Asheville’s Best Breakfast Dish

The Corner Kitchen’s Homemade Corned Beef Hash (topped with two Poached Eggs, light Horseradish Sauce)

My Guilty Pleasure

Tolliver’s Crossing Irish Pub’s Best Darn Burger Period (Soaked in Murphy’s Irish Stout, we pile everything but the kitchen sink on top, lettuce, tomato, bacon, jalapeños, mushrooms, grilled onion, with choice of cheese) It’s disgusting how much I love that burger. I’ve only had a burger at one other establishment, so can’t exactly crown it best yet.

Bottom line, get ready to save money and lots of it at some very good Asheville/Hendersonville restaurants. I love them and I hope they still love me after I inform them for the second year in a row I think I gave them the wrong shipping address for my card.

Rely Local Asheville

Coupons

Rely Local Card

Follow them on twitter @RelyLocalAVL and you will soon find out they’re twitter junkies, but for good reason, because they have a lot of deals to share. The coupon link has 53 deals for local restaurants. For $16, you can purchase the Rely Local Rewards card that offers 23 deals (typically 10-15% off your bill) at local restaurants.

I used my Rely Local Rewards card a while back at Viva Deli.

Viva’s sandwiches are huge; this particular Muffaletta (mortadella, genoa salami, prosciutto, swiss, muffaletta spread, lettuce, tomato, and onion served on foccacia bread) was my lunch and dinner for the day.

You Get We Give Asheville

I like this Groupon-esque website because it gives back 10% of your purchase to a local organization of your choice.

Other Groupon-esque websites include:

AshevilleDeal.com

Brought to you by 98.1 The River, and other radio stations. Deal for Neo Burrito West starts tomorrow.

Deal Chicken Asheville

Brought to you by The Asheville Citizen-Times that launched on October 18^th

HeyItsHalfOff.com

Brought to you by ABC 13 WLOS and MY 40 WMYA. Currently has a deal for Lime Leaf Thai Fusion in Hendersonville.

Groupon Asheville

You never know somebody may have just discovered the Internet and not know about Groupon?

Restaurant.com

After a first impression this website doesn’t look like a very good deal. Example: Buy a $25 gift certificate to Pack’s Tavern for $20. Requires a minimum purchase of $35 at Pack’s and excludes alcohol, and tax. Good deal if you plan on spending $35 dollars, because you save $5. Bad deal if you don’t normally rack up $35 dollars in food because you are spending more than the $5 you saved in my case to get to the $35 minimum.

However, Restaurant.com releases promo codes all the time for 80% off their gift certificates. So if you pay attention and wait for promo codes you can get $25 gift certificates to multiple restaurants for just $4 or less. Also be aware that these certificates are usually only good Sunday-Thursday and depending on the gift certificate amount could require up to a $100 minimum purchase.

Find Me Specials Asheville

A user and local business driven website that shares drink and food specials of the day.

Hometown Value Guide

Asheville North/Weaverville

Henderson County

Asheville South/Arden

A coupon booklet you should receive by mail. But if not, just print them off the website. The current booklet expires November 15.

Valpak

Another by mail coupon booklet, that expires 1/22/2012.

Southern Savers

A good blog to follow whether you want to save on dinner bills, grocery bills, movie admissions, rentals, etc.

Dining Deals coming soon:

Asheville Independent Restaurants Passport for 2012

According to AIR’s website “When you purchase AIR's Passport, you will receive a coupon booklet representing over $1000 in dining savings. The coupons are good for one year. Cost for the booklet is $50. You can also purchase the passport at The Asheville Store at the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau at 36 Montford Avenue. Presale Passports will be mailed November 21st, 2011.” I personally can’t tell you much about this card. The website does not go into detail what the “$1000 in dining savings” is. So my girlfriend and I plan on visiting the Asheville Store soon to find out what kind of deals the passport offers. At first glance, $50 seems a little pricey but the passport has 37 participating restaurants including Chai Pani, Luella’s Bar-Que, Mela Indian Restaurant, and Tupelo Honey, all of which has been reviewed on this blog.

Asheville Go Local Card

This card is rather new and is brought to you by Love Asheville (Asheville Grown Business Alliance). According to communication on Facebook the cards will be printed and distributed in January and the deals start on February 1^st. Asheville restaurants that have signed up to participate so far include Bouchon Creperie, French Broad Chocolate Lounge, The Dripolator, The Hop, The Junction, Magnetic Theatre, Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack, Short Street Cakes, Woody’s Pizza & Hoagies. The card is priced $15 and for every card sold $5 goes to the Asheville City School foundation and another $5 goes to the PTO that sells you a card. Pre-sale for the Go Local Card started today and can be purchased through Claxton Elementary, Issac Dickson Elementary PTO, Jones Elementary PTO and Vance Elementary PTO.

Keep an eye out on:

Poor in AVL

This lady quit her job and now she is broke like me. She does an awesome job of mining the Asheville scene for in most cases free events or at the very least very cheap things to do in Asheville including dining.

Happy Hour Asheville

The site posted the following on their Facebook page on September 19^th “Folks we are in the beta phase of Happy Hour so input and support are greatly appreciated. Go to www.happyhourasheville.com and register your phone for text specials coming soon!” So far the website just lists Beef ‘O’ Brady’s happy hour specials. I love happy hour specials, so I hope this site gets off the ground and participates with local dining establishments as well.

Thanks for being patient with me and I hope to bring you content on a regular basis in the future. Any deals you use while dining in Asheville I missed?

Café Ello and The Chocolate Fetish a great way to say hello to Asheville again!

2011-08-11T16:29:00.000-04:00

After a month of visiting family and friends in Kansas, Missouri, and Montana, I finally arrived back in Asheville this past Tuesday. A few too many happy hours with friends in Kansas City and Missoula though has left me just a few dollars to survive on till the next paycheck. So I was happy Tuesday morning to stumble upon a deal for a buy one entrée receive another free for Café Ello in my WNC Insider The Savings Club book.

A random side note Asheville. Asheville I do love you, but this has to be the first city I’ve been too where very few restaurants offers a food happy hour. Asheville why do you hurt me so? I once lived in lands where I could get burgers, calamari, fish tacos, nachos, wings, Kobe beef sliders, etc all for under five bucks each for two to four hours a day every day. Oh and beer…….

Back to your regularly scheduled blog….

Café Ello has a very relaxed atmosphere. It comes off as a local’s establishment with much of its business coming from frequent regulars, as quite a few diners seemed to know each other and felt very comfortable holding a conversation among themselves and the staff.

This particular Tuesday morning diners were quite lucky as an adorable little girl, who I can only assume must be the owner’s daughter, sang and danced for arriving customers.

My girlfriend and I both ordered the huevos rancheros (two eggs served over country potatoes and tortilla chips, topped with a black bean patty, sliced avocado, white cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, scallions, roasted vegetable salsa, and chipotle sour cream).

This dish was great. My girlfriend commented on how she could tell the ingredients were made fresh. I particularly enjoyed the black bean patty that was filled with a spicy flavor and loved the yolk of the egg mixed with the country potatoes. The only complaint was that the dish could use a bit more chipotle sour cream, but overall the huevos rancheros was satisfying.

I can see why the same people flock here on a regular occasion. The food is great, the price is modest, and the atmosphere is laid back, and is definitely a suitable substitute for breakfast when you don’t want to wait in line for a table at Tupelo Honey or Sunny Point.

Total before tip- $10.32

Café Ello

64 Haywood St.

Asheville, NC 28801

http://www.cafeello.com/

After breakfast we headed over to The Chocolate Fetish. WOW does this place smell good!!!!! I’m not that knowledgeable about chocolate and the options were almost overwhelming (well not too overwhelming, I would try them all if I could), so I asked the counter attendant what his favorite item was. He explained that they were known for their truffles, but his absolute favorite was the Dark Pistachio Frogs (frogs are their version of the turtle). So I ordered one Dark Pistachio Frog.

Photo from Chocolate Fetish Website

My girlfriend ordered the Dark Pecan Frog.

Photo from Chocolate Fetish Website

Since they both melted together in the car, I had the pleasure of trying both and they were delicious.

Who knew hot weather could have a culinary benefit?

The Chocolate Fetish

36 Haywood Street

Asheville, NC 28801

www.chocolatefetish.com

It’s ridiculous chicken this hot, tastes this good! Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack

2011-07-12T18:00:00.001-04:00

I’ve been waiting for the opening of Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack for some time now. I’m somewhat of a Man v. Food buff and it is my personal mission in life to go to every Man v. Food restaurant possible. So far I’ve made it to:

Time-Out Restaurant

Chapel Hill, NC

The Chicken Cheddar Biscuit with Mac N Cheese

The Pit

Raleigh, NC

(I can say proudly before Pitmaster Ed Mitchell left)

The brisket and pulled pork platter

Oklahoma Joes Barbecue

Kansas City, KS

(Favorite so far)

Stroud’s Oak Ridge Manner

Kansas City, MO

Season one Adam visited Memphis to try the spicy fried chicken at Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken. I was fascinated with the concept of hot chicken, since I like Buffalo wings so much and when I heard Rocky’s was opening I new I had to try it.

I went to Rocky’s on opening day. I ordered the Hot---Pepper Spray wings for which the lady at the cash register responded with a shocked face ‘Oh Wow!’

As I ordered the additional side of corn pudding and a sweet tea, my mind began to wonder whether this lady had a clue as to how much I like spicy food or was my taste buds really in for a rude awakening.

The previous thoughts ran through my mind for quite some time because Rocky's was packed with people on opening day. This resulted in a backorder in the kitchen and quite a few messed up orders. However, I didn’t really mind considering it was opening day and mistakes are inevitable, plus it gave me the opportunity to do my second favorite activity at restaurants right behind eating, people watching.

The table next to me had a regular from Rocky’s old location in Arden, NC. This particular man that wore Rocky’s insignia on his chest proudly, took his chicken seriously and boasted to his table that he had found the perfect chicken spice when one day he asked Rocky to prepare his chicken right between the Pepper Spray and Mount St. Hell No (XX Hot) spice. He also explained that the wings were spicier than the breast no matter what spice you ordered because you come in contact with the wings spice more often while the breast’s middle offered a break for your tongue.

A man sitting at a table across from me ordered the Mount St. Hell No! Breast. I observed him rather closely. I wanted to know if I was going to cry like a baby after trying the Pepper Spray wings and whether the Mount St. Hell No! was even edible. The man took a couple bites and everything seemed ok. But bite three he began to wipe heat sweats from his forehead with a napkin. This is when I knew I might be in trouble.

After an hour and fifteen minutes from placing it, my order finally arrived.

I was starving so I dived right in. The following thoughts ran through my mind:

Bite one: yum!

Bite two: oh shit!

On bite three, I physically sneezed. My body wanted no part of the Pepper Spray wings but my palette wanted every last bit of it.

The wings were served on top of a single slice of bread. All the spices from the wings soaked into the bread creating almost a French toast experience, if French toast tasted like candy that was on fire.

The corn pudding didn’t pack a lot of flavor but I found it as a nice way to put out the fire that was a crackling on my tongue.

My wait time for food was a norm that day, but no matter how aggravated customers were that day waiting for their order, the majority of them left satisfied, even a few promised they could wait longer if the chicken continues to taste as good as it was.

They say you have to give a restaurant a couple of months to work out the kinks before you can really decide whether you like the place. No number of kinks will keep me away from Rocky’s chicken.

Lush Life Today and G Social Media are hosting Asheville Wing War this Saturday, July 15 at The Garage at Biltmore to benefit Our Voice. Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack is one of the competitors and I wouldn’t be surprised if it came home with a few awards.

Total before tip- $11.85

Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack

http://www.rockyshotchickenshack.com/

1455 Patton Avenue

Asheville, NC 28806

828-575-2260

Red eye gravy? White gravy? It’s all gravy baby! Tupelo Honey Café & Olive and Kickin’

2011-06-21T23:52:00.001-04:00

When I first started my food adventure around Asheville 5 months ago, I allowed Fodors.com top ten list for Asheville to guide me. So far it hasn’t failed me and it certainly didn’t disappoint on Saturday when it lead me to Tupelo Honey Café for brunch.

The brunch started with the waitress bringing out a plate of biscuits paired with blueberry jam and honey.

The biscuits are ginormous and some of the best that I have ever had especially topped with Tupelo’s homemade blueberry jam.

I had the Fried Chicken and Biscuits (two biscuits smothered in red eye gravy and topped with buttermilk fried chicken).

This was my first experience with red eye gravy. In fact, I had no idea what it was, so I had to Wikipedia it before we left, so I didn’t look like a tourist by asking the waitress. According to Wikipedia:

“Red-eye gravy is a thin sauce often seen in the cuisine of the Southern United States and associated with the country ham of that region. Other names for this sauce include poor man's gravy, bird-eye gravy, bottom sop and red ham gravy. The gravy is made from the drippings of pan-fried country ham, bacon, or other pork, sometimes mixed with black coffee. The same drippings, when mixed with flour, make the flavoring for a white gravy.”

Apparently people in the South take their red eye gravy and how it is prepared seriously. Here is an excerpt I found on Urbanspoon from oceannotionrr:

“How disappointing!!! TUPELO'S redeye gravy was a MILK GRAVY with bits of meat in it????

We thought it must be a mistake and waited for our waitress to fix the mistake. She told us THAT was their redeye gravy.

We asked nicely if they could mix about a half cup of coffee from their ham drippings, but she replied that the kitchen said they had to stick to their menu and their recipes.

I've checked google, and the classic redeye gravy recipe CONTAINS coffee and DOES NOT contain milk.

HOW COULD TUPELO HONEY CAFE GET IT SO WRONG?

NEVER GOING TO TUPELO HONEY CAFE AGAIN.”

Now this previous quotation may come off as snobbish to some of you, but food, particularly Southern food is taken seriously in the South. For example, I have read or heard the following phrase at least a 100 times since I’ve moved to North Carolina, “You can call it what you like, but here in the South, barbecue is a noun, not a verb.” Such rhetorical quips are not meant to come off as snobbish, but rather a way in the speakers’ mind to highlight the personal principle of preserving Southern food culture.

I’m sorry to report to oceannotionrr that I have no dog in the save Southern culture fight, just a fork. Not to mention, he or she’s choice not to attend Tupelo Honey again will mean now I only have to wait 45 minutes for a table rather than an hour ;-). Please forgive me, but Tupelo Honey’s red eye gravy was damn good!

The gravy was light enough to prevent it from sticking to your ribs but thick enough to prevent the fluffy mouth watering biscuits from turning into a soggy mess. The bits of bacon and ham found in the gravy made this dish delectable.

But the true flavor explosion occurred when the red eye gravy made friends with the fried chicken, which was tender and moist. The breading of the chicken dressed with the red eye gravy is simply put a match made in heaven.

My partner in crime ordered the Breakfast Bowl (seasoned pinto beans and goat cheese grits topped with two over medium eggs, two maple peppered bacon strips, cheddar cheese and Sunshot Farm Salsa).

A dish she referred to as banging! I took a bite because she insisted I had to try a bite. Although I’m not a huge grits fan I enjoyed it.

The flavors mixed together well and I would have a huge internal battle with myself the next time I come to Tupelo for breakfast on whether or not I should order the Fried Chicken and Biscuits or the Breakfast Bowl.

Someday I want to try authentic red eye gravy, but until then I can deal with settling for Tupelo’s version.

However, apparently the next trip to Tupelo will involve their burger that is getting rave reviews. Here is a video of it:

Suggestion? Smother it in red eye gravy!

Total before tip- $21.23

Tupelo Honey Cafe

http://www.tupelohoneycafe.com/

12 College St.,

Asheville, NC

828-255-4863

We walked off our brunch Saturday by visiting the rather new Olive and Kickin’ which carries a variety of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. The shop is set up to allow customers to try all of the selections. I tried a variety of balsamic vinegars including Chocolate Dark, Pomegranate Dark, Jalapeño White, and Black Cherry Dark.

I particularly enjoyed the Chocolate Dark. Olive and Kickin’ describes it as

“rich, thick, and resounds with the complexity of three different chocolates responsible for depth of its’ flavor!”

They weren’t kidding your mouth gets smacked around three different times with each chocolate.

We didn’t walk away with a purchase but I’m sure I will be back to purchase birthday gifts for my father, who chose a culinary hobby over a Harley for his midlife crisis.

Olive and Kickin’

http://www.oliveandkickin.com/

32 Biltmore Ave

Asheville, NC

828-251-1117

Mmmm did someone say bacon? A pork BBQ breakfast at Luella's Bar-B-Que, Dessert at Ultimate Ice Cream

2011-06-14T22:27:00.000-04:00

Spending two years in Montana, I learned to enjoy a cocktail with brunch. Specifically Montana taught me to enjoy a caeser with brunch, which is pretty much a bloody mary except instead of tomato juice you add clamato juice (tomato juice combined with clam broth). I prefer the caeser because it’s a lot lighter than a bloody mary and for some reason always seems to be spicier. However, you are hard pressed to find an establishment that serves a caeser because it is mostly a Northern/Candian cocktail, so often I have to settle for a bloody mary.

Sunday’s bloody mary was a far cry from settling. I had the distinct pleasure of trying Luella’s Bar-B-Que BLT Bloody Mary. Yes take a deep breathe that B does stand for bacon!

Luella’s shared their BLT Bloody Mary recipe with WNC Magazine. From WNC Magazine:

"The BLT Bloody Mary at this Merrimon Avenue joint is rimmed with brisket rub and garnished with crispy bacon, lettuce, and tomato wedges.

Ingredients:

(Yields 2 cups) 1½ oz. vodka 3/4 cup tomato juice 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice 1 tsp. fresh lime juice 1/2 tsp. olive juice  Splash of Texas Pete Hot Sauce  Splash of Worcestershire 1 Tbs. Luella’s Sweet Pisgah Sauce 1/8 tsp. horseradish, or to taste 1/8 tsp. whole celery seed  Salt & pepper, to taste

Garnish-  Luella’s Brisket Rub, Kosher salt, Romaine lettuce hearts, Tomato wedges, Crisp applewood-smoked bacon dusted with Luella’s Brisket Rub"

"Directions:

Blend equal parts brisket rub and kosher salt and use to rim glass. Fill glass with ice. Combine all ingredients in a shaker, shake vigorously, and pour over ice. Garnish with a lettuce leaf, skewered tomatoes, and bacon. Luella’s Sweet Pisgah Sauce and Brisket Rub can be purchased at the restaurant."

The BLT Bloody Mary was a nice change of pace from the norm. I think I still would have enjoyed a big martini olive with it, but that is because I love olives. My next bloody mary adventure will take me to The Market Place Restaurant to try the Kitchen Sink, which was featured on the Mountain Express’s 2011-2012 cover of Eats & Drinks.

Luella’s serves brunch every Sunday 12:00-3:00 pm. You don’t have to ponder the brunch menu at Luella’s for too long because there are only three options with an additional option of adding an egg to your BBQ sandwich. Speaking as someone who can literally spend hours staring at a menu, I for one enjoy a menu with limited choices.

We both ordered the Hangover Helper (a delicious scrambled mess of Eggs, Pork BBQ, Collards, & Fried Potatoes, topped with Cheese and & Scallions) served with a biscuit.

Holy comfort food Batman! The first thing I noticed about this dish is the ample amount of cheddar cheese that holds this dish together. Strings of melted cheese hung from my fork with nearly every bite. The potatoes were crisp and were deliciously entangled with the collards and scallions. And just when I thought the dish couldn’t get any better, my fork found the pork BBQ. Thanks to Luella’s I now abide by the following two rules when it comes to brunch:

Rule No. 1: Every brunch should incorporate BBQ

Rule No. 2: See rule No. 1

The biscuit that accompanied the Hangover Helper was moist and fluffy.

It was a little odd that neither butter nor jam was provided. But I could care less because it gave me the opportunity to try Luella’s BBQ sauces. Luella’s makes two sauces in house including Sweet Pigsah, which is ketchup based, and Scooters, which is vinegar based. Both were delicious. Now I was raised on tomato/ketchup based BBQ, and I hate to admit this because it feels like I’m cheating on my principles but I can quite confidently say I preferred the vinegar based Scooters. I’ve had vinegar based sauces before, but never really understood why someone would prefer vinegar. Luella’s Scooters opened up my eyes to a whole new world of BBQ possibilities.

The Hangover Helper is a dish I will order again regardless of how exciting my evening was the night before. The sauces and the preview of pork BBQ in my breakfast has me convinced I need to come back for lunch or dinner. It was so good the following crazy question has run through my mind: Can it be better than 12 Bones?

Total before tip- $24.74

(includes a BLT Bloody Mary)

Luella’s Bar-B-Que

http://www.luellasbbq.com

http://www.facebook.com/LuellasBBQ

501 Merrimon Avenue

Asheville, NC 28804

828-505-7247

We finished the day with a trip to Ultimate Ice Cream.

Ultimate serves a variety of desserts including ice cream, gelato, and sorbet. The prices are comparable to other ice cream shops in the area.

I had a single scoop of the flavor of the month, which was Moon Pie (a vanilla based ice cream with graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallow).

The trend in ice cream seems to be bigger is better, which often results in too many toppings hiding the actual flavor of the ice cream or an ice cream that packs a punch of flavor but becomes too rich to enjoy after the first couple of bites. However, Ultimate did a wonderful job with the Moon Pie. The vanilla ice cream has a classic taste too it. The vanilla was sweet enough to appease your sweet tooth, but mild enough to allow you to enjoy the whole scoop without holding your stomach. The graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallow ingredients mixed into the vanilla did what they were supposed to do which was compliment the vanilla.

My partner in crime ordered a single scoop of the Coffee Heath Bar (coffee based ice cream with heath bar).

She enjoyed it. I tried a bite and didn’t get the same enjoyment, but then again I’m not a coffee drinker nor enjoy the taste of coffee. So for those that like coffee you will have to take her word for it.

Overall Ultimate Ice Cream does a good job of living up to its name.

Total before tip- $6.36

Ultimate Ice Cream Company

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ultimate-Ice-Cream-Company-Asheville/307802118688

1070 Tunnel Road

Asheville, NC 28805

828-296-1234

Chai Pani Indian Street Food and Mumford & Sons

2011-06-10T00:37:00.001-04:00

Dinner at Chai Pani

With 6,500 people invading downtown Asheville to attend the Mumford & Sons concert, it seemed every restaurant we tried to eat at Tuesday night had a 45 minute wait to be seated. Chai Pani Indian Street Food however came to the rescue, as they were able to seat us within 15 minutes.

Even though it was convenient, I have been waiting to eat at Chai Pani for a long time now. I absolutely love Indian food. I first fell in love with the cuisine as a freshman in college when my debate coach at the time took us to the Indian Oven in the Old Market district in Omaha, Nebraska. In Asheville, I’m particularly fond of Mela Indian Restaurant, which serves a rather cheap, but delicious lunch buffet with a lot of options. Apparently, the locals agree as it was voted Asheville's Favorite Restaurant in the Mountain Xpress Reader’s poll in 2008 and 2009, and finished #2 in 2010.

But Chai Pani has been making noise of its own as of late. The restaurant was recently featured in GQ magazine’s article Rad City: Asheville, North Carolina. Plus, Chai Pani distinguishes itself from other Indian restaurants in town by focusing on the street food genre rather than traditional plates. Chai Pani also had the added benefit for me of being a participating restaurant in the WNC Insider program. For those that don’t know, the WNC Insider is a card priced around $30 that gets you a buy one get one free entrée deal and 10% off thereafter at over 50 local participating restaurants. So the opportunity to not have to wait 40 minutes to be seated, eat Indian food, and not spend a lot of money was too good to pass up.

The menu at Chai Pani is reasonably priced. From what I remember there was not a dish over $10. Also Chai Pani locally sources the majority of the ingredients on the menu.

I had the Sloppy JAI (Kheema Pav- Ground & spiced turkey (kheema) slow cooked with tomatoes, potatoes, cilantro and aromatic spices, served on a warm bun).

The menu says it will be the best sloppy joe you will ever have and I whole-heartedly agree. However, this sloppy joe is quite a bit different than the traditional sloppy joe. The spices were just enough to get the sinuses going but not too overwhelming. The first half of the sandwich I made the mistake of skipping the yogurt sauce that accompanied it. Although, the first half was good, the second half was much better with a liberal dose of the yogurt sauce. Just when you thought the spice was going to pop you in the mouth, the yogurt was there to fend it off. The side salad composed of fresh veggies and a light dressing was great. The dish gave your palette a chance to take a break from the Sloppy JAI’s spice adventure.

My partner in crime ordered the KATHI KABAB (All natural Chicken marinated with ginger, garlic & spices, served in a griddled wrap with garnishes & chutneys).

A tad bit better photo from Chai Pani's Facebook Page

At first she loved this dish, but then the tears started to pour down her face. For me, to watch sweat roll down her temple was more entertaining than tableside magic tricks, but for her, it was painful. Yet the dish’s flavor must have been good because she fought back both heat sweats and tears and attempted to finish the dish. Thankfully, what I can only assume to be the owner or manager of Chai Pani asked if the dish was too spicy and whether or not he could offer an alternative? This guy was very attentive of his patrons. While we were there I heard him ask at least two other customers whether their particular dishes was too spicy for them. It was ultimately decided that the KATHI KABAB was too good too ask for an alternative and instead extra yogurt sauce was requested to tame the flames. The manager in a timely fashion returned with a saucer of the yogurt sauce. With the assistance of extra yogurt sauce, the dish was completed with satisfaction. It should be noted a friend of ours ordered the same dish and he didn’t think it was very spicy, so she may just be a wimp.

The service was attentive and the food was great. I will be back. My partner in crime will be as well with a bottle of TUMS and Yoo-hoo in hand.

Total before tip- $26.93

(Bill included 2 PBRs and 2 Wine Rickys)

Chai Pani Indian Street Food

http://www.chaipani.net

22 Battery Park Avenue

Asheville, NC 28801

828-254-4003

We concluded the evening downtown with the Mumford & Sons concert. I’ll be completely honest the only time I want to listen to Mumford & Sons is when I want to wind down after a long day and just relax. But the band really blew me away Tuesday night.

They played the majority of the songs on the Sigh No More album and several new songs for an upcoming unnamed album. However, what really struck me about Mumford & Sons was the energy they brought to the stage. It seemed like every song they tried to bring the house down. It was neat to watch members of the band exchange instruments with each song, yet still manage to bring the same intensity no matter what particular instrument each member was playing at the moment. Marcus Mumford in particular is a straight G on the drums. He goes wild with sticks in his hand and there was a particular set where he seemed to knock over half his drum set from banging on the set so hard.

What made Tuesday night really special was the crowd matched the band’s intensity. To be a part of 6,500 people going nuts in a small auditorium was just awesome and at points gave me goose bumps. You can really see the crowd presence towards the end of this video.

Marcus promised they would be back hopefully multiple times. Frankly, I can’t wait!

Tornado recovery at the Storm: Brunch at the Storm Rhum Bar and Bistro

2011-05-29T23:36:00.002-04:00

Brunch at Storm Rhum Bar and Bistro

Sunday Brunch has become somewhat of a tradition. Rolling out of bed at 11:00, throwing on whatever clothes I had on the day before, chow down on a hearty breakfast at a local venue, and take a mid afternoon nap to ward off the food comatose. Usually, I have a tough decision deciding on what local venue, but this Sunday was a pretty easy decision.

The Storm Rhum Bar and Bistro donated all of Sunday’s brunch and dinner proceeds to Habitat for Humanity disaster relief to help rebuild homes in Joplin, Missouri. For those that don’t know Joplin was recently hit by a tornado that took 140 lives and 44 residents are still unaccounted for. This has been a terrible year for tornadoes with the death toll standing at 520 for the year. About a month ago I witnessed the destruction of tornadoes first hand in Sanford, North Carolina on a trip to the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival. Below is a photo of a Lowes we saw at the time:

However, the Joplin tornado particularly struck a chord with me due to the fact that I have been to Joplin many times and have a number of friends who are either from or live in Joplin.

Joplin, MO

So given the chance to help while eating a savory brunch was too good to pass up. Plus, I have wanted to try the Storm for some time now. The reviews of the dinner menu have been particularly good from local bloggers. But I went for the brunch menu.

I had a tough time deciding between the Huevos Rancheros (chorizo, black beans, sunny side up eggs, avocado, and pico de gallo) and the Banana Bread French Toast (seasonal fruit, which was strawberries, whipped cream, and maple syrup). I really love huevos rancheros, but no matter how good the dish is at the multiple locations I have had it at around Asheville, it’s always a little disappointing because the dish never lives up to the best I have ever had at The Old Post in Missoula, Montana. The Old Post mixes up the classic huevos rancheros by substituting the tortillas for cornbread and tops it with some type of sour cream chipotle sauce that is to die for.

Thankfully, for this brunch, I didn’t set myself up for disappointment. I left it up to my waitress, who had tried both dishes and liked each, but preferred the Banana Bread French Toast.

And what a great recommendation it was. I don’t know if it’s possible in the time it was delivered to my table, but it was as if they had baked the banana bread fresh to order. The toast literally melted in my mouth with every bite. The addition of whoop cream and strawberries made me feel like I was eating dessert.

Speaking of dessert, I think that was my only complaint about the dish is that it did not come with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. But alas dessert for breakfast, such a thought is anarchy!

This dish was simple, creative, and made me feel good inside. The service was great and I can’t wait to come back to try the dinner menu.

Total before tip- 10.78

Storm Rhum Bar and Bistro

http://www.stormrhumbar.com/

125 S. Lexington Ave

Asheville, NC 28801

828-505-8560

For more information regarding Joplin, MO tornado relief:

http://www.facebook.com/joplinmo

Handshakes at the door, food will have you coming back for more: Lunch at The Junction Asheville

2011-05-27T18:03:00.001-04:00

Lunch at The Junction

As soon as I walked through the door, I was a little taken back by this place as the bartender shook my hand and welcomed me. Maybe it is because I’m not used to what has been deemed ‘southern hospitality’ or perhaps the bartender didn’t mean to be welcoming at all, but instead had been practicing for the slight chance that Tim Burton or Johnny Depp walk through The Junction’s doors. It hasn’t even been a month since Stan Parish of GQ Magazine deemed “Asheville is the new Austin, with a better view" and celebrities are already flocking here.

Regardless, the warm greeting set a nice tone for what was a wonderful experience at the new restaurant in the River Arts District. The lunch menu is pretty simple with sandwiches and salad/soup combinations for $10. All the food is locally sourced or as The Junction describes its spread as:

The Junction offers made from scratch soups, salads and sandwiches highlighting the abundance and quality of our regional farms and the skill and passion of our Executive Chef, Camp Boswell.

I had the Southern Shrimp BLT (Grilled Citrus Shrimp, Pickled Fried Green Tomatoes, Smoked Bacon, Lemon Arugula, Caper Aioli) paired with the Hoppin’ John Salad (Rice, Roasted Corn, Black-Eyed Peas, Lima Beans, Caramelized Onions, Smoked Bacon, Garlic Dressing) and a sweet tea.

I propose to rename the Southern Shrimp BLT, the Southern Shrimp Badass Little Treat. The shrimp was huge and grilled perfectly and with every bite a citrus flavor definitely pops into your mouth. The pickled fried green tomatoes were outstanding. I must say I never really understood the South’s obsession with fried green tomatoes until now. I have had them at other places around town paired with other dishes such as Mayfel’s Southern Benedict (breaded fried green tomatoes with thick cut ham on a toasted English muffin & two poached eggs, topped with homemade lime hollandaise) and Early Girl Eatery’s Early Girl Benny (grit cakes topped with tomato, spinach, poached eggs, tomato gravy & avocado, served with toast). While the dishes themselves were good, I thought fried green tomatoes didn’t taste like anything, because the other ingredients overwhelmed the tomatoes flavor. But hello, were my taste buds firing all cylinders with this sandwich and its fried green tomatoes. What do fried green tomatoes taste like? I couldn’t tell you, I don’t understand what I tasted perhaps the adjectives citrusy and tart? All I can say is I liked them paired with the plump citrus shrimp, and lemon arugula. Additionally, the bacon and caper aioli did a nice job of talking this sandwich off a citrus cliff.

The Hoppin’ John salad was ok. Not a lot of flavor, perhaps just enough but you can definitely tell it is prepared fresh with fresh ingredients. The salad was a nice change of pace from the standard sides, chips, potato salad, sweet potato fries, etc. offered by local Asheville eateries. The salad’s minimal flavor also allowed the Southern Shrimp BLT’s eccentric flavor to really shine.

Overall, the pairing was delicious and the portion size was large enough to satisfy your hunger, but not too large to leave you with a food coma.

If the rest of the food is as good as the Southern Shrimp BLT, perhaps The Junction’s customers should be the one giving out handshakes.

Total before tip- $13.01

The Junction

http://thejunctionasheville.com/

348 Depot Street,

Asheville NC 28801 

828.225.3497