The Tour De Asheville December 2015 Experience

By: AskAsheville about 8 years ago

Just this month we started the Tour De Asheville. This is a monthly event where our inside media team and some guests get together to go cruising around WNC in the private van, eating, drinking, meeting folks, taking photos, taking videos, interviewing business owners, chefs and more. Kind of like a reality show, but no show, just us. So exciting. All of us have heard and experienced Asheville in one form or another, but the half has not been told. We are going after that other half!

Our first stop was to the event room at Moment’s Cafe in Swannanoa where we met up with Chef Anne of Anne’s Custom Catering. We got to try so many great foods, coffees, and also interview Anne and her husband Joseph as a group. We learned about how they got started, the many styles of food she has mastered, and how her catering company is now growing by leaps and bounds; with even a brand new website being developed as you read this!

The next stop was Barley’s Taproom & Pizza in Downtown Asheville. Now there are many brewery stops that you can go to in Asheville, but we wanted a wide variety of craft brews from all around the USA to taste, making this the perfect spot. We talked to Jimi, who is one of, if not the pillar that craft beer in Asheville was formed on. As a matter of fact, the great Highland Brewing started out in the basement of this building, and then eventually outgrew it. A must stop if you are brew touring in Asheville North Carolina.

Then we shot over to The Hop West ice cream shop to try a few samples and talk to Ashley, one of the owners. The brownie delight with cold mountain ice cream was incredible. Then that peppermint stick ice cream was so delish! Ashley talked to us about how The Hop Ice Cream got started and their growth including The Hop West opening, and then The Hop Ice Creamery. Who ever knew that ice cream could build so much community? But this is the case every day with The Hop, and ever since Greg and Ashley took it over.

Post 70 Asheville Restaurant & Cocktails

The last stop? Post 70 Indulgence Bar in East Asheville, and this place was WOW!! Talk about amazing craft cocktails, small plates of cuisine, and desserts that will leave you satisfied yet craving more. The building was packed inside and out with an oyster roast just ending, plus a dining room and bar full of folks having a great time. Emilios was delivering the food to our table while Courtney was shaking and serving cocktails. I saw her double fisting the shakers several times throughout the evening. We will be back. Like every week!

Asheville Premier Transportation supplied the van for the Tour De Asheville and did such an amazing job. We are planning on going on one of her private beer and food tours real soon as Dana’s company is expanding as well. In the meantime, if you are in the Asheville, Hendersonville, or WNC area and want to host us when we are out on your end of town, contact us and let us know. We just may drop in with our media team to paparazzi you and your business. Thank you to all of the businesses that hosted us this time!

The Parkway Bistro

By: AskAsheville about 8 years ago

When we recently put out a request for some places to eat in south Asheville, several people were talking so good about The Parkway Bistro, that we had to go try it for ourselves. So while we were out at meetings on that end of town, we stopped by there and grabbed a chicken salad sandwich with some macaroni salad. It was absolutely delicious! The waitress talked me into keeping the Hot Pepper Relish on it and yum. Plus the mac salad was the best I have had in a a long time. For some of you that do not know, Frank’s Deli was like the #1 sandwich shop in Asheville and they were located where Beehive Coffee Bar now is on Sweeten Creek. Then they expanded to Hendersonville Rd, that spot with the bad parking, where the new and popular Bean Vegan Cuisine now is. Frank’s Deli shut down operations soon after, went silent and underground, then took over this new spot right behind Starbucks on Hendersonville Rd where Woody’s Pizza used to be. And it is a kind of difficult spot to see, but they are up on the hill across from Carolina Day School, in the same shopping center as the Fresh Market, Liberty Bicycles, and Diamond Brand. And yes, it is worth the stop!

Grabbing a bite to eat at Mayfel’s in downtown Asheville

By: AskAsheville about 8 years ago

Since we live in Asheville, we find ourselves complaining sometimes that there is no place to eat. Of course we live in a land of plentiful eateries, but after living here for awhile, we are always on the lookout for new places to try. And that is sometimes a gamble. When you visit a new restaurant, you never know what to expect. Even some places that evolve to great restaurants are rough around the edges when they first open. You can wait a few months for the TripAdvisor and Facebook ratings to accumulate before trying them, or you can give them a try and experience it yourself, making your own determination.

Mayfel’s has become one our our sure-shots in the downtown Asheville area, right across the street from Pritchard Park and the Drum Circle. When we want to know that we are going to have a good meal and experience, we can count on them. We stopped by there recently to have some dinner after listening to the buskers outside. One of the plates was Grilled Shrimp, and the other was the Jambalaya with a boneless chicken breast on top. So delish! If you find yourself in downtown Asheville; Mayfel’s is a fine spot for breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner.

Oink Oink Farm To Table at Buxton Hall Barbecue in Asheville

By: AskAsheville about 8 years ago

It doesn’t take much to find a good place to eat in Asheville; but when it comes to a great place, sometimes you just have to stumble upon it. We were jumping around town the other day from meeting to meeting, when Nathan from Heartland Payment Systems asked us to meet with him and Ed at Buxton Hall Barbecue on the south slope of downtown Asheville. And we are so glad we did. This spot is a must-eat when it comes to a farm-to-table BBQ meal. We got the chance to take a walk around the restaurant, see a little behind the scenes action on the lower level, visit the Tiki bar and lounge upstairs, and sit down on the main level to eat some deliciousness! We also met a bunch of the staff and they were all wonderful. Chef Elliot Moss has a great thing going on here. Keep it up!!!

The Eastside of West Asheville

By: AskAsheville about 9 years ago

Asheville has many cultures and personalities. In other words, Biltmore Village folk do not act like River Arts District people. And folks from north Asheville do not act like folks from south Asheville. You can enter the suburb communities in any direction from downtown, and visit a different vibe and theme somewhat. On the eastside of west Asheville, another sub-community is getting established on their own. B&B Pharmacy welcomes as you enter. If you know the area, I-240 separates east west Asheville from west west Asheville. In addition to the walkability factor, this area has a lot to offer. I recently took a walk on this part of Haywood Rd with my daughter.

The West Asheville highway intersection.

The Mardis Building is home to King Daddy’s Chicken & Waffles, Second Gear, and Rhetorical Factory.

Love me some King Daddy’s!

You can walk to several great shops in the area. The Rhetorical Factory features recycled clothing, and Second Gear sells outdoor gear for hiking, rafting, running, sports and more. Then you have Asheville BookWorks inside the Universal Motors Building, along with more shopping spots.

We stopped by Whist and found some great items including this “I Love Asheville” cup, and a book on human anatomy that is a must for mankind.

The Circle offers glass, fashion and art. Flora is flower design studio and florist.

From custom glass and repair shops, to custom screenprinting at Image 420, and you can even get a tattoo at Hot Stuff! Of course there is the vintage Gas-Up store on this corner. Lots of development planned for this end of the community, which then connects to Asheville’s Sweet Slope featuring Short Street Cakes, Hole Doughnuts and The Hop Ice Creamery; before heading down to Clingman Ave and the River Arts District.

The Admiral serves delicious cuisine spot that everyone loves. Walk is also a great place to grab lunch and dinner. Battle Cat Coffeehouse is a funky and hipstery coffee shop on Haywood Rd. Tip: park your Benz a few blocks away and walk here.

Harvest Records on the eastside of west Asheville is music heaven!

Haywood Road is also bikable. And Carrier Park is right down the street!

Art, graffiti and creativity line the streets. When coming over to west Asheville, talk a walk on the eastside!

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