A eatery named Sonora Cocina Mexicana in downtown Asheville is one of the newer restaurants on the scene. They come with a Latin twist of great food and flavors. And they are right at the upper head of Asheville’s South Slope, so a great spot to either start or finish your beer tour and get some food in you. We decided to have a quick meeting, so we met there, ate, and talked life & business.
These are the Enchiladas and they were cooked to perfection. A very nice upgrade from the traditional plate.
Autumn had the Quesadilla, well at least half of it, and then got the rest to go for a late night snack.
So if you are headed to downtown Asheville, this spot is a great eatery to put on your list. And I saw some of their beautiful craft cocktails but did not get a chance to try one. Maybe next time!
We had heard a bunch of great things about Blue Ridge Biscuit Company in Black Mountain, that it was put on our list to try for awhile now. Our teams had been spending lots of time in several other cities and small towns, so we have yet to make our rounds to Black Mountain; but soon!
When we walked in, the menu on the wall took us by surprise, and there were so many good things to eat. The staff made sure we knew that we can also customize any order, mix stuff up, or whatever.
These chicken biscuit sandwiches were absolutely incredible. I need this place closer to me!
And the kids wanted a waffle, fruit, and biscuits & gravy. So that is exactly what they got. And I took a few bites out of the biscuit & gravy plate, and it was so good. This restaurant is a must-eat stop if you are visiting the Asheville and Black Mountain areas of WNC!
Foreword: When we first heard about Local Provisions opening in downtown Asheville, we were not that quick to try it out. They did not initiate a giant marketing campaign, and the buzz was not that heavy. But after eating there recently, we now want to change that. We finally got the chance to stop in and we are so glad we did. We went in unannounced because we like to experience places just like everyone else does, impartial, and see how it really is. And it was great! After dinner, we were walking past Curate and one of the people that was with us said that Local Provisions was just as good, but that not many people know about it. I definitely agreed.
Another one of our writers, Karin, ate at Local Provisions a short time ago and wrote this fantastic blog. Please read:
Food has always been important to me. My dad worked at the famous Luchows in NYC and it was there, eating hasenpfeffer in front of their glorious Christmas tree listening to um pah music, that my love affair with food began.
One of my favorite places to eat in Highlands used to be Ruka’s Table. Although it’s no longer open, I spent many evenings there sampling eclectic entrées like bone marrow and pork belly with pickled something or other.
Justin Burdett was the chef there at the time and I remember finding out from the waitress that he was a Chopped Champion (Food Channel must see). Fast forward two horrible years in Highlands without Justin’s delectable creations and I read on Twitter that he has bought the old Seven Sows in Asheville and was opening his own place, Local Provisions.
Let me explain to you that we planned our arrival to Asheville, our visit to the Biltmore, and the check in to our cabin, all around when Local Provisions was open. Yep…he’s that good.
77 Biltmore Ave. is where Justin hangs his apron now and works his magic. A small yet elegant restaurant with a patio on the side for dining outside when the weather cooperates!
Now, down to the nitty gritty…the FOOD! There are five main categories to order from on the menu: Taste, Small, Preserved, Large, and Sweet. We ordered something from each section. Seriously. Well, we were having Justin withdrawals!
Some of the delicacies we sampled were things like Buttermilk Curds and Whey and Local Radishes from the Taste section. The delicate curds burst in your mouth and the creamy taste of ricotta glides over your tongue. My husband had the Local Radishes which had buttermilk whipped Lardo (don’t get me started, that stuff is heavenly) and radish greens. Who knew radishes could be so delicious?
From the Small section we both devoured the Sorghum Pork Belly. We had fallen in love with this at Ruka’s and just had to experience it again.
Now, the Preserved column each have a pickled element. I had the Chicken Terrine with pepper jelly and farm and sparrow seeded bread. At this point Justin came out to our table, recognizing us from Highlands. “I concoct these plates based on what I like to eat, ” he shared with us. He must have amazing taste buds! David tried the Rabbit Summer Sausage and couldn’t wait for me to sample it.
Here comes the Large…we feasted on quail and braised rabbit leg and loin.
The cocktails are as unique as the food…we each tried two different potions each and loved them all.
You would think we were full, but there were still desserts on the menu calling my name, so we made a plan.
Right next door is the Wicked Weed, a marvelous Asheville brewery. We paid and strolled over to nose around, had a delicious brew then went back to Local Provisions and got dessert to take back to the hotel.
Snuggled in at the Holiday Inn on Tunnel Road we munched on caramelized Banana Bread and Sweet Potato Panna Cotta…HEAVENLY!!!
When I first heard of Korean Barbecue, I was on a six city tour of China. Coming from Asheville, also known as Barbecue City USA; I simply thought that Korean Barbecue was barbecue pork with some type of Asian bbq sauce on the side. Boy was I wrong. I went to this place, and they had booth seating where they made you take your shoes off, but we sat in the “Americanized” section with normal seating, keeping our shoes on. They started a grill at/on our table, we added a bunch of meat and vegetables, and we ate the night away. What a fun foodie time!
Asheville’s version was not that different, and a great experience as well; eliminating the need to travel to the other end of the world for this. We stopped by the Korean House in downtown Asheville, waited about 20 minutes for a seat, and then had a delicious meal worth blogging about. Their meats come from local farms in our community which made me enjoy the food even more. Their interior decor could use a lot of help, but they are a fairly new place so hoping they get around to that by Spring.
The Noodle Shop in downtown Asheville is one of those few places in the area that serves real Chinese cuisine. And believe me, we have been to them all at one time or another. The restaurant is small, tight and cozy; reminding me of the little hole-in-the-wall Chinese food takeout spots in New York City that I used to frequent. But this one is packed out with tables.
We started with some organic Sake and an order of Shaomai, and then jumped into a couple of entrees… a sizzling plate that consisted of hard noodles on the bottom and chicken, shrimp, scallops and vegetables on top. The other dish was a bowl of wonton noodle soup. If you are downtown Asheville and looking for authentic Chinese food, this is definitely the place. We love this spot and will be back soon.
