Archive for the 'Restaurant Reviews' Category
Outdoor dining in Asheville?
May 20th, 2009 categories: Restaurant Reviews
Asheville isn’t called the “Paris of the South” for nothin’. One highlight of our spring, summer and fall seasons are the abundance of restaraunts with outside dining, specifically in the downtown area. People-watching at it’s best, and delicious meals at it’s finest! You get that “European” feel sitting outside with the occasional poochie sitting with their owners. People absolutely love it and if a restaurant can put a table outside, that’s where people want to be.
So, here is a partial list of places (clickable links) to go in downtown Asheville with outdoor dining:
Asheville Pizza and Brewing – Pizza, sandwiches, local brew. 77 Coxe Ave.
Bistro 1896 - Creative American. 7 W. Pack Square.
Flying Frog Cafe – American and Indian. Battery Park Ave at Haywood St.
Heiwa Shokudo – Japanese Food, sushi. 87 N. Lexington.
Jack of the Wood – Upscale pub. 95 Patton Ave.
Laughing Seed Cafe – Vegetarian. 40 Wall St.
Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers – 50 Broadway.
The New French Bar Courtyard Cafe – Tapas, Sandwiches, salads. 12 Biltmore Ave.
Tupelo Honey Cafe – Southern food. 12 College St.
Thirsty Monk – Appetizers, sandwiches. 92 Patton Ave.
Wasabi – Japanese, sushi. 19 Broadway St.
Zambra – Tapas. 85 W. Walnut St.
The Green Sage Coffeehouse & Cafe – Breakfast, sandwiches. 5 Broadway St.
ENJOY!!!
| Discussion: No Comments »
Looking for good wine?
July 15th, 2008 categories: Restaurant Reviews
In little ol’ Weaverville there is the best wine and cheese shop named Maggie B’s. The owner is Elspeth Brown and she is what makes it special. I love good customer service and product knowledge and she delivers both. Elspeth is the daughter-in-law of our very good neighbor friends Dan & Linda Brown, so of course we were going to support her no matter what. But, the first time I shopped at Maggie B’s I found that I was very impressed at the depth of knowledge Elspeth had about each wine she carried. I think that Sommalier certificate means she serious about this!
 This isn’t just any wine shop where you walk in, pick up a bottle, pay and off you go. Well, you can go about it that way if you want to, but if you explain what you like and don’t like about certain wines, she can direct you to something you’ll be very happy with. She has some very fun wine tastings at least once a month, it’s a great opportunity to try before you buy! I also want to mention that she has the best olives and specialty cheeses around too! Located right on Main Street in downtown Weaverville on the corner of Main Street & Hamburg Mountain Rd. in the Preservation Hall building.
 
This past weekend Maggie B’s combined tastings with Pastry Chef Stacy Haas of Inventive Icings. What a magical combination! Wine and cake! There were five kinds of cake to taste: Coconut, Pineapple white cake, Double Fudge with Port icing, Flourless & Sugarless Chocolate cake & Bread Pudding with caramel. For those of you who haven’t discovered Chef Stacy yet, she is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont and has several years experience with large resorts and fine dining establishments in Florida and Asheville.Â
 
Her specialties are wedding cakes, cupcakes, birthday cakes and special occasion cakes. She also specializes in made-to-order truffles. I had one of her chocolate cakes with chocolate ganache for my birthday a couple years ago, my friends still talk about that cake! If you want something truly special for any occasion, Inventive Icings is ”THE” place to order from. She has a very impressive porfolio in which to view her artistic renderings. Chef Stacy can be reached by calling her at 941-223-8415.
| Discussion: 1 Comment »
Why the Stoney Knob Cafe is my favorite.
June 19th, 2008 categories: Restaurant Reviews
 
   
The Stoney Knob Cafe may be in Weaverville, but when I eat there I am anywhere but in Weaverville! This fabulous place is exotic, American, Greek, and European, all in one! I’ve dined there many times with my family and friends and have NEVER been disappointed.Â
Being of French and German descent, seeking out exceptional food is always fun, especially with my daughter, a pastry chef in her own right and graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. We are a family that likes to share different tastes and textures when we happen on to a good restaurant, always making sure we get different meals so that we can sample.  I’ve done a good bit of traveling from Europe to Australia and to several Caribbean Islands, sampling as much of their food offerings as possible. Through this experience, my opinion is that the Stoney Knob Cafe seems to have embodied a world-wide class cuisine that rivals any famous restaurant I’ve been to, and with enough variety that anyone could enjoy themselves. Â
This is the restaurant we always go to for special occasions, and this time was for Father’s Day lunch. I called in advance to see if there was availability, and pleasantly surprised that it was first come-first served, and yes there were tables available. We were placed in a front booth, perfect placement to watch all the comings & goings on. I’m especially fond of the booths, each one has a unique mini-chandelier that adds a special touch. Â
 As long as they had tomatos, Gary (my hubby) ordered the Black Angus burger and fries. Just the other day he was in the drive-up line at Burger King to grab a quick meal, since they weren’t putting tomatos on the burger(salmonella scare), he left the line saying “I’m not paying for a burger without tomato”! Okee Dokee, so Stoney Knob Cafe made the grade in that catagory . . . I opted for the lamb gyro and greek marinated cucumbers. My meal was delicious in every way! The lamb was tender, the pita bread was warm and buttery, the cucumbers were crisp with a light dressing. Cold drinks are served in an aluminum type glass, which seems to keep drinks colder longer, and it reminds me of my childhood when we used similiar, indestructable aluminum glasses. I also want to mention how good the coffee is here. It’s a very rich, Costa Rican-Sumatran blend, freshly ground. You always want more than one cup!
Gary’s angus burger was nice and thick, crusty on the outside and medium on the inside, served on a kaiser roll and nice amount of fries, he gave it a thumbs up!
Although this was just a lunch review, the dinners here are all very special and one should never be rushed in order to savor what’s plated before you. For the exceptional quality of food you’ll find the pricing is very reasonable. For lunch, the price range is $6.50 to $10.50 for any of their wraps, burgers, entrees or panini’s. Dinner entrees range $12 to $28. They also offer a Sunday Brunch. Click on the link above to visit their website and menus.
Located at 337 Merrimon Ave, Weaverville. This Restaurant is gourmet heaven for me!
| Discussion: 2 Comments »
Asheville’s Moose Cafe Restaurant Review
June 10th, 2008 categories: Restaurant Reviews
 
As promised, I’m continuing my tour of Asheville’s restaurants and as it turns out the Moose Cafe at 570 Brevard Rd in Asheville is one of my first reviews. My husband, Gary and I decided to have a late lunch there after doing errands in that part of town.  We got there just in the nick of time, heading off being on the edge of getting grumpy from being hungry! We got there around 1:30 and there wasn’t a line waiting to get in. We’ve been there in past months and it can get very busy, so  we were pleased that we could walk right in. We were pleasantly greeted and since we requested a booth, there was about a 5 minute wait. Their waiting area has a little gift shop with moose themed t-shirt, ball caps, niteshirts etc., cute things to remember the restaurant by or send to family or friends. Be warned that if you browse around too long, you’ll be bringing something home with you, hard to resist!
 We were seated in a booth by a large window in the back dining room. Our server Lauren was at our table almost immediately (good service). She took our drink order and came back in just a few minutes with two Ginormous biscuits and homemade apple butter. This immediately put us in a verrrrry good mood. Folks, let me fill you in on this place, almost everything they have will put you in a good mood!! The Moose Cafe is a southern comfort-food restaurant extrordinaire! Check out their menu in the link I’ve provided above and you’ll see what I mean.Â
In the waiting area they have a blackboard with the daily specials written on it, I saw Chicken N’ Dumplings listed and that was it for me! I haven’t had Chicken N’ Dumplings for YEARS . . .  So I ordered the chicken and it comes with two sides, I chose green beans and macaroni & cheese. I know, I know, I was putting myself in carb euphoria, but I just couldn’t pass up the mac & cheese. Gary ordered the Chicken Tenders with (what else) Mac & Cheese & mashed potatoes.  With the ordering out of the way, we dove into the huge biscuits and applebutter. Wow! they’re good. As we were enjoying our biscuits and tea served in Mason jars, our meals showed up! Â
 So, on to the entrees: They give a huge serving, my eyes are usually bigger than my stomach, but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to finish all of my food when I saw my plate. The chicken & dumplings are served in a large bowl with corn bread (more bread!) and each side is served in it’s own smaller bowl. I tried the chicken first, mmmmm . . . the dumplings were so soft and creamy, the chicken was tender and the sauce it was all in wasn’t too thick or thin. I know for a fact that I couldn’t make it better. The green beans were of the Italian variety and were also good. The mac & cheese was also good, but this was one area I thought my Mac N’ Cheese was better.  Gary’s chicken tenders were pretty large pieces, I think he had four tenders. He generously gave me a bite, for review purposes only! (he doesn’t like to share-I’m kidding(no I’m not). Anyway, the tenders were good, but the coating they used reminded me of the type used in a fish fry vs. a flour coating.  I asked Gary if he would order this meal again, he said no, that he would try something else. BUT, he liked the mashed potatoes & mac & cheese. Let me preface my husbands eating habits, he’s very picky! So, my opinion, is that his opinion is of no detriment to the Moose Cafe!
 I WOULD order my meal again. The only slight negative I had on my entire meal was the cornbread, it was a bit bland and dry. Dessert? No way! We were so full I wasn’t sure we could even eat supper later in the day.Â
So, the servers were pleasant and efficient, the food plentiful and good, OH, and the prices were great! I like the Moose Cafe, I can see myself visiting there again in the future. I think it’s a great restaurant to bring friends and family from out of the area to sample southern cooking. They’re located right next door to the Farmer’s Market which goes hand-in-hand with them offering the freshest produce.  The Moose Cafe has earned many great reviews by several magazines including Southern Living who loved their biscuits. Give it a shot!
| Discussion: No Comments »
The Fireplace Restaurant in Weaverville
April 26th, 2008 categories: Restaurant Reviews
Â
In the the sweet little town of Weaverville, N.C. right on Weaverville Highway, just about 8 miles north of Asheville is a log cabin restaurant I had been wanting to try for awhile. I had the impression that this was a place of country home-made food and I wasn’t disappointed. We decided to give it a whirl for a Sunday Brunch and got there just a little before they were ready to serve (we were hungry!). The restaurant is very rustic inside with a huge stone fireplace. We asked the hostess to sit by the fireplace and she gladly put us right by the fire. It was a bit chilly that day and the warmth really felt good, not to mention the ambiance.Â
The buffet offered pot roast, turkey and dressing, ribs, ham and an assortment of vegetables and, my favorite, mashed potatoes! All the food was very good, but let me tell you about the rolls & biscuits – To Die For!!! The rolls were hot and practically melted in your mouth, sort of like a Krispy Kreme donut . . . without the sugar. If I had known the rolls were that good in advance, I would have had very little else! Seriously!! I wonder if they sell them as take out? I’ll have to check on that. Anyway, we definitely had our fill of the buffet trying to keep some room for dessert. There was carrot cake, brownies, cheesecake, chocolate mousse cake and on and on.   After sampling just about everything, and knowing we might have to be rolled out of the restaurant if we stayed any longer, it was time to leave. Lo and behold around the corner was the salad bar that we totally missed out on, Darn-it. 
 
As a buffet goes, this was more of a country food extravaganza, no gourmet high falutin’ frills, just plain, simple good tasting food, and plenty of it!
| Discussion: 1 Comment »
