danna's Profile
Vegan Choices Asheville
you know....I had some French Toast w/ graham cracker crust this weekend at a place in Landrum. We shared it for dessert after brunch, and I could smell something weird about it when the waitress brought it. My husband got his "half" first...my thought from smelling it was maybe the graham crackers were stale, but after I tasted it, I came to the determination that the oil used to cook it had gone bad. My husband said it tasted like linseed oil (not a food product). I wonder if you could have the same issue there?
That dish was so foul I considered emailing the restaurant to tell them to change the oil, but I didn't.
McDonald's Cherry Berry Chiller - YUM
thanks, i tried that Sunday. Definitely less sweet. thanks.
first visit to Zambra, Asheville
You probably read my little note on Zambra the other day, but if not...the bread is no longer as good as it was. I say get some scallops and some quail. Those are the two items that I have enjoyed consistently over the years.
Greenville to Asheville--where to eat along the way? Plus Asheville itinerary help.
so glad everything (almost) worked out for you! thansk for reporting back. boom! (hilarious)
Review of Dining in Charleston and Myrtle Beach - LONG
I'm not sure when you were a little kid, but when I was, there were 2 places: Planter's Back Porch and Rice Planter's Restaurant. Basically the same food, different locations. I would probably turn my nose up today, but back then I think they were partially responsible for my eventual food obsession. I think Rice Planter's was in MB proper. Ever go, by chance?
More exciting Asheville news!
River Arts District (where the Wedge, Junction, White Duck and all those artist studios are)
Out & About in Asheville, pt. two
That reminds me. One of the dishes at Zambra had a smear of chili-laced chocolate across the plate. I think ti was the quail. i remarked that i was just going to use melted choc as sauce with every dinner from now on.
Chicken: although I meant fried, that could have been fruedian, 'cause I was eating it off a friend's plate ;-)
When yogurt separates - mix it in or drain it?
you're right. I have , in the past, seen "don't stir" on a container of Fage, although the one I'm eating right now doesn't. I remember it because I was amazed. I think the texture of Fage is massively improved by a good stir. I wouldn't consider eating it with giving it a stir. It goes from a texture that's a bit too gelatin-ish for me, to one of lovely creaminess. I suppose it's just a cultural thing, Greeks much prefer different textures.
Out & About in Asheville, pt. two
thanks!
So we went to Zambra Sat. night, I beleive that was the 2nd dinner I've had in Asheville that wasn't at the Admiral since I discovered the place. Verdict: Zambra is still very good. I had several things that tasted great. In particular, the scallops dish w/ blue corn grits and the stuffed quail. Both excellent and the fried soft shell crab not far behind. Pea tendrils salad that came w/ the crab was also delicious and a nice change of pace (plus an expensive ingredient). We had a shrimp dish w/ chimichurri that was good, but a tad salty. The only disappointing part was the bread. They used to have the greatest bread there! It was ok, but kinda bland. Good wine list, I wanted a 1/2 bottle of martinelli pinot ($40) which seemed like a good buy, but we had gone to the Junction for lunch, and you probably know what that means....
....mango habanero margarita! very good. Sweet tea brined friend chicken w/ grits: Killer! I LOVE the Junction.
Weird side note: we went to Ultimate Ice Cream on the way home. A couple in front of us stared at the flavors for a while and then left. My husband also passed. I got "cup of joe" + "goat cheese cherry" and both were excellent. But I think the lesson to be learned by an ice cream place is to HAVE CHOCOLATE on the menu.
Why aren't my waffles crispy? Help!
I keep forgetting about that place. (near the old world of clothing, right?) Do you happen to know if they serve breakfast all day?
Vegan Choices Asheville
The Admiral's veg plate is not on the menu , is it? Can you give me an idea of what it's like? How do they price it? One issue we struggle with is getting enough carbs/vegetables at the Admiral (hell, most everywhere). If I could get a reasonably priced plate of veggies that weren't fat-laden, i'd be thrilled.
Why is the Olive Garden so reviled?
To answer your actual question, I just think "Olive Garden" is shorthand for crappy chains in general. I would tend to refer to Olive Garden in the perjorative while meaning to include Applebees, REd Lobster and the rest. I'm assuming it's just so big and well known it's easy to say that instead of being more descriptive. I.e., I think the food snobs hate Chili's just as much.
And, hell yeah! what IS that Subway smell? There's one a block from my office and I'll be damned if I know what that is wafting out on the street.
Summer Oatmeal (cold)
yeah, I love the greek stuff, but I could see the combo of greek yogurt and steel cut oats turning into something more like stucco than spackle ;-)
NC now allows rare burgers!
most places around Greenville SC and Asheville are downright huffy if you ask. (notable exceptions of Blockhouse and Bohemian)
Why aren't my waffles crispy? Help!
ummm...where would that be? ;-)
If you get down to the FAt Hen in Charleston, their "creme brulee french toast" is pretty awesome. crust just like you'd expect from the name.
Why aren't my waffles crispy? Help!
Good for you. I put very little fat in my waffles and they're plenty crispy as long as I cook them hot enough.
NC now allows rare burgers!
AWESOME!!! Common Sense made it's way into the law? amazing.
Out & About in Asheville, pt. two
thanks for that link, but it made me very confused. First, I think that "founding chef" comment about him being at West First is misleading. Second, there's not a single pasta dish on that menu. And finally, is Blue Note related to Never Blue? Thanks.
McDonald's Cherry Berry Chiller - YUM
Had one last night after my workout for 53cents. good flavor but WAY too sweet for me, and I'm a southern girl raised on super saturated iced tea. I'm afraid I'm back to Sonic slushes for body-temp-lowering.
Summer Oatmeal (cold)
I'm all over this idea, but Greek yogurt is the only kind I keep around, and I really like the extra protein. Has anybody done it w/ greek yogurt and figured out a method to avoid the "spackle" result?
Dinner party activities?
It's the OP's party, I wouldn't have the temerity to tell her to change the things she is already set on. If I were the singer I'd need some alcohol, but otherwise, I think people can survive one evening w/out a drink.
A conversation icebreaker doesn't have to be a game. I was at a party a couple of years ago when the hostess piped up with "although we all know each other really well, I figured there were some things we DIDN'T know about each other" She asked us to go around the table and spill a small fact that we suspected our friends didn't know. It was freakin' fascinating. I'm apparently extremely lame, because all I could come up with was "I used to ride horses ", but some girls...WOW! I thought "I woke up in a ditch after a Grateful Dead concert" was pretty impressive, but the best one was "I traded sex for drugs in junior high". Hopefully your responses will be more G-rated since there are youngsters present, but this little exercise certainly gave the room subjects for conversation.
Out & About in Asheville, pt. two
Thanks for all that! Glad to hear Admiral isn't suffering. I think we're doing out anniversary dinner there this weekend. What? an actual reservation? unheard of!
Still no Saturday lunch at Storm? we're bummed.
Yike, i didn't know about the West First pasta chef. You know, Scott said he wasn't planning to do pasta and that dude just rolled in looking for a job and mentioned he could make pasta. Did he just roll away, or do you know if he's going somewhere else? He should open a pasta place, wow! So do they still have the shrimp tagliatelle on the menu? I saw that the dessert list had changed. Perhaps they have a new pastry chef? I think I read that the former pastry chef is now running the new Village Bakery in Fletcher.
Get the bipimbap (sp?) at El Kimchi. yum. We found them at Vinnies on Sat afternoon.
Agree on the macaroon pie at White Duck. Best part? my husband didn't like it so I got to eat the whole thing!
Raw kale salad
Recently I just did a chiffonade w/ some lacinto kale, tossed it w/ cooked wild rice and a vinaigrette. Surpisingly good. Let it sit just a bit for the vinaigrette to soften up the kale.
food trucks….asheville
a little info here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/843786
Birthday cake ideas for 7 min frosting
Chowser - can you describe what the frosting was like on that cake when you made it? Although I have been in love w/ the double boiler method of making 7 min frosting for years, I thought I would try doing it exactly like the recipe for this cake, partly because I needed more frosting than my recipe makes. The result was fluffy like meringue, but not thick like marshmellow. I'm not sure if I screwed it up somehow, or if that's the way it's supposed to be. The recipe has WAY less sugar per eggwhite than my recipe. I had the feeling as I was pouring syrup that there needed to be more of it. The worst part was how strong the taste of cream of tarter was in the finished product.
So I tossed it and made 1 1/2 recipes of my go-to frosting and it turned out really nice. The cake itself was interesting w/ the occasional hit of extra chocolate from the addition of chopped chocolate. Not a very sweet choc cake which made it a nice pair w/ the sweet frosting. Thanks for the idea.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies - Does this recipe sound good?
good for you! those look nice. Honestly, i've never had a vegan pastry I cared for, but I think your direction of using ingredients/recipes that fit the nutritional restriction (the peanut butter) instead of using substitute ingredients (soy butter) is very smart.
Brunch in Asheville
I don't recall a step up into Curate, plus I think it might be easy to get gluten free there.
Birthday cake ideas for 7 min frosting
ooohh, chowser, thank you....i have not done the Dorie Greenspan cake, but I think I'm about to! I like the cake crumb idea. Are there any tricks to making sure that doesn't end up looking messy? It sure would be easier than making chocolate curls, which is what it looks like from a distance in that pic.
The lemon meringe is a good idea too...the tart would cut through that sweetness, and my Dad always likes my torched banana pudding.
Decisions, decisions. thanks again!
Birthday cake ideas for 7 min frosting
I want to make my dad's bday cake w/ fluffy 7 minute/white mountain/ marshmellow frosting. I can't decide what type of layers. Normally I do coconut cake, but I want to do something different. Thought of strawberry cake, but it seems like it might turn out too sweet. Chocolate? Banana w/ sauteed banana filling? some sort of butter pecan layers w/ chopped pecans on the side of the frosting? Something S'Mores-ish? Ideas please!
