mark's Profile
Holden Beach, NC - and surrounding area - Restaurants to add to the agenda....?
avoid betty's - really bad. the hot dog place (seem to recall it starts with an "m", but may be mistaken) on the road in is ok, but not worth the praise it garners on the hot dog threads. we wound up eating in for the most part as there is little good resto food in the holden area and we prefer to veg out than drive around. we did enjoy the oyster festival at the beach immediately south of holden (if you'll be there during the right season). holden's a nice beach with gentle surf, but not a food destination unless you care to drive a bit.
This summer in Asheville
have you been to tomato recently? they slipped big time (greasy, bland food on multiple visits) after moving to westgate and the owner stepping away to pursue his salsa business (i assume that's what they're serving in the resto now - no where near as good as the fresh salsa they used to have). we stopped going, and haven't been in quite some time. it would be nice if they're back on track as it was very good in the old location.
Stone Bowl Korean, Asheville
just returned and it was pretty good. note: i am not particularly familiar with korean food, so authenticity, etc is out my ken. we started with the poached dumplings; very fresh tasting, i can understand the bland complaint above, but the accompanying sauce helps - we liked them. i had the eel stonebowl, which was good. the waitress stirred it together at the table, and, at my request added all the spicy condiment. it barely had any heat, although good flavor; i'll have to see if they can kick it up a bit. banchan were good, although a bit sweet across the board (may be typical, see note above) and, as jeff notes, the kimchee was mild compared to the others in my limited experience. my wife had a seafood and noodle soup in a red, peppery broth, and it was very good. (fyi for the squeamish, at least some seafood dishes will feature head-on shrimp, tentacles, other like squigglies - we had a good laugh over the reaction some of our family members would likely have.) portions were pretty good; i cleaned mine out, and am full, my wife brought home about a pint of soup. prices were ok; pre-tip with bar tab was $51. service was quick, knowledgeable, and attentive enough with 2 staff tag-teaming us. we'll be back.
Stone Bowl Korean, Asheville
how were the portions? $47 to go home full is one thing; $47 to make a sandwich an hour later is another.
Never Blue Asheville
per never blue's website, they have closed the asheville location. never blue's hours at that location were pretty restrictive; wanted to try it, but could never fit it into my schedule.
The Junction = YUM (Asheville)
been there a few times. for the most part, what i've had has been good, and prices are reasonable. i have found most things to be a tad on the sweet side for my taste; items one would expect to be sweet have been too sweet for me.
The Junction = YUM (Asheville)
bingo! generally good, usually with a stand out or two accompanied with a few misses. some smallish portions (ie pickled fried green tomatoes) for the $, others (ie fried okra) were a decent value. good drinks, at slightly better than downtown prices (tho still too $). dessert is not their thing. service has been good in my experience and owners are really nice and very much involved. nice place for a drink on the porch during the summer months. overall, need to up their game or drop their prices to see me on any regular basis.
The Ten Best Things I Put In My Mouthhole in 2011 (Asheville)
yeah, i wanted to use a pseudonym when i wrote a review for them, but wound up using my name. luckily, it never came back to bite me in the ass.
The Ten Best Things I Put In My Mouthhole in 2011 (Asheville)
i'm curious. did you write that for the xpress & then post it here too, or did they lift it and cite the author but fail to credit the source?
The Junction = YUM (Asheville)
i was there for new year's eve as well. i believe the menu changes with some frequency (not sure what that what might be), but, yes, there was a more standard-type burger on the main menu.
to scirocco: i believe white duck is closed for the winter right now. may be mistaken - call first.
The Ten Best Things I Put In My Mouthhole in 2011 (Asheville)
depends on the timing. when i get a late start, i generaly grill/smoke with charcoal/lump; when i plan ahead, i use hickory.
one of the few silver linings of the recession/depression is that it's forced me to cook at home significantly more. i've rediscovered my love of and ability for it, and my grilling/smoking especialy has really come on strong. it's been a good food year.
The Ten Best Things I Put In My Mouthhole in 2011 (Asheville)
no particular order, thus abc... instead of 123... :
a. shrimp po'boy (westville pub)
b. fried fish (prosser's bbq, sc)
c. smoked chicken (my house)
d. pepperoni, sausage and garlic pizza (favilla's)
e. salted carmel ice cream (the hop)
f. doughnuts & cider (blake's cider mill, mi)
g. pizza (loui's pizza, detroit)
h. smoked pork (my house)
i. spaghetti & meat sauce (my house)
j. cinnamon babka (my house)
Favilla -Asheville New Pizza Joint
i'm with you on that one. favilla's is great as is. i always get there early for my order just so i can watch them, specifically andrew, work. he was, at one point, contemplating the vacated nona mia space; no idea if that's still in the air.
i enjoy the bolognese pizza (it's an off menu item) at marco's; little heartier fare than the norm (good for cooler weather), and it avoids the watery marinara. i only eat their regular pizzas at the resto; if it's a watery day, it will not survive 20 minutes in a cardboard box (yuck - pizza soup).
Favilla -Asheville New Pizza Joint
please note, favilla's does have some limited outdoor seating, weather permitting. it's my understanding they are (or have) contemplating(ed) a move to a space with seating. their pizza is good (it's become my go to, appr 3x per month); hands down the best of its type on this side of town. a few caveats, the crust can occasionally be chewy &, oddly for pizza, it sometimes lacks a little salt. i really like the meatball parm pizza. haven't been impressed with the salad dressings; overly sweet & they have a bottled mouth-feel.
as for marco's, that's pretty darn good pizza, too. crust is good and pretty consistent, although they often don't get enough char on it unless you ask for it. while their sauce is good, it can be watery, which results in a soggy pie; therefore, i don't get toppings (ie veg) that might exude additional liquid. i'd have a hard time denigrating their cred as i've met marco several times and you can definitely still tell from whence he hails. also, i fondly recall his much more hole-in-wall beginnings.
as to prices, favilla's basic pizzas are actually cheaper than marco's, but favilla's toppings are more. favilla's specialty pizzas are slightly more expensive than marco's. marco's salads are cheaper (and better - for the dressing if nothing else) than favilla's.
for me, which i go to is determined more by where i am in town when i decide to get pizza, and where i intend to eat said pizza. when they're firing on all cylinders, marco's edges out favilla's, but favilla's delivers a more consistent pizza experience.
Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack, Asheville
chicken's good - sweet & spicy. i like the hot; they're fairly forthright on the heat levels - if you don't care for heat, start mild. sides were paltry and overpriced.
So disapointed in Bouchon- Asheville
the all-you-can-eat mussels special (tue-thur) is the only thing i've found worthwhile. not the best-executed mussels i've had but passable, and the value makes up for it. otherwise, bouchon misses the mark.
Good date place that doesn't cost a fortune in Asheville
not upscale, but tomato & nine mile are a nice meal out, too, without breaking the bank.
Ultimate Ice Cream Comes to Downtown Asheville!
jeff,
downtown gets real ice cream! yeah!
you might actually have some luck with a beer float at the hop. i seem to recall seeing something similar at the west location.
oh, the spanx mankini, ew!
Good date place that doesn't cost a fortune in Asheville
you can probably hit the admiral at that price point (my tab for two is typically ~$80); you need reservations. it's not white tablecloth by any means; but you can get a fairly private, quite table.
any higher end place downtown will be hard to stay under that ceiling. a zambra/curate might do (drinks are expensive), but i wouldn't expect to be sated.
if you don't have to be in asheville proper, then chef mo's might do the trick.
we're getting into the the beginning of tourist season, so prices will actually be going back up & specials going away now that they don't need to attract the locals for the cold-weather months.
Curate - Asheville
pricing & value are valid points to make when discussing a restaurant (chowhound's not just about food; take a look at the home page for proof, there are several pointedly non-food boards). are you so wealthy that you can wander into a per se or french laundry and order without looking at the prices? mightn't you be a bit shocked, despite how awesome it was, by the $1000 price tag that could result in? also, value affects taste for most of us. at $1 a candy bar can be tasty. at $20 the same candy bar is crap. curate and its ilk are deceptively easy places to really rack up a big bill. it's entirely appropriate to point out that customers should expect a rather substantial bill for what they get (or that what they get may be insubstantial for the price); whether that be a few snacks and drinks that could easily cost triple or more than a full dinner elsewhere, or a full-on meal that could easily top three figures. keep in mind that chowhound's not exclusively for the "haves" (although most of us who play here skew in that direction). oddly, people who don't have lots of discretionary income to throw around like to eat, and even eat out, too. they should know what they're in for.
Curate - Asheville
little bit o' both, maybe? or maybe the exception to the rule. :)
in response to the whole thread: it's funny the strife/angst it creates when we acknowledge that there are socio-economic divisions in our society, and that some establishments are geared to appeal to the "haves". of course, for some, exclusivity is a factor in the calculation of value.
personally, i'd like all restaurants to be good, a good value (that doesn't mean they have to be cheap), and to succeed. obviously, few hit upon the formula that leads to happy longevity. i think there is a market in asheville for tapas done right; appropriate pricing for what amounts to snacks and appetizers will be part of that equation. it remains to be seen if x=curate.
Curate - Asheville
no hostility, just pointing out that they're targeting a certain clientele, and that's not your average local chowhound, which hasn't proved to be a winning formula in this town. part of a restaurant's appeal (or lack thereof) are the prices on the menu. if those prices (coupled with the type of establishment i know it to be - ie the upscale version of the humble tapas) automatically make me not want to go due to a perceived lack of value, then that is a valid point to make, and possibly for the owners to take into consideration.
Curate - Asheville
this place is a total non-starter for me. some quick mental math on the menu linked below gives me an average price of just under $10 per plate. one could spend less, but i would expect to lay out some serious change for little food to really "enjoy" the place (ala zambras - average price $120 to go home hungry!). drink prices are ridiculous (although unfortunately in keeping with many other downtown venues); c'mon, $11 for a rum & coke? good or no, those of us who live here and earn asheville wages just need to accept this place is for the tourist/gentry set and spend our $s at those places that want our business. hope curate has thought this through; tourist-free winters are tough (ask '806/scratch/nova et al).
sandwiches at digable pizza (west asheville)
for anyone who doesn't know, digable changed hands a few months back, and they've improved greatly. specifically, they now offer subs & sandwiches. nothing too fancy going on, basic hoagies, reubens (best in asheville per my wife, she wouldn't give me a bite), etc. very fresh, huge, reasonably-priced hoagies. the italian is this season's football food for me. very nice friendly, helpful staff. only complaint is that they are not open for lunch during the work week; i hope they'll expand hours and open earlier at least a couple of days per week.
the hop coming to the west side (asheville)
finally made it to the hop west yesterday. tried the salted caramel - oh my! that's good stuff. really nice owner; made fresh waffle cones while we waited. good hours (open until 11p for the after dinner/night crowd). great addition to the west side.
Asheville Snout-toTail Wine Dinner at the Admiral?
events like this are often listed in the mtn xpress (this one was).
link to their food page...
http://www.mountainx.com/dining/
the hop coming to the west side (asheville)
just wanted to post a heads up for the west asheville crowd. the hop will be opening a west side location where two spoons used to be. i believe they plan to open within a month or so. looking forward to trying it. for anyone who doesn't already know, we're talking ice cream here.
The Southern - Asheville
stopped in for a quick dinner last night. good food, but way too expensive for what you get. truffle deviled eggs & pimento crostini were both tasty, but severely overpriced, esp the eggs. italian sandwich was ok, but worth $5-6, not the $10 they charge. cubano (riff on the classic) was a better value, but still too small for the price ($9). side salad sandwiches come with is a joke of a plate filler. may go back to try entree items, but it won't be anytime soon.
wingasm @ the u joint (asheville)
went again this week. i'm not kidding, these things are damn good. took a friend with us, and she cleaned her plate before i could; let me tell you, when it comes to me & wings, that's impressive. sold out at 8:20p this time.
