Windsor's Profile
Vegan Choices Asheville
VegHeads is a great vegetarian drive through.
The last I checked, Veg-in-out is a weekly vegan meal delivery or pick-up service. Wingbean is another vegan weekly meal delivery service in the area.
Vitamix or the Ninja?
Vitamix is the best on the market. The main complaint has been the height...it will not fit under most cabinets. They have just released a new lower profile model. The good news would be the former taller models should become somewhat cheaper, and hardly ever seen Vitamix resales will appear on E-Bay.
HELP! finally have two nickels to rub together - buying a new range
I am in the market for a new gas range and shopped around this week.
I was undecided between a 30 and 36 inch until I looked at the displays and got the feel of the 36 inch range. Not only more space between the burners and an extra eye or two, but a more dramatic wall behind the range for design. When I compared the two, I felt the 36 inch gas range fit our needs for use and design.
It amazed me the differences of BTU between ranges. Some maxed out at 11,000 and others reached over 20,000. We do many high heat stir fries and liked the high heat fifth center burner. Some of the high heat fifth burners also do simmer! Having a second simmer eye would ROCK! From what I have been told this week the higher BTU is more important if you have LP gas as you lose some of the BTU output.
I will follow this post closely as I am trying to make the same decisions.
Vegan Choices Asheville
Danna, I have never seen it on the menu. I just asked the waitress and she said the chef would accommodate. The plate would change daily, based on the evenings menu and chef's whim. It was hearty and good. My guess on the price range was $15-17.00. I will have to try it again soon and report back.
Vegan Choices Asheville
Almost all of Asheville is vegan friendly. If in doubt, call ahead. As mentioned, Plant is outstanding.....and save room for dessert!
The Admiral offers an ever changing vegetarian plate...you might want to mention vegan when you make reservations.
The Junction will do vegan..I was told by the owner to call one day in advance.
Laughing Seed, Tupelo Honey, Early Girl, Posana, The Noodle Shop and pretty much any place downtown has vegan offerings. Mellow Mushroom will do vegan, ask for the vegan cheese and omit butter on crust. Two of my favorite vegan friendly downtown lunch buffets are Kathmandu (Himalayan) and Chai Pani (Indian street food).
If you happen to be doing a day on the Biltmore estate, call ahead. I know that the restaurant next to the Winery has a vegan dish.
Noi's Thai Kitchen guarantees that they will make a vegan dish without fish in the sauce.
On the extreme casual side there is Rosetta's Kitchen..all vegan.
Mile High has several vegan items on the menu.
Green Light is a new vegan restaurant downtown. I have not been, but the local vegan meet-up group sometimes gathers there.
If you want to go out for some southern BBQ try Luella's. They offer a vegan BBQ tempeh plate.
Where to eat in Jekyll Island
Check out the reports for St. Simons Island...the closest area for good dining. The times I have stayed on Jekyll Island I wound up discovering the drive to St. Simons was worth the drive for a good meal. It is a very short beautiful drive over a few bridges.
NYT 4/27/12 guide to Asheville - Admiral gets rave reviews
Check out today's guide to Asheville: http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/united-states/north-carolina/asheville/overview.html
Cafe Azalea - Asheville Tunnel Road
Maybe it was just a beautiful day with good company and we got lucky with the food and service. Maybe it was just an Opera high. Thanks for sharing, Foodher. I started wondering what the story is as days went by before any response to my post. I guess another clue was given by a good friend and professionally trained chef who lives very close to CA. When he heard we had dinner there last weekend his response was a cold 'I had dinner there once years ago.' He and his wife dine out fairly frequently, so that didn't bode well for their one and only visit.
Then again, maybe they have turned things around. I will try again, next time I am on that side of town.
Cafe Azalea - Asheville Tunnel Road
I love this little gem! It is located in a small strip mall east of 240 on Tunnel Road.
It has been on my short list for a few years. We had an early dinner yesterday with friends after attending the Met matinee simulcast of 'La Traviata' at Carolina Cinema. One of our out of town friends insisted on trying this restaurant at the recommendation of a good friend who used to babysit the owner, Judd, when he was a toddler. We had the opportunity to meet Judd and found out he opened the doors to Cafe Azalea five years ago. He didn't remember his babysitter, but asked for us to report back he turned out OK.
We arrived at the 'off hour' of 4:30 and were offered an intermezzo menu that they serve between lunch and dinner. We were told the dinner menu would be available at 5:30. Not an issue for any of us as we were not all that hungry and just wanted to have an early light dinner and enjoy a cocktail, light bite and conversation. The list of wine by the glass was limited, but very well selected. One member of our party ordered a mojito and we were told the mint was picked fresh from the garden that morning. The featured soups were lobster bisque and a butternut squash with fennel cream. Both were divine and beautifully garnished. The light menu offered several salads (with optional add-on's of chicken, shrimp, portabella or scallops) and a creative selection of sandwiches.
The two vegetarians were offered the nightly vegetarian option from the dinner menu that was a stuffed squash with soy sausage, mushrooms and roasted almonds served over red rice and sauteed swiss chard. It was one of the best vegetarian entrees I have ever been served in a restaurant! Perfect blend of textures and seasoning.
The dinner ended with a ginger creme broule. Over-the-top greatness.
Nice cozy space, friendly service, great cafe style food. Will return soon!
Steam with Convection Oven
I have a convection oven and aware of the uses. It is the new line of steam/convection combo ovens that is of interest to me. I will be researching in weeks ahead and will report back.
Steam with Convection Oven
Considering adding in our final kitchen lay out plan. It is a fairly new product offered by Wolf and Thermador. Would love to get feedback to see if it is as good as the promotional material says it is. I have the opportunity to visit a Sub Zero test kitchen to try it myself, but would like to hear from other CH'ers.
Asheville - Kid friendly pizza joint with good selection of local brews.
We had a great week showing family the area for the first time. Stocked up their fridge with a Green Man Porter Growler and an assortment of bottled local ales from Earth Fare. Mellow Mushroom had an awesome selection and the kids loved the pizza and fun vibe. Tupelo Honey had a more limited selection of local brews, but what they had was a great representation of the local brew scene. Even found some local brews on the Biltmore Estate, mostly featuring their own Cedrics. We were stuck in the rain today meeting family for a Biltmore wine tasting and waited out the storm at Moe's Southwest for a small plate of nachos and found Highlands mixed in with their selection of Mexican brews.
We stopped by The Wedge today to take a growler home to my other nephew who happens to have a dog named 'The Wedge.' What a find! "Lucy" my temperamental GPS was very little help.
Thank you Chowhounders.
They were amazed to learn about the local beer scene. It was so much fun to share yesterday's news of yet another brewery moving to the area!
Asheville - Kid friendly pizza joint with good selection of local brews.
My Nephew arrives tomorrow with his wife and two well-behaved kids for Spring Break. It is their first time in Western NC. They live in Madison, Wisconsin which has a pretty awesome local brew scene. I need to show off The Beer Capital and all it's spenders and need advice.
Weather looks good on Monday, so a full day at Biltmore Estate (picnic lunch and dinner on site). Many lunch and dinners out for three days. Give me your best kid friendly fun spots with local brews.
My Niece introduced me to 'Wine to Water' a few years ago. A half case of the regional treat I purchased for her. Here is a link to their website: http://winetowater.org/ It is now available at Harris Teeters in WNC!
Vegan expectations?
One of our friends has the habit of making changes in almost everything she orders. There have been times that it is so over the top it comes across as persnickety and high maintenance. None of her requested changes have anything to do with dietary issues. One year we had reservations at a fine restaurant for New Years Eve. When she started with her "I would like to order X, but..." the waiter pleasantly told her that the Chef had taken great care to create the menu and he would not make substitutions. I had to quietly snicker at her shock. I am quite sure the same chef would have made changes due to dietary restrictions if advised in advance. After five years on a plant based diet, I will either e-mail or call a new restaurant to confirm there is something on the menu as an option. Never disappointed.
Induction vs Gas Cook Top
I was convinced I wanted a gas cook top until reading several CH threads on the topic. Do I have to get rid of my All Clad cookware to buy specific induction products?
Harris Teeter Organic Moroccan Lentil/Chickpea Soup
I found this recipe that might be a good starting point.
http://www.fatsecret.com/recipes/moroccan-spiced-chickpea-and-lentil-soup/Default.aspx
I have been expanding my spice rack. Ordered saffron threads, cardamom seeds, ras el hanout and harrisa, not all from Penzeys.
Will try to hunt this thread down once it is moved ;-}
Harris Teeter Organic Moroccan Lentil/Chickpea Soup
The one in the refrigerator section near the deli? That soup is amazing. Publics used to carry it as well as Harris Teeters and they stopped carrying all but a few products in that line. At one point I looked up several online recipes that looked promising and even ordered some of the seasoning from Penzeys. That just might have to be my project for the week.
Culinary Student looking to expand palette in Greenville, SC and surrounding area.
Greenville has some options. The ones I know about have already been mentioned.
For inspiration you might need to drive out of town for a few day trips or weekend vacations. Asheville, as Donna suggested, is worth the drive. The inaugural Asheville Small Plate Crawl is in late February, a good way to sample many great restaurants at a reasonable price. I suggest a weekend in Charleston. That town rocks on the food scene. I also suggest a few days in Atlanta. If you have any interest in international flavors, check out Buford Hwy north of Atlanta.
Out & About in Asheville
Keep us posted. Would love to have more info on the food truck scene in Asheville. Time for a new thread?
Well this is exciting- Asheville
I am looking forward to this. I signed-up for the restaurant updates and it is quite exciting watching the progress of new menus and venues added daily.
Seeking recipe/cookbook software
I am currently on a 30 day trial of Living Cookbook software. It was highly rated on Amazon and other sights. It is fairly easy to use. The big downside that I have found is the nutritional analysis for any recipe you add to the database is very incomplete. My minestrone soup recipe omitted eight of the eleven ingredients and I can't find a way to turn this feature off on my first try at creating a cookbook. No nutritional information would be better than erroneous.
Would love to hear feedback of a good, easy-to-use recipe management software.
Stone Bowl Korean Restaurant opening in Asheville
I saw the neon sign at the end of a small strip mall last night retuning from dinner at Nine Mile.
It is located across from Papas and Beer on Hendersonville Hwy. I returned today to try to get take out. The owner was locking up. Another couple drove up before me to question her. The story is she has the food permit as of today and working on beer and wine permits. She proudly showed us the interior...beautiful lighting, minimal, a few tributes to Korea. She is energetic and excited about her new venture. She gave us her take out menu that has appetizers, stonebowl, soup dinner, stir fry, chef special, grilled, rice and noodle sections for entrees.
Prices range from a modest entree of noodles for $11.00 to the chef specialty of braised pork belly served over specially preserved kimchi at $27.
They plan to open in early January.
Asheville - Admiral closed over the holidays...your best bets for other options
Top two or three for a great dining experience to send a friend.
Do you have a special dipping sauce concoction for dumplings?
All or any of the above. I have a little cheat that I use at times. Makato Ginger dressing sold in my local grocer's produce department. Gives a good chunky ginger soy flavor.
Kitchen Design/Product suggestions
We will be breaking ground on our new home in the next few weeks. Close to retirement, this will be our forever home. I am getting a bit overwhelmed with decisions.
Must have, splurges and avoid at all cost advice welcome!
I am pretty well set with the actual cookware. Flooring, appliances, cabinet design, countertop, backslash, lighting....let me hear your thoughts!
north carolina foodie towns?
I guess it boils down to A) Returning to Asheville for great Fall scenery and great food (Asheville) B)The finest of Fall scenery with a very good food scene (High Country) C) Great food scene in a metro area (Triangle).
north carolina foodie towns?
The High Country (Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk) would be a possibility for great scenery and a few good dining options. While it doesn't remotely compare to Ashville's food scene, it would be a good compromise with beautiful mountain fall drives and hiking trails. Our leaves are already starting to turn where I live at almost 5,000 ft. elevation. There are some fun local fall festivals coming up in October, Blue Ridge Parkway, Grandfather Mountain and so much more!
Artisanal is a great restaurant: in Banner Elk http://www.artisanalnc.com/. Spruce Pine would be a beautiful 50 minute drive.
Plant - Fantastic Food and Cruelty Free! (Asheville)
I can't wait to try it. Drove by on late Monday afternoon on my way to Noi Thai Kitchen for take-out. The new sign caught my eye "PLANT, a restaurant with roots." While I was waiting I happened to pick up a local weekly and read the article about Plant. The owner is a former chef from Laughing Seed. It has only been open two weeks and seems to have had a soft opening with little advertising on purpose. At the very top of my 'must try' list! Vegan friendly Asheville just kicked it up a notch! YES!
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Laughing Seed Cafe
40 Wall St, Asheville, NC 28801
Thai Kitchen
4357 Washington Rd Ste A, Evans, GA 30809
Best of downtown Asheville
Looking for a short list of the best of the best downtown for casual good food, local brews, venues etc. to give to friends who will be vising later this week.
From all they have heard about Asheville, it is on their short list for possible future relocation. Unfortunately, this trip has to be cut short as they return home to Tennessee. They will be there for possibly two dinners, one lunch and one breakfast.
They plan on staying downtown (Renaissance/Hotel Indigo?) and would like to walk to restaurants and venues. Appreciate your help with the list.
