1. Beer, beer, and more beer. Asheville is known for its plethora of craft breweries, and when the supply is high, the prices are low. You could get a craft beer for $4! We visited a lot of breweries during our trip, but my favorites were definitely Wicked Weed, Twin Leaf Brewery, and Hi-Wire Brewing.
Best Beer - Rosemary IPA from Twin Leaf -- If you love rosemary and are looking for a beer to pair with a nice meat and cheese plate, then this one is for you!
Best Atmosphere - Twin Leaf -- They have pretzels for sale (perfect for beer munchies), shuffleboard, life-sized Jenga, and a host of other board games to entertain everyone in your party.
Best Flight - Wicked Weed -- You get to pick 6 beers from their generous selection and it is served in a neat wooden-handled carrying thingy.
Best Brewery to Watch Soccer - Hi-Wire Brewing -- We couldn't believe our eyes when we walked into Hi-Wire...an Arsenal flag! We had searched high and low for a place to watch our EPL game on Saturday and had come up empty until now. We returned on Saturday and watched the Gunners defeat West Ham, all while enjoying lunch from the deli attached to Ben's Tune Up next door. We closed out our visit to Hi-Wire with a quick game of Mario Kart...I lost.
2. I (naturally) did a ton of research before our trip on the must-try restaurants in Asheville, and let me tell you, the restaurant scene here does not disappoint. We hit up Curate, a tapas restaurant in downtown Asheville recommended by literally everyone, for my birthday dinner. Maybe it was the beer flights and bottle of champagne (bad combo) that we had before dinner, or maybe it was because we have been to some really good tapas restaurants in Atlanta (hello, Barcelona Wine Bar and Iberian Pig), but we left Curate thinking that the tapas were really good, but not REALLY REALLY good. The next time we head to Asheville, I definitely want to try Curate again...this time with a clear mind and empty belly.
We paced ourselves a little better post-birthday celebration and ventured over to Rhubarb for dinner the next night, which like Curate, is led by a chef currently vying for the James Beard Award for the Southeast Region. Listen to me closely - if you ever go to Asheville, then you MUST make a reservation at Rhubarb. I am not being hyperbolic when I say that this was one of the best meals that I have ever eaten. We split the pork meatballs appetizer which was crispy and porky and delicious. Matt continued to ride on the pork train and ordered pork osso buco -- I think I had to pry the clean pork bone out of his hand as we left the restaurant. However, those dishes can't hold a candle to my entree, the shining star of the evening, goat cheese gnudi (think gnocchi but made out of goat cheese). This dish was meat free and I did not miss a thing. The gnudi, so rich in flavor, was perfectly complimented by all of its vegetarian friends who wanted in on the action - shallots, mushrooms, butter beans, spinach, pumpkin seeds. You will feel like the guy from Austin Powers who screams, "Get in my belly!".
We typically played lunch by ear, but I definitely suggest that visitors who are fans of taqueria joints try out White Duck Taco Shop. This meal saved us from some pretty nasty hangovers after the birthday extravaganza the night before.
3. I saved a special place in this trip re-cap for French Broad Chocolate Lounge, also located in downtown Asheville. Remember the out of this world gnudi that I mentioned above and that you are probably still salivating about? Well, we followed up that amazing meal with a trip to the FBCL, and I honestly thought I had died and gone to heaven. This place is worth the wait, with its homemade ice creams, decadent hot chocolates (which is one of my all time favorite things), and chocolaty cakes/brownies/cookies. I ordered a salted caramel hot chocolate and Matt got a salted caramel ice cream scoop and a piece of chocolate cake. If you are looking for a blog on how to eat healthy, then you have come to the wrong place!
4. We went back and forth on whether we wanted to spend the money to visit the Biltmore, the most famous (and really only) attraction in Asheville. At the end of the day, we decided that we couldn't come all this way and not visit the one thing that everyone will ask if you visited or not, so we trekked out there on our last (and most beautiful) day in Asheville. Though it might have been the quickest $126 we have ever spent on a tour, visiting the Biltmore was definitely a memorable experience. (P.S. - Don't be a cheapo and opt out of the audio guide, which is just a few dollars more. There are no signs to read as you tour through the house, so you really will have no idea what you are looking at or hear any of the interesting stories about the rooms and people who lived there if you don't get the guide). They didn't allow pictures to be taken inside (I borrowed the ones below), but my favorite rooms in the house were the swimming pool and the main dining room. There was also a neat exhibition going on where they had placed actual costumes from Downton Abbey (next to stills from the scenes in which the actors wore them) throughout the rooms of the Biltmore - definitely worth seeing if you are a fan of the show.
We drove over to the Biltmore Village to grab a quick bite after our tour. It is a shame that the shops here are so commercial, otherwise this could be a nice place to stroll around. We went to Moe's BBQ (I know, we have one in Atlanta) which never disappoints.
5. Last but not least, I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my husband in a new, yet relaxing, city and celebrating my birthday. He surprised me with flowers and a bottle of champagne (one of my other favorite things), which we enjoyed on the patio of our hotel before dinner. We also ventured over to a dueling piano bar to close out my birthday celebrations. Since we were practically the only ones in there, the players obliged us with all of our requests (Walking in Memphis, Good Golly Miss Molly, Tom Petty) and even sang Happy Birthday to me as we made our exit.
Here are a few more misc. pictures from the trip...enjoy!
