Asheville - Beer and Food mecca

Asheville. The small town with the most breweries per capita in the US. Our Uber driver said there were 25 in the city limits. That doesn't even count the huge, regional ones just outside of town. So I'm really not sure how many there are, but there are tons. And all apparently really good.

Then there's the food. My god, the food. Elevated Appalachian cuisine at every turn, and several other excellent restaurants.

Finally, there is the culture. Rustic, authentic Appalachian culture all over town. From the bluegrass street performers, complete with spoons and washboards; to the bluegrass bars scattered about town. Asheville doesn't just stay true to its roots - it embraces them.

Street musicians performing incredible bluegrass. Although apparently the kid in front of me isn't a fan lol.

Unfortunately, my travels have only taken me there a handful of times. Most recently for my birthday. This is how it went down:

Breakfast - Biscuit Head. If there's a better breakfast spot anywhere, I've yet to find it. Humongous Appalachian style "cathead" biscuits with an ever-changing rotation of house made bacon, sausage, gravies, honeys, butters, and hot sauces. If you visit Asheville - DO NOT MISS THIS.

When we arrived, barely after opening, there was already a healthy line formed. Luckily we could get in fairly quickly, unlike the unlucky folks standing in an epic line when we left.

Before.....

After. Who knows how long these unlucky souls had to wait. However long, it was still worth it.

We ordered a full breakfast (2 eggs, 2 sides) added 2 more sides, and added a gravy flight (3 gravies of your choice). Our 3 gravies were 1) fried chicken, 2) coconut, and 3) spicy pork chorizo (gravy of the day). In the past, I also tried regular sausage, mushroom, pulled pork, and and a tomato based. 

Fried chicken is the clear winner. Chorizo, sausage, and pulled pork were excellent in their own right. Coconut is really good, and unique. Mushroom and the tomato gravies were good, but didn't really fit for me, at least not for breakfast.

Our eggs were poached, of course. We added mango sriracha bacon and maple sriracha sausage; both incredible. Jalapeno pimento cheese was good, but a tad underwhelming considering the other offerings. And the moon cheese home fries were incredible.

We tried orange rosemary jelly - really good. The honeys were chocolate/strawberry, strawberry/jalapeno, and bananas foster - all excellent.

Next up were breweries. You can't visit Asheville without enjoying its incredible beer scene. That scene starts with the incredibly popular Wicked Weed. Even at noon on a random Saturday, the brewery was already completely at capacity. We grabbed what was certainly one of the last 2 spots in a very large complex. 

With so many to visit, I tried to limit myself to 2 offerings at each brewery. Here I chose April Showers, a berry based saison, which was excellent. Next I chose the Old Fashioned, which was a dark barrel aged ale, brewed with cherry. Incredible. One of my all time favorite beers.

Completely packed at noon on a random Saturday. That's a town excited about its beer scene.

Feeling the need for a late lunch, we took the advice of some natives and visited White Duck Taco. A taco spot, with several eclectic offerings. 

The food was good, but very underwhelming considering the level of excellency one gets used to in Asheville. We tried shrimp, jerk chicken, Korean bulgogi beef, and another that I cannot even recall. They were all forgettable, regrettably. The bulgogi beef woefully disappointed - it was basically plain ground beef, with kimchi.

After a big breakfast, beer, then lunch; I needed caffeine before browsing some shops. Double D's is a unique coffee shop that sits inside an old double decker bus. How unique is that? Plus they serve excellent coffee. 

Then off to Green Man Brewing. I've never been a fan of hops. Mostly because i don't like beer that tastes/feels like a pine cone sinus grenade. But that's just me. Tons of people love it.

Unfortunately, Green Man loads up on hops. I tried a saison, which was of course well hopped. It was still enjoyable, but too hoppy for my taste. They had an incredible space though, including a 3 story tap room. Plus tons of room to grow.

On to Burial Beer Co. Certainly the most unique of the venues, with a focus on the morbid. They also had some interesting food offerings, including deviled chicken hearts. We chose to forego food, as dinner was approaching. 

My first choice was Pantalones Flacos - a sour, with sea salt and lime. Nearly a margarita, but a beer. An interesting, creative, and excellent beer. 

With several other offerings catching my eye, i went with a flight of 4: 1) The Ocean Swallows the Sun - a sour/gose. Good, but not outstanding. 2) Thresher - a coffee saison. If I were blindfolded, Id sworn I was drinking coffee. Good if you like coffee, terrible if you dont. 3) Butchered Hook - a good porter. 4) Hacksaw Jim Dunkel - a very bland dunkel, unfortunately. Even more disappointing considering some of the other edgy and creative offerings.

Deviled chicken hearts? Ill pass. 10/10 for creativity. 

Finally, dinner. Reservations at Curate, a spanish tapas restaurant headed by the 2015 Beard award winner Katie Button. As with Biscuit Head - Curate is an absolute must if you visit Asheville. 

We started with the best sangria I've had; and Potatoes Bravos, an incredibly smokey and perfectly spicy fried potato dish. Then spanish olives, which were all great (if you're an olive fan). Next was house chorizo wrapped in potato chips - really good. We ended with rossejat negro, which is this paella noodles with squid and their ink. Interesting, to say the least. It really had an excellent flavor, but the texture was such that I'd never feel compelled to order it again.

Potatoes Bravos. Possibly the best thing your taste buds will ever experience. 

Pasta of squid and its ink. Great flavor, just not a texture I care to experience again.

Day 2 - After having so much great food the day before, we skipped breakfast and opted for an early lunch at Buxton Hal BBQ. This BBQ joint serves great whole hog BBQ in an incredible space. We also ordered chicken bog (a sort of chicken jambalaya) and spicy collards. Both good.

Knowing the pig's name I was about to eat was a new experience. I think I could do without it. 

For dessert we visited the French Broad Chocolate Lounge. This is another absolute must do for an Asheville visit. We ordered a liquid truffle, of maple and smoked sea salt. And a pack of 6 pieces of chocolate: 1) Chocolate Martini 2) Peanut Butter 3) Horchata 4) Strawberry Balsamic 5) Honey/caramel 6) Caramel cluster, with pistachio. All incredible.

Unfortunately, it was only a weekend trip. But anytime you can fit in Biscuit Head, Curate, French Broad Chocolate Lounge, epic beer, and incredible Appalachian culture into one weekend - that's a weekend well spent in my book.

80's/90's Wrestling Meets Today's Cocktails

Ever wondered: If my favorite wrestling memories from the 80s/90s were a cocktail - what kind of cocktail would they be? Well thanks to the mixologists at Rye, wonder no more!

Disclaimer: this pic is a few months old, and their cocktail menu changes often. Oh, also the picture is fairly awful. But the concept is so cool, I still thought Id post it. Even if it is a few months late.

Anselmo's Bistro and Bar (Louisville, KY)

After striking out on a few attempts to find a good Italian restaurant, in a few different cities, we decided to try Anselmo's. Anselmo's is a small, intimate authentic Italian bistro that has really good food, really good wine, excellent service; all at a really reasonable price. The ONLY negative is that space is small, and the vast majority of patrons are regulars - so much so the server instantly recognized us as new. This means seating is limited, and reservations nearly a must.

For an appetizer, we ordered the deep fried ravioli. It was excellent. We also heard really good remarks about the bruschetta. Either/both are winners.

For entrees, we order rattlesnake pasta and lasagna. The rattle snake pasta is tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce, and topped with grilled chicken and jalapenos. Really, really good; especially if you like an extra bite to your dish. The lasagna was extraordinary. Maybe the best lasagna Ive tried. This is what you should order.

For dessert, we had the cannoli. Don't leave without ordering this dessert. Its cream filled, covered in powdered sugar, and drizzled in raspberry sauce. Although I normally avoid desserts, this is not to be missed.

Why go? Perfect date night, with either a long term partner/spouse; or a first date. But definitely get reservations. Not really much of a guys night out spot, but I'm guessing you could already tell that. They do have a very small bar area, but definitely don't expect many single ladies parked there. Almost exclusively either a date destination; or a large family dinner.

Sole Mio (Nashville, TN)

My date loves pasta. So, I sought recommendations for Italian in Nashville. A trusted source highly recommended Sole Mio. How'd it go? Well....I'm not sure if it was a cruel joke....or they just had sadistic intentions, or both.

My date order the gnocchi, our favorite pasta.

I ordered the garlic brined pork chop, medium. The gnocchi had the consistency and flavor of rubber bands. My pork chop had the consistency of jerky and the flavor of cardboard. Not to sound cruel; but the food was only edible because we were starving. 

Hopefully this was somehow just the worst night in the history of this kitchen; but I highly doubt it. All for the price of $150....

The good news - The service was excellent. Not that it matters because sadly, the servers don't have much of a product backing them.

Why go? Don't. Just don't. Nashville has too many incredible offerings to waste one moment here. If somehow you feel the indescribable urge to go, just set fire to $150 and save the real pain of dining here.

Holy Grale (Louisville, KY)

It's said "beer is proof that God loves us". Never more proof than this high end craft beer establishment located in an old Unitarian Church (http://holygralelouisville.com/). The tap list and bottle selection are both really good; more than enough to ensure your cup will runneth over. Atmosphere is excellent, and really unique.


The food is worthy of a last supper or whatever church pun one can imagine. My choice is the 3D Valley Farm Burger, with Benton's Bacon (Hallelujah!); and fritjes. Heavenly.

Why go:

Perfect to hang with friends; or a chill night out with your girlfriend/wife. If you're looking for a date location, there are better options. No need to take the unnecessary risk that the limited/sophisticated menu may not suit your date's palette. Absent large brewers, wine, and cocktail options; your date may struggle with a drink choice. Also, at this price point there are better options for initial dates (around $50 for 2 burgers, one fritjes, and 2 beers).


If you're single and ready to mingle, probably not the best choice. Very few single ladies. Plus the ladies here are looking for a slow night out with their friends; no matter how bearded you may be. So if you're looking to go forth and multiply; this isn't the place.