Ethiopian in Asheville?

If you are anxious to put down that knife and fork and pick up a giant piece of sour spongy bread, look no further.   Some plucky group of west African immigrants and white hippies are looking to make your lentil dreams and root-mash wishes come true.

The catering group calls themselves “Abaye,” and they’ve been offering monthly Ethiopan dinners for a little while now.  In April, I ventured in to one of their dinners in the Greenlife annex building.  I thought the food was slightly better than mediocre, but I applaud anyone who attempts to enliven our culinary landscape out here in the ‘ville.

There’s plenty for vegetarians to choose from, but honestly I found their meat dish to be the best-tasting option, spiced with paprika and hot peppers.  The bread was, well, a giant sour sponge, but they didn’t find a way to keep it warm enough brighten the flavor, which dampens as it cools. 

That said, I dream of a day when we formally welcome Ethiopian cuisine into the pantheon of Asheville dining experiences, so I say let’s support Abaye’s efforts and come on down!

The next Abaye meal will take place this Friday, May 30, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville (1 Edwin Pl) at 6pm.  I think plates are $12-$15.

 

Sunday Brunch Makes a Comeback

Sundays in Asheville have been looking bleak for the past year or so, but now that the recession’s in full force, restauranteurs are getting all creative and competitive, and I for one, find joy in that.

Jack of the Wood Irish Breakfast:  Sundays, 11am-2pm.  See if you can cram in a couple of eggs, deliciously hearty baked beans, 2 bangers, Irish soda bread, tangy spiced cheddar, roasted mushrooms, and grilled tomatoes.  I did it in 30 minutes.  Plus a pint of O’Hara’s Irish red, apparently the only macrobrew being exported out of Ireland right now.   

They also offered a yummy-looking potato-leek soup, and their formidable rueben.  The stout brownie was completely wonderful in every way:  moist, enormous, dark, and tinged with raspberry sauce.

Limones:  That’s right, it’s back!  They quit serving brunch over 6 months ago, much to my dismay, but now the economy is demanding they bring it back, for good, they say.  Oh rapture!   Churros y chocolate, lemon curd scone, wonderful, inventive, affordable entrees.  Limones at dinner is a real treat, but Limones for brunch is less stressful on the wallet while no less decadent.

Curras Dom:  Their chilaquiles are decent, their soups are authentic and hearty on a winter morning.  Curras tamales are outstanding, and their cocktails range from juicy (margarita) to crazy (avocado margarita).  My favorite drink option: the michelada.  Kind of like a Bloody Mary, but with beer instead of vodka.  Trust me, and go with Pacifico as the best pairing option with a michelada.

Sunny Point:  The old standby just gets better every day.  And I’m about to move down the street!!!

 

Too Good to Be True

How could this be?  Sweeten Creek, ostensibly a causeway of nursing homes, oversized churches, condos, and trees, is now home to Asheville’s best culinary value ever.  Someone (possibly me) needs  to write a travel guide to gas stations, and this one better be on the top of the list.  Foodies, readers, chefs alike, listen closely.  The best Thai Food in Asheville, North Carolina, can be found at Little Bee Thai in the Exxon station on Sweeten Creek Rd.  And our president’s middle name is Hussein.*  I ask you, dear reader, which end is up?

A warning: call ahead.  They offer only one table and you probably don’t want to use it, and only one chef in this kitchen.  There’s also another guy who will talk to you and tell you stories about finding inspiration in the street fare of Bangkok.  He’s definitely onto something, because his wife (I think) can cook up an X-Men-sized storm.  Peruse the hostess cupcakes or beef jerky as you listen to the sound of fresh vegetables sizzling on the skillet.  My red curry was perfectly balanced with spice, and when I optioned for steamed tofu over fried she did not bat an eye.  The consistency of the curry was excellent, not too thick (like at Thai Basil), and featured a variety of peppers, bamboo shoots, and onions.  The tom kha gai was hands down the best chicken coconut soup to be found on this mountain, and possibly even in the tri-state region (until you get to Greensboro).  The sour, fragrant soup rivaled its oily counterpart served at Lemongrass in downtown Greeneville.  

We also ordered their basil noodles with pork which were delicious, and we ate every last bite.  Every menu item cashes in at under $7 for dinner.  Incredible.  We were happy and full to the brim for under $20.  Now with 12 Bones open Saturdays on Sweeten Creek location, we Ashevillians may have more than one reason to head down South.    Little Thai Bee, you’ve got a fan in me.   

 

*My soul has more Barack Obama stickers on it than your car.

 

The Best Kept Secret on Highway 81

If you find yourself, as I often do, traveling through the Shenendoah mountains of Virginia on Interstate 81, somewhere between famished, starving, and lethargically drooling onto your jacket, I have found the antidote.  Our incredible roadside adventure soon became a deviation so magical I expected the Lollipop Guild to come out and serenade me before it was all over.   

First off, if you didn’t already know, those without the iphone should learn of a great tool for finding restaurants in a given area.  1-800-GOOG-411 is completely free of charge and most extremely helpful.  For example, when you’re 40 miles outside of Roanoke and you want to find out where the nearest Korean restaurant might be, just for kicks, you can call the above number.   

Simply say, “Korean Restaurant” into the phone and perhaps, if you are luckier than an inaugeration ticket-holder, one might appear.  Complete with phone number and address.

We followed the bread crumbs until we were greeted by a boisterous, heavily accented lady on the phone, who informed us we had to travel past Roanoke, and past Blackburg even, take 460 West and detouring 30 minutes off the main pass, into the tiny town of Pembroke, deep in the Shenendoah Mountain Range.  Her name was Connie Kim.  Careening farther into Appalachian eternity, we called her a few more times, willing her to talk us out out of our utter disbelief that this rickety mountain road led to anything beyond a boiled peanut stand. 

Sure enough, eventually we were led into the Lilliputian outpost of Pembroke, complete with a Liberty gas station, a mechanics garage, a bank, and. . .

Kal-Bee Korean Mart and Restaurant.  It looks positively decrepit from the outside, but walking in, I was overwhelmed by trinkets and photos and fake flowers and plastic fruit, knick-knacks everywhere.  The knick-knacks were Asian themed and yet, not at all Asian.  Rural kitsch and old lady kitsch and Asian kitch too, I think.  Only another couple was eating there, and they beamed deeply as we entered and Connie warmly welcomed us with a day-glo-lipsticked grin.  The menu is just mindblowing.  Apparently, Connie worked at Cracker Barrel for 10 years before moving to Pembroke, and so she opened the restaurant as a hobby, serving generic southern soul food.  She quickly became the town’s only restaurant, a high-quality diner with onion rings, cheese sticks, meatloaf and the occasional veggie tempura. 

Some of her more adventurous customers suggested she cook up some of the Korean dishes she was always making for her kids in the diner, and so she slowly added a few Korean dishes to the menu, until this unassuming diner became the delectable jewel of Appalachia it is today.   The menu now boasts over 17 Korean homecooked dishes.  With these dishes, she gets serious.  Connie was the only one working that night, and she dutifully brought out wonderfully mild tea with our kim chee and pickled radishes.  The place filled up as we were leaving, and Connie’s daughter soon joined her to help out.  Both of them knew every customer by name and their usual order.   

Connie’s Bim Bim Bop features ginseng root, mountain fern, and lettuce, along with the requisite chopped steak, fried egg and thick and savory red sauce.  Her fried dumplings were lightly crisped and tasted superb.  The Jap Chae came with overwhelming slabs of tough beef, but she shared with us another customer’s order of Ozingubokum (no idea of sp) which is basically spicy/sweet stirfried squid.  This was completely wonderful and challenges any Korean food I’ve tasted in bigger cities. 

The best part?  After your completely authentic Korean meal, finish it with chocolate cobbler or strawberry shortcake, made from scratch by the one and only Connie. 

Washingtonians, Appalachians, Virginia Tech staff and students, and all road-weary travelers should do themselves an enormous favor and stop off in little ole’ Pembroke for a truly ethereal experience.  You won’t believe where you are.

 

Creme Patisserie is Open

There’s a new neighborhood bakery in town, and it’s just a few blocks from my house!  I haven’t eaten there yet, but here’s the skinny:

640 Merrimon Ave- in the shopping center with Urban Burrito and Zen Sushi.

Open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm

Saturday 9am-4pm

They offer:  3 daily breads (today is Challah, baguette, and multigrain)

-Muffins, soft pretzels, pastries

-Truffles, chocolates, petit fours

-They take orders for cakes 48 hours in advance

-They bake all things fresh every morning 

-They don’t have a website

Your Mission, should you choose to accept it:

Try Creme, and report back to base camp.

Update:  I walked in at 2pm Saturday and was disappointed to find just a very few sparse offerings in their bakery case.  The meager selection of linzer cookies were just not doing it for me.  The place looks great, but I think they need to bulk up their selection before I can get too excited.

2nd Update:  Best cinnamon roles in all of Asheville.  BEST.  There is something to be said for focusing specifically on just a couple of items, and essentially perfecting them in the process.  It’s all about quality not quantity at Creme Patisserie.

 

Risotto Unmasked!

Last night, after a long day of work, Toys ‘R Us, and cramming for Book Club, I noticed the welcoming aroma of hearty broth emanating from my kitchen.  Following my nose, I arrived to find my lovely, sweet, helpful, partner-in-dine, meditatively preparing something sensational on the stove, oblivious to my cooing admiration.  After sweetly praising his efforts,  my questions growing more insistent and repetitive by the minute, I finally took my eyes of the pan only to realize he was sporting giant headphones, and had barely noticed my presence.  I know better than to try and break the concentration of a potential Iron Chef contestant in the making.

I padded back out to the living room to finish an episode of Entourage, when suddenly before me arrived a steaming plate of his flagship creation: my baby’s first risotto. 

I have always feared risotto.  A staunch advocate of long grain white rice, I have bad memories of shedding tears because my mom had not used Uncle Ben’s, therefore rendering rice that was sticky, not separate, rather than attempting to reverse that formula like the commercials suggested.  Brown rice practically induces gag reflex unless I’m eating at Heiwa Shokudo, and perfectly home-cooked sushi rice is more elusive than a straight flush, as far as my skills are concerned.  So how could this risotto beast possibly be tamed?  It’s very separate, practically al dente, and yet still meant to soak in delicate and hearty sauces alike with perfect symmetry. 

Partner-in-Dine merely stated his method, without pretention.  Butter, olive oil (everything good starts with those two ingredients, in case you didn’t know) then sautee onions, mushrooms, throw on the arborio rice, saute, add a cup of veggie stock, cook down,  add another cup, cook down, add another, cook down, add peas, and voila!  Let sit, uncovered.  The first bite was still a little too al dente, but the fourth bite was perfect!  Apparently, the rice continues cooking in the sauce and soaking it in with slow acceptance, like it’s a new kid at school.

This has opened up a whole new world in our warm, bright kitchen this season.  Oyster sauce, leeks, saffron, corn, chicken, crab, asparagus, and the list continues.  Risotto, welcome to my life.

 

No Turkey Day

We began with sweet pickles, olives, and the okra I pickled this past August.  Also in this photo you can see the cranberry relish, and artichoke relish, respectively.  Artichoke relish is a Southern thang, and I just learned that it’s actually comprised of jerusalem artichokes, an autumnal root, not the green globes we know so well.

This is an early stage of our homeade fuuancy green bean casserole.  First, I sauteed chopped mushrooms and shallots in thyme and madeira. This was taken just after adding heavy cream.  Hummena, hummena. . .

Then I added the lightly steamed green beans.  I baked at 400 degrees for fifteen minutes, and then. . .

They do cornbread dressing up in Kentucky.  My mom just makes pepperidge farm and stuffs the turkey, but I’m always open to a little regional deviation.

Then we got all Julia Child on this motha.  Now presenting. . . tomato aspic salad with homemade mayonnaise.  You know we did Julia proud.

And now, what you’ve all been waiting for.  Sweet, lean, crispy, slightly spicy, luscious, moist- it’s goose!  Goose is completely non-gamey and filling without being heavy.  I am a goose fan for life and proud to say this goose had a happy and healthy existence before it made its way to our festive table.

That’s sweet orange-ginger carrots and parsnips steaming next to the goose.  The seasonal sidedish was a perfect compliment and did not overpower with in its delicate sweetness.

To finish:  Local Lexington favorite Grater’s pumkin pie icecream embellished with a crispy lace cookie, pecans, and caramel sauce.  Top Chef, here we come!

 

Seeking Abundance in a Time of Scarcity

Speaking of scarcity, sorry about the vast blog silence.  The blogging bug was buzzing elsewhere.  Letting me know you’re out there always keeps me inspired.  Plus I REALLY want to start posting more pictures, but I’m having a hard time getting there, so bear with me.

First off, some news:  One of the loveliest, most sensuous food writers in America just got canned!  For more on this story, check out THIS ARTICLE from the NY Times.  Au Revoir, Gael Greene.  You may be elitist, shamelessly partial, and a big heaping bowl of fun, but at least you went down in a blaze of glamorous glory. 

Now, back to the goods.  What has Gourmet Grrl been eating during these troubled times?  The answer is potatoes, sweet potatoes, greens, squash, and more squash.  And more greens.  I don’t know what I’m going to do when my winter farm box ends this week.  Lately I have ventured out and tried a few of Asheville’s newer venues.  Among them, The Stir Fry Cafe.

This was a little trip down bad memory lane, but it was Sunday afternoon, I was desperate for Asian, I couldn’t convince my Partner-In-Dine to head to the Noodle Shop for the 10 millionth time, and I was annoyed at Doc Chey’s.  More on that later.  So we drove down to South Asheville for a taste of the grotesquely shiny new addition to Asheville Generic Pan-Asian Cuisine. 

The great irony is that in Knoxville, TN in the 90’s, there was only one semi-decent Asian restaurant.  Coming from Chicago, this was a severely depressing statistic.  My family dined at the Stir Fry Cafe on a monthly basis, even though the wonton soup gave me hives and sent my heart racing- not in a good way.  But Knoxvillians were full-fledged MSG addicts, bowl-bellied victims of the Chinese Buffet craze, and the Stir Fry Cafe wasn’t about to start anybody on a 12 step program.  No, they played right along with the devastation of Kingston Pike, West Knoxville’s main drag of chain, disguising themselves as chic in wolf’s clothing.   The muted colors beckoned to customers, announcing a healthy alternative to Moo Goo Gai Pan Mountain down the street.  Compared to General Tso, “Stir Fry” sounded like some exotic creation from a faraway rice paddy rather than something I could have thrown together in my own kitchen in 15 minutes, but with twice the oil and fat.  And so they flocked to The Stir Fry Cafe, in drooling droves.

This Asheville version is bigger, glitzier, and more like a reality-show setting than the original Knoxville restaurant.  They are clearly trying to compete with the P.F. Chang’s that’s going up in a few months.  The menu looks promising, with Thai options, Chinese options, and now. . . sushi!  Don’t be fooled. 

Their Thai iced tea was straight from a box of powder.  My lips pursed with the sticky sweetness, so sweet I could barely taste any remnants of tea leaves.   Despite all common sense, I tried the wonton soup again!  I wanted to find out if their MSG levels were still as chart-topping as they had been a few years ago.  When none of the signature cold sweat shakes grabbed me, I breathed a sigh of relief and actually tasted my dish.  It seems they’ve replaced the MSG with salt.  Usually not one to complain about salt, it’s also rare to taste a soup that parches me rather than nourishes.  It didn’t help that one of the rubbery wontons was apparently meat-free.  On to the stir fries: I tried the twice cooked pork with spicy sauce.  Although the variety of vegetables was above standard, the pork was so much more bland than I had imagined.  If twice cooked means first boiled and then lightly sauteed, I want no part of it.  I had envisioned a crispiness giving away to the tender meat within, but instead I was offered some tough hunks of white meat pork.  I gave up chewing after five minutes, and moved on to the peppers, canned pineapple, mushrooms and water chestnuts.  The sauce they were fried in was not spicy, nor was it sweet.  It just kind of was. 

My advice: don’t bother with the Stir Fry Cafe on Hendersonville Road.  If you’re in that part of town, just drive the extra few miles to Tamarind for a much more flavorful experience, or let the Darwinian chips fall where they may when P.F. Chang’s finally comes to town. 

Happy Turkey Carving!  I’m going to eat my first goose this year.  I’ve heard wonderful things about goose, but you’ll have to wait a couple of days for the full report.

 

Inspiration Pie

CRUST

Just make a basic pie crust, but change two things:

• When it calls to add water, add one part water and one part vodka.  Trust me.
• Add a few dollops of grated gruyere cheese to the crust.

FILLING

• Apples, Walnuts, Cinnamon, Honey, Brown Sugar
• Try not to make it too salty with your joyful tears.
• Revel and Enjoy

 

How A Foodie Copes Through Economic Difficulty

Step One: Get on the bandwagon of a food trend.  This way, when you’re stealing tomatoes from your neighbor’s garden, you can have a cute name for yourself like “Locavore,” rather than “thief.” Seriously, we have cut our food budget by joining a Community Supported Agriculture farmbox.  We split the box with another couple, therefore cutting our costs to only $200 for like, 5 months of fresh vegetables every week.   When we shop at the grocery store now, we bypass the produce aisle completely, and we’re able to make our grains and other food staples last longer.  Our grocery bill has been around 30% smaller as a direct result of the farm box. I also happen to love root vegetables, which just needs to be stated, because that’s what you’ll often find yourself eating.  Kohlrabi is a big part of my life now. 

Step Two:  Host a Dinner.  Normally, on a weekend evening, I can be found at any number of upscale dining establishments, ordering as many courses as possible and wine to boot.  This past Saturday night we found ourselves low on cash and yet rolling in a generous bounty of kale and sweet potatoes.  So we had the gang over for dinner before going out on the town.   We made sweet potato fries, BBQ tempeh, spaghetti squash with butter and parmesan, and crispy kale*.  Somebody brought bread, someone else brought dessert, and two people brought wine.  Since everything but the tempeh had come in the farm box, the cost of this meal was only around 5 bucks, as opposed to the eighty I might have recklessly tossed away.   Plus, there was the additional guarantee of great music and ambiance.  We had a blast and were none the poorer. 

Step Three:  When eating out at fabulous restaurants, share.  This seems obvious, actually it all seems painfully obvious now, but apparently I needed a “gas crisis” and an “economic recession”  to violently shake me out of my consumerist ways.  Last night I enjoyed a lovely meal at Tamarind, the much debated Thai place in Arden.  I ordered soup, my partner-in-dine got dumplings, and we shared a dish of grilled red snapper in basil sauce with vegetables.  Our waiter blanched at our minimal order, and then apologized for the small size of the dish when it arrived, but we were perfectly happy.  Turns out if you eat regular portions rather than cramming mountains of food down your throat in record time, you don’t immediately fall into a carb-induced food coma.  I discovered there is night after dinner! 

I’d love to hear about your efforts to keep food costs down.  Creativity is necessary, so let’s put our heads together. 

*Crispy Kale

Take a gigantic load of kale, put it in a deep roasting pan, and coat all the kale with olive oil.  The key word is “coat,”  not “drown.”  Add lots of salt, and sesame seeds are optional.  Stick the pan in the oven at 375-400 degrees, for about 20 minutes.  Or until crispy.  The kale should dry out somewhat in the heat and get all crispy, light and delicious.  It’s better than popcorn, I’m not kidding.

 

The Sound of Taps

Sugo, the upscale Italian eatery on Patton, is no more.  They knoew they wouldn’t able to make it through the non-tourist season, so they threw in the towel.  I’m sad, especially because I haven’t found an antipasti platter to replace theirs, and I fear other restaurants will follow suit if the economy slows too much.  So I recommend will all forgo new shoes, doctors visits, and other extravagances so we can keep frequenting our favorite local restaurants.  Please! 

A more serious post on the economy to follow.

 

Ode to a Product

Every so often some food product comes along, and it’s so insanely fabulous that its praises must be sung on high for all to hear.  Or in this case, on the internet for all to see.  That product has inserted itself into my life like a suggly, warm, velveteen rabbit.  An old friend; generic-looking and unobtrusive.  I would say it’s no big deal, but it is a really really really big deal. 

Liberte Mediterranee yogurt.  This stuff has almost as much fat as a big mac, and no, I don’t mean the good kind.  The label reads, “your daily dose of pleasure!” and I’m realizing now, with a blush, that is exactly the case.  Their best flavor is plum and walnut, but you can’t go wrong with the peach and passion fruit either.   Sweet, silky, thick, voluptuous yogurt.  This can be is breakfast food that doubles as dessert.  Or dessert that can be snuck in as breakfast.  Oh yes.  Yes we can.  Yes we can eat Liberte Mediterranee yogurt.  Locavorishness, be damned!  Some exotic land has gifted us with the sweet ambrosia of the gods, and it can be found at your local Greenlife Market.  Beautiful.