The Good News and the Bad News - T is For Tuesday

I met with fellow food writer, blogger and man about town Stu Helm for a cup and conversation at the Clingman Cafe this past week.
The Cafe is an enjoyable place to chat, eat, hang out, people watch, and aside from no where to put my tea bag, the tea selection is fairly good for a coffee shop and  there were lots of pastry options.
I decided to try the chocolate chunk muffin- far afield from my PP, and ended up taking it to an under the weather friend, and it cheered her  right up! It does look lovely on the plate.
There are lots of artisan mugs on the wall for sale, and many folks were drinking out of handmades. I like that.
Shout out to Stu for reminding me how enjoyable male friendship can be. Visit his FB page, he loves likes, and he has a blog too. Stu often makes me laugh out loud and I like that too!

The good news is, it's hard to get a bad meal in Asheville, even as a vegetarian, vegan or raw foodist.

Possible, just hard.

Now for the bad news, and I wish, I didn't have to write this and I'll be thrilled to be proved wrong in the future.

It's hard to get a good meal in Black Mountain.

Possible, just hard.

More company, had me trying out the local places once again, due to hunger and convenience. The first thing you notice about Blue Ridge Biscuit Company, is the chicken.
Great Chicken!

Place your order at the counter and they bring you your food when it's ready. There are paper menus you can take to a table while you make your selections. That's nice.

The food is ok, if you like this kind of food.

Clearly not a Sysco free zone. Foil wrapped butter pats ruin my appetite .

The service is friendly and fast.

The plating and service areas need work.

Nothing wrong with the jam or drinks, just unattractive and messy.

Grits and sweet potato fries.

The fries were good, the grits fine, and it looked like the food was just thrown on the plate.

Biscuit with shitake gravy and veggie sausage.

My brother enjoyed it, and this is a very brown plate.

Needs, color and something to keep the food from sliding around, from the kitchen to the table.

SIL, an omnivore, got a trout spread biscuit. She said it was ok, and again the plate is messy.

At least it has a little color.

The food was eaten, we enjoyed ourselves, the bill was reasonable, I can't say it was great or even very good, and even tho I do send folks there, I don't choose to eat there myself.

Fresh Wood Fired Pizza opened a few years ago in Black Mountain, and I was really excited.

I love wood fired pizza, and the owner said he was going to use local ingredients, organic flours and slow rise bread baking  methods.

Maybe he does, and the food can often be good, tho never great, at least not lately, and there is no other way to say this,

the service is terrible.

I have gone there a lot, really, a lot, and even if it's empty the service can be bad.

Friday night we went , and it was so crowded, there was no where to stand inside. I had to corner a server to ask how long it might be to get a table, and she guessed 25 minutes, and from previous experience, that meant it could be over an hour till we might eat, and it was already almost 8pm.
Note, the server did not ask if I was interested in a table, and I saw other folks trying to figure out how to get their name on the list.

With two veggies in tow, there is really no where else to eat in Black Mountain, with more than one choice, so we went to Native Kitchen in Swannanoa and had a nice meal.

Brother ordered a tempeh ruben, that came with slaw instead of kraut- a surprise- maybe we didn't read the menu, and it came from the kitchen as catfish instead of tempeh.

I believe it was a kitchen mistake, and the server make it right, quickly.

I was tired, I just reviewed them the other day, so no photos. It was a good meal and we enjoyed it, aside from that mix-up.

Meanwhile, back at Fresh...

We returned again Sunday between football games, it was early, 5-ish, Fresh was half empty, and we did get menus quickly.

The server was friendly and attentive, tho she didn't seem to know, or offer  what the soup of the day was, or if there were any specials.

When I ordered vegan cheese on my pizza, she told me they might be out of that.

Brother order a beer off of the table menu, and they were out of it, then she read him the available brews. He gave them points for serving the beer at the right temp. It was a Highlands Pale, I think.

It went downhill from there.

SIL offered hot tea, that came in an over filled pot, on top of a box, that spilled hot water on her when the server put it on the table.

 We weren't sure at first what the box was, and it contained the teas.

All the little spaces were filled, tho there were only a few choices.

Arranging them gave us something to do while we waited for out food.
When SIL poured the water, the top fell off of the pot.

Again,no place to put the tea bag.

Remember, the place was half empty.

It took over a half hour to get our pizza's.

Wood fired crust is thin and crisp and requires the right balance of ingredients on top.

This pizza has too much of everything, including ricotta cheese, mushrooms and a red sauce, that have too much liquid in them, so the center of the crust was soggy, and the topping slid off.

To my eye, it's gloppy looking.

SIL was not impressed.

My pizza, I asked for char, Daiya vegan cheese, olives, roasted garlic and mushrooms, was ok, tho the garlic wasn't roasted! It seemed like just whole cloves of raw garlic( more on this to come).

All of the pizza's came with basil sprinkled on top, which we didn't ask for.

It was only a little soggy.

For  eye appeal comparison visit here.

Brothers pizza didn't appear.

About five minutes later, the server said something about they got oil on his pizza and they were making him another one.????
Then she brought him another beer, that he didn't want.
Fifteen minutes later, his pizza came.
He had asked for roasted garlic, and they were out of it.
How can a pizza place run out of garlic?
Did the pizza guy not know the difference between roasted and raw?

Garlic and oregano would have been welcome condiments on the table.
It was ok, on the bland side and not soggy.

I fault the management for the poor service. All the servers I have had there are young and eager to please, they just need some training.
I have been, a server, cook, chef, owner of a catering company and have cooked and served more meals than I care to think about.
Go read your reviews Mark.

Part of the problem is also Black Mountain itself.
Perhaps it's too easy to go to Asheville.
Perhaps folks just aren't that interested in what they eat.
All I know is, as a whole foods, locovore vegetarian, I can eat in Asheville, or eat at home if I want a very good meal.

Next time, we will go to Asheville.

Link up with other beverages today at T is for Tuesday.

Comments and questions always welcomed.

Tale of Two Tables- Plant- Native Kitchen- T Stands four Tuesday

Celebration of my birth! continues and I was treated to two meals out this past week.

DD and I are both very vegetarian(see Phood Philosophy) and thrilled to have a vegan restaurant in Asheville.

Plant.

Even a steak house has at least one Veggie option in Asheville and still, its enjoyable to have options and at Plant everything on the menu is an option!

I like that the menu lists the dishes without feeling the need to categorize i.e., salads, starters, etc.

No one likes to be typed!

We shared the massaged kale with smoky tofu

and

Oyster Mushroom Apricot Adobo with poblano stuffed tamale · sautéed spinach, olives, and chili  · cilantro mojo  · pickled onion and sour cream.

The kale was just the right chewiness and the dressing a perfect blend of sweet, salty and tart. The candies dried orange slices were a tasty surprise, and I am just getting ready to enjoy winter squash, of which there were a few bites.
We could have passed on the tofu add on, and didn't as I love smoked and it was made in house.
I ate it all, and it was delicious, excellent texture for tofu and no lingering smokey aftertaste.

The mushroom dish has fried pieces of, as far as I know oyster mushrooms. I like to order fried when I go out, as I don't fry at home and enjoy the crunch and taste. These fit the bill for crunch, and the breading(?) was good, tho it could have been anything inside, or nothing!
I love tamales and this one had a good pronounced corn flavor; could have had a bit more poblano.
The greens added color and texture to the plate and were delicious.
Ditto the pickled onions and  cream.
Our server was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive and set up our table for sharing, without being asked.

Dessert.
Again let me say how exciting it is to have  choices!

Brownie -cherries & cacao ·  walnuts ∙ chocolate sauce ∙ mint julep ice cream

Yummy for sure, tho there were some hard spots on the brownies that were very hard to chew and rough on the inside of my mouth. The brownie was very rich and moist and I had to take some of it home for later.
The ice cream is coconut based and not too coconutty, so you could take the mint and cookie flavors.

Cheesecake- pecan crust- blueberries- beet swirl ice cream
The cake was excellent, creamy, flavorful and not too heavy.
The ice cream was swirled with yellow and red beet and it tasted like beet; a bit off putting, and we ate it all!
I see they have changed the ice-cream on the current menu.

We ate outside, and as much as I enjoyed our meal, the ambience could be improved. Walking into the dining room, the planters need a green hand, and the flowers on the service bar were limp.
Some well placed plantings and/or screens would enhance the view, or they could park some luxury cars out front!
I also find the chairs uncomfortable and the food is worth it!

Native Kitchen
Native is in Swannanoa and deserves a visit if you haven't  eaten, drunk or come for the music yet.
Their are many choices for vegetarians and the kitchen does their best to keep things separate.
 There is a new chef and I forgot to ask if they fry their animal and veggies separately, so if that matters to you be sure to ask.

Lunch on a week day found myself and a friend on a lovely patio with well tended plantings and shade cloth.
I didn't get a photo, as it started to rain! just as we finished eating.

 

Must have are the popcorn brussels sprouts.
Just get them!
The black bean burger had me covered with ketchup , mustard and mayo on the side and a crisp lettuce leaf and slice of summer tomato.
The bun was ok if you like white bread.
The fries were a bit of a disappointment.
They used to serve thick, steak cut fries that were golden and crispy on the outside and fluffy with no extra grease on the inside and perfectly seasoned.
These were a bit limp and greasy, especially after the perfection of the brussels sprouts.

Note- both restaurants use the same plates!

My friend throughly enjoyed her roasted veggie sandwich and cleaned her plate including the potato salad side.
She let me have the last sprout as it was my birthday!
Both plates came with a very good pickle- extra points for that!

The chairs are uncomfortable here too, and  the table is a funny height for me.

Our server was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive here as well, which brings me to a short rant.
Both restaurants were very empty.
Service was excellent and we left generous tips, and that still won't pay a living wage to the servers, making $3 or so an hour plus tips.
There must be a better way.
If you have any thoughts on this, leave me a comment.

One of my photos has a glass of water which links us to

T Stands for Tuesday.
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