i've always wanted to visit asheville, north carolina. i'd heard so many things about both the city and the biltmore estate, that i had high expectations when the geek and i visited for a weekend.
we arrived on a friday evening and checked in to our hotel. we headed downtown for dinner at the tupelo honey cafe. the downtown area was filled with little shops and restaurants; i would have loved more time to explore and shop (or at least window shop)! but we were hungry and it was cold, so we trotted as fast as possible to the restaurant. despite my chattering teeth, it was probably a good thing that it was below freezing, because even without a reservation, we were seated immediately at the restaurant. the geek had a tupelo burger with homemade pickles and homefries. he's not a fan of pickles, so i ate them for him. :) i had a hard time deciding what to eat; there were so many entrees that sounded fresh and delicious. i ended up ordering the char-grilled wild sockeye salmon with roasted sweet corn salsa, mashed sweet potatoes and vegetables. we cleaned our plates and then split a dessert- brown butter pecan pie with vanilla and caramel sauce. i think it's a sickness, but i feel compelled to order anything with brown butter...it's so good. the geek does not like pecans, so he was happy to just eat the ooey-gooey filling.
we arrived on a friday evening and checked in to our hotel. we headed downtown for dinner at the tupelo honey cafe. the downtown area was filled with little shops and restaurants; i would have loved more time to explore and shop (or at least window shop)! but we were hungry and it was cold, so we trotted as fast as possible to the restaurant. despite my chattering teeth, it was probably a good thing that it was below freezing, because even without a reservation, we were seated immediately at the restaurant. the geek had a tupelo burger with homemade pickles and homefries. he's not a fan of pickles, so i ate them for him. :) i had a hard time deciding what to eat; there were so many entrees that sounded fresh and delicious. i ended up ordering the char-grilled wild sockeye salmon with roasted sweet corn salsa, mashed sweet potatoes and vegetables. we cleaned our plates and then split a dessert- brown butter pecan pie with vanilla and caramel sauce. i think it's a sickness, but i feel compelled to order anything with brown butter...it's so good. the geek does not like pecans, so he was happy to just eat the ooey-gooey filling.
on saturday, we headed to the biltmore estate. the estate and the house were both impressive to see. we paid for audio tours which were worth the $10 per person cost. i don't think i would have appreciated the history or the detail as much if i relied on the free booklet. i wished they allowed for photography in the house since the architecture and details were so beautiful. the freezing temperatures and slow tourist season both made for a non-crowded day; we were able to tour the house in about 2 hours. we walked around the gardens a bit, then went to the stable cafe for lunch. the geek ordered a chicken pot pie and i had a cup of white bean and kale soup and a country cobb salad. it was quick and tasty (and not *too* pricey).
after lunch we visited the shops, walked around some more and then headed back to the hotel to defrost. horrible, i know. with only a few days to enjoy asheville, we opted to sit in our hotel room and watch play-off football (the geek) and nap (me). this just confirms what wimps we are when it comes to the cold.
later that evening, we drove back to the inn at biltmore estate to have dinner at the dining room restaurant. before our appetizers arrived, we were served shots of lobster vichyssoise with basil oil as an amuse-bouche (picture, the end result of a lobster put in a blender- geek). the geek had a tiny taste and that was enough for him, so i enjoyed my shot as well as his. the geek ordered the three onion bisque with creole spices and gruyere custard as his starter; i ordered the roasted blue prawns with corn spoonbread and piquillo lime butter. yum! for our entrees, the geek went with the seared king salmon with chive gnocchi, house chorizo, ovendried tomato and grilled lemon butter. i think he ate everything except the oven-dried tomato. i ordered the surf and turf special- seared sea scallops and a filet. it was delicious, but i'm having a mental lapse and can't remember the sauces garnishes and other important details (I can't remember what I ate, I don't know how you do- geek). :( i blame it on old age. we had overheard the dessert specials being explained to neighboring tables, and we really wanted to order the special ice cream dessert- a scoop each of graham cracker, chocolate/cinnamon and marshmellow ice creams. sadly, by the time we were ready for dessert, they ran out of the graham cracker ice cream. the geek ordered it anyway (they substituted another flavor), and it was creamy goodness in a bowl. i ordered the seasonal chocolate covered pumpkin cake with raspberry sorbet, which was sweet and rich and tart and cool all at the same time. *sigh* i was so full by the end of the night that practically fell alseep on the way back to the hotel.
on sunday, it was time to head home. before leaving though, we stopped at the true blue art supply store to check out their stock of specialty and hand-made papers. after buying some lovely sheets, we went to fig bistro for brunch. the soup of the day was a creamy turnip and radish soup with parsley and lemon zest creme fraiche. i still dream about the creme fraiche. the geek ordered the bistro breakfast- eggs, bacon and roasted potatoes. he declared the scrambled eggs the best he's ever tasted. they were tender, creamy and lightly seasoned. i ordered the duck confit hash with a poached egg and savoy cabbage- a sophisticated brunch twist on corned beef and cabbage. it was moist, flavorful, and made me want to learn how to properly prepare duck.
i'd love to go back and visit again, i'd especially like to visit during the other seasons. if we do return, i'll try to remember to take pictures of the rest of asheville...
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