We walked in the rain to a crowded little dim diner with an open kitchen all along one wall cut off from the restaurant by a sit down bar. It reminded me of something you'd see in New York City. We settled into our little table and attacked the massive menu. I was so tempted to order their Sweet Potato Pancakes (they serve breakfast all day) but decided on dinner instead.
The waiter brought us fluffy biscuits, house made blueberry jam and a bottle of Tupelo honey. The jam was awesome with my glass of Perrin & Fils Cotesdu Ventoux Rouge. Who would think to drink wine with breakfast. Brilliant!
We started with the crispy Appalachian Egg Rolls: pulled pork tossed in smokey jalepeno bbq sauce, rolled with braised greens, pickled onions, and shredded carrots. Served with dijon mustard sauce. There were three egg rolls, cut in half. Plenty for two people. We weren't super impressed. We couldn't much taste the bbq sauce and we both felt they needed more of a sweet kick. The mustard sauce overpowered the dish. I ended up trying mine with the blueberry jam mixed with a little mustard just for kicks and it was pretty awesome.
For our main course, I settled on their signature Southern Fried Chicken Saltimbocca with Country Ham and Mushroom Marsala Sauce. It came with a side of Cheesy Smashed Cauliflower and Asparagus. I was overwhelmed by the amazing flavor combination at first bite. There was a sweetness to the chicken and sauce that I couldn't place. Excellent salty, crispy coating on the boneless chicken breast. And the Cheesy Cauliflower was delish and a good complimentary side. (I can't wait to heat up the leftovers in a minute for lunch!)
Cam ordered the Stroganoff, Yall!, their take on Southern stroganoff made with pork tenderloin in cremini mushroom gravy smothering creaming goat cheese grits and topped with jalepeno cilantro pesto and sour cream. I have to say, the dish was a bit goaty and I wanted more of a kick from the pesto that just wasn't there. Cam and I both preferred my dish. I have to say I am getting really bored with goat cheese. It's on every single menu and it's done. I'm rooting for a change.
We opted out on desserts here. After all, we were in Asheville! The home of culinary greatness. There had to be a pie place, or late night restaurant serving amazing desserts, right? No. Aside from the Chocolate Lounge, where I had been before, we couldn't find a single place open past 9pm with a dazzling dessert menu. We researched online a bit and found out that others had run into the same problem. Come on pastry chefs! This is a huge opening in the market. There needs to be a late night dessert place with a case full of decadent pies, tall cakes, chocolate croissants... and a great cup of coffee. Get on that, will ya?
If only I could clone myself, that would be my first restaurant.
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