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Asheville Restaurants

BarcaDeac said:
It won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant last year (and Curate won for Best Service) but I don't think there are many who would consider it the "best" Indian in the country. It's good but overhyped and now impossible to get into. But it was an important restaurant. They're opening a branch of Botiwalla in West Avl which I hear is dope.
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I don't know anything about it (James Beard award), but know a few people who in the restaurant business (whose general opinions I respect) who (independently) say that the James Beard award is a joke....it's a "political" (within the restaurant business)/purchased award. Can't properly parrot their issue with it, but the point is that it's kind of a BS thing (at least now, maybe it's always been that way)
I wouldn't even call Chai Pani the best Indian Food in asheville, although it does call itself "indian street food" which is different than your traditional indian place
 
It's probably mostly political in the sense that good chefs tend to be attracted to one another, and who you know might help. When Heff's was nominated for Winston after being open less than half a year and based on the chef's background running Krankies it was a surprise (tho deserved as much as a burger joint can be IMO)... but I think he might run in the same circles as some big chefs from other cities like Turkey and the Wolf guy, so maybe that helped him get recognition he otherwise wouldn't? Hard to say. He cooks great food though and has cultivated a pretty neat little restaurant that supports the community (weekly pop-ups from local chefs that haven't yet established themselves etc.).

I also can't fathom how Sweet Potatoes keeps being nominated year after year. Haven't had a great meal there in 10 years.
 
Neng Jr's is on the finalists list for Best New Restaurant. Haven't been yet but heard great things. Assume if it wins it'll be impossible to get into.
 
There have been criticisms of the Beard Awards from the start. Now the judges do not even have to visit all the nominated places voted on by their panel. The actual food is not as important for the award as it has been in the past. There has been an effort to focus less on fine dining.
 
Echoing what others have said, Chai Panni is definitely worth a try for the uniqueness, and I've never had a bad meal there. Not sure I'd wait hours to get in though. I actually like Mela better (more common dishes).
 
BarcaDeac said:
Neng Jr's is on the finalists list for Best New Restaurant. Haven't been yet but heard great things. Assume if it wins it'll be impossible to get into.
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It's already impossible to get into! They're only open like 3 nights a week and have 17 seats in there.

It was basically crowdfunded to open, so my hope is w/ the hype it'll be able to open or expand into somewhere else nearby. We went to Jargon tonight for bday dinner (one of my faves, kind of surprised it hasn't gotten any JB looks, menu was on fucking point this evening) and we talked w/ the waitress a little bit about Nengs and how hard it was to get into rn BEFORE the James Beard stuff.
 
Avenue M may not be in the James Beard conversation but it was damn good the last time I was up. We went there after a couple brews at Zillicoah Brewing.

North Asheville all the way to Weaverville is pretty cool. Not as crowded, nary a homeless person, and some really cool stuff up that way as we took an electric bike tour and it wound around parts of Asheville I didn't know existed.
 
One of our favorite restaurants, Holeman & Finch, announced an abrupt closure. Sad.
 
BarcaDeac said:
One of our favorite restaurants, Holeman & Finch, announced an abrupt closure. Sad.
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Was that a Linton Hopkins place? I didn’t know there was one in Asheville. The original H&F (a lot of folks credit it with the real introduction of the craft cocktail scene to Atlanta) closed years ago, but a new one just opened a month or two ago in a new location. We went the first week and were pleased - updated menu, but some favorites from the original remained.
 
Wakelaw2006 said:
Was that a Linton Hopkins place? I didn’t know there was one in Asheville. The original H&F (a lot of folks credit it with the real introduction of the craft cocktail scene to Atlanta) closed years ago, but a new one just opened a month or two ago in a new location. We went the first week and were pleased - updated menu, but some favorites from the original remained.
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yes it was. the opened late 2019/early 2020 as H&F Burger which was meant to mainly serve burgers, oysters, etc and be more casual. Then they closed during the pandemic and reopened as just H&F (but kept the burger and oysters). Usually seemed to be full so IDK if their rent got jacked up or what. The location it's in is cursed, always cycling through great restaurants.
 
BarcaDeac said:
yes it was. the opened late 2019/early 2020 as H&F Burger which was meant to mainly serve burgers, oysters, etc and be more casual. Then they closed during the pandemic and reopened as just H&F (but kept the burger and oysters). Usually seemed to be full so IDK if their rent got jacked up or what. The location it's in is cursed, always cycling through great restaurants.
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The H&F burger was famous at the original. They only served something like 2 dozen of them per night and they came out at 10pm. You’d get a table at like 8:30 to reserve your burger. Hopkins capitalized on the craze and opened a couple of H&F Burgers (including one at the Braves stadium). The new H&F here has the burger on the menu full time.
 
Wakelaw2006 said:
The H&F burger was famous at the original. They only served something like 2 dozen of them per night and they came out at 10pm. You’d get a table at like 8:30 to reserve your burger. Hopkins capitalized on the craze and opened a couple of H&F Burgers (including one at the Braves stadium). The new H&F here has the burger on the menu full time.
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yeah I remember reading about it back in the day and wanting to try it so bad. the burger here was great. idk how it compared to the original cult one but it was damn good.
 
Real weird, took the staff completely by surprise too.. like Barca said, I don't think they were hurting for business and apparently they closed in the middle of service.
 
Any opinions on The Blackbird ? My wife made reservations there without my input.
 
Ate at the Admiral last weekend. It was cool, and very solid but not great.
 
cookoutdeac said:
It's already impossible to get into! They're only open like 3 nights a week and have 17 seats in there.

It was basically crowdfunded to open, so my hope is w/ the hype it'll be able to open or expand into somewhere else nearby. We went to Jargon tonight for bday dinner (one of my faves, kind of surprised it hasn't gotten any JB looks, menu was on fucking point this evening) and we talked w/ the waitress a little bit about Nengs and how hard it was to get into rn BEFORE the James Beard stuff.
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I ate there a few weeks ago (Neng Jr) and was unimpressed.
That's not to say the food was bad, it was good and I enjoyed it, but not remarkably good and pound for pound I'd say it's the most expensive place in Asheville.
The wine was atrocious (they only had two options for red, one was terrible and one was just not good, both were $18-$20 pours of 3-4oz at most, so half glasses) and the beer options were weak as well (personally these are big issues for me)
they had a bunch of cocktails that seemed fancy, but I'm not a big cocktail drinker so I didn't order them, but my wife enjoyed hers
My wife and I had 2 drinks each and didn't over order (it kind of has a small plate/sharing type menu so you get several things) and the bill was like $300
I'd go back if I was invited by others, but definitely won't on my own volition
 
www.nytimes.com

36 Hours in Asheville, N.C.

Art lovers, hikers, connoisseurs of Southern cuisine and explorers of up-and-coming neighborhoods will find much to savor in this scenic city nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
 
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