Traveling Oenophile: Asheville, Day Three

I prefer beginning vacations to ending them. At least this week I'm tapering off vacation by having gone from Asheville to Blairsville, where Hubby and I are helping my dad celebrate a big birthday ending in 0. I'm so glad we live close enough to my parents to do things like that.

After Battery Park, Hubby and I wandered about and ended up at the Asheville Sky Bar, which is on a series of balconies over the World Coffee Cafe. We enjoyed some pink drinks and the beginnings of a lovely sunset.

We then wandered down the hill and through some more streets and passed by Curate, which our innkeeper had said we wouldn't be able to get into without a reservation. We decided to give it a try, and while the tables were full, there were places available at the bar, which allowed us good dining and entertainment as we watched the busy kitchen. 

Our wine was a fantastic Albarino, the 2013 Arcan from Rias Baixas. It had a similar fruity profile to the Godello we had Monday but with a saline backbone that helped it pair well with the food. The highlights were (copied from the menu):

Salada de Tomate y Atún 

kumato tomato salad w/preserved spanish bonito tuna, black olives, drizzled in extra virgin olive oil & reserve sherry vinegar 

Berenjenas la Taberna 

fried eggplant drizzled in wild mountain honey, garnished w/ rosemary

C's note: an unexpectedly good combination

Gambas al Ajillo

the number one tapa in asheville, sautéed shrimp and sliced garlic

And some pretty awesome meatballs, which weren't on the online menu, but which are called Albondigas.

I'm glad we decided to give Curate a try. It's hard to compare it to Zambra, where we ate on Monday, because the menu styles are different. I would happily return to either.

I do want to give a shoutout to Lynn and Ron of the 1900 Inn on Montford, which is the only place we've ever wanted to stay in Asheville. The breakfasts are amazing, the rooms wonderful, and the house itself absolutely charming.

Asheville is one of my favorite places, and I can't wait to get back.

Traveling Oenophile: Asheville, Day One

Hey, y'all, did you miss me? I'm embarrassed that I haven't posted in so long. Yes, I've been drinking, but most of my writing has been fiction or for the day job. I lost my contract psychologist to a major medical system that provided more financial security than private practice, and my admin has mostly moved on to a full-time position. So, I've been doing most of everything except for what my admin does a few hours per week. Small business-ing is hard.

Which is why I'm REALLY happy that Hubby and I are taking a much-needed vacation to the mountains. We arrived in Asheville, NC yesterday evening just in time to catch the end of the B&B's social hour, which involved wine. Woo hoo! Then we were shown to our lovely room, the Thomas Wolfe suite, which has a newly renovated bathroom with a waterfall bathtub. Yes, I will be trying that out later.

Formatting note - I'm doing this from my iThing, so if stuff comes through funky, I'm sorry. I also can't figure out how to embed links.

Two of the best things about Asheville are, of course, food and drink. We started with dinner at a tapas place called Zambra (http://www.zambratapas.com), which we remembered from previously. To find it, go to Malaprops Bookstore and look down the alley to the right.

They had a lovely wine special, a 2014 single-varietal godello from Valdeorras, Spain. It was crisp, fruity, and went well with everything we tried including the pomegranate-braised pork spring rolls with mango dipping sauce and avocado.

Other favorites included the Duck-leg confit with mango chutney, House-made gnocchi with Three Graces Chèvre, and the Braised pork cheek with sweet-potato hash. I wanted to try all the pork things but restrained myself.

We went to Baltimore this morning and skipped the house, which we'd seen twice, and toured the gardens, which were in full spring bloom. Hubby is still sneezing. After we walked off our lovely B&B breakfast, we ate beet and tempeh salads at The Corner Kitchen (http://www.thecornerkitchen.com/m/index.php).

You can't go to Asheville without having beer, so we stopped by the French Broad Brewing Company (http://frenchbroadbrewery.com), where Hubby got the Abbey Style Flanders Ale, and I enjoyed the Wee Heavy-est Belgian-Scotch Ale.

I will do my best to keep up with our adventures, but I have to say, we're off to a great start.