mckramer

What restaurants would you recommend for Asheville. I am looking for something non-chain. I really want to go and dine in a restaurant that we couldn't eat at here in StL.

What steak houses? What entree would you recommend? What is the price range of an average entree?
What bar/grills? What entree would you recommend? What is the price range of an average entree?
Best Itailan? What entree would you recommend? What is the price range of an average entree? I don't like tomatos or chunky tomato sauce with pasta. I LOVE pasta, but I just don't like chunks of tomatos in anything. I also do not really like bitter tomato sauce on my pasta. I prefer a sweeter sauce.
What pizza is best? What entree would you recommend? What is the price range of an average entree? Again, I don't like tomatos or chunky/bitter tomato sauce on my pizza.

Thanks!
Christy

Patrick

I guess I don't quite get your post after you mention that you don't want what you could get in St. Louis, and then start being very specific about how you want the food prepared. I would think you'd want more of a "downhome Southern" place, for example, or maybe a North Carolina style BarBQ. If you were further south I'd suggest The Woodfield Inn below Hendersonville for example. Does anyone know of that sort of place in Asheville?

cmcfong

I expect you will get some excellent suggestions from leahinsc and litespeedchick, both of whom are the Asheville experts. I will just toss in a vote for my personal favorite, the Flying Frog in the Haywood Park Hotel. I also love the Grovewood Cafe next door to but unaffiliated with the Grove Park Inn.

mckramer

What I mean by 'not something I could get in StL' is that I don't want regular chains that you could get anywhere. Just b/c you like a thinner tomato sauce doesn't mean that you wouldn't like 10 different kinds of tomato sauce...there are many, many different tastes to sauce, i just don't like it chunky or too bitter. We have a place called 'The Hill' here and it's authentic Italian cuisine. You can go to countless restaurants and get a very different tasting pasta, yet none of them chunky or bitter (and some maybe moreso than i'd like). Does that make more sense? I just didn't want someone to recommend, "olive garden" b/c anyone can get that anywhere. I want to try other authentic Italian food in other cities b/c i love to go to different locations and try their non-chain Italian restaurants. But I don't want to be disappointed b/c they serve recipes from a part of Italy where they use larged chopped tomatos in their sauce.
I hope that I've made more sense. I'm really not trying to be difficult, i just know what I like. lol

leahinsc

I think you will find that there aren't nearly as many chains in Asheville as there are in St. L area - my sister used to live in Belleville and my mom O'Fallon ...
There are lots of suggestions but your best bet is to go to chowhound.com - not too long ago Mark had a very complete post with all sorts of recommendations from a post about Bele Chere in Asheville. I'd add a few restaurants and have a few different opinions...I don't think you will find nearly the calibre of Italian restaurants here that you would on "the hill" and while we have restaurants that serve good steaks I wouldn't say there are any that are known as being outstanding steak houses. See what you can find on chowhound and if you still have questions ask here again and I'll watch for you! P.S. Flying Frog is great - an interesting combination of German, Indian and French dishes.

Gretchen

Here is a post from an AOL board that might add.
In Richmond Hill B&B is Gabrielles-fabulous food, wonderful ambience, a little expensivebut worth it. Second Tupelo Honey, excellent southern food, huge portions. Salsa's very imaginative. Doc Chey Noodle House when you got to have pasta, but don't want Italian.Avoid Spirits on the River-owners believe their own press a bit to much.Early Girl-2 meals there, lunch sucked, brekie was OK.Picnics if your craving a Thanksgiving dinner any Thursday of the month-all that's missing is drunk Uncle Harry.Horizons at Grove Park, needs to get over itself-would be good if it wasn't so damned expensive and the waitstaff got over itself, but go to Grove Park at least for a drink.

Patrick

mckramer, I wasn't so much picking on you because of your explanation of what type of tomato sauce you like, but rather the idea that you seemed to want "real" Ashville food, then started explaining what kind of Italian sauce you like. I never think of Asheville as being the center for great Italian cooking. I was hoping that others might offer types of food and restaurants that aren't what you already have a preconceived idea of liking. Maybe something that is uniquely Asheville or North Carolina, not a place that will prepare your favorite Italian dish the way you like it. That's all.

By the way if you like iced tea, I hope you like it sweet. That's pretty much the way you'll get it in Asheville unless they cater to "yankee tourists".

Mama

Mckramer, we like one Italian restaurant in Asheville but I never noticed whether they serve bitter tomato sauce or sweeter sauce or if they serve chunky tomato sauce with pasta. It is hard to recommend any place with such specific requirments. I guess what's bitter to you may not be bitter to me

Patrick, I think Woodfield Inn in Flat Rock serves chunky tomato sauce. I don't think they serve pasta as a main dish

Litespeed_Chick

Wow, steakhouses and Italian are not represented well in Asheville. I wouldn't bother w/ either. Leah gave you the best idea to look at Chowhound where Asheville is discussed copiously. Also I agree w/ Gretchen's post by and large.

Patrick, i must disagree w/ a couple of things. I'm not aware of any good BBQ in Asheville, and the one time I went to Woodfiled Inn years ago, I was not particulary impressed. A recent review from a friend was decidedly negative.

The OP sounds like he/she might be a "picky eater", (no offense intended) so my favorites of Salsa and Zambra might not be good choices since the flavors are bold and sometimes the combinations unusual. Tomatoes could pop up anywhere. ;-) I would suggest Fig and Sunny Point as places to start.

I can't believe I'm saying this, because I don't like the food at Grove Park, but my non-critical, traditiona-eater parents have been satisfied (although not thrilled or anything) with the steak at Grove Park's Chops at the Sunset Terrace. They were also very happy with their meals at the Dining Room at the Bilmore Inn. They found the service to be much preferable to that of Gabrielle's, and they compared the food positively. I have been to none of the three mentioned in the above paragraph.

padams421

The best meal we had in Asheville during a trip there a few weeks ago was The Market Place. Fantastic food and wine by the glass pairings.

BKelly

Not located in Asheville, but My Father's Pizza on Cherry Street in Black Mountain was pretty good. We had it last week and enjoyed it. NY style pizza w/ out chunky sauce.

As a side note, Black Mountain is worth a visit off of I-40 if you're driving there from Charlotte (which I assume you are from your previous posts on visiting Charlotte). It's right off I-40, about 15 miles east of Asheville. It's a neat little mountain town with a lot of great little shops.

cmcfong

Veranda in Black Moutain has excellent soups, sandwiches and baked desserts. I highly recommend it.

Patrick

No good Bar B Q in Asheville? Please don't tell me that Bono's is gone. I have great memories of a lot of us all piling into a couple cars and driving up from Flat Rock on a theatre dark night just to have the REAL pit BarBQ there. And I remember the slaw they always put on it, though some requested it without -- despite that being the true NC way. It was a hole in the wall place out on Tunnel Road. No more?

Patrick

Ooops. Time flies. I just realized that was 35 years ago. I guess good things don't last forever.

Brian_in_Charlotte

There's a good bbq place in Chimney Rock. But that's too far a drive. Or is it . . .

leahinsc

Patrick....sounds as though it has been a while since you've been to Asheville? You can get tea(sweet/unsweet) any where not to mention all sorts of herbal flavored teas - don't forget we ARE in Asheville. Gretchen and Litespeed's posts are right on the money EXCEPT - Litespeed ...Tomatoes is now Cocina Latina - Salvadoran but VERY good.
If you go to Black Mountain be sure and try Cellar Door - I was very impressed - kind of like a cross between Market Place and Savoy but not as expensive as the latter and not as snobby as the former can be sometime.
Gabrielle's is awesome - I'm hoping hubby "surprises" me with dinner there this Sat nite for my birthday!

Patrick

Wow, things have changed. I used to have to order a pot of hot tea and a couple huge glasses of ice and sit and make my own. Everybody thought I was crazy.
But then I started there when brownbagging drinks was still the custom. My second season at Flat Rock the world changed when you could actually ORDER a drink in some restaurants.

mckramer

lol no offense taken. I really just have a love for Italian food. I didn't know if Ashville (or Charlotte for that matter) would have Italian that would even compare to STL. I'm sure they aren't known for italian, however I figured there may be a few places that are tucked away that people like.

As for BBQ, I would like to try BBQ there, I heard of a few good places, which is why I didn't ask about it earlier.

Either way, it helps to know what restaurants there are in both Charlotte and Asheville. I don't need Italian the entire trip, but I was trying to decide whether or not to eat Italian in Charlotte or Asheville. It sounds like Charlotte is probably the place. and Mama Ricotta's sounds like the restaurant to go to.

As for BBQ in Chimney Rock, it's not too far to go to. What's the name of it? We are going to Chimney Rock anyway so we would probably just time it to where we would still be in that area for dinner.

Thanks everyone.

leahinsc

a sort of tucked away "hole in the wall" Italian that you might enjoy is Sorrento's on Tunnel Road. THe owner is an elderly Italian woman and her young son is the chef. Simple food but well prepared and very reasonable prices. Friends who dined with us recently said it really reminded them of some of their favorite restaurants in Italy.

SouthParker

We just had a very good meal at Rezaz near the entrance gate to Biltmore. Mediterranean-inspired with very good by-the-glass wine list. The owners of our B&B recommended the restaurant at the Grove Park hotel but we didn't have a chance to try it. It's probably worth it just for the fantastic views at sundown. But just from driving around, I'd say there are many interesting places worth trying.