Laura Leavitt
Laura finally got to move to Asheville in 2021 after a decade of visits and hangouts here. She loves the food, the coffee shops, and the riverfront in Asheville. Laura is always finding something new and wonderful to try.
-
The 14 Best Family-Friendly Restaurants in Asheville
No one really needs to read yet another parent rant about the challenges of teaching a child how to behave in public, I’m sure, but anyone who has had a spirited child under the age of 6 or 7 will know the struggle that is growing the skill of being in public. While some select few children are ready to sit still and quiet at restaurants the first time they try, many children will experience restaurants as a source of excitement and overwhelmingness for quite a while before they can participate in a truly polite way. In the meantime, they really can’t get better if they can’t practice! As a…
-
Taco Temple Review: Your Go-To Taqueria in Asheville
The prevalence of fast food, even in Asheville, can be tempting for anyone who has a busy day and not a lot of time to plan what they want to eat. Having a go-to order at one of your local fast-food places may be the difference between fitting in soccer practice, homework, and nutrition before bed! However, for me, the fast-food options near me tend to have low appeal for nutrition, and I end up being annoyed at myself that I didn’t bother to spend the extra few bucks and get takeout from a local place. It’s a value here in Asheville – if I can manage to eat local…
-
10 Uniquely Asheville Valentine’s Day Date Ideas
Valentine’s Day means a lot of different things to different people. For people who aren’t in a romantic relationship, it ranges from being just another day to an annoying reminder that you’d like a romantic relationship to a celebration of all things friendship and community. If you’re in the early stages of love, it can be a really big deal to get Valentine’s Day “right,” though more and more, I think people recognize that how we treat each other all the time matters more than a shower of gifts and experiences on one February evening. Finally, there are long-term romances that sometimes become just daily life, with Valentine’s Day as…
-
Biscuit Head Restaurant Review: Jam Bar for the Win
The moment you realize why Biscuit Head has such a cult following is different depending on who you are. For some, it’s just walking up to a breakfast joint on a random weekday and seeing a line out the door, since that does seem to indicate an intense following. For others, it’s that first bite of an exquisite biscuit sandwich or other flavorful entree. For me, though, it was the jam bar. For the uninitiated, rather than just popping a tasty-but-standard packet of jam on the side of your biscuit, at Biscuit Head, they go all out with a buffet-style array of jams that are house-made and not always standard…
-
The 8 Best Places for Happy Hour in Asheville
While it may be changing soon, North Carolina is a notoriously tough place to trawl for happy hours. Selling alcoholic beverages at a discount in the early evening or late afternoon was against the law starting in the 1980s, an effort that was intended to cut down on drunk driving. While legislators are trying to make laws that are more friendly and less restrictive to the craft beverage industry that has blossomed in NC (while, of course, still not encouraging drunk driving!), many restaurants and breweries in Asheville have found other ways to make a visit to their fine establishments appealing. In Asheville, you’re more likely to find a combo…
-
Lazy Tiger Hostel Review: Adventure Awaits
I get the appeal of the luxury hotel – the smooth sheets, the sumptuous meals, and the general splendor of everything. The tough part is that hotels come with a hefty price tag, and even vacation rentals these days are rarely offering substantial savings. The other trick is that in hotels, people tend to be walled off from each other. Maybe you have travel companions, but if you’re solo or in a small group, you won’t often meet people in a hotel atmosphere. One place where truly affordable lodging that builds community still thrives, however, is hostels. These no-frills or low-frills accommodations are meant to provide you with somewhere to…
-
Chai Pani and Botiwalla Review: Flavor for the People!
When I moved to Asheville, the rumors about Chai Pani were intense – they’d just won that James Beard Award, and a seat in their first-come, first-served dining room or patio was the most coveted spot in town for a meal. I’d known about the restaurant and its adorable storefront on Battery Park Avenue for years, having been visiting town to see family for ages, but it seemed like this humble, tasty shop had become an overnight hit among the best of the best in restaurants. I didn’t intend to visit the first time I went. Instead, I happened to be walking down the street at the right time on…
-
OWL Bakery Review: Savoring the Moment
Sometimes, food is just so good that you can’t help but be drawn into its orbit. I first noticed that OWL Bakery has a bit of a cult following when wandering the leaf-covered aisle of the North Asheville Tailgate Market. This is a popular farmers market with a ton of booths, and almost all of them have a little buzzy hive of people around them shopping, but OWL’s bakery truck stand had a line that very clearly was 20 or 25 people deep. As a person presently munching on another, less-line-inducing pastry from elsewhere in the market and enjoying it very much, I saw it as a mystery that I…
-
The 10 Best Kid-Friendly Breweries in Asheville
Breweries are the great equalizer in Asheville. Certainly, there are spots that are for dancing and listening to music, popular with a young crowd, and there are other spots that are so sedate that you’ll see folks of all ages catching up with a friend or playing a leisurely game of darts. Traditionally, the age group you wouldn’t see at breweries was the under-21 crowd, but increasingly that’s changing, especially with so many breweries including live music and food as part of their draw. While the under-21 folks can’t partake in the beer itself, many of the best breweries in Asheville realize that being family-friendly allows them to provide a…
-
Early Girl Eatery Review: The Heart of Asheville Brunch
Eating a meal between early morning and the start of the afternoon is a simple thing, but brunch is an entire vibe. Something about the choice to eat a large meal instead of two smaller ones conveys relaxation, connection, and usually fun, given that it’s one of the rare times I see people sipping a champagne-laden bellini or mimosa at 11:30 am. While various restaurants do a great brunch in Asheville, my favorite brunching standard is Early Girl Eatery. You’ll know it if you’ve wandered the city even a bit – between their three locations and the distinctive vintage logo of a young girl holding a huge tomato. On the…
