Some restaurants hold a special place in your heart not because of what the restaurant did, but because of the important occasion you spent there. The restaurant itself could have colored the occasion in some ways, but the rosier the memory, the more the food was just a compliment.  I spent my first wedding anniversary at Chestnut in Asheville almost a decade ago, and the sensory memories are still so strong: the dim and golden light of the space on a winter’s night. Ordering the Lobster Bisque and being impressed with how perfectly creamy and lobstery it was, with just the hints of spice that make it one of my…

If you’re like me, you have a rolodex in your brain (do new generations know the idea of a rolodex?) of the places you spend time. I know, for instance, that the public library is closed Sunday and Monday, meaning that my go-to spot for working on writing has to wait until later in the week. Well, one place that is smack dab in my path many days is also open most of the hours I could imagine myself out and about, especially in Weaverville. That’s Yellow Mug Coffee Lounge. Yellow Mug is a bright storefront-style coffee lounge with a calm atmosphere, easy-listening music playing, and minimalist art. They have…

My husband and I have to have good snacks on hand if we’re going to watch the “Great British Baking Show,” a lightly competitive baking show featuring truly scrumptious and delicate treats. One of the categories that is easiest to understand by watching seasons and seasons of this show is patisserie.  It refers to things that would probably get the umbrella term “desserts” in the United States, but are specifically a variety of delicate, constructed pastries and cakes that are popular all over Europe but maybe most famously so in France. When we think patisserie, we think desserts with layers, with perhaps some puff pastry but also a layer of…

I’ve heard people view the ways that people’s allergies, dietary preferences, and other restrictions have changed the cuisine landscape depicted as a challenge, the old “what can we possibly serve at dinner that avoids all the allergies while respecting vegan, vegetarian, and other needs?” question.  What I’ve found, instead, is that any kind of constraint on my cooking and eating helps me delve deeper into novelty and discover combinations I’d never try without it. I wouldn’t have discovered some of my now-favorite foods if I didn’t have vegan family members.  Similarly, the desire to choose hangout places that don’t require my gluten-free friends to drink gluten-y beer has helped me…

In the middle of a very residential area in Woodfin is a little vegan oasis known as Gallivant Coffee. I went here early on in my move to Asheville, partially because it was so close to my home and partially because the name is just so fun – it sounds like the coffee you get at their shop is going to fuel you for a big adventure. With so many lovely hikes in the area, it only makes sense to have some adventure juice handy.  If you haven’t been, you’re in for a treat – the coffee is selected by the owner himself and roasted in small batches, meaning that…

Work as a remote, flexible-schedule worker for long enough while parenting a toddler, and you’re simply going to have favorite coffee shops. While I think most of them want to be known for their flavorful drinks, tasty snacks, and soulful ambiance, many of us simply need somewhere that serves up caffeine while not kicking us out for tapping out a few emails while we sip.  I have reviewed a few places in Asheville that don’t offer public Wi-Fi, and I can’t blame them at all – there is something really lovely about a space that is entirely focused on connection and food and drink.  However, when I can find a…

We’ve seen what a craft beer scene can do for a city, and at its heart is a tourism rooted in what you cannot get anywhere else. After decades of finding reliable chains for everything from hotels to restaurants, many tourists are now craving the hyper-local, the well-thought-out, and the totally unique. For craft breweries, making their own product on-site gives them this assurance, but it turns out, you can do something similar for wine. The owner and team of plēb urban winery have set out on a frankly audacious mission: in an area that doesn’t have hundreds of years of winemaking history, they are working with all the growers…

In the “Harry Potter” books, there’s a magical element to the wizard school called the Room of Requirement. If you run down a particular hall while really needing something quite badly, you’ll find yourself face to face with a door that wasn’t there before.  When you open it, the room provides what you need: a broom closet if you need to hide, a training room if you’re trying to defeat a dark wizard’s long-term plot for world domination, etc. I like to think that PennyCup in Asheville is my Coffee Shop of Requirement. It seems to always be located right where I need it. They have a shop located right…