Here’s a creative invitation that’s a clever marketing technique and a nod to the power of bloggers – the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, through its explore Asheville web site, is inviting food bloggers to come to town and check out Ashvegas’ independent restaurants. It’s called a “familiarization tour.”
The bloggers’ trips were scheduled for this month of June. The chamber is paying “one complimentary roundtrip airfare from the airport of their choice as well as lodging for up to three nights. We will provide assistance to bloggers in meeting any needs necessary to gain an accurate view of the local culinary scene. Assistance will be given to accommodate blogger’s requests to visit attractions, museums, galleries and recreation facilities.”
The chamber adds:
“No blogging about the trip is required. Each blogger will be interviewed about their Asheville experience and the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau may use blogger comments for online/offline promotions.”
Now that is one innovative way to spread the word about the great restaurant scene here in Ashvegas. Maybe we switch to doing food blogging. Damn. If we apply, do you think they’ll hook us up with a stay at the Grove Park Inn?
The chamber even suggested story ideas: Slow Food Asheville, Asheville’s Iron Chefs, Appalachian Mountain Made, Wine Scene, Microbreweries, Locally Crafted Beer and the Brews Cruise.
So far, we haven’t seen any food-related blog posts, so it will be interesting to follow up and find out how many bloggers came to town and what they thought about the food they found.
Guess the real question is, is Ashvegas food all that good to begin with? Do we really have any five star restaurants? Any four stars? What do you think of the gastronomic offerings in Ashvegas?
9 Comments
I honestly like India Garden better…but I am a sucker for mint chutney….god their mint chutney is soooo good.
Mint Chutney + Pakoras = religion. I would believe in god if some church told me he served mint chutney and pakoras twenty for seven.
Maybe with some nice dal…and flat breads with tandori chicken and pea curry with homemade indian cheese….mmmmmm….
Ah, pearls before swine time.
Way to spend money there CofC… don’t spread it around locally, nah, can’t have that.
Only 5 star is Marketplace. Not that I can afford to eat there!
Best pizza is definitely Marco’s, though you can’t beat APBC for beer and kid entertainment.
I love Salsa’s and Hector’s new offering, Chorizo.
And I adore Mela, but that may just be because it’s the only decent Indian restaurant around.
My friend started The Asheville Food Blog. Well, she thinks its the only one so far, based on cursory google searches: http://shewhoeats.wordpress.com.
Grovewood is hit or miss. They got a new staff lately and their food suffers when the head chef has a day off. Kind of like how Salsa’s is so much better when Chef Hector is in the kitchen.
And Doc Chey is a freaking grease factory.
CF Chan’s is okay after their menu retool.
Wasabi is good, but Heiwa Shokudo is MUCH better. Uni rolls and individual Nigiri for the win!!!
And APBC is always pretty decent, and a bunch of my friends are staff, but the pizza isn’t quite at the level of say…Marco’s.
But then again, I’m a chef, so I’m uber picky.
Ah asheville…home of the great, inventive chefs…and the god awful hipster doofus waitress/waitor who is too cool to refill your water glass.
The only 5 star I know of is APBC! However, I would put on the top of my 5 star list Gabriels. On the 4 star Grovewood Cafe and CF Chan’s. 3 stars would be Wasabi’s and Doc Chey’s.
I could have lent you a better foodie photo than the bone leavings. So why aren’t they offering US incentives to do some food blogging?
I’ve seen a few food bloggers’ pieces on their Asheville experience thanks to the handy "Asheville" Google Alert I use. I don’t save those emails though, so I can’t point you directly to any of the posts. The most memorable was a blogger who reviewed Table and connected the offerings to what he/she’d seen at a farmer’s market earlier the same day.
Good stuff.