Press release here. Fun!
ASHEVILLE, NC (August 11, 2009) – It’s local tomato season. Run away from work, head downtown, and visit your favorite independent restaurants for tomato tastings, tomato cocktails, tomato entrees, and more during Asheville Tomato Walk. Asheville Tomato Walk, an evening organized by Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) in partnership with Asheville Independent Restaurant Association (AIR), will take place Thursday, August 20 from 5:00p.m.-7:00p.m.
A wide variety of tomatoes, as well as numerous restaurants, thrive in our region,” says Peter Marks of ASAP. “Asheville Tomato Walk brings together the region’s great chefs and farm products for a fun, summer celebration.”
Restaurants participating in the Tomato Walk include Bistro 1896, Bouchon, Early Girl Eatery, Ed Boudreaux’s, Laurey’s, The Lobster Trap, The Market Place, Posana Café, Rosetta’s Kitchen. Laurey’s and Bouchon will offer tomato samples on the street. At the Lobster Trap, choose from dishes featuring local tomatoes including warm tomato tart, lobster gazpacho, and a Sangrita cocktail. Guests who order entrees get complimentary shrimp with cocktail sauce made from local tomatoes and peppers. Early Girl Eatery will offer dishes such as spinach potato cakes with tomato gravy. Other restaurants, such as Rosetta’s, will offer a variety of samples too.
Many area restaurants will continue to feature local tomatoes throughout August, and other local products throughout the year. Every month, ASAP’s Get Local restaurant program invites diners to join farmers and chefs in celebrating a featured, local food. All eateries participating in Get Local highlight the same ingredient when it’s at its peak—and each creates their own, unique dishes. For more information on the Tomato Walk and ongoing Get Local promotions, visit http://www.asapconnections.org/getlocal09.html.