Asheville Year in Lists 2010: A plate full of food

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Here’s another list that’s difficult for me to tackle: summing up Asheville’s year in food. I could try to list what I think are Asheville’s best restaurants, or best chefs, or best single dishes, but I’ll defer to the real foodies, the real experts, for that.

Instead, I’ll take the survey approach and welcome your additions, suggestions and such. In no particular order:

-Niches get filled: Asheville saw its first Vietnamese restaurant open with Pho starting up in the Downtown Market space on South French Broad Avenue, while Simma Down, featuring Jamaican food, opened on The Block. The two independently owned restaurants add diversity – and damn tasty food – to the standard burger/pizza/Mexican fare Asheville has plenty of. 

-Crepes are cool: Bouchon opened a creperie on Lexington Avenue, while the Twisted Crepe opened up on Haywood Street. Each has its own style. Both are delish. Asheville, it seems, craves a crepe.

-Sammich shop wars: Jimmy John’s and Jackson Underground Cafe opened in downtown Asheville, while Jason’s Deli opened over in the Westgate Shopping Center. Jersey Mike’s downtown closed. Nothing beats a solid sub, and it will be interesting to see how these sub shops fare. One particularly hot battleground for these shops – downtown delivery.

-Presidential 12 Bones: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama vacationed in Asheville back in April, and guess where the Obamas stopped first after landing –
12 Bones barbecue joint in the River Arts District. It was the same restaurant that Obama visited when he was campaigning for president in Asheville back in 2010. A local restaurant can’t ask for any bigger publicity boost.

-Beer for dinner: Beer City USA plays out in Asheville in a variety of ways, not the least of which is the pairing of great beer and food. 2010 saw a slew of beer dinners. Sometimes it’s local beer and local food, sometimes it’s not. But it’s always an education. And damn delicious (Or so I hear. I have yet to attend one.)

-AIR rebirth: Everyone in Asheville loves our independent restaurants, but the association established to support them hasn’t been consistently active or supportive. Hopefully that will change for the Asheville Association of Independent Restaurants. There’s new leadership, a new website and new energy to give the group an impact. 

-A Tingle’s and a Tavern: Tingle’s Cafe and Pack’s Tavern both opened in downtown Asheville in 2010, and they’re notable because they both harken back to Asheville’s past. The opening of Tingle’s marks the rebirth of a local brand that had an amazing run in Asheville at the turn of the century. And the new shop, remarkably, is located in the same spot as the old. (And right next door to Sazerac – both spaces being run by Jack and Lesley Groetsch.) Pack’s is named after one of Asheville’s great benefactors, George Pack, and is located right on Pack Square, in a spot that developer/owner Stewart Coleman had planned to build a controversial condo building.

-Papa’s and Beer expands: There seems to be no end to Asheville’s appetite for the Mexican food of Papa’s and Beer. The eatery opened two new locations around town, and all are packed. All the time. Not sure what else to say here, except that this is an incredible success story of a locally owned restaurant.

Locally grown food: This is just a nod to all the efforts – too many to list – to support and foster Asheville’s locally grown food scene. From farms to tailgate markets to all the efforts in between, Asheville’s local food landscape is truly greening up.

-Odds and ends: HomeGrown opened in the former Picnics restaurant space on Merrimon Avenue with a delicious menu; Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack in Arden closed; Green Light Cafe opened on Lexington Avenue with a menu full of green offerings; Ritrovo pizzeria opened on Haywood Road, a second project of the owners of Nona Mia; Old Europe, the once-popular coffee shop, re-opened as a small cafe on Broadway to much applause; Tupelo Honey opened a south location, expanding its tourist draw; The Southern opened on Lexington Avenue next to the Lexington Avenue Brewery, giving that corner more major appeal; La Paz in Biltmore Village changed over to Neo Burrito Cantina; Stovetrotters closed near Biltmore Village; Blue Water Seafood opened on Charlotte Street; Ophelia’s closed on Eagle Street; Standard Pizza opened on Haywood Road in West Asheville; two locally owned ice cream shops – The Hop and Ultimate Ice Cream – expanded with second locations around town; Sisters McMullen opened on Merrimon Avenue; Boca opened next door to Mela on Lexington Avenue.