This is the 3rd installment of my annual Food Fan Awards for the year 2021! Scroll down to see & read about the nominees in the category of MEAT!
The Food Fan Awards aka “The Stoobies” are entirely the opinion on one person, me, Stu Helm. You may or may not agree with my choices, as your experiences and personal tastes may differ from mine. The people, places, and things featured in this, and the other installments of these nominations and awards were the most notable of the previous year to me.
NOTE: For this installment I use the term “Best of” as well as “of the Year.” Same diff.
BEST CHICKEN WINGS OF 2021
New category! I started a wing journey in 2020 that continued through 2021. Along with my friend Rick, I tried to eat wings weekly, and even though we didn’t quite achieve that goal, we ate an assload of chicken wings. The 7 wings listed below are my nominees for Best Chicken Wings of 2021…
Buxton Hall Barbecue
Ain’t no secret that this is one of my favorites restaurants ever. In fact one year, I made up an award called “Favorite Restaurant” and handed it straight to Buxton Hall Barbecue. These days, I pop in whenever I have a chance, I still love the shit out of it, and they are even up for several awards this year, including this one, Best Wings. Their wings have it all: Quality chicken, cooked perfectly, with a very saucy sauce, classic crudités, and two creamy dippin’ sauces. Bangin’.
Deli Llammma Food Truck
For a good part of 2021, Deli Llammma Food Truck did something they called “Wing Thing Thursdays” and I took advantage as much as I could. They featured a different flavor of wings every week, and they got very creative with it! The crudités and other accouterments were always equally creative as well, and there were usually crinkle-cut fries or tater tots involved as well. If this was a contest for who’s wings I ate most often in 2021, Deli Llammma would have already won!
Haywood Common
I live on the other side of town from Haywood Common, but they are one of my go-to placed to get delivered by KickbackAVL. They have a small but excellent menu, and when the wings are on the menu, I’m gettin’ ’em! Again, super high quality wings, cooked just right, and dressed up in a delicious house made Thai Buffalo sauce that is both sweet and hot. These wings are crispy on the outside, the meat comes right off the bone, and the flavor is on point. They serve them with slaw rather than crudités, and their famous avocado ranch dressing for dippin’.
Strictly Wings
Rick and I took a road trip out to see the folks at Strictly Wings, and wow! We were impressed to say the least! We ordered three kinds of wings, including smooth Buffalo, spicy flame, and their incredibly tasty “signature” wings, which we got breaded, and we were both, like, “Yes, sir. These are damn good wings.” There was no crudités, but we ordered sides, and those sides were some of the best ever! Super high recommends, and a natural contender for Best Wings of 2021!
Benne on Eagle
Last year, I didn’t get into Benne on Eagle as often as I would have liked to (same story at ALL of my fave restaurants in 2021!) but when I did get in there, I ordered wings! I was always a fan of their pot licker wings, so I was sad to see they were no longer on the menu, but the current iteration — a Caribbean dry rub with coconut cream dipping sauce — blew my mind! They were soooo crispy on the outside, but juicy and meaty under the crispiness, and the flavor of the rub and the dipping sauce together was phenomenal. I’m not sure if these exact wings are still available, but Benne is batting 1,000 with me in the wing department so far, so whatever they’ve got, I’m sure it’s great! There were no crudités.
Neng Jr’s Pop-up
Dawn and I went to one of Chef Silver Cousler’s “Neng Jr’s” pop-ups in August 2021, just to try the chicken wings, and daaaaang, they were goooood! Chef Silver had set up a giant outdoor BBQ grill type of thing, and was cookin’ ’em outdoors over wood. They were deliciously smoky, had a very unique spice rub, and were charred on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside, and came right off the bone. An easy contender for Best Wings of the whole year! They came with a simple crudités of carrots and celery.
Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ
I’m telling you what. Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ made a big impression on me in 2021. It’s a new(ish) food truck, that parks permanently in a lot on the South Slope, not far from my house, so I go a lot. They are already a nominee for “Best Meatloaf,” and if you scroll down you’ll see that they’re also up for “Deep Fried Thing of the Year,” and their wings are just as noteworthy. They are large, smokey, have excellent flavor, have crispy bits, plenty of meat, and come with your choice of dipping sauces. They do not come with crudités,
CHICKEN SALAD OF THE YEAR
New category! I, 2021 had to admit to myself that I frickin’ LOVE chicken salad. I mean, I always knew I liked it, but once I looked back on my lunch choices over my lifetime, I realized that I actually love it! As much as I love burgers burgers and fried chicken? Naw, don’t be insane, but I love it enough to add a new category this year.
Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken
One day I was scrolling my Facebook feed, and saw a random post that said “Nani’s has the best chicken salad,” and I was like, “who gives a shit about chicken salad?” And then I was like, “I gotta try this chicken salad.” And then I did, and I was like “This chicken salad is fucking great!” It’s made with their piri piri rotisserie chicken, and it has a slight — very mild — curry flavor, although I would not call it curried chicken salad. The mixin’s are red onion, celery, dried cranberries, yogurt, and mayo, and the combo is perfect! After my first serving, I was sold, and now I serve it my food tours any chance I get!
Buxton Hall Chicken Palace
When I first tried the fried chicken sandwich at Buxton Hall Chicken Palace, I wrote online “Just in case you didn’t know, the fried chicken salad sandwich at the Buxton Hall Chicken Palace inside the SWAsheville building is one of the greatest things ever created, and is destined for sandwich super-stardom.” Yup, I get excited about food. The thing that makes this sandwich such a super-star is the fact that the chicken is deep-fried first, then chopped up for the chicken salad. I’m sorry I don’t have a better picture for y’all, but it’s actually not very photogenic, so the few pics I had were unappealing. The packaging is cute tho, right? And like I said, the sandwich is a super-star in the making.
Well Bred Bakery
I’ve said it many times: One of the ways we enjoy food is through nostalgia. Foods we ate during good times, or even the ones that comforted us in the bad times can be among our favorites forever. This is true for me and the chicken salad sandwich at Well Bred Bakery. It reminds me soooo much of the first “gourmet‘ chicken salad sandwiches that I ate as a young person in the 1980’s & 90’s. In my town there was a “fancy” cafe called Edibles (that word means something different now than it did back then! LOL), and this sandwich is almost exactly like the one I would order there, when I had enough money to splurge! The grapes, the nuts, the fact that it’s on a croissant, this chicken salad sandwich from Well Bred whisks right back to those days, and my first experiences with creative food. And yes, in the 90’s adding grapes to chicken salad was considered creative! LOL Now days it’s practically vintage, and this chicken salad sandwich is very classic, delicious, and a no-brainer as a contender in this category!
DEEP FRIED THING OF THE YEAR
This is one of my most favorite categories, even though my Dr. says it’s killing me. LOL! I ate a TON of deep fried things in 2021, and it was really hard to pare it down to the five nominees below.
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse
This fuckin’ thing. This. Fuckin’. Thing. The first time I went to Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse, they sent this out to our table, and I was like, “Good lord…” It’s a deep fried, crispy tempura beech mushroom, served w/ what they call their “Tokyo ranch” dressing, sprinkled with onion ash. When I tucked into it for the first time, I popped one piece in my mouth, and I was in heaven. HEAVEN. Crispy AF on the outside, so tender, silky and delicious on the inside, at one point I turned to Dawn and said, “this thing is like a dream come true,” and it became an instant contender for my 2021 Deep Fried Thing of the Year award!
The Madness Sushi & Burgers
I took a trip out to West West West Asheville with my friends Jill and Jimmy to eat at The Madness Sushi & Burgers for Jill’s B-Day, and it was great! I really enjoyed the burger I had, as well as their very unique loaded french fries, and the appetizer of deep fried panko crusted, spicy crab salad & cream cheese stuffed Jalapeño Roulette, served with Unagi sauce was so good, we devoured one order and then got another! These are large Jalapeños, so they are not too insanely hot, and they come cut in half, so there’s less chance of molten hot cream-cheese squirting out and burning you mouth. They were über crispy, very tasty, definitely decadent, and fucking delicious!
Huli Sue’s Hawaiian BBQ
I have not seen my boss Paddy Riels from Asheville Food Tours as excited about a piece of food as he is about these dang Reuben spring rolls from Huli Sue’s Hawaiian BBQ, and I am right there with him! He and I went there for lunch one day, ordered a burger and fried chicken to split with each other, like we do in most restaurants we go to, and then almost on a whim, we were like, “Let’s try these things.” The burger and chicken were great, but these little deep fried delights were the star of the show with us for sure! They are what they sound like: The contents of a Reuben (corned beef, kraut, & Swiss cheese) stuffed into a spring roll wrapper, deep fried until they are hotter than the flames of Hell, and served with Russian dressing for dippin’. Fucking genius. Fucking delicious.
Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ Asheville
Remember above when I said to scroll down to see that I had nominated Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ for yet another Stoobie Award? Well, here you are! I had resisted ordering their “Bear Balls” for months, partly because I didn’t wanna to say that name out loud, LOL, and partly because they just sounded like a box full of heart attack… which is my favorite kind of box, so I was concerned about my health, should I become addicted to them. Too late. Broke down. Tried them. Addicted now. They are balls of mac ‘n’ cheese, pulled pork, and cornbread, battered, deep fried, and served with cheese sauce and bacon sprinkled on top. Good god, y’all. Just dig a hole and push me in.
The Odditorium
What’s better than a tamale? A fucking deep fried tamale, that’s what! Oh. Em. Gee. Leave it to Chef Ben Hester at The Odditorium to come up with this gorgeous monstrosity. This big fat crispy, steamy, yummy tamale was one of the many items Chef Ben put in front of me during the amazing tasting I did with him last Fall. As my eyes were bugging out of my head, he explained that steaming a tamale takes X number of minutes, but deep frying them takes less-then-X number of minutes, and when the bar is bumping on a weekend night, those few minutes can mean all diff in the world! They did it as an experiment one day, and now, that’s how they do them all the time! This is one of those rare foods that I truly wonder where it’s been my whole life. It’s here now, and that’s all that matters.
TACO OF THE YEAR
I’m woefully unqualified to judge tacos, because I have only eaten a small fraction of the tacos available in this town. I don’t get out to Patton Ave much, where Muños and other Asheville favorites are located, and since I don’t drive, I’m not traveling up and down the roads and highways of WNC, so I never stumble across taco trucks and obscure taco stands. I am qualified to judge tacos, however, because I did each a bunch of them in 2021, and know a great taco when I eat one! Here are three…
El Gallo
Y’all… there’s a very special taco in downtown, and I want everyone to know about it and revel in its awesomeness with me. It’s called the “Quesabiria,” and it’s from El Gallo, which is on the corner of Rankin Ave. and College Street (where Table used to be). It has braised beef, Oaxacan cheese, and fresh cilantro and other veg mater on it. Three things make this taco special: 1. It is grilled after assembly, so the shell is cooked in the juices of the beef inside. 2. The cheese gets crispy on the edges as it oozes out and hits the grill. 3. It comes with a ramekin of savory delicious “red broth,” to dip it in as you eat. It truly a taco that is also a grilled cheese that is also a French dip, and if that’s not fucking special, I’m not sure what is!
Los Tacotes
I took a little road trip with my buddy, and Ashvegas publisher, Jason Sandford waaay out tunnel road to visit a food truck called Los Tacotes that parks in the Root Bar parking lot, and has a great reputation for awesome tacos. I am here to add to that reputation! I ordered twotacos: asada and pastor, both fully dressed with fresh onions, grilled onions & jalapeños, fresh radish, cilantro & lime, on soft corn tortillas. What can I say? They were exactly what I hoped they would be. I should have ordered ten of them. The pastor taco in particular was like eating a stick of butter, it was so tender and rich. If this truck was in my hood, I’d be hitting it up on a regular basis, but for now I can only look forward to my next road trip, and nominate them for a dang award!
Asheville Yacht Club
Okay, y’all can hate on me for this one, I deserve it, but I fucking loved the shit out of this quartet of tacos from the Asheville Yacht Club. I got beef and chicken, with all the works, which included basic shred-cheese, diced toms and onions, and a big ol’ blob of sour cream! These tacos were exactly like the kind that we used to make at home in the 1970’s and 80’s, when there was a thing called “Ortega Taco Night.” Eating these tacos was like eating those memories for me. And they were only $2 each! And they gave me a choice between soft and hard shells. (Hard shells, please!) And they had one of my “Wear a Fucking Mask” signs hanging behind the bar! Haha! So, yes, hate me if you have to, I totally understand, but this was a great taco experience all around for this guy!
SANDWICH OF THE YEAR
Sandwiches are an important part of my life. And that’s pretty much all the intro this section needs. Here are my nominees for 2021 Sandwich of the Year…
Mother Ocean Market
What makes the oyster po boy from Mother Ocean Market so special? The oysters. Duh. M.O.M. has the best fresh seafood available in Asheville in my opinion, and when we buy fish to cook at home, we get it from their cases as often as possible. They also have a small menu of cooked food at lunchtime that includes fried fried fish, shrimp, and oysters, available as plates, or po boys. I didn’t grow up eating po boys, but I have learned how to really love them as an adult. This po boy was made on a piece of great, locally baked French bread from Geraldine’s Bakery, that had been split and grilled. That’s a great foundation to build on. In addition to the plump, juicy, crunchy, steaming hot oysters, there was LTO and house made remoulade. At the time I ate the one pictured above, I posted that it was one of the best po boys I’ve ever had, and that holds true to this day! Will it be my Sandwich of the Year for 2021? That remains to be seen.
12 Bones BBQ
The smoked turkey sandwich from 12 Bones BBQ is nothing short of epic. Description: Smoked turkey, sugar bacon, brie cheese, pesto mayo on Texas toast. Further details: Gah. Yum. Gim. Fahhhhh… #allforme I have mentioned in the past that I got stuck on the smoked turkey plate at 12 Bones for years, and never ordered anything else, so I am a huge fan of that turkey to start with, then add all that other stuff, and slap it on two slices of buttered carbs and I’m all about it. I know this one has been around a long time, but it was new to me in 2021, and immediately shot to the top of the charts. I want one right now!
Ziggy’s Meatball Sub
I went to Ziggy’s Bakery & Deli for the first time ever in 2021, and it has found its way on to my list of nominees in three categories! Best Lunch, Best Philly Cheesesteak, and now Sandwich of the Year! I grew up eating really great Italian food in and around Boston, Mass, and have always loved a great meatball sub. I had kinda forgotten just how much, until I saw a picture of one that Ziggy’s posted on social media one day, and I was like, “gotta get.” So I did. And then I did again. And yeah, no, there’s no fucking doubt that this is a great meatball sub, and absolutely one of the best sandwiches I had all year!
Brenda Cabrera
My friend Luis from Descubre Asheville brought a craze-tastically great sandwich called a pambazo to my house one day. It is unique, to say the least, and not quite like anything I’d ever seen or tasted before. It was made by home cook Brenda Cabrera, and is apparently, like, THEE sandwich that represents Mexico City. I don’t usually nominate home cooks for awards, but there’s some talk that Ms. Cabrera might open a restaurant some day, and if she does, I’ll be there for this sandwich! Like a lot of sandwiches, the pambazo is named after the bread, also called pambazo, which is dipped in, and then fried in a red guajillo pepper sauce, which give sit that crazy color, and outstanding flavor. It is filled with potatoes, chorizo, cheese, and lettuce. It is huge. It is wild. It is up for a Sandwich of the Year award!
Wild Ginger
I’m new to the world of bahn mi sandwiches, so I can’t put this one from Wild Ginger on any kind of chart or scale of bahn mi greatness, but I am not new to sandwiches, so I can put this one on my chart of kick-ass sandwiches that I ate in 2021. First of all, the bread. The bread that these sandwiches come on is a hearty, chewy, french bread, split and toasted. It’s awesome. I could eat just the bread and be happy! Wait no! I want the contents too! I always go for the pork belly (chicken & fish are also available), with pickled vegetables, fresh cilantro & Jalapeño peppers, pâté, & mayo. Holy crap, Y’all. Now I know what all the hubbub around this sandwich has been all about! It’s such a pleasant yet exciting combination of flavors, and is my final contender for 2022 Sandwich of the Year!
Thanks for reading this far! There are still more categories to come! Please sign-up for my FREE newsletter and follow me here on Ashvegas while I announce the rest of the nominees, and then the winners!
RECAP OF CATEGORIES & NOMINEES
BREAKFAST OF THE YEAR
Abeja’s House Cafe
Sunny Point Cafe
Sawhorse
Doc Brown’s BBQ
LUNCH OF THE YEAR
Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken née Nani’s Rotisserie Chicken
Ziggy’s Bakery & Deli
Waku Waku Japanese Eatery
FANCY DINNER OF THE YEAR
OaxaCalifornia Dinner
Swine’d Sustainably
Food Stories / Chow Chow
SWEETS OF THE YEAR
Buggy Pop Popsicles
Old Europe Cakes
Marble & Steel Craft Chocolates
Bhumi Chocolate
MOCKTAILS OF THE YEAR
Sovereign Remedies
Cultura
Session Cafe
MEAL OF THE YEAR
Odditorium
Griff’s Kitchen & Bar
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse
Zambra
FOOD EVENT OF THE YEAR
Grindfest AVL / Black Wall Street AVL
Goombay
FOOD COMPETITION OF THE YEAR
Cue for a Cause BBQ Throwdown
Bring Your Heat, Asheville
Dinner Impossible Food Truck Throw Down
Punk Rock Hot Dogs
Duke’s vs Blue Plate
BEST RIBS OF 2021
Doc Brown’s BBQ
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse
12 Bones
Avenue M
BEST MEATLOAF OF 2021
Rye Knot
Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ
Storm Rhum Bar & Bistro
East Village Grill
BEST SHEPHERD’S PIE OF 2021
Pierachy
Iconic Kitchen & Drinks
Asheville Yacht Club
The Bier Garden
BEST PHILLY / CHEESE STEAK OF 2021
Ziggy’s Bakery & Deli
The Odditorium
Asheville Sandwich Company
Buxton Hall Barbecue
BURGER OF THE YEAR
The Odditorium
Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville
The Malvern
BEST HUNKS OF MEAT OF 2021
Iconic Kitchen & Drinks
Caitlyn Farms Sustainable Beef
Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse
BEST WINGS OF 2021
Buxton Hall Barbecue
Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ
Deli Llammma Food Truck
Benne on Eagle
Strictly Wings
Haywood Common
Neng Jr’s Pop-Up
CHICKEN SALAD OF THE YEAR
Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken
Well Bred bakery
Buxton Chicken Palace
DEEP FRIED THING OF THE YEAR
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse
The Odditorium
Huli Sue’s Hawaiian BBQ
The Madness Sushi & Burgers
Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ
TACO OF THE YEAR
Los Tacotes Food Truck
Asheville Yacht Club
El Gallo Asheville
SANDWICH OF THE YEAR
Ziggy’s Bakery & Deli
12 Bones BBQ
Mother Ocean Market
Wild Ginger
Brenda Cabrera
coming soon….
New Restaurant of the Year
Restaurant of the Year
Food Truck of the Year
Chef of the Year
— TO BE CONTINUED —
Stu Helm is a writer, blogger, and social media personality living and working in Asheville,NC.
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