The question of where to eat in Asheville always invites heated discussions, so I invited food professionals to weigh in.
I'll go first.
I recently had an exceptional takeout experience from Green Tea Sushi, where I ordered an embarrassingly large amount of sushi to satisfy a craving.
If you like it spicy, ask for the Fire Island Roll with spicy salmon and tuna, jalapenos, lobster salad and chili sauce.
Takeout from Cucina 24, which recently added outdoor dining, has been a highlight of my spring and summer.
The pizzas are always good, a recent duck confit was fantastic, but the vegetable dishes are often the star of the show. Think salads with local blossoms and artichokes alla romana. Make sure to check the restaurant's Instagram page for some beautiful food photography.
Speaking of vegetables, they're a must-order at Copper Crown, which offers patio dining by reservation only. The East Asheville restaurant also offers curbside takeout and delivery through Kickback AVL.
More: Coronavirus: How Asheville delivery services scramble to get you food
The menu changes often, but you'll always find crispy Buffalo fried green tomatoes, which I can't seem to stop eating.
Other recent orders include Fairy Tale eggplant with poblano-coconut sauce and pickled jalapenos and an outstanding shrimp gnocchi. The burgers and fries are great too. Little ones will love the kids' chicken.
Shout out also to Rhubarb, Taco Temple, City Bakery (pro tip: you can also buy flour here), Creekside Taphouse, Buxton Hall, Chai Pani, Vivian, Ultimate Ice Cream and The Hop Ice Cream Cafe for helping me feel normal in a time when nothing else seems to be.
Mother Earth Food's weekly deliveries of fresh local produce, fermented good from Fermenti Foods, baked goods and heat-and-eat meals from The Rhu and more, have also kept my family well-fed.
Here's where other food pros say they're eating. Make sure to check operating hours and other details online before you go. Things change fast.
PJ Jackson, Chop Shop Butchery
Jackson favors All Day Darling, where the kitchen staff turns Chop Shop beef into steak toast with Gruyere, warm kale and Goddess dressing.
The restaurant also uses freshly ground Chop Shop beef for its topnotch burgers, he said. (102 Montford Ave.)
"Same with the folks at Sovereign Remedies," he said. There, the burger comes with Lusty Monk mustard, house pickles and smoked white cheddar. (29 N. Market St.)
And though he's not ordered it since the restaurant reopened, he also recommends the biscuits and sausage gravy at The Waterbird. (197 Charlotte St.)
Jim Klingel, Jimmy's on the River
Klingel, whose pizza restaurant is in Swannanoa, has the scoop on the east side: "I've been really enjoying the new look and flavors at La Bamba in Swannanoa," he said. "Lunch enchilada plate is fantastic. Add a Dos Equis, and it's only $10."
La Bamba Sazon Latino is under relatively new ownership, Klingel said, which has led to a more full-service approach. The restaurant also has a menu of vegetarian-friendly fare, including a tofu burrito.
But the traditional tacos are legit, and Klingel praised a grilled pork taco he recently grabbed, takeout style. "It was garnished with pineapple, radishes, cilantro and limes, and it was so good," he said. (2298 U.S. 70, Swannanoa)
Klingel also frequents the Trailhead Restaurant & Bar in Black Mountain, where he favors the vegetarian house-made mushroom burger. "But I add bacon to it," he said, laughing. (207 W. State St., Black Mountain)
Molly Milroy, Chai Pani
Milroy, communications manager at Chai Pani, frequents BimBeriBon in West Asheville, where she dines out in a clean, socially distanced outdoor dining area, which she said feels "very European."
On Fridays, she orders the fish and chips, made with haddock and sometimes cod. There's a vegan version, made with banana blossoms.
"The fish and chips there are insane," she said. "It's gluten-free, but it really doesn't taste like it." (697 Haywood Road)
She also offered another inside tip: Chai Pani, which is open only for takeout, now also sells packaged meals at the Westgate Earth Fare, including saag paneer, vegetable korma and cholle.
More: Asheville food news: 2 new restaurants; first food purveyor signs with S&W Market
Reza Setayesh, Bimberibon
Setayesh runs BimBeriBon with his family, and largely eats at home or in the restaurant.
"I'm here 7 days a week, and at this point, I'm just not really not going out," he said.
He said the themed nights at the restaurant — fish and chips Fridays, kebab nights on Saturdays — have really taken off.
"Once it gets a little cooler, we'll have soup and bread night," he said. "Just different types of soup, pick up some local bread, and take it home and get warmed up."
Are you also mostly cooking at home? Setayesh has an inside tip for you: His new website, plantlovinghumans.com, features his own vegetable-based recipes, all geared toward seasonality.
There, you can find great ways to use up summer eggplant (eggplant lentil moussaka, Lebanese eggplant maghmour stew), beets and corn (gluten-free corn beet muffins).
More of what the food pros said:
Miki Loomis, Homegrown: "Anything from Manicomio. Saag paneer from Chai Pani. Salad from my mom’s garden. And, naturally, Homegrown."
Celeste King, Cask and Canter Mobile Bar: "Tempeh avocado (melt) from Simple."
Treavis Taylor, Fig: "(Village) Wayside is rockin'. We’re renovating FIG Bistro right now and they are my go to lunch! Had Ahi Tuna tacos today. Traci enjoyed the pork wings."
Georgeanna Connors, Katie Button Restaurants: "Thai Pearl! New on Haywood in West Asheville. Super legit."
Smithson Mills, Blue Ridge Food Ventures: "Ribs from 12 Bones. Full rack. If I'm gonna do takeout, I'm gonna do it big. Also the Sushi Deluxe from Asheville Sushi and Hibachi."
Melissa Gray, RosaBees: The RosaBees crew holds supper club every Monday night ... (and) finding places open on Mondays is a challenge. (Please open back up to anyone reading this, we want to support you.) We’ve been Jettie Rae's, Pizza Mind, Papa's and Beer, Vinnie's, just to name a few.
Meg Chamberlain, Fermenti Foods, who relies on takeout only: "I love Asheville Tacos and Taps on Merrimon, Soba in Weaverville, Underground Cafe in Pack Square and hope to source from Early Girl and Storm."
Jax Hammond, bartender at Cascade Lounge: "Pineapple Rice from Thai Pearl and Thai Orchid. Foothills Little Cheeseburger! All Day Darling Thunderbowl, OMG!"
Paul G. Cressend, RosaBees: "Lumpia and green curry from Blue Dream Curry House."
Katie Mcginnis Fiore, Fioreously Delicious: "Luella's, Pizza Mind, Ghan Shan."
Shay Brown, Shay Brown Events: Jettie Rae's Oyster House, Sovereign Remedies, District 42, Cúrate."
Rachel Dudasik, Wicked Weed said Foggy Mountain Brewpub's wings are "the best in town!"
Anne Fitten Glenn, beer writer: "Nine Mile takeout!"
Jamie Wade, Sand Hill Kitchen: "Tacos Jalisco every Thursday night."
Patrick Abernathy, Chupacabre Latin Cafe: "Mostly (my wife's) delicious home cooking, Chupacabre Latin Cafe, Cinnamon Kitchen, Green Tea."
Josh Armbruster, The Market Place: "Cucina 24, Rhubarb has a shrimp toast that rocks. The yakitori at The Market Place is great too. I am a touch biased though."
Others mentioned: Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack, Rendezvous, Zia Taqeuria, Bomba, Bodega on Broadway and Little Pigs BBQ.
___
Mackensy Lunsford has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years, and has been a staff writer for the Asheville Citizen Times since 2012. Lunsford is a former professional line cook and one-time restaurant owner.
Reach me: mlunsford@citizentimes.com.
Read more: Subscribe to the Citizen Times here. Subscribe to my newsletter here.
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