For my spring break, we went on a long weekend in Ashville NC. It was a fun, food-filled long weekend (we also stayed in a tiny house.) I realize that this has become more of a travel-eating journal, but I hope you’re all-embracing this evolution. I like to think it’s also enjoyable to see my photos of hiking and sightseeing. Also, the lack of shadow and deceptive placement of the water bottle makes it look like we are jumping v high.
We had an OUTSTANDING dinner at Curaté, a modern tapas place that seems to be one of the most notable restaurants in the city. It was fantastic, but it was dark and I did not take photos. I’ll spare you the non-photogenic food, but please eat there if you have the opportunity. The veggie paella was particularly notable and fried eggplant with honey & rosemary is something I want to recreate.
Ashville has a food scene that is rather exciting, especially a long list of brunch places. First, we went to Sunny Point Cafe. 
Even though we went on a weekday, there was a long wait for a table. I don’t understand why many people seem adverse to sitting at the bar. I don’t find it inconvenient, especially if there are only two people. I love watching the food get prepped- it’s like sitting at an exclusive chef’s table. We play a game where we try to identify what a dish is as the components are coming together (this game is rather fun at restaurants that do atypical plating and garnishes)
Sunny Point Cafe has a pretty extensive menu of brunch offerings, typically slight twists on classics.
Huevos Rancheros • 12
two eggs, black bean cakes, tofu chorizo, feta, green salsa, spuds, cilantro crema – G V
The waitress said this is what they are known for and I understand why. So many flavors and it still felt very breakfasty.
Fried Chicken & Waffle Sandwich • 15
pecan waffle, fried chicken thigh, bacon, pimento cheese, jalapeño jam
I do appreciate when places are cool with substitutions. We made this one meat-free as well and opted for grilled chicken over fried.
The Hop is a local ice cream chain. The creamery serves ice cream on Friday nights where they sell flights of experimental flavors, typically featuring ingredients from local vendors. We tried all eight.
The mustard was gross. I tried it, but it was gross. Eric liked it. The vegan chocolate had an off texture. But aside from those two the others were delightful. I liked the curry a lot, and spliff cake had sooo many ingredients that were all easily distinguishable. 
Buiscut Head has a few locations, and from what I can gather they are all immensely popular. 
They are popular for their cat’s head biscuits and flights of gravy (yes there is a theme here.) We got the coconut-sweet potato, vegan chorizo, mushroom medley, fried chicken and the daily special: jalapeno garlic. There was a station of jars of butter, jams, and marmalades. Everything was delicious. I would be very happy having the coconut- sweet potato gravy as a soup. It was elevated southern food that was comforting and perfect. 
There was a shop called the Chocolate Fetish. They sold these anatomically accurate chocolate lagomorphs.
Rood Food and Pie: Lakewood Website
This restaurant was on my list of places to try for a while since I kept reading about how it was about to open…and then I didn’t realize it opened. The interior is whimsical and honestly reminded me of set pieces for Waitress. The concept is simply updated sliders, deconstructed. And pie.
We got an assortment of their homemade curry and cardamom rolls, which were fantastic and fresh out of the oven soft.
As the name of the restaurant implies, they also have pie. It was hard trying to just pick one flavor, as they all seemed so enticing.
Evan Eats Cleveland 
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