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Neo Burrito – (Asheville, Biltmore Park)

21 Aug

Local restaurant Neo Burrito recently opened a location in Biltmore Park near the Regal Movie Theater.  A burrito place is an excellent addition to the area, and being huge Mexican food fans, Jeremy and I have been there several times already.  The atmosphere is great at Neo Burrito, which devotes a lot of time making sure that their operation is as green and local as possible.  The location at Biltmore Park is growing peppers outside around their patio, and the inside is covered with hanging ferns.  I love how it looks in there!

There are so. many. options.  If you can’t find something to eat here you must just not like food.  There are tons of vegetarian options, meaty options, veggies, sauces, combinations, side dishes, and salsas.  Even breakfast burritos!  And ninja sauce!

I got a basic burrito with black beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, tomato, jalapeno, and guacamole.  The staff was nice, and the girl preparing my burrito didn’t even balk when I asked specifically for three jalapenos.  There’s a large drink and beer selection, and a salsa bar is available with six or so different salsas.

Look at all those chips!

The pineapple salsa is my favorite!

My burrito was delicious and had perfect proportions.  Some places wrap their burritos incorrectly so that each bite you get a big chunk of guacamole, next sour cream, next beans (think a seven layer burrito at Taco Bell).  Not so at Neo!  And the chips are fried in house and delicious.  The only thing that I didn’t enjoy at Neo was a couple of the salsas on the bar.  The verde was watery and had almost no flavor.  I like super garlicy, strong salsas, and the ones on the bar that day had very little seasoning.  Maybe it was an off day, maybe they like to keep it basic in case people have sensitive palates.   For dessert I got a habanero brownie, which was crumbly and delicious!

If you’re in Biltmore Park and need a meal, I highly suggest checking out local restaurant Neo Burrito!  Quick, delicious, affordable, something to please everyone, and it couldn’t be more conveniently located. (I’m sure the other locations are great too, but I haven’t been there!)

http://www.neoburrito.com/

**Disclaimer:  I know some of the owners/business partners of Neo Burrito.  I promise this did not affect my review in any way.**

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Brioso Review- Asheville

23 Jul

Brioso is a new pasta restaurant in Biltmore Park near the Regal Movie Theater, which I frequent at least a few times a month.  When I saw the signs on the Brioso’s window about a fresh pasta restaurant, I got psyched.  I love pasta, and it seemed to have tons of options.  Last night after seeing Horrible Bosses, me and Jeremy decided to give it a shot.  It was about 9:30 on a packed night in Biltmore Park and the place looked empty.  Plenty of seating, very new, very clean.  We walked in a bit confused about how it works, but the nice girl at the counter explained.  You order at the counter, sit down and it’s full service from there.  I ordered the Butternut Squash Ravioli with a Basil Pesto sauce off the Build Your Own menu, with a sweet tea to drink. Jeremy got Fettucini Alfredo with Chicken and a local beer.  The total was about $30, so about $35 something after tip.   On the Build Your Own menu the price varies depending on what you get.  The pastas are from $4-$6, the sauces are about $5.  Extra if you add a protein.

We sat outside and were promptly brought bread and water.  There’s olive oil on the table for you to dip your bread in, and thank god because that bread was the crumbliest, driest bread I’ve ever been given at a restaurant.  I made a joke about it being the day old stuff from the bargain bin at Wal-Mart.  I had two small pieces and gave up.   My sweet tea wasn’t Southern sweet and automatically came with a lemon, so minus one point for that.   Our entrees came very quickly.  I read on their website they cook their food via sous vide, so that probably cuts down on cooking times.  Please pardon the bad nighttime cell phone photo.  It was about 10 p.m. at this point and we were sitting outside, so a good photo was impossible.

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Looks pretty good right!?  It’s a smallish portion for $12, but considering it’s freshly made, I can let that slide.  I can totally appreciate quality over quantity and don’t expect Applebee’s gigantic portions for everything I eat.  But, sadly, I was let down.  The pasta had a decent texture, and the sweetness of the butternut squash inside was good, but the pesto was somehow very bland.  Every pesto I’ve had or made has been packed full of flavor.  Isn’t that what pesto is?  Tons of basil and pine nuts and deliciousness?  I could barely taste this pesto sauce.  I put tons of salt and pepper on it, and if it hadn’t been for the sweetness in the ravioli it would’ve been a big lump of bland, soft, flavorless noodles.  I’m thankful I didn’t just get spaghetti.  I tasted a piece of Jeremy’s Alfredo and it seemed to suffer from the same problem.  Very little seasoning, very unremarkable.  He agreed.

Brioso has a lot going for it.  It’s in an excellent location between the Regal Theater and Barnes & Noble, it’s clean and new, has plenty of vegetarian options, lots of different kinds of pasta and sauces, paninis, a decent beer selection (though at $4.25 to $5.00 a bottle kind of pricey), the service was quick, and the staff is nice and helpful.   Unfortunately, the low point of the experience, for us anyway, was the food.  If we’re going to spend $35 on dinner out, there are other places in town where we’ll be much more satisfied considering we were underwhelmed with every aspect of the meal we had last night.  If we decide to try it again I’ll definitely update.

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White Duck Taco Shop – Asheville, NC

2 Jun nomnom

I absolutely adore Mexican food.  75% of my meals are burritos or quesadillas, and you can usually find some homemade salsa, guacamole, or black beans in my fridge.  So when I heard White Duck Taco Shop was opening in the River Arts District, I was so excited!  Jeremy and I had to check it out, so we went this past weekend.  It’s in the cute orange Hatchery building and has an adorable patio with umbrellas for outdoor dining.

White Duck Taco

They have several different taco options, as well as beers on tap, soups, salads, and sides.  I’m pretty sure that they plan to change things up regularly.  I got the mushroom and potato with goat cheese taco with a side of chilled corn and bean salad.  Jeremy got the flank steak and cheese with a side of black beans.  They also have cheddar grits, which I’m dying to try.

White Duck Taco Menu

Flank Steak and Cheese taco:

nomnom

Mushroom and Potato with goat cheese taco:

NOMNOM

Both tacos were on two corn tortillas and came with lettuce, tomatoes, and some sort of creme fraiche or sour cream, even though the menu didn’t mention that they would come like that.  Jeremy scraped off all his toppings because he hates sour cream and won’t eat anything that touches it.  I’m sure if it had been listed he would’ve asked for it to be left off.   The food came quickly and was a perfect portion.  My mushroom potato taco was absolutely delicious and had the perfect amount of goat cheese.  Jeremy’s looked great and he said that it was seasoned just enough.  The corn and bean salad I got was good, and had onions, cucumbers, beans, and corn.  I liked Jeremy’s black beans more though.  I can’t wait to try the salsa and salads!  I personally like flour tortillas MUCH more than corn tortillas, so I hope that’s an option either on the quesadilla or for the tacos in the future.

I also enjoyed the atmosphere of WDTS.  They have super huge windows, tons of light, distressed aqua cabinets, and a huge duck painted on the wall.   And the sweet tea was spot on, y’all!

Definitely check out White Duck Taco Shop!  I’m super excited about the potential for summertime taco parties on their patio!

1 Roberts St. Suite 101

Asheville, NC

www.whiteducktacoshop.com

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Chorizo Restaurant – Spanish Crepes!

7 Feb

Saturday the man and I walked around downtown for a while.  We didn’t have a destination in mind, but  we ended up longingly looking at the menu at Chorizo.  We’d only eaten there once before and it was for breakfast, but it was delicious and trying their lunch seemed like a great idea.  I got the Monte Verde Crepe.  It’s a vegetarian crepe with grilled vegetables, eggplant, portobello, spinach and goat cheese, and is served with mashed sweet potato, the most delicious beans, fried plantains, guacamole, and a salad with beets and carrots.  The serving was HUGE for a lunch portion, but it was so delicious I ate most of it anyway.  Jeremy got a crepe that had pork, so his was much more filling.  He barely finished half, but someone on the street asked for it when we were walking to the bookstore, so I’m sure it got eaten.   Oh yeah, and the sweet tea was spot on Saturday.  It was delicious and verging on too sweet, just like it should be.  If you haven’t eaten here you’re definitely missing out!   Go there now! (Chorizo - 1 Page Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801, (828) 350-1332)

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Boca Review

15 Dec

Today Jeremy and I had a lunch date at the new Lexington Avenue Restaurant Boca.   We arrived right around 11:30 and were seated immediately next to a window in the front.

The place has tons of natural light, hardwood floors, and a cozy atmosphere.  (And I can’t wait to sit on the huge patio by the fountain in the spring and summer!)

We had the choice of breakfast or lunch, and both of us chose lunch.  I ordered a sweet tea (which didn’t have quite enough sugar for my taste), and the Mexican Veggie Bowl, which has sautéed kale over rice with black beans, fried plantains, jicama, cilantro, guacamole and salsa fresca.  Jeremy ordered the Korean BBQ Tacos, which is thinly sliced pork marinated in red chile and garlic, served on corn tortillas with fried rice and kimchee slaw.

The food came quickly, and both dishes were HUGE for a lunch portion!

Mexican Veggie Bowl

Mine was absolutely delicious.  Most of the time when I get sauteed kale somewhere I’m disappointed.  It’s either soggy or not salty enough, but this kale was perfect!  The plantains were delicious and juicy, the beans had excellent flavor, and the jicama added needed texture.  I loved this dish!  I wouldn’t have minded having just a few tortilla chips with it, but they’re definitely not a necessity.  If I have a pile of beans, guacamole and salsa, I just can’t help wanting some chips.

Korean BBQ Tacos

Jeremy’s Korean BBQ Tacos were as good as they looked.  There were three tacos and a huge mound of fried rice and kimchee.  I tasted the rice and it was delicious, and Jeremy had no complaints while he was chowing on his tacos.

There was a small glitch when it came time to pay due to their internet and credit card machines being down, but our server ran the card the old school way and the problem was quickly resolved.

I definitely love Boca!  It’s surprisingly affordable (our ticket for both of the above dishes with two sweet teas was just $18 before tip), has a lovely atmosphere, and I’m already drooling at the thought of trying the Goat Cheese Risotto and Veggie Tacos that are on the dinner menu.   It’s dangerous to my bank account that I work within walking distance of this place.  Check it out, and feel free to let me know about your experiences! What other dishes should I try?

Boca Restaurant
68 N. Lexington Ave.
Asheville, NC 28801
828.285.8828

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Twisted Crepe Review

3 Sep

Today the weather was perfect AND it was a pay day, so I decided to walk down to Twisted Crepe and finally give it a try.  I was a bit overwhelmed with the menu, but I finally decided to get a build-your-own crepe with mozzarella, bell pepper, tomatoes, spinach, and sundried tomato pesto, chips and a drink.  It came to a little over $7.00.

I was happy to see that they have the awesome crushed ice like Sonic.  The sweet tea was okay, but it wasn’t quite sweet enough for me.  Next time I’ll get Coke.  My food came quickly and it was GREAT!

The crepe was crispy and neatly wrapped.  The pesto was super bold and a total surprise.  It was slightly sweet and had so much intense flavor.  The bell peppers were diced small and easy to eat, the tomatoes were fresh and ripe, and the cheese was super melty and stringy.  It’s great to have a new option for lunch!  I was surprised to see they didn’t have any set vegetarian options on the menu, but since you can build your own I guess it doesn’t matter.  There was a vegetarian special of the day, so maybe they do that every day.

The staff was friendly, quick, and the food was delicious.  I can’t wait to go back and try a Nutella Crepe!  Twisted Crepe is located at 62 Haywood Street, right across from the Library.

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Chorizo Restaurant Review

25 Aug

Last Sunday Jeremy and I decided to go downtown and walk around like tourists.  We usually drive to Brevard or some other nearby town if we feel like walking around and being touristy, but we realized we’ve neglected a lot of places in Asheville we should be discovering.  So, he suggested we FINALLY try Chorizo for Sunday Brunch.  We’ve been told by several of my friends that it’s great, but we’ve been too stuck in our usual ruts to try it.

We showed up at 11:45 a.m. and were seated immediately – no wait, and it was a BEAUTIFUL, not too hot day.  The patio was filled up, so we got a nice little side-by-side two top inside.  (Unfortunately it was right next to a table of about 12 people who had no concept whatsoever of inside voices.  What’s with people?)  The lighting is lovely in there.

Preeeety.There are a ton of choices at Chorizo.  Their menu stated that they use all natural, all local, and all handmade items.  It was exciting to see that.

Nom NomI got the Veggie Sausage Scramble.  It came with a house-made Latin Corn Patty (Arepas),  two scrambled eggs, one veggie sausage, delicious cinnamony fruit chutney, guacamole, and pico de gallo.   I had thought the veggie sausage was going to be the typical frozen grocery store kind, and when it came I was quite surprised.  I thought at first that they had fried the frozen kind, but in fact it was a hand-made veggie sausage.  It had a crispy breaded outside, and the inside was a pleasantly  chewy, slightly sweet, delicious veggie sausage unlike any I’ve had before.  It wasn’t tempeh, didn’t taste tofuy, and wasn’t some kind of fake meat.  I have no idea what was in it, but I was in love!  The chutney was delicious, the eggs were good once I salt and peppered them, and the corn patty had a yummy melty cheese in the center.

NAMPJeremy got the Chorizo Tortilla Dish, which came with a massive house-made tortilla, a house-made piece of Chorizo sausage, grits, and two fried eggs, pico de gallo, and guacamole.  Let me tell you, those grits were FANTASTIC.  I want to have grits like that every day.  As embarrassing as it is to admit it for a southern girl, I only in the past few years have learned to love grits.  These were mind-blowingly good, and I hate to think of how much butter was probably in those one or two bites I ate.   If Jeremy ever dumps me, I’ll probably go to Chorizo and binge on their grits instead of going for a gallon of ice cream.  He said the chorizo was good and a bit spicy, and they brought a habanero hot sauce that looked house-made.

NomnomnomnomnomWe both left happy and full.  It wasn’t that expensive, about $9 per plate, and the fact that it was mostly hand-made and not from a box was evident.  The lighting and atmosphere is wonderful at Chorizo,  and considering that it was noon on a Sunday, the service was decent.  I think they forgot to bring us a check for a while, but maybe the dozen screaming people next to us were chasing the server away with their cacophony.

And now I’m craving grits.  Mmmmm……

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A Plea to The Noodle Shop

13 Aug

Hey Noodle Shop — remember when I first moved here and instantly fell in love with you?  Every time I got the chance, I walked on my lunch break to get something delicious, whether I really had the money to or not.  I take every visitor that comes to stay with us to you first thing.  When you were closed for repairs for so long after that thing happened with your ceiling, I was depressed the whole time, dreaming of when I could wander back under those red globes and drink too much plum wine while scarfing perfectly prepared tofu and rice noodles.  I always get the same thing, either the Crispy Tofu, Sesame Tofu, or Dan Dan  Noodles, depending on how hungry I am and the weather.  Lately though, the Sesame Tofu has been letting me down.  It used to be tofu that was crispy on the outside with a thick, dark brown sesame sauce.  Delicious!  I couldn’t get enough.  The past two times I’ve gotten it have been disappointing.  See Exhibit A below.

Exhibit A

Do you see tofu with a nice crispy outside?  Do you see dark brown, delicious sauce?  Nope.  It’s spongy tofu with merely adequate texture and watery, light brown sauce.  I understand times are tight right now.  Maybe you’ve changed chefs, I don’t know.  But I DO know that the viscosity of this sauce is underwhelming.  I used to use this dish to counter anyone that scrunched their nose at the thought of tofu.  “No, really, you have to try this Sesame Tofu! You’ll be a believer!”  No more, Noodle Shop, no more.

Granted, everything else I’ve had from there has been spot on.  The Dan Dan is always perfect, that red sauce with the Crispy Tofu is like crack, and everything I’ve seen my meat eating friends get has made me fight breaking veg.  So this is my plea– please fix the Sesame Tofu!  Thicken up that sauce!  Get the tofu a bit crispier on the outside!  I know you can do it.  I’ll check on your progress in a few months.

La Posada Review

8 Aug

After an epic shopping trip Saturday, Jeremy and I were starving.  He suggested we hit Sonic for some instant gratification, but I wanted something more substantial than a greasy grilled cheese sandwich.  I suggested Mexican since they give you the chips and salsa as soon as you get there, which would tide us over until we could eat some real food.  He mentioned La Posada, which I had never been to.  How have I never been there?  Mexican is my favorite and Jeremy used to eat there at lunch when his workplace was nearby.  Now that I’ve been,  I can’t believe I’ve been  missing out! First off, it’s homey and cute.  Second, the sweet tea is delicious.  Third, you get salsa AND bean dip when you’re seated.  Fourth, they have plenty of vegetarian selections.  I could just keep going on and on.  The white cheese dip is awesome.  The service was sufficient and polite.  The only bad thing I have to say is that the other customers in the place were being WAY too loud while discussing some weird personal matters.  PEOPLE – USE YOUR INSIDE VOICES!  STOP YELLING FOR NO REASON!

Anyway, my Veggie J was awesome.  It was a fried shell with squash, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, sour cream, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, beans, and guacamole.  It was delicious and I haven’t seen it on the menu at my usual Mexican restaurant stops.   At the end it got a little soupy, but I was stuffed by then anyway, so it didn’t matter.  (Please excuse not so great cell phone with flash photos.  It was dark in there!)

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La Posada - Veggie J

Jeremy got the pork carnitas.   He said they were seasoned well, the meat wasn’t as fatty as others he’s had in town, and that the green salsa served with them wasn’t playing — it was HOT. Also, they’re so loaded with meat he had to take half of his food to go.  He couldn’t finish it all after the salsa and chip appetizer!

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La Posada Pork Carnitas

I’m now a La Posada fan.  I’m sure I’ll have a craving for some cheese dip and a fried bowl of delicious veggies after my next shopping trip.

La Posada Mexican Restaurant

801 Fairview Road
Asheville, NC 28803-1169
(828) 299-0216

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Taqueria Fast Review

22 Jul

Today Jeremy and I decided to venture out to Taqueria Fast in Weaverville.  We’d read good things about how it was the best authentic Mexican food in town, and since our grocery supply was down to peanut butter and cans of beans, it seemed a good time to check it out.  It’s a small homey place in a strip mall, and the inside is cozy and had Spanish language news on the TV.  Jeremy ordered a Mexican glass-bottle coke (yum!) and I got sweet tea.  (It was okay, but not the best.  I should’ve gone with a glass-bottle Coke too.)  I didn’t see a beer list, but I saw a few signs hanging around, so I’m pretty sure you can get a nice cold beer to go with your tacos.  They bring out complimentary chips with three types of salsa.  They were all pretty spicy, and being the wuss that I am, I could only eat one of them.

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Chips and Salsa Trio

Jeremy ordered the Authentic Carnitas Tacos.  They were fairly simple – pork, onions, and cilantro on corn tortillas.  He said they were pretty simple with little seasoning other than the toppings.

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Authentic Carnitas Tacos

I ordered the Vegetarian Gringo Tacos, which came with cheese, rice, pinto beans, corn, lettuce, avacado, tomato, and sour cream on flour tortillas.  The menu doesn’t really explain what is on things, so I assumed it would have some grilled veggies like other veggie tacos.  After throwing on some salt, lime juice, and a dribble of the mildest salsa, I didn’t miss the veggies I had been expecting at all.  The tacos were good, filled me up, and were super cheap — I think $2.50 each.  You order the tacos individually, and the sides are on the back for $2.00 each — guacamole, beans and rice, cheesy bean dip, and cheese dip.  I got an order of the bean dip, which was the delicious thin kind with white cheese.

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Veggie Gringo Tacos

Taqueria Fast was quick, yummy, and inexpensive.  Also, if you’re brave, I hear they have tongue and tripe tacos, as well other authentic Mexican dishes.  They also have a taco truck, so if you see it parked somewhere be sure to stop and get a quick snack!

Taqueria Fast

175 Weaverville Rd

Asheville, NC 28804

(828) 645-4282

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