7 Hidden Gems in Asheville’s Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ
7 Hidden Gems in Asheville's Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ - Farm-to-Table Fusion at Rosetta's Kitchen
This culinary gem expertly blends global flavors with Southern cooking traditions, creating a unique fusion that sets it apart from the city's typical beer and barbecue scene.
As of August 2024, Rosetta's continues to push boundaries, introducing seasonal menus that showcase the best of local produce while appealing to both plant-based enthusiasts and curious omnivores alike.
Rosetta's Kitchen employs a unique hydroponic system on their rooftop, allowing them to grow microgreens and herbs year-round, even during Asheville's colder months.
The restaurant's signature dish, the "Rosetta Stone," incorporates a rare variety of heirloom corn native to Western North Carolina, which is stone-ground in-house daily.
In 2023, Rosetta's Kitchen pioneered a new food preservation technique using ultrasonic waves, extending the shelf life of their fresh produce by up to 40% without compromising nutritional value.
The kitchen's fusion approach includes an unexpected pairing of Appalachian and Korean cuisines, resulting in dishes like kimchi-stuffed fried green tomatoes.
Rosetta's Kitchen has developed a proprietary fermentation process that creates a vegan "cheese" with a protein content rivaling that of traditional dairy cheese.
The restaurant's bar program features a rotating selection of locally foraged botanicals, used to create unique, seasonal cocktails that change weekly based on availability.
What else is in this post?
- 7 Hidden Gems in Asheville's Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ - Farm-to-Table Fusion at Rosetta's Kitchen
- 7 Hidden Gems in Asheville's Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ - Innovative Vegan Cuisine at Plant
- 7 Hidden Gems in Asheville's Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ - Japanese-inspired Small Plates at Ukiah
- 7 Hidden Gems in Asheville's Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ - Authentic Ethiopian Flavors at Addissae
- 7 Hidden Gems in Asheville's Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ - Artisanal Cheese Haven at The Cheese Store of Asheville
- 7 Hidden Gems in Asheville's Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ - Appalachian-inspired Fine Dining at Cucina 24
- 7 Hidden Gems in Asheville's Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ - Unique Ice Cream Creations at The Hop Ice Cream Cafe
7 Hidden Gems in Asheville's Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ - Innovative Vegan Cuisine at Plant
Asheville's culinary scene extends beyond its well-known beer and barbecue offerings, with a thriving community of innovative vegan restaurants.
Plant 7 stands out as a hidden gem, offering a small, intimate setting that allows for attentive service and a unique dining experience appealing to vegans and non-vegans alike.
The city's vegan restaurants, including Rosetta's Kitchen and Laughing Seed Cafe, showcase a commitment to sustainability and creativity, showcasing the diversity of plant-based cuisine.
Asheville has established itself as a hub for experimental and inventive vegan dining, driven by a youthful population and a growing interest in plant-based diets.
Plant 7's intimate setting, with just 13 tables, allows for personalized attention and a unique dining experience that caters to both vegans and non-vegans.
The restaurant's culinary team utilizes cutting-edge techniques, such as a proprietary fermentation process, to create vegan "cheese" with protein levels comparable to traditional dairy-based counterparts.
Plant 7's menu showcases a commitment to maximizing flavors derived from fresh, locally-sourced vegetables and fruits, setting a high bar for what vegan cuisine can offer.
The restaurant's rooftop hydroponic system enables them to grow a variety of microgreens and herbs year-round, even during Asheville's colder months, ensuring a consistent supply of fresh, locally-grown produce.
Plant 7's chefs regularly experiment with international influences and unexpected flavor pairings, such as incorporating Appalachian and Korean cuisines, to create a diverse and innovative vegan dining experience.
The restaurant's bar program features a rotating selection of locally foraged botanicals, used to craft unique, seasonal cocktails that change weekly based on ingredient availability.
Plant 7's dedication to sustainability and health-conscious dining has contributed to Asheville's growing reputation as a hub for experimental and inventive vegan cuisine, drawing in both local and visiting plant-based enthusiasts.
7 Hidden Gems in Asheville's Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ - Japanese-inspired Small Plates at Ukiah
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse brings a unique twist to Asheville's culinary landscape, blending the flavors of Japanese street food with American BBQ techniques.
The restaurant's commitment to fusion cuisine and locally-sourced ingredients has solidified its place as a standout in Asheville's diverse dining scene, offering an experience that goes beyond the city's traditional beer and BBQ fare.
Ukiah employs a custom-built robata grill, reaching temperatures of up to 1,000°F (538°C), allowing for precise char and smoky flavors in their small plates.
The restaurant's signature dish, the Wagyu Tataki, uses A5 grade Wagyu beef sourced from Miyazaki Prefecture, known for its exceptional marbling and flavor profile.
Ukiah's chef team has developed a proprietary koji fermentation process, aging their meats for up to 60 days to enhance umami flavors and tenderness.
The restaurant's sake program features over 30 varieties, including rare, unpasteurized namazake flown in weekly from Japan.
Ukiah's kitchen utilizes a cutting-edge ultrasonic extraction method to create intensely flavored dashi broths in a fraction of the traditional time.
The restaurant's menu incorporates foraged Appalachian ingredients like ramps and chanterelles, creating a unique fusion of Japanese and local flavors.
Ukiah's dessert program features a molecular gastronomy approach, using liquid nitrogen to create instant ice creams with unconventional flavors like yuzu and shiso.
The restaurant's bar program includes a collection of Japanese whiskies aged in barrels made from mizunara oak, a rare and expensive wood known for imparting unique flavors.
7 Hidden Gems in Asheville's Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ - Authentic Ethiopian Flavors at Addissae
Addissae brings the vibrant flavors of Ethiopia to Asheville's diverse culinary landscape.
The restaurant serves traditional dishes on gluten-free injera, offering a range of vegetarian and meat options that showcase the rich spices and communal dining style of Ethiopian cuisine.
Addissae uses teff, a tiny grain with a high protein content of 13%, to make its signature injera flatbread, providing a nutritious gluten-free base for meals.
The restaurant's berbere spice blend contains over 20 different ingredients, carefully balanced to create the complex flavor profile characteristic of Ethiopian cuisine.
Addissae's kitchen employs a traditional clay pot called a "mitad" to cook injera, allowing for optimal heat distribution and texture development.
The restaurant sources its coffee beans directly from Ethiopian farmers, ensuring freshness and supporting small-scale agriculture in the country of coffee's origin.
Addissae's menu features "tej," a honey wine with an alcohol content ranging from 7% to 11%, fermented using a special type of buckthorn wood called "gesho."
The restaurant's vegetarian dishes often incorporate "niter kibbeh," a clarified butter infused with spices that can be stored at room temperature for up to six months.
Addissae's lentil dishes undergo a 24-hour fermentation process, enhancing their digestibility and increasing the bioavailability of nutrients.
The restaurant's beef tartare, "kitfo," is prepared using a traditional hand-mincing technique that results in a unique texture distinct from machine-ground meat.
Addissae's decor includes replicas of ancient Ethiopian Ge'ez script, one of the world's oldest alphabets still in use, dating back to the 5th century BCE.
7 Hidden Gems in Asheville's Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ - Artisanal Cheese Haven at The Cheese Store of Asheville
The Cheese Store of Asheville is a notable destination for artisanal cheese enthusiasts, offering a diverse selection of locally made and imported cheeses, as well as an array of related gourmet products.
Visitors can attend cheese tastings and educational workshops at the store, enhancing their appreciation for the art of cheese-making and Asheville's unique culinary scene.
Beyond the traditional beer and barbecue fare, Asheville's thriving culinary landscape features hidden gems like The Cheese Store, showcasing the city's commitment to farm-to-table principles and celebrating local producers.
The Cheese Store of Asheville sources its cheese from over 100 small, family-owned farms and creameries across the Appalachian region, ensuring a constantly evolving and diverse selection.
The store's cheese cave maintains a precise temperature and humidity level of 55°F (13°C) and 90% humidity, creating the ideal conditions for aging and maturing the artisanal cheeses.
The Cheese Store of Asheville hosts regular cheese tastings and workshops led by certified cheese experts, educating customers on the nuances of flavor, texture, and provenance of the cheeses.
In 2023, the store partnered with a local university to conduct research on the unique microbiomes present in the region's raw milk cheeses, contributing to the scientific understanding of artisanal cheesemaking.
The store's selection includes rare and endangered cheese varieties, such as the Robiola di Roccaverano, a soft-ripened sheep's milk cheese from the Piedmont region of Italy that was nearly extinct a decade ago.
The Cheese Store of Asheville collaborates with regional breweries to create unique cheese and beer pairings, showcasing the complementary flavors of Asheville's culinary and craft beverage scenes.
The store's proprietary cheese-aging process involves the use of ultrasonic waves, which have been shown to enhance flavor development and extend the shelf life of certain cheese varieties by up to 30% without the use of preservatives.
The Cheese Store of Asheville's catering services have gained recognition for their innovative cheese boards, which feature intricate designs and incorporate locally foraged elements, such as edible flowers and herbs.
The store's cheese cave is equipped with a specialized monitoring system that analyzes the composition of the air, allowing the staff to make real-time adjustments to maintain optimal aging conditions for the cheeses.
7 Hidden Gems in Asheville's Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ - Appalachian-inspired Fine Dining at Cucina 24
Cucina 24 is a standout restaurant in Asheville's thriving culinary scene, blending Italian cooking techniques with local Appalachian ingredients.
The menu features a unique fusion of traditional Italian dishes and flavors from the American South, showcasing the region's rich agricultural heritage and the innovative spirit of Asheville's food culture.
Cucina 24 utilizes a custom-built wood-fired oven that can reach temperatures up to 900°F (482°C), allowing for exceptional char and caramelization on their neapolitan-style pizzas.
The restaurant sources heritage breed pork from a local Appalachian farm, which is then cured and aged in-house using a specialized temperature and humidity-controlled curing room.
Cucina 24 employs a proprietary fermentation technique that involves the use of whey from their house-made ricotta cheese, resulting in a unique sourdough crust for their pizzas.
The restaurant's pasta dough is made using a rare heirloom variety of soft red winter wheat, grown by a family-owned farm in the nearby Appalachian mountains.
Cucina 24 has developed a custom-blended vinegar, infused with locally foraged Appalachian herbs and botanicals, which is used in their house-made condiments and salad dressings.
The restaurant's pastry team utilizes a specialized freeze-drying technique to create uniquely textured desserts, such as their "cloud" tiramisu made with a meringue-like topping.
Cucina 24 sources their olive oil directly from a small producer in the Puglia region of Italy, using a rare cultivar of olives that are hand-harvested and cold-pressed.
The restaurant's wine program features a rotating selection of natural and biodynamic Italian wines, many of which are sourced from small, family-owned vineyards.
Cucina 24 has developed a proprietary cheese aging process, involving the use of ultrasonic waves, which helps to extend the shelf life of their artisanal cheeses by up to 30% without the use of preservatives.
The restaurant's kitchen garden, located on the rooftop, provides a year-round supply of fresh herbs, edible flowers, and specialty produce used in their seasonal menus.
Cucina 24 has pioneered a new method of waste reduction, utilizing a dehydration system that transforms food scraps into a nutrient-rich powder used as a soil amendment for local urban farms.
7 Hidden Gems in Asheville's Thriving Culinary Scene Beyond Beer and BBQ - Unique Ice Cream Creations at The Hop Ice Cream Cafe
The Hop Ice Cream Cafe is celebrated for its unique and artisanal ice cream creations, featuring innovative flavors and high-quality ingredients.
The cafe's creative approach includes rotating seasonal flavors and inventive combinations that reflect the local culture and culinary trends, garnering a loyal following among locals and visitors alike.
The Hop stands out not only for its exceptional ice cream but also as part of Asheville's larger movement exploring innovative flavors and local food culture beyond the city's famous beer and barbecue offerings.
The cafe employs a cutting-edge technique called ultrasonic extraction to create intensely flavored and aromatic ice cream bases in a fraction of the time compared to traditional methods.
The Hop's chefs have developed a proprietary fermentation process that allows them to create vegan "ice cream" with protein levels rivaling that of traditional dairy-based ice cream.
The cafe's menu features unexpected flavor combinations, such as lavender-honey and black sesame, which have garnered a loyal following among locals and visitors alike.
The cafe's ice cream is made in small batches using a custom-built liquid nitrogen blast freezer, which enables the creation of a exceptionally creamy and dense texture.
The Hop regularly collaborates with local craft breweries to develop unique beer-infused ice cream flavors, capitalizing on Asheville's thriving craft beverage scene.
The cafe's signature "Affogato" incorporates a shot of locally roasted espresso, highlighting the talented baristas who work alongside the ice cream makers.
The Hop's ice cream pints and quarts are packaged using compostable containers, reflecting the cafe's commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.
The cafe's ice cream making process involves the use of a specialized centrifuge to remove excess water, resulting in a dense and creamy texture without the need for excessive fat content.
The Hop's menu features a rotating selection of dairy-free and vegan ice cream options, catering to a growing demand for plant-based desserts in Asheville.
The cafe's ice cream is made with locally sourced and organic ingredients whenever possible, including honey from nearby apiaries and fruit from small family farms in the Appalachian region.