Down South Road Trip: Notable

Susan (and Henry VIII) at the Wicked Weed, Asheville, NC

It took a while, but I wanted to record some of my favorites from the trip down south!

Eating Out
Most unusual and delicious: Tie -- White Duck Taco's bulgogi taco (Asheville) and Tupelo Honey Cafe's (Knoxville) Venerated Veggie Bowl of grits, greens, black-eyed peas, Sunshot salsa, and fried okra
Best Biscuits: Tupelo Honey Cafe (Knoxville)
Best pizza: Asheville Brewing Co.'s Shear Delight and Badlands
Best beer: Asheville Brewing Co.'s Dark Farm and "Black Ink"
Just darn good: A Harvest Table's (Meadowview, VA) black bean and queso burrito with local apple salsa and the Hellbender's (Davis, WV) Gendarme burrito
Best Coffee: Local Latte from Fido (Nashville)

Eating In
Mom's spaghetti: nothing better post-hike to Ramsey Cascade
Family Sunday brunch: bacon, eggs, Mom's cheese grits, Terri's strada, fruit, and biscuits. Yum!
Pilar's mom's breaded cod with tomato, pepper, onion sauce. Delicious!

Other Fun Stuff
Quote: Don't say "stupid" or you'll be sent to the woodshed.... --Edwards Tate. (Very ominous, sinister, and foreboding sounding, but no one seemed too concerned....) 
Beer Cozy with Lionel Richie's face and the words: "It's me you're looking for."
"Trespassers may be shot" sign seen outside a home(?) near Love Park, Nashville, TN - Yikes!
Mom's lap harp!

Beloved West Virginia

Dolly Sods Ground Cover

Todd, Kathleen (look closely), Susan & Frank on a lunch break while hiking in Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, WV

Partially frozen Red Creek, Dolly Sods, WV

Clockwise: Frank, Susan, Kate, Tristan, Kathleen, & Todd in WV

Culinary Delights & Hiking

View from Sam's Knob, Black Balsam Area, Pisgah National Forest, NC

From Brevard, we headed north to Asheville for good food and good beer. First stop, the White Duck Taco Shop where we had bulgogi, jerk chicken, and bbq with slaw tacos. The bulgogi was particularly delicious. From the White Duck, we walked to Wicked Weed Brewing, a new-ish brewery in Asheville. My cousin raved about the Brussels sprouts, so we sampled those and two brews: Freak Double IPA and the Troy & Sons Old Fashioned. The "Old Fashioned" was particularly tasty and unusual. 

After a sunset walk at Biltimore Estate and a visit to the winery, we headed to Asheville Brewing Co. for the Badlands and Shear Delight pizzas and the best beers of the trip: Dark Farm, an imperial saison-style farmhouse ale; the Beer Guy Brown Ale; and the "Black Ink," a Cascadian Dark Ale, which is a collaboration between Asheville Brewing and the Burial Beer Company. Not a bad day at all. 

On Day 2 in Asheville, breakfast included biscuits and grits at Sunny Point Cafe. Fortified for hiking, we headed south along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Sam's Knob and the Flat Laurel Creek Loop. View above. 

Southern Road Trip

Fall colors sunset from the Hokey Pokey, Connestee Falls, near Brevard, NC

On Friday, November 1, Frank and I headed south for family visits, fall color, hiking, and as much local food/drink fun as possible!

We stopped first at Harvest Table Restaurant in Meadowview, VA. It's a great local foods restaurant...we sampled a fresh, local black bean burrito with apple salsa, local hard apple cider (Foggy Cider), and pimento cheese to go - what's not to love!

We arrived in Brevard, NC, that evening and gathered as the Fort/Dammann/Edwards/Tate clans. 

Arkansas Black Apples at Sky Top Orchard

Saturday brought hot cider, fresh doughnuts, and apple picking at Sky Top Orchard. Our apple varieties: Arkansas Black, Cameo, Gold Rush, and Pink Lady. Some of the family capped off the day with a visit to Oskar Blues Brewery's Brevard location and enjoyed samples of Chubby Mama, Old Chub, and Ten Fidy brews. Plus, a double rainbow. Look closely. 

Frank, Meredith, & Dad at Oskar Blues Brevard and a double rainbow