Monthly Archives: June 2022

The Admiral | Asheville

28 Tuesday Jun 2022

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Chef Chuck Baudendistle

The Admiral is located in a small unassuming building in West Asheville. The indoors brings thoughts of being on an old ship. The dark wood, huge moldings, and dark aquatic decor. The dimly lit space is cozy and intimate and while it is still partitioned for covid and slightly cramped, it has been designed well. The outdoor patios are well lit and spacious, but we chose indoors for this special birthday dinner because it has been so hot, and rain was in the forecast.

I’ve begun asking for the server’s favorites before ordering because I like to hear how they speak about the food and drinks. Our server was pleasant and had great recommendations for both. Our water glasses were never empty and the kitchen even sent out a sweet little amuse bouche of cucumber slices topped with a dollop of homemade ranch, and at the end of our meal, a little dessert of sugar coated jelly bites, which were both welcome surprises for our evening. The service overall was excellent.

Our evening began with drinks. Some sour beers with the most delightful cans, and two mixed drinks, one mixing Elderflower Infused Gin, Cointreau, Lemon, & Daylily, and the other a blend of Rum, Lime, Mint, Cucumber, Coconut Cream. I’m realizing now I should have asked to taste my friend’s drink, but mine was the mint/cucumber one and while smooth and refreshing, was not excessively flavorful. I would have enjoyed it more if the lime, mint and coconut had been a little more potent.

For my main course I had the spaghetti which was homemade, perfectly cooked to an al dente chewiness and in a creamy lemon and zucchini sauce with lumps of crab. The textures were good. Everything tasted very fresh and the flavors complimented each other well. My mind travels back to the Agnolotti at Laura in Summerville and I wonder if I have been ruined for pasta forever. I’m not sure anything will ever compare. And while this pasta at The Admiral was delicious, it wasn’t the type of dish you dream about and must come back for.

Overall, our experience was enjoyable. We lingered for a long time, soaking in the atmosphere of a bustling open kitchen, the company of good friends, and the pleasantries of being in a full restaurant. I wouldn’t write off The Admiral, however, my ever growing list of Asheville restaurants makes it hard to go back to places a second time. What are some of your must-try restaurants in Asheville? I’d love to hear YOUR recommendations!


Holeman & Finch Asheville

18 Saturday Jun 2022

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From Linton Hopkins, the chef and founder of Hopkins & Co, comes Holeman & Finch Asheville. I have been wanting to try it since it opened, but with covid restrictions etc it has taken me a while to get in there. I had a friend visiting from Charleston last weekend and we were able to get a reservation for dinner.

Sidenote: We started our night at another place I had been wanting to go, La Bodega by Curate’, who’s chef Katie Button just won the 2022 James Beard Award for Hospitality last week. This new upstairs bar is so unique and well done. We only had drinks (which were perfect) and sat at the bar, but the atmosphere and environment of this pintxo & wine bar, was energetic and fun and I can’t wait to visit again and sample some of their food menu.

We walked over to H&F and got seated at a tiny table between two larger groups of people. It was very cramped. The table was already crowded with a candle and a vase, and East Fork dessert plates. Which I do love seeing East Fork out at restaurants, but wondered where any food we ordered was going to fit. We ordered drinks. Forgettable. I got oysters which were good but I’m assuming were improperly opened because there were tons of shell pieces that I had to pick out of my mouth after each oyster. I’ve never had that happen before. The charcuterie and sweet potatoes we ordered were fine.

For dessert we shared the sticky toffee pudding. Which I have been looking forward to for a long time. It has been a favorite dessert of mine since we traveled to Prince Edward Island and I was anticipating that sticky goodness. The dessert came out with a warm sauce poured over the top. It was good, but I can’t say it met up with my high expectations.

I can’t say I ever need to go there again. Their brunch does look amazing so I may give it another shot. But I do think it is hard to be a tapas type restaurant with Curate’ right down the road. The standards are VERY high in Asheville. I know it is a small town but just last week TWO chef’s in AVL won James Beard Awards. Chef Katie Button at Curate and Chef Meherwan Irani at Chai Pani. They are doing big things here and other chefs will need to step it up in order to survive. I love living in a foodie city, and I guess I have high standards as well. Food should leave you dreaming about it. Hoping you will never reach the last bite. Wanting to lick the plate clean. And in my opinion, Holeman and Finch doesn’t meet the bar.

fragile

08 Wednesday Jun 2022

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I’ve been feeling very fragile lately. Do you ever feel that way? I’m not normally a weepy and fragile person. Which now that I have written that down, I want to say that there is nothing wrong with being a weepy and fragile person. It’s just not my typical MO.

I lost my job at the beginning of April. It came out of the blue and hurt me so deeply. I’m also weaning off my SSRI. This has been a LONG process, but I really felt like it was right for my health and my body to not be on this medication anymore. (*Many conversations with my doctor and therapist happened before and during this process.) But this greatly exacerbates the fragile feeling. All my emotions and hormones are going freaky crazy and I know they will regulate eventually but right now its pretty intense.

Every piece of me just feels fragile, and I can literally start crying at a moment’s notice. I’m not good with myself when I feel this way. It is my tendency to push through. Push those feelings aside. Keep working. Keep producing. Ignore the fragility and hopefully it will go away. Keep a smile on my face and act like everything is FINE! Never admit weakness!

I don’t think that is the answer right now though.

At the end of March I really felt like God was telling me that my word for this quarter was going to be “change” and I had no idea what that change looked like, but I wrote it down in my planner and trusted that whatever change was coming, God obviously knew about it before I did. I am not a fan of change. So I wasn’t super stoked that I wrote that down as my “word”. Who wants CHANGE to be their word? Nope. No thank you.

One week into April, I lost my job. I already spend every day feeling not good enough. And this loss only made that feeling worse. I wasn’t even good enough to keep my job. And I had worked so hard to be good at it. I know that isn’t why I lost my job. The client was just going in a different direction. But it is so easy for those thoughts to creep in.

Now I am sitting in this awkward place of “What the heck do I do next?” It feels very midlife crisis-y. I’m 40. Changing careers. I’ll probably sell my house and move. Maybe I should also buy that Mustang I’ve always wanted. (don’t worry I won’t do that) But I’m trying to figure out what to pursue now. What things do I actually enjoy and what things am I actually good at and can I combine those things and somehow turn them into a career?

I play the song by Passion, Shake the Dust Off, over and over. It begins “The King can’t lose His balance, He’s never caught off guard” and it reminds me that God prompted me with the word “change” even before anything happened, and He knew this was coming and He knows what is next.

I’ve already talked about sitting in the discomfort but that keeps coming back to me. I think its time to sit back. Be uncomfortable. Feel the pain. And listen. Listen to what it is saying to me. What things can I learn about yourself or the situation? If you let it, the pain and unease will speak to you. C.S. Lewis says, “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” What is it that God is shouting to me right now?

And I’m going to sit here for a while and be still. And be gentle with my fragile self. I’m going to sit in the discomfort and ask God to show me what the next right thing is. What is it in your life right now that is making you feel fragile? I’d love to hear from you. We can sit in the discomfort together. ❤

Laura | Summerville

02 Thursday Jun 2022

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This week we had the great pleasure of securing a reservation for opening night at Laura, a brand new Italian Family Restaurant in Summerville South Carolina. The Chef, Nico Romo, has two other restaurants in Charleston which we love, so we were so excited to try his “Rustic cuisine inspired by the family dinner table in Italy”.

Arriving a bit early for our reservation, we were lead straight to our table on the outdoor patio. The staff were so friendly and attentive. Our table setting was wonderfully vintage, colorful, and exquisite. We ordered three cocktails, for the two of us, because they all sounded so wonderful and we wanted to try them all. A Blood Orange Margarita, “The Laura”, and the Italian Paloma. The Laura was by far our favorite but the Blood Orange Marg wasn’t too far behind. Both delicious. The Paloma was a bit watered down and not really our favorite.

For Antipasti we had picked the Ricotta Toast, and the Calamari but wanted to hear what our server’s favorites were. When she said both of those were at the top of her list, we knew we had chosen correctly. The ricotta toast was crispy, topped with creamy ricotta, the perfect balance of lemon, a sprinkle of mint and crunchy hazelnuts. Perfection. The Calamari was chilled, nestled in a beautiful red wine vinegar sauce with just the right amount of spice.

For our next course we chose the Margherita Pizza and the Agnolotti. The pizza was hot and fresh, the balance of flavors between the tomato confit, fresh mozzarella, basil, and toasty dough awaking all the senses and evoking comforting memories of home.

Agnolotti (anyəˈlädē/ pasta squares stuffed with a variety of fillings, like small ravioli.)

The Agnolotti. Wow the Agnolotti. If I were to highly recommend any dish, this would be it. I would say run don’t walk to Laura in Summerville and order two helpings of this pasta because one will just not be enough. The most delicate pasta squares filled with a Parmesan cream and tossed in brown sage butter. It was topped with pistachios and a lemon crumb and the first bite melted in my mouth. I sat there stunned at the explosion of flavors and the perfect of soft and light pasta dense with flavor. I am not exaggerating when I say that I think this is the best pasta I have ever had in my entire life.

While we found Laura somewhat lacking in atmosphere, we sat outside and there was no music, and string lights would have been a huge enhancement, there were certainly no complaints about the food or the service. If you are ever in Summerville, South Carolina, this is one place you do not want to miss!