Red eye gravy? White gravy? It’s all gravy baby! Tupelo Honey Café & Olive and Kickin’

When I first started my food adventure around Asheville 5 months ago, I allowed Fodors.com top ten list for Asheville to guide me. So far it hasn’t failed me and it certainly didn’t disappoint on Saturday when it lead me to Tupelo Honey Café for brunch.

The brunch started with the waitress bringing out a plate of biscuits paired with blueberry jam and honey. 

The biscuits are ginormous and some of the best that I have ever had especially topped with Tupelo’s homemade blueberry jam.

I had the Fried Chicken and Biscuits (two biscuits smothered in red eye gravy and topped with buttermilk fried chicken).

This was my first experience with red eye gravy. In fact, I had no idea what it was, so I had to Wikipedia it before we left, so I didn’t look like a tourist by asking the waitress. According to Wikipedia:

“Red-eye gravy is a thin sauce often seen in the cuisine of the Southern United States and associated with the country ham of that region. Other names for this sauce include poor man's gravy, bird-eye gravy, bottom sop and red ham gravy. The gravy is made from the drippings of pan-fried country ham, bacon, or other pork, sometimes mixed with black coffee. The same drippings, when mixed with flour, make the flavoring for a white gravy.”

Apparently people in the South take their red eye gravy and how it is prepared seriously. Here is an excerpt I found on Urbanspoon from oceannotionrr:

“How disappointing!!! TUPELO'S redeye gravy was a MILK GRAVY with bits of meat in it????

We thought it must be a mistake and waited for our waitress to fix the mistake. She told us THAT was their redeye gravy.

 We asked nicely if they could mix about a half cup of coffee from their ham drippings, but she replied that the kitchen said they had to stick to their menu and their recipes.

I've checked google, and the classic redeye gravy recipe CONTAINS coffee and DOES NOT contain milk. 

HOW COULD TUPELO HONEY CAFE GET IT SO WRONG?

NEVER GOING TO TUPELO HONEY CAFE AGAIN.”

Now this previous quotation may come off as snobbish to some of you, but food, particularly Southern food is taken seriously in the South. For example, I have read or heard the following phrase at least a 100 times since I’ve moved to North Carolina, “You can call it what you like, but here in the South, barbecue is a noun, not a verb.” Such rhetorical quips are not meant to come off as snobbish, but rather a way in the speakers’ mind to highlight the personal principle of preserving Southern food culture.

I’m sorry to report to oceannotionrr that I have no dog in the save Southern culture fight, just a fork. Not to mention, he or she’s choice not to attend Tupelo Honey again will mean now I only have to wait 45 minutes for a table rather than an hour ;-). Please forgive me, but Tupelo Honey’s red eye gravy was damn good!

The gravy was light enough to prevent it from sticking to your ribs but thick enough to prevent the fluffy mouth watering biscuits from turning into a soggy mess. The bits of bacon and ham found in the gravy made this dish delectable. 

But the true flavor explosion occurred when the red eye gravy made friends with the fried chicken, which was tender and moist. The breading of the chicken dressed with the red eye gravy is simply put a match made in heaven.

My partner in crime ordered the Breakfast Bowl (seasoned pinto beans and goat cheese grits topped with two over medium eggs, two maple peppered bacon strips, cheddar cheese and Sunshot Farm Salsa). 

A dish she referred to as banging! I took a bite because she insisted I had to try a bite. Although I’m not a huge grits fan I enjoyed it. 

The flavors mixed together well and I would have a huge internal battle with myself the next time I come to Tupelo for breakfast on whether or not I should order the Fried Chicken and Biscuits or the Breakfast Bowl.

Someday I want to try authentic red eye gravy, but until then I can deal with settling for Tupelo’s version.

However, apparently the next trip to Tupelo will involve their burger that is getting rave reviews. Here is a video of it:

Suggestion? Smother it in red eye gravy!

Total before tip- $21.23

Tupelo Honey Cafe

http://www.tupelohoneycafe.com/

12 College St.,

Asheville, NC

828-255-4863

We walked off our brunch Saturday by visiting the rather new Olive and Kickin’ which carries a variety of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. The shop is set up to allow customers to try all of the selections. I tried a variety of balsamic vinegars including Chocolate Dark, Pomegranate Dark, Jalapeño White, and Black Cherry Dark.

I particularly enjoyed the Chocolate Dark. Olive and Kickin’ describes it as 

“rich, thick, and resounds with the complexity of three different chocolates responsible for depth of its’ flavor!”

They weren’t kidding your mouth gets smacked around three different times with each chocolate.

We didn’t walk away with a purchase but I’m sure I will be back to purchase birthday gifts for my father, who chose a culinary hobby over a Harley for his midlife crisis.

Olive and Kickin’

http://www.oliveandkickin.com/

32 Biltmore Ave

Asheville, NC

828-251-1117

Mmmm did someone say bacon? A pork BBQ breakfast at Luella's Bar-B-Que, Dessert at Ultimate Ice Cream

Spending two years in Montana, I learned to enjoy a cocktail with brunch. Specifically Montana taught me to enjoy a caeser with brunch, which is pretty much a bloody mary except instead of tomato juice you add clamato juice (tomato juice combined with clam broth). I prefer the caeser because it’s a lot lighter than a bloody mary and for some reason always seems to be spicier. However, you are hard pressed to find an establishment that serves a caeser because it is mostly a Northern/Candian cocktail, so often I have to settle for a bloody mary.

Sunday’s bloody mary was a far cry from settling. I had the distinct pleasure of trying Luella’s Bar-B-Que BLT Bloody Mary. Yes take a deep breathe that B does stand for bacon!

Luella’s shared their BLT Bloody Mary recipe with WNC Magazine. From WNC Magazine:

"The BLT Bloody Mary at this Merrimon Avenue joint is rimmed with brisket rub and garnished with crispy bacon, lettuce, and tomato wedges.

Ingredients: 

(Yields 2 cups)
1½ oz. vodka
3/4 cup tomato juice
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. olive juice
 Splash of Texas Pete Hot Sauce
 Splash of Worcestershire
1 Tbs. Luella’s Sweet Pisgah Sauce
1/8 tsp. horseradish, or to taste
1/8 tsp. whole celery seed
 Salt & pepper, to taste

Garnish- 
Luella’s Brisket Rub, Kosher salt, Romaine lettuce hearts, Tomato wedges, Crisp applewood-smoked bacon dusted with Luella’s Brisket Rub"

"Directions: 

Blend equal parts brisket rub and kosher salt and use to rim glass. Fill glass with ice. Combine all ingredients in a shaker, shake vigorously, and pour over ice. Garnish with a lettuce leaf, skewered tomatoes, and bacon. Luella’s Sweet Pisgah Sauce and Brisket Rub can be purchased at the restaurant."

The BLT Bloody Mary was a nice change of pace from the norm. I think I still would have enjoyed a big martini olive with it, but that is because I love olives. My next bloody mary adventure will take me to The Market Place Restaurant to try the Kitchen Sink, which was featured on the Mountain Express’s 2011-2012 cover of Eats & Drinks.

Luella’s serves brunch every Sunday 12:00-3:00 pm. You don’t have to ponder the brunch menu at Luella’s for too long because there are only three options with an additional option of adding an egg to your BBQ sandwich. Speaking as someone who can literally spend hours staring at a menu, I for one enjoy a menu with limited choices.

We both ordered the Hangover Helper (a delicious scrambled mess of Eggs, Pork BBQ, Collards, & Fried Potatoes, topped with Cheese and & Scallions) served with a biscuit.

Holy comfort food Batman! The first thing I noticed about this dish is the ample amount of cheddar cheese that holds this dish together. Strings of melted cheese hung from my fork with nearly every bite. The potatoes were crisp and were deliciously entangled with the collards and scallions. And just when I thought the dish couldn’t get any better, my fork found the pork BBQ. Thanks to Luella’s I now abide by the following two rules when it comes to brunch:

           

            Rule No. 1: Every brunch should incorporate BBQ

            Rule No. 2: See rule No. 1

The biscuit that accompanied the Hangover Helper was moist and fluffy. 

It was a little odd that neither butter nor jam was provided. But I could care less because it gave me the opportunity to try Luella’s BBQ sauces. Luella’s makes two sauces in house including Sweet Pigsah, which is ketchup based, and Scooters, which is vinegar based.  Both were delicious. Now I was raised on tomato/ketchup based BBQ, and I hate to admit this because it feels like I’m cheating on my principles but I can quite confidently say I preferred the vinegar based Scooters. I’ve had vinegar based sauces before, but never really understood why someone would prefer vinegar. Luella’s Scooters opened up my eyes to a whole new world of BBQ possibilities.

The Hangover Helper is a dish I will order again regardless of how exciting my evening was the night before. The sauces and the preview of pork BBQ in my breakfast has me convinced I need to come back for lunch or dinner. It was so good the following crazy question has run through my mind: Can it be better than 12 Bones?

Total before tip- $24.74

(includes a BLT Bloody Mary)

Luella’s Bar-B-Que

http://www.luellasbbq.com

http://www.facebook.com/LuellasBBQ

501 Merrimon Avenue

Asheville, NC 28804

828-505-7247

We finished the day with a trip to Ultimate Ice Cream. 

Ultimate serves a variety of desserts including ice cream, gelato, and sorbet. The prices are comparable to other ice cream shops in the area.

I had a single scoop of the flavor of the month, which was Moon Pie (a vanilla based ice cream with graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallow).

The trend in ice cream seems to be bigger is better, which often results in too many toppings hiding the actual flavor of the ice cream or an ice cream that packs a punch of flavor but becomes too rich to enjoy after the first couple of bites. However, Ultimate did a wonderful job with the Moon Pie. The vanilla ice cream has a classic taste too it. The vanilla was sweet enough to appease your sweet tooth, but mild enough to allow you to enjoy the whole scoop without holding your stomach. The graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallow ingredients mixed into the vanilla did what they were supposed to do which was compliment the vanilla.

My partner in crime ordered a single scoop of the Coffee Heath Bar (coffee based ice cream with heath bar). 

She enjoyed it. I tried a bite and didn’t get the same enjoyment, but then again I’m not a coffee drinker nor enjoy the taste of coffee. So for those that like coffee you will have to take her word for it.

Overall Ultimate Ice Cream does a good job of living up to its name.

Total before tip- $6.36

Ultimate Ice Cream Company

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ultimate-Ice-Cream-Company-Asheville/307802118688

1070 Tunnel Road

Asheville, NC 28805

828-296-1234

Chai Pani Indian Street Food and Mumford & Sons

Dinner at Chai Pani

With 6,500 people invading downtown Asheville to attend the Mumford & Sons concert, it seemed every restaurant we tried to eat at Tuesday night had a 45 minute wait to be seated. Chai Pani Indian Street Food however came to the rescue, as they were able to seat us within 15 minutes.

Even though it was convenient, I have been waiting to eat at Chai Pani for a long time now. I absolutely love Indian food. I first fell in love with the cuisine as a freshman in college when my debate coach at the time took us to the Indian Oven in the Old Market district in Omaha, Nebraska. In Asheville, I’m particularly fond of Mela Indian Restaurant, which serves a rather cheap, but delicious lunch buffet with a lot of options. Apparently, the locals agree as it was voted Asheville's Favorite Restaurant in the Mountain Xpress Reader’s poll in 2008 and 2009, and finished #2 in 2010.

But Chai Pani has been making noise of its own as of late. The restaurant was recently featured in GQ magazine’s article Rad City: Asheville, North Carolina. Plus, Chai Pani distinguishes itself from other Indian restaurants in town by focusing on the street food genre rather than traditional plates. Chai Pani also had the added benefit for me of being a participating restaurant in the WNC Insider program. For those that don’t know, the WNC Insider is a card priced around $30 that gets you a buy one get one free entrée deal and 10% off thereafter at over 50 local participating restaurants. So the opportunity to not have to wait 40 minutes to be seated, eat Indian food, and not spend a lot of money was too good to pass up.

The menu at Chai Pani is reasonably priced. From what I remember there was not a dish over $10. Also Chai Pani locally sources the majority of the ingredients on the menu.

I had the Sloppy JAI (Kheema Pav- Ground & spiced turkey (kheema) slow cooked with tomatoes, potatoes, cilantro and aromatic spices, served on a warm bun). 

The menu says it will be the best sloppy joe you will ever have and I whole-heartedly agree. However, this sloppy joe is quite a bit different than the traditional sloppy joe. The spices were just enough to get the sinuses going but not too overwhelming. The first half of the sandwich I made the mistake of skipping the yogurt sauce that accompanied it. Although, the first half was good, the second half was much better with a liberal dose of the yogurt sauce. Just when you thought the spice was going to pop you in the mouth, the yogurt was there to fend it off. The side salad composed of fresh veggies and a light dressing was great. The dish gave your palette a chance to take a break from the Sloppy JAI’s spice adventure.

My partner in crime ordered the KATHI KABAB (All natural Chicken marinated with ginger, garlic & spices, served in a griddled wrap with garnishes & chutneys). 

A tad bit better photo from Chai Pani's Facebook Page

At first she loved this dish, but then the tears started to pour down her face. For me, to watch sweat roll down her temple was more entertaining than tableside magic tricks, but for her, it was painful. Yet the dish’s flavor must have been good because she fought back both heat sweats and tears and attempted to finish the dish. Thankfully, what I can only assume to be the owner or manager of Chai Pani asked if the dish was too spicy and whether or not he could offer an alternative?  This guy was very attentive of his patrons. While we were there I heard him ask at least two other customers whether their particular dishes was too spicy for them. It was ultimately decided that the KATHI KABAB was too good too ask for an alternative and instead extra yogurt sauce was requested to tame the flames. The manager in a timely fashion returned with a saucer of the yogurt sauce. With the assistance of extra yogurt sauce, the dish was completed with satisfaction. It should be noted a friend of ours ordered the same dish and he didn’t think it was very spicy, so she may just be a wimp.

The service was attentive and the food was great. I will be back. My partner in crime will be as well with a bottle of TUMS and Yoo-hoo in hand.

Total before tip- $26.93

(Bill included 2 PBRs and 2 Wine Rickys)

Chai Pani Indian Street Food

http://www.chaipani.net

22 Battery Park Avenue

Asheville, NC 28801

828-254-4003

We concluded the evening downtown with the Mumford & Sons concert. I’ll be completely honest the only time I want to listen to Mumford & Sons is when I want to wind down after a long day and just relax. But the band really blew me away Tuesday night.

They played the majority of the songs on the Sigh No More album and several new songs for an upcoming unnamed album. However, what really struck me about Mumford & Sons was the energy they brought to the stage. It seemed like every song they tried to bring the house down. It was neat to watch members of the band exchange instruments with each song, yet still manage to bring the same intensity no matter what particular instrument each member was playing at the moment. Marcus Mumford in particular is a straight G on the drums. He goes wild with sticks in his hand and there was a particular set where he seemed to knock over half his drum set from banging on the set so hard.

What made Tuesday night really special was the crowd matched the band’s intensity. To be a part of 6,500 people going nuts in a small auditorium was just awesome and at points gave me goose bumps. You can really see the crowd presence towards the end of this video.

Marcus promised they would be back hopefully multiple times. Frankly, I can’t wait!