Me & Mine

The Corner Kitchen

The Corner Kitchen
3 Boston Way
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 274 2439
Open daily.  Reservations for dinner recommended.

Oh, wow!  I don't even know how to describe properly the gastronomically perfect evening that was our dinner at The Corner Kitchen last night.

Let's start with:  neither Marc nor I like sweet potatoes nor asparagus.  Not at all.  Not ever. 

And yet here the chef prepared them so enticingly, with and paired them so well with other items, that we actually did like them.  Here's what we ordered:

Marc:  Filet Mingnon, Cheddar Smashed Potatoes, Asparagus with Bleu Cheese Butter
Jen:  Sage Grilled Pork Chop, Sweet Potatoes Au Gratin, Southern Style Green Beans

These were served up enticingly on large plates of deliciousness.  Each bite was better than the last.

So yea - yum.  That pretty well sums it up.

(Photo to come when it cooperates.)

Mellow Mushroom

Mellow Mushroom
50 Broadway Street
Asheville NC 28801
(828) 236 9800
Open daily.

So Milo has wanted us to go here for the longest time, and last Monday (after my dental consultation) we did.  The pizzas are very expensive, at least in our view:  $24 for a large specialty pizza.  We ordered the meat covered one ($24, but 50% off with the WNC Insider coupon) and some cheesy bread ('cause I could eat only cheesy bread for the rest of my life and never tire of it).  The bread was utterly delish.  The pizza was reminiscent of my father's homemade pizza:  corn meal on the bottom of the crust, to make it easy to remove from the pizza stone; rich tomato sauce, and sweet and spicy meats.  Yum, yum!

Our verdict:  we're glad we have 12 more coupons to use, though next time we'll order the small pizza and the bread (which means no left overs, but a lower cost to go).

Backyard Burgers

Backyard Burgers

705 Merrimon Ave
Asheville NC 28804
(828) 255 7767
Open daily.

We went to Backyard Burgers on our WNC Insider BoGo card this weekend - and, well, let's just say we were underwhelmed.  You'd think a place whose slogan was "The Best Beef ... The Best Burgers" might make an effort to server their burgers at least middling warm, not barely above room temp.  The quality of the ingredients was lost in the mediocrity of the preparation.

Plus, they don't have inside seating.

Don Papa's Mexican Grill

Don Papa's Mexican Grill

1996 Hendersonville Rd
Asheville, NC 28805
(828) 684-4884
Open daily

Don Papa's is a smaller, lively Mexican restaurant in Asheville.  Marc and I went a couple weeks back, on a Sunday, as part of our BOGO dining card deal. 

The music when you walk in is energizing - sorta salsa meets pop.  We were both "dancing" in our seats at times during our meal.

As with all Mexican places, Don Papa's servers tortilla chips as an appetizer before dinner.  In this case they come with a seasoned, but not overwhelming, salsa - and something I'd never seen before:  bean dip!  Yay!  Very tasty - dip a chip in beans, then in salsa, and you have a "two great tastes that taste great together" moment.

At the suggestion of the the fella who seated us, I tried the flautas (chicken).  These are amazing.  Marc had the carnitas in a burrito form I believe - and once he'd mixed in some salsa, they were quite tasty as well. 

This one will be on our list of places to go next year when we get the card, however with another 100 restaurants to go before we're done with BOGO this year, we're not likely to get back before then.

Smokey Mountain Sub Shop

Smokey Mtn Sub Shop

29 Miller Street, Waynesville, NC
828 456-3400
Open Mon - Sat 10 - 4*

The first stop on our WNC insider coupon book tour was the Smoky Mountain Sub Shop - a small, and nicely appointed, sub shop in Waynesville.  The menu is basic sandwich shop fare, with an emphasis on quality ingredients with ample-enough-for-me portions.  We each ordered something different:  an Italian for Marc, a roast beef with provolone for me, and a BLT with chicken noodle soup for Moira.  Each was wonderful - and the soup was, in and of itself, enough for a meal.  Particularly good was the cheese on the sandwhiches and the toasted rounds served with the soup.

We'll definitely be back for more.

*Take the hours, as with all smaller family owned places in WNC, with a grain of salt.  If the day is slow, you might arrive and find the shop closed for the day.