Honeymooning in NC

Food notes from our Honeymoon of relaxing proportions

* Cypress in Highlands, NC - The chef at this restaurant cooks all of the food in his wide-open kitchen. His parents started another local restaurant, now run by his siblings. We sat at the bar and watched Chef Kelley work his magic. When I wondered what was GF-able, the server suggested that I ask Chef himself. I was a little starstruck taking Chef away from his creating to ask about food options. The menu is full of international cuisine. I ended up ordering a 4-flavor chicken appetizer, a chocolate raspberry martini, and a dish from Laos. I was really excited about my steak Asian food dish- I never get to eat Asian food because of the GF/soy-free lifestyle I live. It was all I had hoped for and more. It was sweet, a little touch of sour, and spicy. The beef melted in my mouth. To finish our amazing meal, we tried the lemon basil sorbet. The sorbet was amazing- not overly sweet or tart. The flavors melded well, and the basil was incredible, subtle, refreshing. I would love to be able to make a sorbet like this one.

* Salsa in Asheville, NC - One of my cousins and his wife recommended this restaurant to us, so once we arrived in Asheville, Nick and I headed straight over. The menu was really cool. It had lots of twists on Mexican and Caribbean dishes. I ordered a steak molcajete. The restaurant keeps the molcajete in a 500 degree oven and fills it with veggies, broth, and protein. It came out bubbling and boiling with a plate of avocado, beans, and other fixings. It tasted UH-mazing. I really want to learn how to make something like this in my molcajete. Our waiter was also really fun. He did crazy tricks with his flexibility and serving, like passing the "pass the tea cup" Thai Chi game. I took the leftovers home and was heart broken that I left them in the fridge at Grove Park when we left NC.

* Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC - Three words: breakfast in bed. Each morning we ordered room service to the room. For me it always involved eggs, bacon, and potatoes. The first night we ate at one of the restaurants near our room. The trout I had was good (but nothing compared to the one at Cedric's). The second night we had dinner on the giant back porch of the Inn. We sat outside for dinner at 8 and enjoyed a mountain view before, during, and after sunset. It was romantic, tasty (I had a steak, my husband had the duck), and relaxing. I would highly recommend it. My only regret regarding food at Grove Park was not trying their GF/sugar free cheesecake. Oh well. I guess we'll have to go back.

* Cedric's Tavern at the Biltmore - We spent most of day the day at Biltmore. We arrived around 11 and wandered the gardens and the house. By the time we drove across the gorgeous property to the winery, we were starving. We ducked into Cedric's Tavern, which had- gasp- a GF menu. I had a trout with an asparagus pesto. Wow. First, all of the food is grown at the Biltmore, so it is very fresh. Second, I am not a giant fan of asparagus, but I would have licked my plate. My trout was moist, flavorful, and delicate. The pesto was cooling, yet exciting. I would drive 4 hours to eat that dish again.