The names of Asheville’s breweries are as creative as their beer. With names like Highland Brewing Company, French Broad Brewing Company, Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company, Pisgah Brewing Company, Wedge Brewing, OysterHouse Brewing, Craggie Brewing Company, Lexington Avenue Brewery and Green Man Ale & Brewing Company, you know you’re in for a real treat. In March 2010, a new brewery will be introduced to Asheville. Mother Earth Brewery will be adding to the increasing list of craft beers.

As some of my readers may know, I have teamed up with a Kook (cook), a charity, a band and a couple of Asheville’s local breweries for a one-of-a-kind weekend Culinary Event: Feasting With Brew to raise money for The Hope & Light Foundation.  I have donated the Inn for the weekend to Angela McKeller from Kick Back & Kook who will be offering beer and dessert tastings as well as cooking classes the weekend of June 4-5, 2010.  Davin McCoy & The Coming Attractions from Atlanta have donated their time and musical talents to come up to Asheville to play their brand of music (likened to Cat Stevens, Dave Matthews & Shawn Mullins).  The schedule for the weekend consists of:

• Friday, June 4: 2:30 – 4:30 pm – Beer & Truffles ($29) – Think beer and chocolate don’t go together?  Pisgah Brewing will come by and explain the ins and outs of brewing, the difference between one brew and another and give a presentation on how to pair beer with chocolate!
• Friday, June 4: 6-9 pm – Souffles Made Simple ($45) – French for “puff up”, Angela will demonstrate just how easy these seemingly difficult, but impressive dishes are for dinner and dessert! On the menu: Shrimp Soufflé with Creamy Dill Sauce; Spinach and Ricotta Soufflé and Dark Chocolate Soufflé.
• Saturday, June 5: 1-3 pm – Simple Summer Desserts Sampling and Brew Tasting ($29) – On the menu: Chef Mike Carrino’s Cherry and Apple Tart to Angela’s own Flambéd Brandied Peaches to Chef Jerry Solomon’s Zabayon, a simple but delicious Italian custard served with mixed berries, you’ll experience it all!
• Saturday, June 5: 6:30-9:30 pm – Iron Chef Competition ($65) – Paired off into two groups, munching on some of Angela’s most popular dips while you “kook”, two teams will go head to head, competing to see who can create the best meal of the evening! Who judges? You do! Everyone is given a score card to fill out without anyone else seeing. On a scale of 1-5, you try each others dishes and rate them, putting the score cards in a bowl for Angela to tally the scores while you finish dessert. The winning team gets a prize as “kooky” as Angela is!

This culinary fundraiser promises to be a real treat for everyone who attends. The beer/dessert pairings are open to 200 people each while the cooking classes are limited to 25 participants each. In addition to Pisgah Brewing, we are working with another local brewery for Saturday’s tasting and will announce who that will be once the details have been worked out.

Asheville already has five beer festivals throughout the year, including Winter Warmer, Oktoberfest, Baseball & Beers at McCormick Field, Beer City Brewfest and Brewgrass. Maybe the Feasting With Beer event will become the next annual festival.

The good news is that temperatures for the next couple of days will get up into the 40s and by Saturday/Sunday, we should be in the 50s. While this snow was especially beautiful, I am ready for it to melt.  I was out last night shoveling the walkway, a path to the walkway and the kitchen door and one parking spot.  If the remaining snow doesn’t melt, I’ll be shoveling a few more spots for this weekend’s guests.

To date, the Asheville area has seen snow accumulations in December, January, February, & now March. All told, the Inn has had close to 3 feet of snow (not all at once like my family in Virginia), but over 4 different snows, all added together. That’s outrageous!  We usually get 4-6″ a year.  And I won’t even talk about the cold temperatures! Suffice it to say, our averages have been 10 – 15 degrees below average all winter.

On a lighter note, I have seen a few green sprouts coming up before yesterday’s snow, which means that the first spring bulbs are not far behind.  I am quite excited to see some color on the ground within the next few weeks and will be snapping photos as soon as the daffodils, hyacinth, and tulips make their appearances.

Now, I’m compiling a list of goals to accomplish during the Spring season. So far, here is what I’ve got:

• repair the “roof” of the gazebo which collapsed under the weight of the first snow we had in December.  After assessing the damage, I’m confident that with some new wood arms, I can repair the ones that broke.
• replace any dead plants and bushes around the patio areas and in containers. Plant new plants in the pergola area to continue filling it in as a garden area.
• replace some rotting wood around the front porch roof and outside the bay window of the dining room.
• build a small 4X6 vegetable/fruit garden outside the kitchen on the edge of the pergola/garden area. I would like to start small with a few vegetables and fruits and expand from there.
• research the feasibility of building and stocking a small chicken coop enclosure to provide eggs for cooking. This may not end up being a goal, it’s just an idea right now and I want to look into whether this is even something the city of Asheville will allow me to do.

Spring is a short 3 months so I think this list is a good start and should keep me busy.  I will post updates and photos as I go along. I would love comments and advice from anyone with experience in any of these areas or things you experienced when working on a similar project yourself.

Reservation must be booked between February 22 – March 23 to qualify for the drawing. Winner will be notified via email and will be featured on our Facebook Fan Page. No other specials or discounts may be applied to the winning reservation.

If you have been to Biltmore before, there is exciting news this year. The Estate will be opening the new Antler Hill Village, adjacent to the Winery and River Bend Farm. The Antler Hill Village will include a new exhibition space, village green with live entertainment, dining, shopping, and a new outdoor adventure center. As part of this project, Biltmore Winery will be enhanced to offer a newly-designed tour and tasting areas.

Because of the extraordinarily cold and snowy winter this year, we are all awaiting Spring and the massive flower display at Biltmore with excitement and anticipation.  Winning free tickets/annual pass is just the perfect excuse to come to Asheville and enjoy it all with us.

Listed below are all the festivals I found, in chronological order, with a link (if I could find one) to the official website:

January

• Asheville FringeArts Festival (held in late January – sorry, this one has already passed for 2010) – provides artists with opportunities to explore the edges of their work, collaborate across genres and bring new and innovative performances to culturally adventurous audiences.

February

• Jazz After Five Concert Series – The Asheville Downtown Association’s Jazz After Five returns Friday, February 19 from 5-8pm. This year, the event is held at Pack Place.

March

• Jazz After 5 Concert Series - Jazz After Five concludes Friday, March 12 from 5-8 pm, held at Pack Place. The Jazz evenings raise funds for operations of the Asheville Downtown Association and last year collected donations for Manna Food Bank. Attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable items to the concert and to leave them at the collection points.

April

• Festival of Flowers – April 3 – May 16 – The Biltmore Estate – This year is the 25th anniversary of the “festival.” Herald spring at Biltmore with acres of blooms to boost your spirits and more Biltmore to enjoy than ever with the new Antler Hill Village.

May

• Asheville Herb Festival – April 30 – May 2 – WNC Farmers Market – The WNC Chapter of the NC Herb Association represents the incredibly wide variety of herbalists and herb businesses in North Carolina: herb growers and vendors, natural gardening and landscaping specialists, and makers of herbal ointments, balms, soaps, teas, medicines, and other products.
• Festival of Flowers – April 3 – May 16 – The Biltmore Estate – This year is the 25th anniversary of the “festival.” Herald spring at Biltmore with acres of blooms to boost your spirits and more Biltmore to enjoy than ever with the new Antler Hill Village.
• Lake Eden Arts Festivel (LEAF) - May 6 – 9 – Camp Rockmont, Black Mountain, NC – a non-profit organization connecting cultures and creating community through music and arts.
• Downtown After 5 – May 21 – 5 – 9 pm – Lexington Avenue, between Hiawassee Street and I-240. Free live music and dancing starts at 5 pm with food and drink available for purchase.
• Mountain Sports Festival – May 28 – 30 – Events are all over the greater Asheville area, but the Festival Village is located at Carrier Park on Amboy Road, along the French Broad River in West Asheville. From intense trail running to laid-back disc golf, from adventure racing to the Iron Kids events, from high speed track racing to whitewater kayak clinics… there is something here to entertain and challenge you!

June

• Downtown After 5 – June 18 – 5 – 9 pm – Lexington Avenue, between Hiawassee Street and I-240. Free live music and dancing starts at 5 pm with food and drink available for purchase.

July

• Shindig on the Green - July 3, 10, 17, 31 – 7 pm – Pack Square green in downtown Asheville – This mountain tradition features an always-enjoyable variety of  Big Circle Mountain Dancers, Clog Dancers, Bluegrass and Old Time String Bands, Ballad Singers, and Storytellers.

• Downtown After 5 – July 16 – 5 – 9 pm – Lexington Avenue, between Hiawassee Street and I-240. Free live music and dancing starts at 5 pm with food and drink available for purchase.
• Bele Chere – July 23 – 25 – downtown Asheville – Bele Chere is a street festival with a wide variety of arts, music, food, beverages, events, and children’s
  activities.

August

• Mountain Dance & Folk Festival – August 5 – 7 – 7 pm – Diana Wortham Theater – Since 1928, mountain fiddlers, banjo pickers, dulcimer sweepers, dancers, balladeers and others have come to enjoy themselves “along about sundown” the first weekend in August.
• Shindig on the Green - August 14, 21, 28 – 7 pm – Pack Square green in downtown Asheville – This mountain tradition features an always-enjoyable variety of  Big Circle Mountain Dancers, Clog Dancers, Bluegrass and Old Time String Bands, Ballad Singers, and Storytellers.
• Downtown After 5 – August 20 – 5 – 9 pm – Lexington Avenue, between Hiawassee Street and I-240. Free live music and dancing starts at 5 pm with food and drink available for purchase.
• Goombay! - August 27 – 29 – downtown Asheville – this African-Caribbean festival brings a variety of family-oriented entertainment from steel drums to African-American dancers to local Gospel groups to contemporary rhythm bands.

September

• Shindig on the Green - September 4 – 7 pm – Pack Square green in downtown Asheville – This mountain tradition features an always-enjoyable variety of  Big Circle Mountain Dancers, Clog Dancers, Bluegrass and Old Time String Bands, Ballad Singers, and Storytellers.
• Organic Fest – The website is still showing 2009 information, but check back for 2010 updates. The festival celebrates everything organic with live music, organic food, vendors, arts and crafts and a kids garden parade.
• Downtown After 5 – September 17 – 5 – 9 pm – Lexington Avenue, between Hiawassee Street and I-240. Free live music and dancing starts at 5 pm with food and drink available for purchase.
• Brewgrass Festival - Saturday, September 18, 2010 – Martin Luther King Jr. Park, Asheville, NC – Each year in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, we gather over 40 American breweries to showcase more than 120 different beers. We add a great lineup of national and regional bluegrass musicians and also feature a variety of area food vendors and plenty of water.

October

• Blue Ridge Pride – October 2 – downtown Asheville – This event will encompass multiple events throughout the first week of October and culminate with an open festival at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in Asheville, NC. In addition to live entertainment throughout the day, there will be vendor as well as educational booths.
• Lake Eden Arts Festivel (LEAF) - October 14 – 17 – Camp Rockmont, Black Mountain, NC – a non-profit organization connecting cultures and creating community through music and arts.

November

• Asheville Film Festival – website is still showing 2009 dates, but check back for 2010 updates – The Asheville Film Festival is produced by the City of Asheville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department. The festival offers screenings, panel discussions, special presentations, and more.
  

I’m happy to report that we’re coming down the home stretch on listing the marvelous Blake House on the National Register of Historic Places. Ann Swallow, the National Register Coordinator with the State Historic Preservation Office, has completed a second review of the nomination and supporting documentation.  She has requested some additional information and research, and once this is done, the nomination will be reviewed by the Certified Local Government before heading toward an April deadline for submittal to members of the NRHP review board who meet in June.

As you can see, there are a lot of hoops to jump through to get a property on the National Register!  Before we got to this point, we had to take measurements of all the rooms, windows, and doors, and note whether any architectural changes had been made and when.  Tracking down dates has been very difficult.  We have records from the Buncombe County Tax Assessor and the Deeds Office, but nailing down some subtle and not-so-subtle changes to the house is impossible due to the death of previous owners.  Fortunately we have newspaper clippings, diary entries, old photographs, and archival documents.

One of the most interesting things to come out of the second NRHP review is Ann Swallow’s happy “accident” at finding an exact replica of the Blake House in an 1842 book of house plans called Cottage Residences by Andrew Jackson Downing.  It’s amazing to think that in the 1850s, the Blakes had access to a book of house plans, much like modern consumers have access to plans in “Southern Living” or other architectural books and magazines.  Downing’s drawing of “a cottage in the English, or Rural Gothic Style” is a dead ringer for the Blake House down to the kitchen wing on the rear and the bay window off the parlour.  Downing designed the cottage for what he called “internal convenience”.  By that he meant that there are “many families mainly composed of invalids, or persons advanced in years, who have a strong preference for a plan in which the kitchen, and at least one bedroom, are upon the same floor with the living rooms, and in which there is little or no necessity for ascending or descending stairs; an exercise which, though of little consequence to the young and robust, is of all others the most fatiguing to the infirm, or those in delicate health.”

We’re not sure if the Blake family had a member in delicate health who needed the downstairs bedroom, but that’s part of the additional information which we hope to dig up in the next few weeks.  We do know that at some point, the downstairs bedroom was turned into a doctor’s office for Dr. Frederick Blake, the son of Daniel Blake, a rich South Carolina rice planter, who built the house.  The Blakes were a fascinating family who had ties to Charleston, South Carolina and Hendersonville, North Carolina.  More details and hopefully good news about the nomination in our next blog.

Added by Leslie:

This NRHP nomination has been very long and arduous I’m sure for Lorraine and her team. They first started in July 2007 and so I am very anxious at this point for a resolution.

I have the book that Lorraine mentions above and have taken a few photos so that you can see the similarities. The Parlour and Library are now the Inn’s Dining Rooms, the Bedroom is now the Inn’s Parlor and the entrance from the parking lot, the Kitchen is the Inn’s Rose Room which was my Gift Shop before that and the Labrador Landing Pub when I bought the Inn. Lastly, the Closet & Pantry are now the Inn’s Breakfast Room so you can see they are one room and are closed off from the Dining Room/Library on the other end which used to be open.

This book is available to guests so you will have to check it out when you come.Enjoy the photos!

For anyone interested, I have 4 FREE tickets for entry into the Antiques Show, the Contemporary Craftsfirms Show and the Books, Magazines & More Show for all three days. Each general admission ticket costs $10, but they are free to the next two reservations at Blake House Inn for this weekend.

Just taking a trip over to the Grove Park Inn (it’s about 25 minutes from Blake House) is worth it. The resort has several restaurants, a magnificent spa, and lots of nooks and crannies just to hang out in and people watch or read a book while enjoying the splendor of this early 1900s building.

Let me know when you make your reservation that you would like tickets and they will be here when you arrive. I’ve only got 4 left so once they are gone, they’re gone.

For example, Asheville has four nicknames. The two most commonly known are “Land of the Sky” and “Paris of the South.” But did you also know that Asheville has been called “San Francisco of the East” and “New Age Mecca?”  In addition, over the years, the city has picked up the following titles: “America’s New Freak Capital” (Rolling Stone Magazine), one of the “Best Places to Retire” (Money Magazine), “America’s Happiest City” (Self Magazine), and  “America’s Best Vegetarian-Friendly Small City” (PETA). All of these titles and nicknames demonstrate that Asheville has a lot to offer and that we are not just a city of hippies and street musicians.

Architecturally, Asheville has one of the largest collections of Art-Deco buildings in the country. Take one of the historic trolley tours around town and they do an admiral job of pointing out a good portion of these buildings and several architectural details that one might miss otherwise.

The climate around Asheville is considered moderate with normal highs in the summer in the upper 80s and normal lows in the winter in the upper 20s. Part of that is because the city is sandwiched in between the Blue Ridge Mountains (also called the Appalachian Mountains) to the north and east and the Great Smoky Mountains to the west. The 2009/2010 winter has been an anomaly with over a foot of snow and weeks of temperatures in the teens and 20s. I will be more than happy to see the end of this winter. Looking ahead to March, we should start seeing average temperatures from the mid-30s (lows) to upper 50s (highs).

March is also a great time to book a spring vacation because it is that transitional month when there are more activities and stores open, the flowers are starting to bloom, and prices at many places are still low (prime winter sale time). After Easter, you will start to see a jump in room, ticket, and activity rates. So when people ask, when is the best time to come, if you are looking for the best deals and the most bang for your buck, I suggest a March getaway.

My mother and I have both received facials and have scheduled more services. If you don’t mind a 10-minute drive from the Inn, you will be surprisingly pleased. While all the spa services are performed by students, you will be pampered during your appointment and in some cases, a one-hour service may stretch into an hour and twenty minutes of sublime treatment.

Here is the list of student services:

Let me know when you make your reservation what service you would like and the day you prefer. I will try my best to get your day and time, but these student slots fill up quickly so make sure to provide me with a couple of options.

Within the past several months, one of my innkeeping comrades, Chris Ortwein, has started offering food tours in downtown Asheville & Biltmore Village.  There are three different tours, each with between six – nine restaurants or shops where tour goers get to taste test foods, wine, local beer, spices, chocolate, and just about anything food-related. In December, my mother and I went on the Biltmore Village Tour and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, as well as stuffed ourselves with everything from calamari to beet soup to chicken skewers.

Today, we braved the chilly and sometimes rainy weather, to go on one of the two downtown tours.  I enjoyed myself even more, if you can believe it. Everyone met at the Grove Arcade at 1:45 and off we went at 2:00. Our first stop was the Flying Frog.  I had eaten lunch there several times, but had never been downstairs where they serve dinner. The Chef at the Flying Frog, I learned, is German and Indian, so his menu combines dishes from both cultures. We sampled some duck breast over sweet potatoes and arugula with an apple butter sauce. I had never tried duck before and was pleasantly surprised.

Next, it was on to The Chocolate Fetish, my favorite place. I already buy chocolate truffles from there for our Romance Packages, but I got to try something new today. They were serving dark and milk chocolate truffles topped with two different types of sea salt. Salt, you ask? Yes, a very fine and expensive type of sea salt. The combination of chocolate and salt was surprisingly delicious. I will definitely try those again.

Stop 3 was the Spice & Tea Exchange where we got to sample some run-of-the-mill pork rinds sprinkled with a spicy salt mix. Again, surprisingly good. Mom vowed to come back after the tour to pick up a pitcher they had that had a small canister-type thing inside where you can put lemon, lime, orange slices, or whatever you want. Fill the pitcher with water and the juice from the fruits will seep into the water to taste it without the seeds getting into the water. There was also a spice she wanted to get. But since we had to keep moving with the tour, we had to come back afterwards.

Stop 4 was the Green Sage Coffeehouse and Cafe. The owners of the Green Sage are the same people who started Earthfare. After it became successful, they sold them and started the Green Sage. It calls itself the greenest restaurant in Asheville, and for good reason. Just about everything they use, buy, sell, whatever, is produced locally, recycled, or composted. The restaurant produces so little trash that it only needs one small trash bin. There was a line to the door of customers waiting for coffee, tea, smoothies, or other quick-make foods. Our group got to taste some delicious tomato soup, a quiche, turkey sandwich, and a veggie burger of some sort.  The drink was a red berry sparkling cider that I had never seen before. Everything was delicious!

Next, we were off to Fiore’s, an Italian restaurant with a Tuscan flare. Here we got to sample some beer from local brewery, Asheville Brewery, called Old School Pale Ale. Delish! Along with that was a small caesar salad and a New York-style pizza with tomatoes, garlic, and spinach. i don’t typically like thin-crust pizza, but there was something about the crust. While it was thin, it tasted fluffy. Very good pizza.

Then, we walked several blocks to the Soda Fountain inside the Woolworth Walk. The Woolworth Walk is “store” with artist booths throughout and a small soda fountain off to the side. Here we had a root beer float which really hit the spot.  Afterwards, we crossed the street to Mayfels and got to sample a binette (sp?). It was a puffed, warm, doughy pastry shaped like a small square and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Served fresh out of the oven, they were wonderful after being out in the cold.

I had always heard good things about Cucina 24, but had never been until today. Located on Wall Street, the backside overlooks the intersection of College Street and Patton Avenue. It’s owned by two brother chefs and they serve upscale Italian food. Chef Brian demonstrated for us a crepe filled with a cheese mixture (with a bunch of other savory seasonings which I can’t remember). Rather than roll it up like a traditional crepe, he rolled it into a ball, then baked it in the oven for about 5 minutes. It came served with a slightly spicy chunky tomato sauce, just the way I like it.  I definitely will be going back there!

Our last stop on the tour was Carmel’s, a restaurant I have been to many times. It’s located omn one of the corners of the Grove Arcade, where we first met for the tour. This place is great, especially during the summer when you can sit outside and people watch to your heart’s content. Today, Chef Sugar (as she’s called) demonstrated a tuna, avocado, cucumber dish that was topped with a sauce mixture that I can’t remember. I am not a fan of raw tuna, but was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it when it was paired with all the other items.

I had not been to most of the places on the tour so I am extra glad to have been able to go today. Thanks again to Chris for opening the tours up to innkeepers (at no charge) as he gets them going. I was able to pick up menus from most places for the menu binder I keep at the Inn for guests and now I can recommend some of these places. Plus, there are a couple I definitely want to return to. One of the benefits of attending the tours is that you receive a passport afterwards that can be used for up to 5 days after the tour at all of the places on the tour. And you receive a discount, typically 10%, when you present the passport for a future meal.

I hope to be able to go on the other Downtown Tour before the end of February since it also has several restaurants I haven’t been to. Right now, I am offering 2 FREE tour tickets to guests when they stay 2 or more mid-week nights (Mondays – Thursdays) in February. This is a $50 value and well worth the ticket price. Biltmore Village tours are on Tuesdays, Downtown Tour 1 is on Wednesdays & Fridays, and Downtown Tour 2 (the one we went on today) runs on Thursdays and Saturdays. All tours start at 2:00 and last about 2 1/2 hours. Walking and eating, a great combination!