It's even got its own Google Map pin: "Asheville Mountain Air"! Our little home is tucked away and up in the woods a short drive out of town, but a world away in terms of civilization.
The only sounds I hear right now are the last of the summer cicadas and two distant furry pals communicating in sparse barks. (The sound of one car driving on the road below is enough sonically for people to turn their heads.)
Coming up on five months of living on the road, in mostly mid-size cities and the occasional farm, this is probably the most peaceful home yet. Sure, it's isolated from others, and no one can come to immediate help in case of emergency. But also, maybe I don't have a care in the world watching the sun set behind those trees?
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We thought Durham was a brewery city--Asheville is a Brewery City, and proud of it too. Here's our brewery log from our stay here:
11/13/23 Highland Brewery Co.
11/14/23 White Labs Brewing Co.
11/14/23 Funkatorium
11/18/23 Hi-Wire Brewing (RAD Beer Garden)
11/18/23 Burial Beer Co. Forestry Camp
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West Asheville: Inventive Food and Local Nightlife
A restaurant I'd saved on my list from some magazine feature on Asheville (Bon Appétit most likely) was Neng Jr.'s, a Filipino-inspired restaurant owned by Fil-Am Chef Silver. In Asheville? I thought. I knew I had to check this place out. Turns out everybody else was checking it out too, as Resy was all booked up for the week. After checking repeatedly for any openings, I was able to snag us a 7:15 weeknight spot.
Tucked away in the back of a building mostly occupied by a music venue, Neng Jr.'s has a somewhat secret backdoor that opens up onto an incredibly intimate and stylishly decorated dining room, much like the lowlight upscale eateries you'd find in SF or LA. Looking at the drink menu while we waited for our table, Will and I were excited to order both San Miguel and Red Horse, Philippine-brewed beers you don't often come across in the States.
To eat, we ambitiously decided to try a bit of everything:
A selection of dishes certainly at the cross section of the Mid-Atlantic and Manila, Neng Jr.'s menu is definitely not traditional Filipino cuisine and not Southern either. But by taking some of the best flavors, frying techniques, and ingredients from both cultures, the restaurant has created something completely unique and special on its own.
The following night, Will and I sought out more local food in West Asheville and came up the popular Botiwalla, serving Indian street food-style marinated chicken skewers and puffed snacks topped with bright herbs and spices.
After eating dinner at Botiwalla, we noticed that the Buy/Sell/Trade vintage store next door was still open at 9 pm, far past the usual retail hours. Unsure of it possibly being open for a private event, we stumbled in to find an improv show going on in the center of the store, clothing racks pushed away and mood lighting set to illuminate the makeshift stage set up in front of the dressing rooms.
During intermission, we chatted with the owner, a friendly man who moved to Asheville with his family from Denver, seeking more mountains but a slower pace of life, which he found here. He was also "distributing" beer out of a cooler for donations for the show. King.
The improv group was really good, actually. There was a pianist and legitimately good performers who could sing and keep up with half-decent lyrics. In addition to keeping us entertained, the ensemble also looked like they were having fun and doing it with friends, based on the chemistry between each of the group members.
After the show, Will and I found a nearby arcade bar to keep up our pinball skillz, which we hadn't practiced since Richmond. This bar was much better than the one in RVA (which we recently found out has since closed)--you only pay $10 for entry and all the games are free. Nothing really came close to Whitewater Falls in the pinball department, but we played some classic 90s racing and Mortal Kombat.
Finally, to end the night, we curiously wandered downstairs into The Low Down, an underground bar around the corner from Neng Jr.'s that gives off speakeasy vibes from the outside, but is more movie-set Illuminati from the inside. Intricate woodcut lattices make up the wall decor and lightbulbs emerge from hand sculptures. I got a tasty bourbon cocktail, but Will was intrigued by the specialty martini list and got a blue cheese and olive washed dirty martini. It was honestly not bad, but more of a one-sip kind of drink. The bar staff gave off aloof but quirky energy, in a good way.
We found West Asheville to have some real good gems for a quiet neighborhood, definitely worth a stop on a trip to AVL.