Inn at Biltmore Estate- Day 2

        Breakfast  with a View!                         

             

   William from Jamaica cooks our custom omelets.

Our day begins with a wonderful breakfast choice of either the buffet, ordering off the menu or having room service. Terry and I are not fans of room service; having all those aromas permeating the bedroom- ugh! The buffet had all the choices one could ask for and more. The stone ground grits with cheese was a favorite of ours. Fresh squeezed juices and cappucino were also available. 

After touring the formal gardens and conservatory at the Estate, we decided on a luncheon snack. The original stable on the Estate is now converted into a restaurant and seemed the logical choice for lunch.

Since we had a large breakfast, we chose the cheese and charcuterie plate along with the leek and potato soup. Very delicious. But the big surprise was yet to come!

We had conversations with several of the people working at the Inn and a name kept coming up along with a warning; The Admiral is a real dive but the food is fantastic. Wow- our kind of place! 

They weren't kidding!          

House Smoked Duck with Roasted Piquillo Pepper Coulis

Soft Shell Crab with Linguini Pasta and Lemon

What a wonderful delight! All the selections on the menu sounded fantastic and their wine list and cocktails are darn impressive as well. Nathan, our server, was attentive, informative and added a lot to our evening.  Our dishes were excellent, both in presentation and taste; the flavors combined in inventive and delicious ways. Owner Elliott Moss and The Admiral have been nominated for a James Beard Southern Region Award and featured in the New York Times.This is one of our true finds! I predict there may be long lines soon. The Admiral is located at 400 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC. For reservations call (828) 252-2542. 

Stay tuned for our last day!

Inn at Biltmore Estate- The Bistro Restaurant- Day One

Inn at Biltmore Estate 

   

This is the hotel, not the Estate!

                                                           

                               Comfortable Dining Room       

                                                 Sweetbreads with Bacon and Corn          

We decided to stay at the Inn at Biltmore Estate for several reasons. It is the only place to stay on the actual grounds of the  Estate and  is rated a 4 star hotel. We are so very glad we did. The surroundings are indeed beautiful- pastoral being the key word. With a view of the mountains in the background, the Antler Hill village below, Angus cows, horses and goats roaming; it is indeed very peaceful. The price may seem a bit steep but if you get a package that includes gourmet breakfast (more about that later), unlimited trips to the Biltmore Estate, audio tour, "Legends of the Land" tour, valet parking and shuttle to and from various parts of the Estate, it is very much worth it. The Estate sits on over 8,000 acres. The Inn is several miles into the area  and the Estate is about another 12 minute ride from the Inn. 

We arrived late in the afternoon and wanted adult libations after we checked in. The veranda has the same view as our room but the wine list only has glasses of the Biltmore wines. Most of the wines are bottled elsewhere and sold under the Biltmore label. If you are a wine drinker and prefer a better vintage, the Inn does sell others but by the bottle only and at a very high mark up! BUT since the property is considered "private", bringing your own stock and being able to go anywhere is a definite plus. We learned this after seeing several people with exceptional wines, definitely not available here. We decided to have dinner at the Bistro in Antler Village below. Actually the menu is quite varied and we were excited to see sweetbreads with bacon and corn as an appetizer. The lamb loin with gnocchi, parsnips and carrots also caught our eye. The presentation on both items was very professional; unfortunately both dishes just didn't quite make it in the taste department and we left disappointed. I had made reservations in the formal dining room for the next evening for our anniversary but between the two experiences thus far, we cancelled and opted to dine in Asheville.  More on our next blog!      

      

                                               

Road Trip to the Biltmore House, Asheville NC( First Stop Berea, KY)

  Formal dining room

Our Lunch Entree       

   

First stop, a whopping 142.57 miles and two hours and twenty minutes from our home. Time for lunch! The Boone Tavern is located at 100 Main St. in Berea, KY. This is a small town  just south of Lexington known for Berea College and the handcrafted artisinal items produced here. The College charges no tuition but the students are expected to be on various work/study programs.  Boone Tavern has been in continuous operation since 1909 and was first built as a guesthouse for Berea College after the wife of the college president had over 300 guests in one summer! The guests were at that time her  responsibility.     

The formal dining room reminds us of the more genteel feel once we get into the Lexington area. Linen tablecloths and napkins; dining room lit with crystal chandeliers. After giving our drink selections, we are treated to spoon bread served from a skillet. We should have slathered some butter on it, as it was just a bit dry.  There were many tasty selections on the menu and we ordered the "Chicken Flakes in a Birds Nest", just because it sounded so different. The Birds Nest was fried potato sticks shaped like a nest. Mashed potatoes kept the nest in an upright position and was filled with  a chicken pot pie type mixture. To tell the truth, I've had better, but the idea was still novel. Our friendly fellow diners at the next table informed us the catfish was excellent. The Tavern also has rooms to rent and reservations can be made at (859) 985-3700. 

On to our final destination- Inn at Biltmore and dinner- follow our next blog, please!            

Glass for an Appetizer, Small Plates and Tapas 
        (No, it's not what you think!)

We started our Sunday afternoon with a stop at Neusole Glassworks at 656 E. McMillian St. in Cincinnati. We're both longtime admirers of glass art- Dale Chihuly, Christopher Ries, Lino Tagliapietra are the top artists. So we decided to give it a whirl ourselves. What a learning experience!  It's a
lot more involved than I thought and it is HOT in the studio. One oven runs constantly and is kept at a temperature of 2300 degrees F. That'll bake your cookies! We pick up our pieces this week; can't wait to see them. For more information, their number is 513-751-3292. Of course, this worked up our appetites, with "Where are we going for dinner?". We scheduled our classes to end at 6:00 p.m.
  Heading out to Mason, we chose Relish Modern Tapas located at 5947 Deerfield Blvd, Mason Ohio. We've frequented this restaurant many times and the food is always good; the service friendly. With small plate style eating, you control how much food you eat and how many varieties you desire. We are not big quantity eaters, and ordered  two items off of the Pintxos (peen-chos- small bite size servings) menu; grilled shrimp with cilantro lime sauce and piquillo peppers stuffed with pulled short ribs. Bear in mind these are very small pop-in-your mouth items. Off of the dinner tapas menu we decided  on the pulled baby back rib tacos, two to an order- perfect for us. We've also ordered in previous visits, the paella and definitely the potato spheres are worth mentioning.  Their phone number is 513-204-6925.

                       
Bon Appetite!

Terry and Vivien

Here's a Riddle: What Do a French Chef, an Egyptian
 and a Church Have in Common?

Stained Glass in the Lounge 

       Fois Gras appetizer 
    

Casey expertly deboning Dover sole

Succulent Rabbit Stew

Creme Brulee as only the French can do!

If you have an answer, it must be Refectory at 1092 Bethel Road, Columbus Ohio 43220. Columbus has a wonderful diversity of restaurants; this is one of our favorites. Yes, we even took my  Shanghai born, French Concession mother here several years ago for Mother's Day!   Kamal Boulos and his Chef from Lyon, France, Richard Bloudin, have had an extraordinary relationship over several years. Terry and I shared the fois gras. It is the pate form, not the lobe, and was excellent in taste and presentation. Terry had the Dover sole, which was filleted tableside. I decided to have the rabbit stew as my main course. Rabbit generally can be dry, as the meat has very little fat. This dish was really wonderful, perhaps the best rabbit I've ever had! It came with a poufy bread top, the better to soak up the juices below. We finished by sharing creme brulee; crunchy on the top, creamy on the bottom- just right!    A quote from  "The Refectory, A History" says it all: "It is the attitude of heart, this desire of honest hard work that has been the thread woven from the past up through the present".  The restaurant itself has a fascinating background with beginnings as a church; hence the stained glass windows in the lounge. However, it is the current atmosphere combined with exquisite food selections, friendly but highest standards of service and ever present Kamal that bring Refectory to perfection. For reservations, wine tastings and catering: 614. 451-9774. 

Bon Appetite,

Vivien and Terry Monnie

Phoenician Taverna- Learn to Love

                                                  Calm before the Storm

After having the vegetarian Mezza for lunch, I wanted to dash home to write about this wonderful newer, opened August 2012, restaurant. Mezza is a variety of small plates, dips, salads meant to be shared.  But though, to be fair, I should have a full meal there. Phoenician Taverna is located at 7944 S. Mason-Montgomery Rd in Mason, Ohio, just north of the UDF in a small shopping center; the phone number is 513- 770-0027.

The delightful owner, Wassim Matar, was connected with the Lebanese Tavernas in Washington D.C. and is extremely knowledgeable  regarding the foods of the Middle East. Wassim has convinced the Chef to relocate from D.C. to our fair city, much to our advantage!  Everything is made in-house, from the pita bread(hot from the oven) to the sausage. The Saturday night we were there, every table was taken with a line out the door. The decor is also worth mentioning as every detail has been carefully chosen. 

 If you are familiar with Middle Eastern cuisine, this is a must. If not, "Learn to Love" it, with Wassim as your tutor.  We started with sausage as an appetizer. Wassim instructed us to scoop up some hummus with the pita bread, then place a sausage in the middle. Yum!  We then shared the lamb loin. It was divine-perfectly cooked with a marvelous fresh topping of parsley, garlic, lemon and our old friend, butter. Wassim's view of wine is that to fully enjoy your meal, wine is an essential accompaniment.  Therefore his wines are priced to allow this.

We are definitely looking forward to sharing Phoenician Taverna with our Foodie friends to both dine and learn!