I have several places to chronicle from my little trip to Asheville with Mr. foodie. Normally I’d start with where I, well, started. But sometimes a place is so good, you skip ahead to the last night you were there and let it be the beginning. Then you decide, nah, this place deserves a post all its OWN! So here’s a mini-chronicle of where we ate and then we’ll blaze right into Seven Sows Bourbon & Larder. A more in-depth post of the chronicle will follow suit (like in a day or so) ;).

Day 1: Charlotte: Tulips Multi-Cuisine
Asheville: Curate (holy smackers, yum)
Day 2: Green Sage Coffee
Blackbird
Chestnut
Seven Sows Bourbon & Larder
Day 3: Posana Cafe ❤ LOVED ❤

And now, about Seven Sows, Bourbon & Larder. I have heard wonderful things about Owner/Executive Chef Mike Moore and his new restaurant that opened in March. Mr. foodie visited Asheville a couple months ago, had a NC shaved ham board and bar drinks that he RAVED about. It put him in such a good mood he went to watch some comedy.  For this visit, Seven Sows was a non-negotiable. We were DEFINITELY going to eat there. Then some other very cool folks tried to sway us to a place that’s LIKE Seven Sows. Am I glad we stuck to our instincts and stayed downtown at the Sow! It’s a gorgeous restaurant. Kind of progressive farm-style with dark walls and ceiling, corrugated aluminum and little coverings for booth areas. Lots of wood and historical looking decor. It was rugged while not being manly. The side-facing patio was open by a large garage door and gave the feeling of an open air restaurant while being inside. Walls were black with lots of rough hewn beams. My kind of place. Very appropriate for a place with the name bourbon in it.

Seven Sows bar. See all those pickles?

Wall adjoining patio

The menu is “nostalgic southern created in modern cuisine” and full of locally sourced ingredients.  The first thing I wanted NEEDED to get was Chicken Cracklins. That is fried chicken skins, baby. No dip with it. Just crunchy and chewy skins with lots of salt and pepper on them. Geez!

I decided to order two small plates. The Fried Brussel Sprout Salad, with Pecorino, Soft Egg, Bacon and Root Vegetable and Jalapeño Hash. Foodies, this is one of the most satisfying things I’ve eaten. It was so delightful. If you don’t like brussels, you’d probably like THIS. Every last bite was eye-rolling. I don’t think it’s on the brunch menu, but it would be a great brunch salad. The brussels were crispy caramelized, the bacon was crispy and thick. The root veggies had a little bite to them still. And that egg when pierced just sort of created this warm, creamy sauce for the salad. My other small plate was the NC Skate Wing. It came with roasted beets, leeks and a fried green tomato with a delicious tarter sauce. The skate was lightly fried and tasted like a scallop but with the texture of something like snapper. Wonderful.

Fried Brussel Sprout Salad

NC Skate Wing

Mr. foodie ordered a Scotch Duck Egg with bacon bread crumbs, country sausage, deviled egg aoili and a butterbean mint salad. So flavorful! And his entree was the Heritage Cheshire Pork Chop that came with these amazing LEMON corn grits, collard greens and it was all adorned with peaches, shallot and a Sweet Tea Chop Sauce. Really fantastic. Mr. foodie still talks about those creamy lemony grits. So different yet so fresh. Note: For some reason the beautiful iPhone 5 pics that Mr. took aren’t has large. Can’t figure out how to increase them.

Scotch Duck Egg

Heritage Farms Cheshire Pork Chop

Mr. foodie likey! He didn’t bother to look up for his glamour shot.

We had a couple of cocktails. I ordered the Lavender Lemonade. Refreshingly simple vodka lemonade with lavender syrup and Mr. ordered a bourbon drink—the Bufala Negra with fresh basil, balsamic and ginger ale. It was very, very nice.

Bufala Negra & Lavender Lemonade

After that, we could scarcely move so there was no room for dessert, I’m sorry to say. But I can tell you, the options all looked amazing, like Meyer Lemon Panna Cotta, Jasmine Creme Brûlée or Butterscotch Pudding or how about Peach Pie with Rosemary Ice Cream? Yes, please.

The menu changes often so what you see here may not be there when you go. They have too many bourbon and whiskeys to count. The bar is open with snacks late on Friday and Saturday. And, since a “larder” is a “pantry” you can also buy items, while available, like buttermilk, ham and pickles…all from the region.

I can’t wait to go back soon and try something totally different on the menu. Next time, I plan to save room for dessert.
www.sevensows.com
77 BILTMORE AVENUE ASHEVILLE, NC 28801 USA
DINNER: MON-SAT 5PM-10PM SUNDAY DINNER: 5-9 BRUNCH: SUN 10:30AM-2:30PM
(828) 255-2592