Moe’s BBQ

Everyone in Asheville talks about their favorite BBQ place, mine is Moe’s. The day we returned the U-Haul truck after moving to Asheville, we were starving! The closest place was a little red BBQ shack – I can’t remember what we ordered that day but I do remember thinking it was delicious. We’ve been to 12 Bones & Luella’s but Moe’s continues to be the favorite.

Today I met my lovely friend & her baby at Moe’s after she suggested I take her to my favorite place to eat in Asheville. Today’s meal for me: Small Rib Platter with 2 sides and a drink.

The Ribs: Five ribs that are so tender that they fall off the bone. I am a huge fan of cartilage and theirs is very soft…yum. The ribs are served with a little bbq sauce on them, which in my opinion isn’t even necessary (even though I am not opposed to it). The ribs are just the right texture with just the right smoke flavor.

The Sides: Today I chose the banana pudding & the baked beans which are on the everyday menu. There is a board with ‘sides of the day’ but I was in the mood for some classics. The banana pudding makes for a great dessert…sweet, creamy and cinnamon-y. The baked beans are a perfect balance of sweet and savory since they have meat in them. To be honest, I am not sure what kind of meat it is. As a true carnivore, it doesn’t even matter to me.

The Drink: Fountain Pepsi. My addiction to soda is one of my biggest internal battles. I know how bad soda is for me but I can’t stop drinking it. I’ve limited how much I’ve been drinking & even went over a month without having any. Now, I am trying to find a good balance of how much I can allow myself to have. There are also things that I just can’t have without soda – Burgers, BBQ and Chinese Food are on that list.

And of course…the cornbread!!! I  the cornbread from Moe’s more than anything else on the menu. I even considered getting a second piece “to go” except that I couldn’t justify swiping my card for only a dollar something. Oh yea, I should say something about how the cornbread tastes. The cornbread is soft, with crunchy sides and top because they spread butter on it & place it on the grill before serving it. I could seriously go there and only have the cornbread.

Aside from the great food & free Pac-Man arcade game, Moe’s has unbelievable customer service. They also have a great beer selection but I don’t drink beer. I am already thinking about how I will be back at Moe’s next week when my family comes to visit.

-Neomi

Inspired

I’m baaack…from I don’t know what, ha! The winter ended up being pretty rough on me which made me lose my mojo towards a whole lot of stuff including food. I felt as though I was eating because I had to, not because I wanted to. My fight with food got a little weirder when I realized that it was time to jump back into a high protein/low carb situation. I am trying to avoid the word diet as much as I avoid religion…the minute you label something, you become a target for judgement and hypocrisy. I’ve lost some weight, lost some inches around my belly and I am feeling inspired by food again.

This past week we took a family road trip to Kansas City…it was a good mix of suburbs and city. The most exciting part for me was visiting the KC Farmers Market. I went crazy buying spices which were all super inexpensive. I reloaded on staples like celery salt & Herbs de Provence, got the Hungarian paprika I’ve been missing, and the best part is what happened with the “Himalayan Pink Salt” I thought I was buying. Turns out that it was pink salt alright but mislabeled with the Himalayan part. A friend who knows a whole lot about food & is working on publishing a book all about meat pointed out that it could be sodium nitrite – as in salt for curing meats!!! I will have to think of some science experiment to perform with it.

Speaking of science experiments, I am going to try out fermentation….all the kids are doing it. I love canning so much but it’s worth a shot, time to learn something new.

-Neomi

Burgerworx

Burgerworx

A co-worker recommended Burgerworx last week when I was in the mood for a burger. Turns out I am in the mood for burgers often because I was in the mood again last night. I am a huge fan of Five Guys because I love their fries but we decided to try a new place.

Burgerworx is outside of the Grove Arcade in Downtown Asheville. Typically, it’s hard to find street parking around there but due to the rain, we found a spot right in front. The little things that make me happy! The location is super low key & very do it yourself which is perfectly ok with me.

When you walk in there is a peg board to the left with a bunch of clipboards that have an order form. On the order form you have all the selections to build your burger.

Mine: Beef Burger, Old-fashioned Burger Bun, American Cheese, Tomatoes, Grilled Onions & Ketchup. And small fries.

I ordered the same thing that I always order from Five Guys. It was the only way to really compare it to something else. It was exactly what I wanted. Also, I was so hungry that I didn’t take any pictures, sorry. The patty was grilled and pushed down with a spatula while being cooked, lots of grilled onions (I can never have enough, just like garlic) and I loved that the tomato was the same size as the bun. The highlight of the order were the fries. The fries are cooked well in order to ensure lots of crunch, not too salty or greasy and yummy. I love the fries at Five Guys but these are even better. You must try them!

Reuben ordered a Veggie Burger that tasted like a falafel sandwich. It was super crunchy and for some reason the Worx Sauce which is mayo based tasted like tahini sauce. I only had one bite but will order the Veggie Burger next time because it was so good.

The food hit the spot but I must admit that the music was even better. If I made a playlist called “High School Greatest Hits” then this was it. Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Blues Traveller and Counting Crows. It was the chef’s playlist, he had turned it to 90’s pop on Pandora. I hope next time I go there, they have the same playlist on.

-Neomi

Simple Squares

Simple Squares

We’ve had a whole lot of guests since we moved to Asheville! Last week, Sarah, our babysitter from Connecticut & Reuben’s intern (for lack of a better term) came to visit for the second time since we’ve lived here. I think she misses us! She brought some birthday yummies: espresso coffee, gin-gins & Simple Squares. My favorite were the Simple Squares which she brought 3 flavors: Cinna-Clove, Ginger & Sage.

I loved the ones I tried so much that I ordered a variety pack of 12 (2 of each flavor) bars & will write a post of each flavor.

First flavor first, coconut! I am a true Puerto Rican and had to go for the coconut flavored one first.

Taste: it tastes exactly like what’s in it: nuts (cashews & almonds), honey, vanilla, coconut and sea salt. All of the flavors are perfectly balance – not too sweet and definitely not salty. The sea salt is well mixed in and not in chunks, just enhances the flavors of everything else.

Texture: soft & chewy but doesn’t get stuck in your teeth, except for a floating coconut piece or two. I love when one of those little pieces magically reappears in my mouth, it’s like chewing on a finger nail I chewed off.

Smell: I must admit, I didn’t smell it.

Size: 2.75″ x 2.75″

Price: I bought a case on Amazon for $26.22 – free shipping if you are a Prime customer.

In my opinion, these bars are going to be the next hottest thing. They are gluten-free, paleo, Kosher, organic, wheat free, refined sugar-free, dairy free, soy free, and raw. Basically, you just can’t eat them if you are allergic to nuts.

Side note: CORRECTION: Whole Foods doesn’t carry them in my region but they carry them in the west coast (CA, OR & WA).

Hope you enjoy them as much as me.

-Neomi

The Big Birthday Dinner

This is it, my first post.

I’ve thought a lot about what this blog would be about & the verdict (for now) is that I will write about my life and how most of what happens in it is driven by my love & curiosity of food.

The Big Birthday Dinner

As usual the expectations were high but this time it was because we’ve been to The Bull & Beggar before and it was the best meal I’ve had in Asheville thus far. Well…not last night. It was disappointing as a whole but there were two things that stood out:

1. The pork rinds,
2. I tried deer tongue for the first time.

The mountain of pork rinds arrived crackling in a big white bowl, there was a mountain of them. They were simple, crunchy, airy and NOT greasy. Pork rinds remind me of being a little kid, we ate so many as a kid. My dad usually bought two kinds: the hard crunchy ones and the soft crunchy ones – I always loved the soft crunchy ones. The ones last night were the soft crunchy ones that melt in your mouth but didn’t come out of a bag.

The deer tongue came on the chef’s plate that included a bunch of different things like cheeses, homemade raisins and other cured meats. There was so much on the plate that a map like the one you get with Russell Stover’s chocolate boxes would have been appreciated. Most of what was on the plate was middle of the road but the one thing that stood out was being able to try deer tongue. I love eating the parts of animals that most people find weird. The deer tongue tasted like the brine it was in, just pickled. The consistency was nice & soft. There isn’t much more to say about it but I would definitely try it again.

We will go to The Bull & Beggar again once their menu changes again & see if it was just the winter menu’s fault.

Although I love eating local & seasonally, I will have to lower my expectations for winter dining in Asheville. Or go on a new quest for finding the best winter menu in Asheville.

-Neomi