Skip to main content

Asheville NC: Moose Cafe

Moose Cafe is a gem located at the entrance to Asheville's Farmers Market, one of those serious, wholesale truck farm markets that draw food nerds like magnets. Moose Cafe clearly takes advantage of the ingredients brought to their door; I'm sure they also reach out to other local purveyors for items that may not come through the gates of the market. They list several local partners, for example, for their meats. The large restaurant was very busy. My server was very friendly and efficient. The manager explained that they open their doors at 7 AM seven days a week. They clearly take their work ethic seriously.
Breakfast started with this superb biscuit and outstanding applesauce. The biscuit was tender and the size of my not-inconsiderable palm. The applesauce was clearly homemade and full of apple flavor.
The menu contains a number of breakfast items. But I chose the all-you-can-eat breakfast, so big I couldn't show it all in one photo. The scrambled eggs were examplary. The cheese potatoes were a huge hit, full of flavor and a melange of textures. The grits were much more flavorful than the typical fare. The bacon, from a local provider, was very porky and provided just enough of the curing flavor without being overpowering. That is yet another biscuit, above and beyond what arrived before I ordered My server was gracious enough to let me try both of their gravies: the light one from sausage and the dark one from bacon. Both gave superb flavor and perfect, silky texture. The pancake was an add-on; it arrived wafting a perfect pancake smell. It was clearly baked on a hot griddle with a batter of the perfect consistency. And all this is truly all-you-can-eat. If you want more of anything, just ask and it will arrive promptly. The price on this breakfast is remarkably modest. And it provides outstanding mountain flavors.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Eating Around Georgia Tech: Ecco

Our Texas Instruments colleague Cathy Wicks was gracious enough to host several of us at Ecco tonight. This is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for a long time. Even though it is within easy walking distance of Georgia Tech, I hadn't made it there until tonight. The menu is a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French that make use of some local Georgia ingredients. The combination of those three countries is sometimes a little forced, although the georgia ingredients (fruit, cheese) were all great and perfectly appropriate. We started out with a meat and cheese board. This actually reverses the French tradition, where cheese usually follows the main course. Everything was excellent. The Georgia cheese was a big hit, as was the French cow/goat cheese. I thought the sauscisson was very subtle and very good. The waitress said that the roast pork pasta was their signature dish, so I had to try it. It had traditional broad pasta (fresh, of course)

Pressure Cooker Candied Ginger

I made candied ginger a few years ago. It's not something I would do every day but I had a lot of fun doing it. I recently acquired a pressure cooker and it inspired an interesting idea to me: why not make candied ginger in the pressure cooker? It should be very soft and flavorful. Here is the result. I peeled two large ginger roots, cut them into small cubes, and put them in the pressure cooker with heavily sugared water. The traditional method first boils the ginger in plain water to soften it and then again in sugar water to candy it. The resulting candy was very tender but still with the characteristic ginger texture. It was also sweet without being overpowering. The traditional method leaves a lot of sugar crystallized around the ginger. The pressure cooker gives a much more subtle result. The ginger stays moist even after it cools but you can dry it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. That inspired me to dip it in chocolate. While I was in the b

DCA: Cava Mezze Grill

Cava is a DC area chain with light Mediterranean food. Saibal encouraged me to try lunch at their airport location and I was very happy with the experience. I ordered falafel on SuperSalad with assorted other toppings. The falafel was tasty. The SuperSalad was light, flavorful, and very easy to eat. Overall, a healthy and enjoyable lunch, something you can't always say about airport eating.