The Food Spectrum in Asheville, NC

What do I mean when I say, “the food spectrum?”  I mean simply that there is healthy food and not-so-healthy food.  Since “all things in moderation” is an important rule to follow in life.  I think it’s important to show both sides too. 

While in Asheville, my husband and I had dinner with an old friend of his that he had not seen in many years.  That gave us the opportunity to try out another fried chicken place that he’d heard raves about.  While on my daytime quest for cool activities, I visited the WNC (Western North Carolina) Farmer’s Market.   Two completely different experiences at opposite ends of the food spectrum and both were worth every minute.

Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack

My husband is a Southern boy by birth, and therefore, fried chicken is more his thing than mine.  I enjoy well-made fried chicken, but I don’t crave it quite like he does.  While in Greenville, South Carolina some colleagues told my husband about Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack.  Apparently, locals will give their right arm for a meal there.  Unfortunately, my Southern boy was devastated when we ran out of time and were unable to try it.  Cue the angels!  Cue the music!  Rocky’s has two other locations!  Hooray!  This locally-owned legend also has restaurants in Asheville and Arden, North Carolina.  His friend was visiting Arden and this Asheville suburb was only a 20-minute drive from our hotel, the Residence Inn Asheville Biltmore on Biltmore Avenue. Our Friday night catch-up dinner was decided.

As I said, fried chicken is my husband’s thing.  But, now that I’ve eaten at Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack, I’m a believer!  This place knows how to season chicken.  You can get it with just their dry rub or with varying levels of spice in the sauce.  There are eight levels of heat and their website has a great guide for customers like me to study before arriving.  My husband is a fan of super spicy food and the gentleman at the counter was very helpful in guiding my husband on just how spicy to order his meal.  He explained that Rocky’s level 5 (medium) is like a level 6 for most other restaurants.  In the end, my husband ordered one tender at level 5 and two tenders at level 6 with two sides dishes ($12.00) and declared level 6 perfect!  I don’t get it, but I’m glad he was happy. Remember, my husband is basically a professional fire-eater, don’t try this at home!

I had the pimento cheese chicken BLT ($9.50 including my side dish of potato salad) at level 2 (Honey Style).  The chicken was dry rubbed with seasoning, then coated and fried, and then a sweet glaze was drizzled over it.  Amazing!!

I should also mention that Rocky’s offers grilled and rotisserie chicken too for those who wish to eat on the other end of the food spectrum.  I will likely try that version if we return, but for my first time I wanted to order as traditional as possible for a real test.

There is a huge, covered patio and we sat out there for dinner. Since we were visiting with a friend that we had not seen in a long, long time this was the perfect place to catch up.  The staff was attentive but not intrusive. They let us sit and chat all the way until closing time without rushing us out. When was the last time you found a restaurant that wasn’t obsessed with “turning the tables?”  It meant a lot to us to find an outdoor space, with good food that didn’t mind letting us linger over our food and our visit.  It’s likely that this is what will make us returning customers just as much as the food will.

WNC Farmer’s Market

A few days after Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack I visited the other end of the food spectrum.  The Western North Carolina Farmer’s Market is huge and, as far as I’m concerned, worth visiting even if you’re not buying.  Our hotel situation changes with each city so sometimes we cook a little and sometimes we don’t.  In this case, I was really just a tourist rather than a chef.

The farmer’s market is so big that I moved my car around the property a couple of times.  It originally opened in 1977 and has been slowly expanding over the decades.  Now, it is open to the public seven days a week.  When you enter, there is a restaurant called The Moose Café that is famous in the area.  It serves local items and very Southern food.  It was completely packed the day I stuck my head inside.  I didn’t eat there.  I was just doing reconnaissance for a future visit.   

As you drive down the sloped entry lane, you’ll pass the permanent shops.  These buildings contain row after row of stalls to visit.  There are local farmers with produce, preserved items like jams and sauces and honeys, crafts and all sorts of goodies.

Then, in the back at the bottom of the hill are the outdoor stalls.  These are more like what one would expect to see at a farmer’s market.  The produce stands are covered but open-air.  The colors are vibrant and the vegetables cover every shade in the rainbow.  They are fresh, huge and just plain fun to examine. Many things are local, but I did see Georgia peaches and a few vegetables from other states.

If this beautiful produce doesn’t make you want to get in the kitchen and experiment, then I don’t know what will!  As I said, I didn’t buy anything on this particular visit and I still had a wonderful time and was there for close to two hours!  This was the first time that I used a farmer’s market as a tourist attraction, and I know it may sound strange, but I highly recommend it.  The market is open daily from 8:00am until 5:00pm.

Have you ever visited a place that most people wouldn’t consider a tourist attraction?  Share it in the comments.