This week, my family and I travelled to Asheville, North Carolina for vacation. The weather up there was absolutely perfect. All the leaves were beginning to change and the weather never got above 65 degrees. It was perfect for hiking and walking around downtown to visit all of the shops. We decided to go to downtown Asheville for dinner and we found a little restaurant that looked appealing to us all. I noticed very quickly that all the people in the restaurant looked very different than the people did back home in Montgomery. They were all dressed Bohemian and had an eclectic style, which I found interesting. The hostess took us to our seats and when our server approached us, I noticed that she had the same Bohemian appearance as everyone else. She had a colorful headband on with multiple necklaces, bangles, and tattoos. She introduced herself and placed four glasses of water and a glass cup of pretzels with spicy brown mustard dipping sauce in front of us. I was slightly confused about this and thought that it was strange that she would bring a snack out to our table as an appetizer. I asked what the significance of the dish was and she explained that the spicy brown mustard paired with the saltiness of the pretzels enhances the mouth’s desire to drink more alcohol. She then explained that all the beers were Belgian house beers.
Even the restaurant, itself, had an eclectic appearance. The entire restaurant had brick walls and the floors were cement. Multiple shades of brown and tan covered the walls and the tables were all wooden. The lighting was extremely dim and old rock music was playing softly. The servers and bartenders were all extremely laid-back and everyone seemed to really be enjoying their dining experience. I proceeded to ask our server why the building had such an aged appearance to it and she explained that it was once a garage and it recently became a restaurant with a west coast style appearance. When she came back to take our orders, I decided to get calamari and it was on our table within ten minutes of ordering it. I was completely amazed at how fast the service was, when the restaurant was pretty busy. The calamari was absolutely incredible. It was seasoned and fried perfectly and it had the precise amount of salt added to it. On the side was romesco, which consists of pureed roasted red pepper, garlic, and walnuts. It was topped with fresh cilantro and lime juice to create a flavorful sensation in your mouth. I have grown up eating calamari and have never had any that tasted as great as this. Our server worked extremely hard to give my family a wonderful dining experience. She made sure that our drinks remained full and worked to keep the table manicured.
Overall, Wicked Weed Brewing was absolutely incredible. The atmosphere of the restaurant was really easy going and the service was excellent. My calamari was a great, quality dish that was reasonably priced and left me begging for more. Not only is the town a beautiful place with many other neat locations to visit, but there is also so much history behind Asheville. I would encourage anyone to visit the town and the Bohemian, west coast styled restaurant for an awesome time and for great food.
"Hops are a wicked and pernicious weed." -King Henry VIII, 1519