One of my favorite things about traveling to new places is the chance to try new restaurants. Trust me folks, Asheville did not disappoint! Every meal we had was well worth the visit. After our big hike up to Black Balsam Knob, we followed another recommendation from the wonderful folks at Local Provisions (the first being the hike up to Black Balsam Knob) and went to Gan Shan Station for a late lunch.
This small indoor space makes great use of the natural light and we were seated at a table that was next to the large wall of windows in the front of the restaurant.
Having hiked at least 6 miles (did 9 miles of walking for the day), we quickly drained the water bottles placed on the table.
This old building was perfect for camera play-I loved the light fixtures hanging above the tables.
Sorry, couldn’t resist…
My choice for lunch was a spinach and tofu salad. Trust me when I say that this is not what I expected. It was also as delicious as it was different, those crunchy bits on the top…Seriously though, this dish was only offered as a special and for those of you who visit the restaurant, I hope they offer it again! It had a little bit of a bite to it but the crumbled tofu and cooked spinach were well flavored and served cold-perfect and refreshing for the hot day and the hike we had just completed.
The rest of our meal included pork dumplings and fried tofu. Be sure to check the special board to see what fillings are available for the dumplings because they change them frequently. We devoured them! The filling was a typical Asian style pork recipe with ginger and garlic and all of the other ingredients you would expect to find but it was the sauce that made them. It was a creamy peanut sauce with what I think was a touch of red curry and if we had been there alone, we might have fought over who was going to have it all.
The fried tofu was light and crispy, fried to perfection in a well seasoned starch mixture and again, the sauce was a big part of the success of the dish. It was not your typical salty-soy sauce and we used it freely as we ate the crispy sticks.
Between us, we also shared a grilled vegetable salad that included squash, peppers and avocados. This was the first time I ate a grilled avocado and honestly, I don’t think it made any difference to the flavor; ripe avocados are the food of the gods and nothing can improve that! Again, be sure to check the special board, that is where the good stuff is. At least it was on our visit because most of what we ate, was ordered off the board and not the menu.
And if you need any proof, we joined the clean plate club and walked away feeling full but not stuffed! It was the perfect way to refresh ourselves after our hiking adventure.
The verdict, if you are in Asheville, take the trip over for lunch, it isn’t in the downtown area but it is worth the time you will need to get there. My plan is to go back sometime and try the dinner menu.
Remember that mention of Local Provisions? We were staying nearby and walked over for cocktails before heading out to dinner. When I read the description for the Midnight Voyage, I had to have one. It was the first time I have ever tasted Honeysuckle Vodka and I probably could have consumed a quart of this mixture! The cocktail is a blend of honeysuckle vodka, Creme de Violette, St. Germain and lime juice. It was a little sweet, very citrusy and just a bit floral; it was also like a glass of grown-up limeade that did not remind me of really bad margaritas, which is something lime juice generally does for me. They knocked it out of the park with the addition of a stem of begonia flowers. How is it that this gardener did not know that begonias are edible??? They have a tart flavor that will get you at the back of your jaw but in this drink, they were the perfect addition!
Recently, I flew to Atlanta to visit one of our daughters. Once she had picked me up from the airport and we were on our way for some much needed coffee (it was only 7:30am at this point), she surprised me with the news that we were headed to Asheville. Hiking was on our list of things to do and we set off on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We stopped on several occasions just to admire the view.
As we drove on, we gained altitude and the views just got better and better.
We were lucky, the weather was perfect; sunny, clear and not too hot.
At one stop, the old Buck Spring Lodge site is near the Pisgah Inn on the Mt. Pisgah Summit and there are a few trails around the parking area. Take the stone stairs and follow the trail toward the inn, the views are worth the walk.
We were headed for Black Balsam Knob and we drove on. These were spotted on the Flat Laurel Creek Trail. If anyone can identify these, please do-I have no idea what they are.
Even though were around 6000ft, honeybees were present. While I am sure that the altitude was not an issue for them, I could only wonder if they were there because a beekeeper has hives out there somewhere or if there were feral bee colonies.
These were spotted along the Art Loeb trail as we hiked up to the top. They had finished blooming for the year and were loaded with seeds for next years blooms.
There was no shortage of Mountain Ash berries.
And with goldenrod in bloom, the bees had plenty of flowers for foraging.
Again, I am looking for an assist on the ID, if you know what this is, I would love to know as well!
When we finally did reach our goal, not the entire trail but a nice high elevation, we were standing on this rocky spot. The pattern in the surface of the stone is intriguing.
We stopped for a bit and enjoyed the view. If you want to take a hike near Asheville, we highly recommend making the trip to 
My hiking partner, Alix. It was a wonderful surprise and it was a perfect afternoon!
will garden for cake 