"Standing room only virtually every lunch and dinner. Started in a small back room, the diner-style restaurant, meat market, and bakery has sprawled... go for the Thunder Road burger." -- NYT Read more.
"The listener-supported station WDVX-FM, multiple winner of the national title Bluegrass Station of the Year, hosts the Mon-Sat Blue Plate Special show, offering free live music from 12-1." -- NYT Read more.
"A cinderblock dive lit by a flickery, old-timey TV... sources grass-fed beef tenderloin and pork belly from the stellar Hickory Nut Gap Farm, ramps and mushrooms from forager friends." --T+L Read more.
Sells Farm and Sparrow's wood fired pastries: "Croissants stuffed with kimchi and an open-faced pear, Gorgonzola, and bee pollen confection..." -- NYT Read more.
This Whole Foods sells Meadow Creek Dairy cheese, according to Meadow Creek Dairy's website. Plus there's an upstairs tap room with a view. Read more.
"Jamie and Amy Ager’s organic cured and fresh meats are sourced by the area’s finest kitchens. Find both at their superb farm store. Local artisanal honeys, cheeses, and jams, too." --T+L Read more.
2015 Season: May 2 to September 12 (Su 12-5:30, Mon 10-5:30, Tu closed, W-Sa 10-5:30); September 13 to November 1 (10 to 6 every day). Read more.
"The chef and front-of-house manager worked in Los Angeles at Suzanne Goin’s Lucques and AOC restaurants before they decided to move to Gardner’s hometown of Burnsville, North Carolina." --T+L Read more.
Chapters sells Meadow Creek Dairy cheese, according to Meadow Creek Dairy's website. Read more.
"Sophisticated and dry, lavishly acidic with understated fruit, they’re like a brisk mountaintop breeze with a hint of spring." --T+L. Open Sat 11-5 & Sun 12-5, Apr-Dec. Read more.
"Year-round you can count on music and dancing every Friday evening, Americana music every Saturday afternoon (12-3) and a traditional mountain music jam every Sunday." Read more.
Harvest Moon sells Meadow Creek Dairy cheese, according to Meadow Creek Dairy's website. Read more.
"Chef James Harris’s take on mountain comfort cooking finds local ingredients playing a French tune." --T+L Read more.
"George Bowers Grocery Stocks some of the region’s finest foodstuffs, including craft beers and farmstead cheeses." --T+L Read more.
"Ed Mitchell, the legendary master of the eastern North Carolina art form of whole hog cooking... Dig into pilgrimage-worthy chopped or pulled pork... with two sides and hush puppies." --NYT Read more.
"House-made colas and syrups are mixed into cocktails like the Sweet Home Carolina (Cruzan light rum, sweet potato simple syrup, an egg and autumnal spices; $10)." --NYT 36 Hours Read more.
Amazing home-made ice cream flavors: Avocado, Salted Caramel, Longan Chinese Fruit Sorbet ... Read more.