Curate - Asheville, NC

Vivan las tapas en Asheville! The sign on in the window says it all "Curate - cure yourself and eat Spanish tapas". Curate is on all the foodie lists for Asheville and the chef, Katie Button, has just opened another restaurant named Nightbell on Lexington Avenue, not far from Curate. 

We went to Curate on Sunday for brunch and made a reservation using Opentable had two wonderful dining experiences. The hostess is always very friendly and the restaurant has a welcoming feel as you enter. The kitchen is open and on the left side where you can sit at the bar and watch all the action or opt for a seat at a table in the back room or main room.  I love the meat slicer and it reminds me of a real butcher shop or meat shop in Spain where the jamon is thinly sliced in front of you.  The assortment of tapas is displayed on paper place settings and there are plenty of choices, whatever your mood. We started with the grapefruit mimosas and the Bloody Mary. Both were delicious.Just remember you can't have drinks until noon on Sundays in NC. 

We sampled the cod and potato puree served with crispy bread, the sauteed shrimp with garlic, meatballs with ham, and the pork sausages with white beans. All of these dishes were simply fantastic and so flavorful. 

During our second visit we had the clams cooked with cider and granny smith apples and also octopus grilled with paprika and olive oil. The servers are highly trained to explain all the specialties and recommend about tapas plates per person. The menu also has Gluten Free, Lactose Free, and Vegan options and is clearly marked for anyone with allergies with GF, LF and V. Curate is full of locals and visitors and I heard all kinds of languages. The best part is looking around the restaurant and watching everyone savor and enjoy the food and wine and conversation. It is truly one of the best restaurants. Compliments to the chef and I can't wait to go back!

Lagunitas- Chicago, IL

Lagunitas Sucks! And they know it ;-) Lagunitas has some fantastic beer and the names and logos on their bottles are very clever. If you know Lagunitas, the names Little Sumpin', Daytime, Sucks, Maximus, Hop Stoopid, and Brown Shugga' may come to mind. The pin up girl on Little Sumpin' is very eye-catching at the grocery store and a great reason to pick up this beer. To keep up with demand, Lagunitas opened a Chicago brewery, bottling facility and Taproom to cover the rest of the US market. 

                                        

                      
      
We came here on a Friday in November 2015 for a special brewery tour and had the most memorable experience touring the facility and taproom. Located about 5 miles from downtown Chicago on S Washtenaw Avenue, you will come across a huge parking lot in an industrial area close to an L stop. You can take a cab or an Uber from the downtown area. This 300,000 square foot facility used to be owned by a Canadian-based Cinespace film company and now houses beer production for the California-born brewery. After Petaluma, California this Chicago location produces all the Lagunitas beer east of the Rocky Mountains. As you enter the facility, be prepared to show your ID and then head down the wonky neon blue hallway to the end where a Lucky 13 pin up girl lures you in for some beer. 

At the end of the hallway, we met our awesome and fabulous tour guide named Jake. Jake was very charismatic and funny. He had so many great stories about the history of the facility and the founder Tony. You could tell by his exuberance that Lagunitas is an awesome place to work and they have an awesome product loved by many all over the world.  

The first stop on the tour is the Adult Daycare room. The space has pinball machines, a dentist chair, all kinds of sofas and chairs, Jenga, board games, music and of course a bar. Take your pick from the beers on tap as your tour guide explains what you will see on the tour and get you acclimated to the Lagunitas corporate culture. 

After a beer in the Adult Daycare, the tour continues to the main facility and you can see the huge fermenters. The fermenters are from Bavaria and the story of their transport from Germany involves shutting down highways to get them into the space. You can also see stacks of barrels that are used for the barrel-aged beers. 

The bottling area is next and then you will see endless stacks of Lagunitas kegs and boxes of beer ready to be shipped out. Along the tour you will hear all kinds of stories about Tony, the importance of 420, why Lagunitas sucks and how everything makes you hopstoopid. The facility is impeccably clean and very organized. 

As you wrap up the tour, your final stop is the Taproom. On the chalkboard are the daily beer specials. Take a seat and start day drinking. I had a fresh Little Sumpin' and it was so fresh and tasty. The food was also top-notch. The menu offers burgers, beer mussels, nachos, soups and a few other options. Everything is natural and nothing is fried or microwaved. I recommend the nachos and the beer mussels. You can't go wrong with these two dishes. There is also live music on the stage and the place was really hoppin' for a Friday afternoon. If I lived in Chicago, I would definitely come here more often. I am glad we made Lagunitas a destination on our trip ad highly recommend it to the beer lovers and hop heads out there. 

The staff was great and if you have time on your way out, check out the Swaag shop. The hoodies are really soft and you can purchase a little suppin' and memorabilia to take home with you. They have magnets, t-shirts, hats, glasses, stickers, and everything with Lagunitas swag. 

  Link to Chicago Site: Lagunitas Chicago

Ponysauras Brewing

Ponysaurus is now my new favorite brewery in the area. They do it right on all levels. Let's start with the beer. I had the Weizenbock and it was a dark wheat beer with bock strength, just as the German name implies. I usually have a hard time finding a wheat beer or a lighter beer and this was perfect. Daniel loves IPAs and he was very impressed with the Ponysaurus India Pale Ale. I love the taproom and the light wooden tables add a freshness to the warehouse design. There is a long counter as you enter the taproom and all the beer types are listed clearly on the chalkboards listing the ABV and descriptions. I also noticed they put a picture of the beer glass type that the beer is served in. If you get a stronger stout, for example, you will get a tulip glass and a regular beer is put in a pint glass. The bartenders were busy serving up flights and pints and you just have to get up there and wait your turn. Behind the counter you can see the crowlers and large beer tanks where all the production and fermentation happens. 

After my visit, I can say that Ponysaurus offers something for everyone. Kids were running around outside enjoying the grassy area and picnic tables. Dogs were obediently sitting under the tables and happy to be a part of the family experience. The upper deck outside was lit up with festive patio lights and there were so many levels to explore.  For the foodies, there is always a food truck onsite so that you can enjoy a meal with your brew. Ponysaurus serves up snacks and I saw gummy bears and some munchies at the bar area. I was impressed on all levels and can't wait to come back to this unique and cozy brewery in the Bull City.

Funny Bathroom Sign about the Ponysauras 

Pompieri Pizza

The Best Pizza I have had in Durham

Pompieri is now my new favorite pizza restaurant in Durham. I have been on a quiet Sunday afternoon and then also on a late Friday night after a DPAC show when the place was hopping and every single visit was as enjoyable as the first.  Pompieri and Bull City Burger are owned by the same person (Seth) and are located next to each other. The funniest lines of demarcation are the signs that reach "No Pizza Beyond this Point" as you leave Pompieri to go to BCBB and then "No Burgers Beyond This Point" as you go the other direction. 

Pompieri is located in what used to be a fire station so hence the bright fire station red colors and references. After you order your pizza, you get a placard for your table and the names and numbers on the cards are all part of the Fire Station History. You sit at communal tables, grab a refreshing soda from the Puck's Fountain machine and wait for the friendly staff to bring you your piping oven-fresh pizza. Wednesday is also the night of their wine special and you can get a bottle or wine for $5 off and presented nicely in a red pail. 

Wine Wednesdays- $5 off bottles of Vino

Everything at Pompieri is fresh and made from scratch and only from the freshest and local ingredients.  I love the Pizza Margherita and it is very simple yet so flavorful with fresh tomatoes, basil, oven-fired crust and the best olive oil. 

Pompieri is also very family-friendly. We have been there with my niece and I was very impressed with the staff and how they all took great care of us. The servers are all very gracious and helpful and since you pay at the front and they bring the food to you, I recommend you tip in the jar at the front because they do a wonderful job and are so attentive to all of their guests. 

I also don't usually rave about kale salad but you have to get the kale salad at Pompieri with buttermilk dressing. It is the best appetizer and will make you say, "I love Kale". 

For dessert, they offer homemade gelato. I also love the Parfetto which is toffee and carmel layered in a mason jar with brownie. It was decadent and a perfect way to end the meal. Buon appetito and be sure to check out Pompieri when in Durham. 

Link to Pompieri: Pompieri Pizza

Durham

Duke University Chapel 

Durham, North Carolina is the City of Medicine and also the City of Champions after all the Duke basketball wins over the years. Duke University is located in Durham and the Duke Chapel is one of the most beautiful structures in the city. Duke's campus and Sarah P. Garden are beautiful and a great place for a quiet retreat or a place to take out-of-town guests.

I have found Durham to be a great place to visit for eclectic restaurants, theater shows and concerts at the Durham Center for Performing Arts (DPAC). There are new hotels such as the Museum Hotel 21c and also the Durham Hotel that add lots of life to the downtown area with their museum and rooftop bar. Many of my favorite restaurants and breweries are in Durham and I love coming to the "Dirty D".

       

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I am passionate about travel and food and am going to take  you on a tour of my favorite places. I currently live in Cary, North Carolina and have called the Tarheel State my home since 2002. I grew up in Germany attending schools on military bases and was fortunate enough to travel extensively while living overseas.