Today's review comes from guest blogger "Wine Du Jour" (a.k.a. my mom). Enjoy reading about the lovely food and tour organized by Eating Asheville. It certainly sounds like a nice way to walk and taste Asheville!

Eating Asheville Tour

Last week on one of those beautiful springy days, we enjoyed an afternoon with a walking restaurant tour called Eating Asheville. The group was 3 young couples, two older couples, and a mother-daughter duo, plus our intrepid leader, Stephen Steidle. We are “locals” but everyone else was vacationing in the area. We started at the Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar (in the Grove Arcade). You can’t go wrong starting with some lovely bubbly with little bites of Sunburst Farm smoked trout pate, and soon we were on our way.

Zambra’s was our second stop, on Walnut St., and we tried their Sangria with a small plate of pulled pork from Hickory Nut Gap Farm, topped with slaw. Stephen shared with us a couple of menus from Zambra’s, to entice us to come back in for dinner. Many of the downtown restaurants are closed mid-afternoon, or at least have few customers, and this tour is designed to use that time and introduce a group of downtown restaurants.

Next was The Gourmet Chip Company on Broadway. The chips themselves are hand cut and fried in small batches, and the toppings vary - we tried some with truffle oil, goat cheese and rosemary, others with Apple smoked bacon and aged gouda, and then sweet potato chips with chocolate, brown sugar and spice.

Hand Cut Chips with Truffle oil, Goat cheese and Rosemary

Sweet Potato Chips with Chocolate, Brown sugar and spice

Next stop we went to Rhubarb on Pack Square, which just opened last fall. We had a small glass of white wine from the Graves area of Bordeaux with a delicious canapé: Sturgeon rillettes on a house made cracker, with mustard and a house made pickle slice, on a bed of pea shoots. Chef John Fleer, formerly of Blackberry Farm in TN, greeted us, and explained his dish - who knew they are raising sturgeon in WNC?

Sturgeon rillettes on house made crackers, with pickles on a bed of pea shoots

Down the hill on Biltmore Avenue next to Barley’s is Chestnut, Joe Scully’s second restaurant in Asheville, after the very successful Corner Kitchen in Biltmore Village. Chef Joe explained his concept as we were given a tasty small plate with spinach salad and two sautéed shrimp. It’s directly across from the new Aloft hotel.

Last stop - but not least, of course - we went to the French Broad Chocolate Lounge. There were plenty of “loungers” there for the free wifi, but we tasted a small chocolate bar and a yummy maple-bourbon truffle, before we made our way back to the Grove Arcade and said goodbye to new friends.

Check out the websites here:
eatingasheville.com
batteryparkbookexchange.com
zambratapas.com
gourmetchipcompany.com
rhubarbasheville.com
chestnutasheville.com
frenchbroadchocolates.com

Millet, along with farro, quinoa and wheatberries, has become the new trendy grain. Even Bon Appetit is featuring millet in a gluten-free pancake recipe. Truth be told, it took me years and years to eat millet again. It was THE FOOD that I ate daily during my 2 + years in the Peace Corps. It's not that I didn't like the flavor, it's just that eating the same food over and over again got old. Of course, my adoptive family in the village of Illakitan in Niger didn't have the luxury of "options".

This blog post hits the tail end of Peace Corps week 2014. I'll take this opportunity to say that my life's path was shaped by my service and by the amazing people I met and shared meals with.

Millet Scallion Pancakes

Adapted from Bon Appetit, serves 8

Ingredients

¾ cup millet, uncooked
1½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
⅓ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon Sriracha
8 scallions, thinly sliced, divided, plus more for serving
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
6 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

Cook millet in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until tender, 15–20 minutes; drain, shaking off as much water as possible. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet and let cool.

Meanwhile, whisk soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame seeds, Sriracha, and ¼ of scallions in a small bowl; set sauce aside.

Whisk eggs, sour cream, milk, cornstarch, sesame oil, and 1½ tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Fold in millet and ¾ of scallions.

Working in 3 batches, heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet or well-seasoned cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add heaping spoonfuls of millet batter to skillet, press to ¼” thickness, and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side; transfer pancakes to a paper towel–lined plate.

Sprinkle pancakes with more scallions and serve with reserved sauce. Pancakes can be kept warm in a low oven (170 F) for approximately 30 minutes before serving.

The first time I made these pancakes we enjoyed them as an appetizer, and they are great as a stand-alone. The second time, we had them as a side with stir-fried pork tenderloin, and they were just as good. They make a fantastic bed for Asian flavors.