Food News: Bonfire BBQ closes, restaurant openings, chef releases retail line in Asheville
ASHEVILLE - A neighborhood barbecue joint closes while other restaurants open across town; a local chef debuts a retail condiment line; and upcoming events offering breakfast, brunch and truffle adventures.
Restaurant closings and openings
Bonfire BBQ and Catering has closed at 1056 Patton Ave.
Customers have arrived to find a “for lease” sign in the window, and the website and Facebook pages are down.
Opened in 2015, the West Asheville restaurant served traditional barbecue sandwiches and plates.
The person who identified himself as the owner of the building whose number is listed on the “for lease” sign refused to comment.
Meanwhile, Abuela’s Little Kitchen has opened at its new location at 6 Long Shoals Road in Arden. The restaurant serves Hispanic and American-style breakfast and brunch cuisine daily from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. For more, visit abuelaslittlekitchen.com.
And Dobrá Tea East is nearing its opening day, set for the first week of February. Visit the tearoom and kitchen at its newest location at 1011 Tunnel Road in Asheville. For more, visit dobrateanc.com.
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The ‘Proper’ way to sauce
A local steakhouse has bottled up one of its “secret” recipes for diners to enjoy at home.
Asheville Proper chef/owner Owen McGlynn has released the restaurant’s signature steak sauce for retail sale under the brand At Home Proper.
Asheville Proper, which specializes in live-fire cooking, is at 1 Page Ave., suite 151, in Grove Arcade downtown.
“At Home Proper is us bringing food to your table at home,” McGlynn said.
The steak sauce is served in the dining room and has been well received by guests, which encouraged the move to make it available for home use, he said.
“Opening Asheville Proper, I wanted to have our own house steak sauce, like how you can get A-1 or Heinz 57 at some places,” McGlynn said. “We wanted to have our own sauce made in-house, our own recipe and offer that to folks. That (it) could take the place of some of these that people are familiar with.”
The base is Worcestershire and ketchup. Shitake mushrooms give it an earthiness, and anchovies are added for umami. The result is a balanced sweet, sour and tangy sauce with a depth of flavor.
The smokey and tangy steak sauce isn’t only for beef.
The chef recommends it for various types of meat, including pork and chicken, as well as vegetables. He particularly enjoys it on grilled carrots, mushrooms, cauliflower and broccoli.
Also, it may be used as a marinade or to enhance a prepared dish.
“We do that a lot at home with chicken and veggies,” McGlynn said. “Classically, it was made for steak but it’s well-rounded for these other applications.”
The steak sauce is available in a 5-fluid-ounce glass bottle for $8 per bottle.
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This is the first retail product, but more are coming down the line from At Home Proper. McGlynn is considering releasing a retail steak butter and a variation of a chimichurri later this year.
“We’re really excited to get rolling with this. It’s been a long time coming,” McGlynn said.
Purchase at Asheville Proper or order online at athomeproper.com.
Also, keep an eye out for McGlynn’s new restaurant, Little D’s, scheduled to open in February at 952 Merrimon Ave. in North Asheville.
Cereal ice cream, oysters and truffles galore
Local eateries are presenting events that take their normal offerings to new heights. Have a meal and create a memory at these upcoming events:
Jettie Rae’s Oyster House, 143 Charlotte St., is switching up service with a special Sunday Brunch event and five-course curated menu on Jan. 29. Multiple seating times are available. The prix fixe menu features buttermilk biscuits with caviar butter, oysters on a half shell, a lobster omelet with hollandaise and gratin dauphinoise and more. Tickets are $75 per diner. Reserve a table at resy.com. For more, visit jettieraes.com.
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The Hop Ice Cream and Chill Cereal Bar are collaborating to celebrate National Ice Cream for Breakfast, an unofficial annual holiday observed on the first Saturday of February. Stop in for a morning dose of ice cream with a variety of cereal toppings for the choosing from 8-11 a.m. Feb. 4, exclusively at the North Asheville shop location at 640 Merrimon Ave. For more, visit facebook.com/HopIceCreamNC and chillcerealbar.com.
Set off on a fungus-finding adventure with the multiday Asheville Truffle Experience, Feb. 10-12 at various locations. Each day and session offers a different educational and interactive experience, including a meet-up at Bouchon to kick off the series, a screening of “The Truffle Hunters” at Warner Studios, a culinary demo at Timbers Clubhouse, a seated wine-paired Truffle Extravaganza at Rendezvous and an exploration to a truffle orchard at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville. Prices vary for each event. To view the full schedule and to register, visit ashevilletruffle.com.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Bonfire BBQ closes, new restaurant openings, Asheville food events
