Waking Life Espresso

Coffee and cycling, more specifically coffee and cyclists, go together like mafia members in a strip club. Rides frequently, or should, begin, stop in the middle, or end at a café (bar in Italy) if of sufficient length. A huge complaint I have about cyclists and Americans in general are their complacency with mediocre, bad coffee. In being swayed by the image over the quality, they buy the logo and false belief they are buying "good coffee." As awesomely put by Roger Greenberg, "Dear Starbucks, in your attempt to manufacture culture out of fast food coffee you've been surprisingly successful for the most part. The part that isn't covered by 'the most part' sucks."  

I love coffee; which covers espresso and american coffee. I am very much a traditionalist with my coffee: never any sugar or milk in my coffee, never an espresso based drink with milk (ie cappuccio, macchiato, etc) after noon, I only put sugar in my espresso when in Italy, and then only sometimes, or on rare occasions when I am on a ride. This is another reason I love riding in Italy. It is not hard to find a bar. In fact, it is so easy, that time is spent finding the right bar and deciding which of the lot is "the one."

The great thing about Asheville is the abundance of good, independent coffee shops. I have been to the Double Decker Bus (ie Double Ds Coffee & Desserts), Izzy's in West Asheville, Firestorm, The Dripolator in Asheville and Black Mountain, Mosaic Cafe, West End Bakery and Cafe, and Zuma Coffee in Marshall. However, the bar I have made my coffee shop - and the one I feel is the best in the area - is Waking Life Espresso.


As a coffee traditionalist, what immediately caught my eye was the menu. Not included are drink names with numerous adjectives. Not only is this a sign you won't be waiting behind someone getting their low fat, soy vanilla chai whipped latte with whipped cream, hershey's chocolate and caramel syrup, but you get quality coffee.


In fact, you won't find airpots of two to five different varieties, with one being a decaf and another being some nasty flavored coffee, that have been sitting there for anywhere from thirty minutes to eight hours. With the exception of 7am to roughly 10-11am for the "on the way to work crowd" - where one airpot is present - every drink is made to order, ensuring freshness and quality with only minimal wait time. To that end you have your espresso drinks of course, but the coffee is made in a pour-over bar or if you want to be extra coffee-centric, you can do a Chemex. The pour-over and chemex methods have been perfected by Jared Rutledge, and dutifully duplicated by Peter Bull and David Manselle, taking into account TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), weight, grind, filter type, water temperature and volume. Espresso pulls are consistently on - and if they are not, they are redrawn. And to the small extent chocolate, caramel and vanilla is used - it is all made by hand using high quality cocoa, cane sugar, and vanilla beans respectively. Every drink is made with perfection in mind and the correct way to make it.


A small amount of pastries appear as well - with some cookies coming from Sugar Momma's Cookies (try the vegan Banana Maple Walnut, a personal favorite) and the muffins, bread, and "monster cookie" coming from a gal named Rachel.


This is one of the few 100% appropriate coffee shop stops during a ride in my opinion. It is perfection. It is focused on coffee, not menu filler, so you get fast service. There is great outdoor seating to park the bici and put your feet up sipping the espresso or coffee - no dealing with shopping centers and large parking lots. The fantastic cookies are well earned. I baristi are cool with cyclists (many stop in) and Jared follows the metric system so I don't need to do conversions for him.

Waking Life Espresso is doing phenomenally and garnering lots of attention for its mission of trying to educate and make people think about coffee in a different way. Check out this latest article in the Mountain Xpress: http://www.mountainx.com/dining/2010/062310dispelling_some_espresso_myths


You can follow Waking Life Espresso on Facebook and Twitter.

The Corner Kitchen

On the 11th of May P went to Ohio for a little over a week for some time with his Grandparents. I was supposed to leave that afternoon and drive to a friend's house to stay the night and head to RDU in the morning for Italy. However, the prospect of being alone, without assistance from visiting family or babysitters, with Bean Counter for the first time in who knows how long was too good to pass up. And with such an opportunity it could not be wasted on something ho-hum. So, I said to my still-haven't-packed-for-three-weeks-in-Italy self: "I don't have that much to pack." With that we decided to go someplace nice. Of course I was wrong and didn't sleep at all before driving to Raleigh.

The Corner Kitchen decision was not inspired by President Obama's recent visit at all. In fact, it was on the List for some time. The Corner Kitchen is located in Biltmore Village in a quaint old house and is a popular place in town serving food inspired by fresh ingredients. One way to score points with us is to not have much of a fixed menu, but to base it on what is good and in season - of course you will always have your staples though (e.g. Three Meat Meatloaf).

To start I had a cold gazpacho which was superb. It was not a hot night, but the cool gazpacho was great. It had a nice bright and fresh taste that was very refreshing. Bean Counter had the Corn and Crab Chowder which she enjoyed very much. I was given a bite and it was indeed good. I would have been more than happy to have that, but the gazpacho was more my style.

For entreé I had the Tamarind Roasted Tempeh in Green Curry with Japanese Eggplant, Snap Peas and Sticky Rice. As I may have mentioned I am drawn to Tempeh, Tofu, etc. dishes. This was a good curry and a nice gourmet way to provide for vegetarians. However, as has been mentioned, it doesn't entirely fit in with the Corner Kitchen's menu and strays from what their mission seems to be. Bean Counter had  the staple Sweet Mustard Glazed Three Meat Meatloaf with Collards, Cheddar Grits and Three Sauces. I only had one bite, but can confirm it was good. I can see how people would repeatedly be drawn to it - embraced by its consistency, comfort, good taste, and the warm fuzzy feeling that meatloaf brings to you. I can see this being awesome in late fall, winter, and early spring for me. Maybe next time. My wife was also quite excited by the wine deals they have weekly. She wants to return so she can have some Opus One without opening her own bottles of it and paying less for it through the discount.

Then it was off to pack a bike stealth like, stuff food, nutrition, tools, clothes, and more into a bag and fit clothes into a carry-on for three weeks - the majority of those clothes being cycling kit.

Sunny Point Cafe - Breakfast

The last post regarding Sunny Point Cafe was regarding dinner. This time we were there for a latish breakfast with my parents before they headed out. As mentioned before, you need to get here early on the weekend or do a really late lunch to avoid a big wait. Since we headed here during breakfast, on a Sunday, with a 2.5 year old, I was apprehensive. As luck would have it, we arrived and also were seated just before the big rush.

The breakfast offerings at Sunny Point Cafe are great and looking at the menu makes you plan when you can come back next for breakfast or that maybe we should make this a weekly or biweekly affair. So I forget what my mom had, I think an omelette. I forget what P had. I also forget what Bean Counter had, maybe french toast. However I do remember my dad had the short stack of Organic Orange Scented Gluten Free Cornmeal Hot Cakes: Surprisingly light hot cakes served with molasses butter and maple syrup. I had the Good Morning America America's Best Breakfast nominated Huevos Rancheros: Savory black bean cakes served with Snow Creek chorizo sausage, feta cheese, roasted tomatillo salsa, and herb tossed red skin spuds topped with two free range eggs any style, cilantro crema, and crispy tortilla strips with tofu chorizo.

Hot cakes: After breakfast my dad commented on how the hot cakes were pretty good, different. I initially took that as an aversion to something different from the typical conception of a hot cake. The next morning I tried the hot cakes that were left over. I can see where he would be somewhat averse if you were expecting a Bob Evan's hot cake. They had a subtle orange flavor, as is in the name, and were more "gritty," for lack of a better word, probably due to the cornmeal instead of bisquick or some other traditional batter. So while initially surprised by the taste and texture, I found them very good and would enjoy them for the next go around.

Huevos Rancheros: Wow. When I received my order I said something along the lines of: honey, we should have shared; or I'll be taking some of this home. Not so...ashamedly I ate the whole thing and resolved to have a small or nonexistant lunch. I can't imagine the damage this would do with the real chorizo sausage. As it is, this is a very unique and tasty rendition of the classic Huevos Rancheros. The black bean cakes were substantial by themselves, but with the eggs, tofu chorizo, tomatillo, cilantro crema, and spuds it was something else. It tasted so good. The kind of good where you are eating it, and before you know it you ate more than you are thinking you should or would, but you don't stop and it is gone.

Asheville Brewing Company - Downtown

The arrival of my dad for a day and a half meant more dining out. This time we actually went out since we do not yet have a table or chairs to eat on, and my dad wanted to see downtown Asheville - which I don't think he cared much for the crazy hippy, far left scene. I enjoy it for the local offerings and let the crazy crazies be themselves since I have not been forced into crazy poetry recitals or weird gigs where the band sings about how "We should let everyone do whatever they want and be who they want to be...except killing people. Killing people is wrong!" The fact that adding that disclaimer was necessary was the humorous part. I guess I was there for that.

So tonight we tried the second of three pizza places on my List so far, Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company in downtown. The Merrimon Ave. location has a theatre, whereas the Coxe location does not. As they brew their own beer (they are a brewery), I also wanted to try the beer on tap since the Asheville local craft beer scene is so good. The five of us ordered the Napoleon Dynamite Sticks ("Pizza shell with garlic butter & cheese, cut in strips and served with our homemade marinara sauce."), a pepperoni pizza with parmigiano dough (for P, Bean Counter and mom to share), and an onion, mushroom, tofu and provolone pizza with black peppercorn dough and red sauce. For the beer I chose their Shiva.

Napoleon Dynamite Sticks: Ordered for P's sake. With the butter and cheese I did not try much. They aren't sticking in my mind, so maybe there were just ok?

Pizza: I tried the crust on the parmigiano dough pizza - definitely a parmigiano cheese flavor which gave it a more buttery feel. I can see why P liked it so much. It was really good, but probably not something I would order on a pizza specifically for myself. The black peppercorn pizza I shared with Bean Counter. Its taste wasn't as pronounced as much as the Parimgiano dough until you got to the crust and dough by itself. The peppercorn gave it a very slightly different taste with, surprise, a black pepper hint. It was good in that it played a background note and didn't hammer the pepper home into your noise and throat. The other notable here was the tofu. Many places that offer tofu dishes do so as an after thought, a side note, and without much understanding of what to do with it. That usually results in a poorly used ingredient and without much imagination: "Throw the cubed tofu on there as is. That'll make the vegetarians happy." Asheville Brewing Company did a good ingredient in their tofu. It was marinated in something more than just a sauce to give tofu taste, and played good with the pizza.

Beer: The Shiva was good. But honestly I'll have to go back to try it again as P was nearing the end of being agreeable. I didn't get to focus much on it or really enjoy it. But it is supposed to be an American IPA - which I thought was supposed to be less of what an IPA is supposed to be in that it is way more hoppy. Told hold me to it, but I think it was not as hoppy as a typical American IPA. Instead it was more of a traditional IPA, more pale, and good citrus flavors.

Sunny Point Cafe

So the second place we hit on my List, as referenced in posting on 11 April, was Sunny Point Cafe. Bean Counter and I have been here before, but since this thing just started I thought I would include it. Again, since this was day two of moving in, we got take-out...again. Affecting our second day of eating out in a row was the fact that my mom was in town helping with the move. Therefore we were treated to more going out to eat.

Sunny Point Cafe is an Asheville favorite of mine. They do a good breakfast as well as everything else. I enjoy the vegetarian and vegan options that they have, but with a southernesque and comfort food twist. Of course, on the weekends you need to get here real early to beat the tourist and weekend rush. I forget what Bean Counter and my mom had to eat since I am backdating this, so I won't make it up or make an effort to remember what.

I ordered the Ol' Fashioned: "Garlicky garden greens, pinto and canalini beans simmered in veggie stock, spiced-right nice bamboo rice, and cornbread with molasses butter." I like collard greens and the vast amount of nutrition they have. They are versatile and taste good when prepared well. Sadly they are saddled with a poor name and people who say "what do I do with this?" or "what is this?" when it comes to cooking or eating them. I felt like something more healthy since this was a rest week on the bike and trying to cut back on eating and calories.

Greens: The greens were good, but they used too much oil to saute or cook them. So they turned out a little more oily than necessary. Since they are called "garlicky garden greens" I won't file a complaint regarding the garlic.

Beans: You really can't screw beans up in stock with rice. You can make them better than bland though. The spices on the rice were good and mixed with the beans it was nice. It had a great taste and somewhat reminded me of my grandma's beans and cornbread dish (in terms of comfort), but with more gourmet and less Virginia.

Cornbread: Speaking of the cornbread, the standout there is the molasses butter. Wow, that stuff is good. It has a very smooth texture and goes on thin. If this stuff was in my fridge I would be using it in the mornings for toast as a guilty pleasure instead of Nutella sometimes. I attempt to make myself forget that they sell the molasses butter in the restaurant for home - or at least I think they do. I don't know, I forget.

Mellow Mushroom

There are very few chain food places I like and will eat. It is not a railing against corporations, big money, or whatnot - I am a real capitalist afterall- but the vast majority of the time their food, while consistent, is consistently crap and uninspiring.

One of the few chains I enjoy is Mellow Mushroom. They have good ingredients, a nice variety of such, quality crust, it is not loaded with grease, and you get consistency when visiting the different ones. Food wise, there isn't anything overly unique about the Mellow Mushroom in Asheville. However, the interior is more inline with what a Mellow Mushroom should be - funky, more down to earth, and "hippy." In comparison the others I have been to in Columbus, Greensboro, and Burlington follow a hippy corporate theme. Corporate in that they are uniform and clean, and hippy only in the fact that they stick to the purple theme that conveys words like "purple haze," chill, and relax.

That is all null since I did take out this time. Since this was full day number one of the move-in the house was still a disaster and the focus was on putting things in their place. As a note, when picking the pizza up, and thus needing to park close to the pizzeria, parking proves a challenge since I don't feel walking the potential blocks and blocks with two pizzas and bread - as you may potentially have to do in downtown.

We had one pizza with pepperoni, for it is P's favorite ingredient. The other pizza was geared towards me in the form of onion and tempeh. I am drawn to tempeh whenever it is on the menu. It is one of my favorite proteins and I like the nutty, earthy taste it has, as well as the versatility of it. It really is not a hard ingredient to cook. However, one mellow mushroom that I have been to really screwed it up - I think Greensboro. That time, it was crumbled (it can be crumbled if you want though - normally it is cubed) and a greasy disaster, which ever has me peaked with curiosity as to what will come out. Not to worry as it was fine. The cheese quality is good and the crust is very nice and sweat. Also the garlic bread they have is better than normal. Most places load the bread with butter and a few bulbs of garlic, consequently I avoid the bread. Mellow Mushroom makes it less greasy and buttery, though I would prefer none, and leaves the taste and texture of the bread in tact by not loading it with butter and garlic.

In short, the pizza was good as normal. The only complaint I have about Mellow Mushroom is the nonability to have a thinner crust.