Over the course of the week we tried a number of breweries and restaurants in the NC mountains.

April 10

Oskar Blues, Brevard – we’d been here previously so we knew they had lots of parking and a food truck. I was quite happy with my margarita gose (a collaboration with Cigar City), while Leandra tried a special collaboration brown, Women in Power. We also split chicken nuggets and fries for lunch – and Pasha had a taste too!

Burning Blush Brewery, Mills River – Our first time here, they had a nice large outdoor setup, with lots of people (and dogs) enjoying the sunshine.  I went with the Tornado Energy a Belgian Amber Strong while Leandra tried The Lone Piper (Ponderosa Farm Brewing Collab) a Scottish Export Ale. Both were quite pleasant.

April 11

Haywood 209 Cafe, Waynesville. Based on our previous visit, we made sure to get breakfast biscuits again. And just like last time, they were delicious :)

April 12

Gigi’s Restaurant, Waynesville – most sandwich places in the area close at 4p, so Leandra went over around 3:30 for takeout. They were out of the pork for a Cuban, but my grilled ham and cheese was almost as good! Leandra also enjoyed her philly cheese steak. The prices here were great, definitely a nice stop for a quick lunch if you are nearby.

April 13

Frog Level Brewing, Waynesville – We stopped in after our quick Blue Ridge Parkway hike, and lucky for us, a table right next to the creek was available which afforded a nice view of the water. Their blood orange gose was probably my favorite beer of the trip. Leandra ordered the Vanilla Croak-a-Nut porter and the Imperial Stout. We also split the cheapest thing on the menu, chips and queso, with our second beers. Pasha kept watch the entire time, so she was extra tired that evening.

April 14

Pops Butts on the Creek, Maggie Valley – With a half day off work we started our afternoon with a bbq lunch. We wanted to try both the pulled pork and beef brisket, so Leandra ordered the pork sandwich and I ordered the brisket sandwich. Perhaps not surprising for NC, we preferred the pork over the beef! The hush puppies were also notably tasty and quite light.

BearWaters Brewing Creekside, Maggie Valley – After the motorcycle museum we went another mile down the road to the creekside location for Bear Water (we’d been to the riverside location in August). Somehow we both ordered dessert-esque beers: I quite enjoyed the blackberry crumble sour, while Leandra got the very rich chocolate cherry cordial. It was a beautiful afternoon so we sat on the deck next to the creek, altogether quite pleasant.

The Chef’s Table, Waynesville – Inspired by our August trip, we again made a reservation, and were again happy with the decision. My shortib pasta was delicious, and Leandra thoroughly enjoyed the daily special triggerfish with seafood risotto. She even had enough left over for lunch the next day.

April 16

Joey’s Pancake House, Maggie Valley – I had pancakes on my mind, so before we left town we stopped here. It was a ~20 minute wait to get a table on a Saturday morning, and they were quite busy the whole time. Leandra went for the classic eggs, sausage and pancakes, while I couldn’t resist an order of the chocolate chip pancakes.