Dining where Barack and Michelle Did

Not only was The Corner Kitchen our very best dining experience on our recent trip to Asheville NC, but it also was the restaurant the Obamas chose for a dinner in Asheville when they spent part of their April vacation in the region.
On April 25th, a Saturday, the staff was surprised by an influx of Secret Service agents followed not too much later by the Obama party, which included two other couples who were their personal friends. Word has it that they spent the day hiking in the mountains nearby before selecting this spot for dinner.
We've been to Asheville quite a few times in recent years but I'd only had lunch at the Corner Kitchen. We had the opportunity to eat there last Saturday night, and it was stellar.
My "Cashew Crusted Snapper on Citrus Basil Rice with Snow Pea Salad and Coconut Carrot Sauce" (bottom photo) was the best dish I've eaten in weeks and one of the best this year, anywhere. It was head and shoulders above anything we ate at Jean-Robert's Table, by the way. Also in the photos, my husband's mountain trout entree -- excellent, but not in the class of my snapper.
Photos of the Obamas' visit are copied from the restaurant's website.

Road Food (Asheville, NC)

Just back from 6 days in western North Carolina, a family-oriented, working trip with few culinary highlights. But we did get to stop--going and coming--in Asheville.

Among its many charms, the mountain town is blessed with plenty of good restaurants. My go-to fave is the vegetarian Laughing Seed, where we had lunch on the way to our destination (Rutherfordton, NC). On the way home, we met my step-brother for lunch at the Corner Kitchen in Biltmore Village. The photo at left is of a lavendar-infused chicken salad that my mom had; the smaller photo (right) is my "ploughman's lunch," the best part of which was the cup of gazpacho. That black blob on the plate is a grilled portobello mushroom.