Waynesville, NC, has been surprisingly enjoyable. A short drive from Asheville, this little mountain town has some decent restaurants. We ate a simple but well-prepared steak dinner at Bogart's the night before. On this day, we had a delicious and very reasonable breakfast at Clyde's, followed by an amazing lunch at Trust, a little eating place in Hot Springs where the chef seems to be practicing for a place on Top Chef. On-line reviews led us to the Chef's Table for dinner, a small downtown restaurant that could easily be in Asheville, or for that matter, New York. Two eating areas are separated by the bar and kitchen. I love that you can see what the chef is doing.
Our meal started with house-made bread served with house-made hummus instead of butter.
The hummus had a coarse mash. Instead of putting Tahini in the hummus, the chef used black sesame seeds. It was delicious, as was the bread.
The menu is simple and focused, and we quickly made our choices. We all skipped the appetizers and went straight to the entrees. I ordered one of my faves: shrimp and grits.
The shrimp were large and succulent, the sauce was divine and the grit cakes were crispy on the outside and creamy inside. The asparagus was such a nice accompaniment and cooked perfectly. Absolutely heavenly.
Guy opted for clams and pasta.
He never came up for air and proclaimed it the best clams and pasta he’s had. Quite an endorsement coming from a 100% picky-eater Sicilian.
Mandy and David (my daughter-in-law and son) wanted Chicken Marsala.
They both loved it, especially the house-made wide pasta.
We were all full, but I just couldn’t think of leaving without trying the Godiva chocolate cheesecake. Silky smooth, with a chocolate crumb crust, white chocolate and chocolate ganache garnish and caramel sauce, this was some dessert.
We each had a few bites and Mandy and David took the remaining half home. The cheesecake was totally amazing and worth $8.00.
Chef’s Table is reasonably priced for the quality of the food served. Service is excellent. Our server was very attentive and totally tuned in to our wants and needs. We’ll definitely head back there next time we are in the Asheville area. If you go, be sure to call ahead for reservations. They fill up quickly and this is one place you don’t want to miss.
7 comments:
Judy, I never knew that Waynesville had anything to offer but a drive through McDonald's! We were there many years ago on our way to a white-water rafting excursion on the Nantahala River. We've talked about going for an autumn drive pretty soon, so this eatery sounds like a perfect place to stop. What a menu! Thanks for sharing about hidden gems! Roz
this looks like a great place love shrimp and grits thanks for the encouragement to make gnocchi lol
I'm crazy about shrimp and grits. I love how the asparagus looks draped over the dish.
Waynesville is a very nice place to visit. We stayed in Maggie Valley for a month one year and we went to Waynesville often. I love their historic downtown with all of the shops.
Sam
Glad you enjoyed it! It looks like a great place to visit. Thanks for shating..
Great photography too.
Faith.
Sam, I was thinking of you when we were there because I know you live in the mountains. I was wondering if we were anywhere near you.
I lived in Waynesville for 3 years - and loved it. I hope you visited one of the apple orchards while you were there - they grow some of the best galas in the state!
Angie, Sadly, I didn't ask about apple orchards and left Waynesville without apples. We'll go back though, and hopefully we can time one of our trips to coincide with apple harvest. I love Waynesville!
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