Brevard Music Center Picnic and Concert

Enjoy dining on the lawn at the Brevard Music Center through Picnics by Mayberry's. Picnics include your choice of sandwich, salad, dessert, and beverage. Picnics by Mayberry's will be available at orchestra performances held at Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium. You may pre-order online or at the box office at least 48 hours prior to the date or visit the Picnics by Mayberry's kiosk at the Auditorium (WPA) up to 2 hours prior to the performance. Supply is limited if not pre-ordered. All picnics are $15.

Here is a sampling of the picnics being offered:

The Classical: Club Wrap - Roasted turkey, pit ham, bacon and white American cheese with fresh tomatoes and lettuce in a toasted tortilla, and a baked potato salad.

Jazz (Vegetarian): Spicy Orzo Wrap – Spicy orzo with black and white beans, edamame, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce and a spicy sweet Cuban mustard, and a fresh fruit cup.

The Chorus: Layered Salad – Romaine and Iceberg lettuce with homemade dressing mixed with broccoli, green peppers, mushrooms, carrots and baby peas, sprinkled with cheddar cheese, bacon and tomatoes and topped with Italian grilled chicken; served with a breadstick.

Picnics can be purchased via the ticketing site or by calling the box office.

Get a link for the Brevard Music Center and other local information on the Brevard NC Visitor Guide.

WNC Chefs Challenge for 4-10-12

April 10   WNC Chefs Challenge  Red STAG Grill vs. Sunburst Trout Company Food and sport combine for the ultimate food fight. The Challenge brings together 14 leading chefs from the region and one secret ingredient in weekly battles each Tuesday from March 20 - May 22.

Diners enjoy six plated culinary creations (three from each team) that incorporate the secret ingredient and score each dish. The votes from the audience and a panel of professional chefs, journalists, and culinary experts are tallied. A winner is announced at the end of the night and continues to the next round of competition.

Get a link for the Chefs Challenge and other NC Events and Festivals HERE

Fire on the Rock Semi-finals this week in Blowing Rock

March  20    Fire on the Rock    Semi-final -   Glidewell's   VS   Green Park Inn.  Chefs from local restaurants will battle head-to-head in exciting single elimination battles every Tuesday and Wednesday at Crippen's Restaurant. You, the diner, judge a six course "blind" menu created around a secret ingredient. Prepaid reservations are required.  March 21 -  Vidalia  VS  Bistro Roca

Get a link and more events on the Blowing Rock Visitor Guide

Fire on the Rock Chef's Competition in Blowing Rock

February 28    Fire on the Rock in Blowing Rock NC - Chefs from local restaurants will battle head-to-head in exciting single elimination battles every Tuesday and Wednesday at Crippen's Restaurant. You, the diner, judge a six course "blind" menu created around a secret ingredient. Prepaid reservations are required.

"Grill or be Grilled" is the slogan in this annual diner-judged food competition that began in 2005 during the inaugural year of the Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival in Blowing Rock, North Carolina with just six chefs. This year's competition includes sixteen chefs who vie for the grand prize of $2500 and the coveted "Red Chef Jacket".

The competition is waged in brackets, with winners meeting winners every Tuesday and Wednesday until the grand final on April 11. Weekly winners as well as voting statistics are posted online. The event has become exceptionally popular and advanced reservation are recommended. Get a link for Fire on the Rock and other Blowing Rock events and information HERE.

Small Plates Crawl in Asheville

February 21-23, 11:30 AM to 9:00 PM - the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association (AIR) presents the Small Plates Crawl. It's always difficult to choose among the many remarkable restaurants in Asheville, so the small plates crawl helps ease the dilemma with an opportunity to enjoy multiple meals in miniature versions.

participant Tupelo Honey Cafe

Dozens of Asheville's finest restaurants will be serving up small portions of their best cuisine with menus, priced from $3 to $8. This is the perfect opportunity to sample taste treats from Asheville eateries that you may have missed in the past. If you haven't experienced the Foodtopian Society, then this is a perfect time to do so.

Two contests will be offered as part of the Crawl - one for the most restaurants sampled and the other for photographers. . The lucky person with the most restaurant validations at the end of the weekend will win a Grove Park Inn Getaway. For photographers there are two different categories to enter with 3 cash prizes for each.

Participating restaurants are located in downtown Asheville, Biltmore Village and North, South, East and West Asheville. A map and list of restaurants is available on the website. Get a link for the Asheville Small Plates Crawl and other Asheville NC information HERE

Diana Wortham Theatre New Dinner Deal

Enjoy a golden opportunity to treat yourself to a three course dinner before the show. Indulge in a 3 course, prix fixe menu for $30 by showing your Diana Wortham Theatre ticket on the day of the show.

Posana Cafe is the perfect start to a sparkling night on the town! Enjoy our daily wine special, a $5 glass of red or white wine, our made-to-order sodas with homemade syrups and organic sweeteners, or relax with one of our unique specialty cocktails. Come before the show and dine from a menu that hits all the right chords, starting with our famous Kale Salad, to our delectable dessert menu.

Upcoming Wortham Theatre Performances

• The Importance of Being Earnest • Aquila Theatre Company, Friday, February 3
• Macbeth • Aquila Theatre Company, Saturday, February 4
• Solas • Friday, February 10
• Cosi Fan Tutte • Asheville Lyric Opera, Friday & Saturday, February 17 & 18
• Rennie Harris Puremovement • Thursday & Friday, February 23 & 24

For tickets and more information, call the box office at 828.257.4530 or visit www.dwtheatre.com. The Diana Wortham Theatre is located at 2 South Pack Square in Asheville NC

February Music and Events at The Purple Onion

February 2 - Nikki Talley  - a voice that harkens back to the Appalachian roots from which she was born, and shores up on the edgesof contemporary southern rock, country, blues, and jazz

February 4 - Taylor Moore Band  - singer with guitar pyrotechnics, original songwriting Ray LaMontagne-meets-Rod Stewart vocal stylings

February 9 - Calico Moon - their sound is a seamless blend of roots, country and pure mountain soul

February 11 - Lonesome Road Band - fabulous bluegrass as this Hendersonville-based band returns

February 16 - Alan Barrington - The Charlotte Observer says:"Barrington offers nicely crafted folk-pop along the linesof David Wilcox or Pierce Pettis."

February 18 - Gigi Dover & The Big Love - her many fans here know to expect a musical, magical evening under her spell

February 23 - Chuck Brodsky  - "With insight and good humor, he has taken these life experiences and distilled them into old fashioned story songs brimming with wit and compassion." -New York Times

February 25 - The Bad Popes - original material as well as choice covers ranging from Graham Parsons and Willie Nelson to The Beatles and The Ramones

Monday and Tuesday Nights (excluding 2-7-12)  through the Winter enjoy a variety of board games.  It's evolving. It's casual. It's impromptu and it's fun. Play one of the Onion's games or bring your own. Whether you are a scrabble aficionado or a chess master or just looking for entertainment and camaraderie, there will be a fire in the wood stove, something hearty in the soup pot, weekly slider specials, oysters on the half shell, and beer and wine specials.

The Purple Onion is located at 16 Main Street in historic downtown Saluda NC. GEt a link for the Purple Onion and other Saluda restaurants, shops and information HERE