biscuits and beers in asheville, n.c.

Asheville, N.C., is a cool little town. When we visited earlier this month, morning fog yielded to afternoon sun every day, and downtown the Blue Ridge unfolded all around. We were even treated to a nice little rainbow. 

^^Cool rooftops, eh?^^

What did we do before and after the wedding we were there to attend? Why, we ate and ate and drank. Our first stop was brunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe, where farm-fresh Southern fare is served-up at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

I was enticed by the Golden Tomato Bloody Mary--made from roasted yellow tomatoes and garlic and served up in a 20-ounze mug packed to the gills with enough garnishes to make a side salad. It was wonderful. For brunch, I opted for an Eggs Benedict served overtop the revered Southern biscuit. Jon ordered a hearty bowl of morning grits. Both plates were delicious. 

Oh lordie, thank goodness for stretchy pants, because there was zero chance I was going to leave one little morsel of biscuit on my plate. These biscuits were supreme: the perfect salty/sweet, crumbly/doughy balance. Slab a little of Tupelo's house-made blueberry compote on there and you can find heaven.

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Jon and I left Cecile with my in-laws for the weekend (thank you!!), so we were really free to enjoy the town's watering holes. Our favorite? Wicked Weed Brewing on Biltmore Avenue. Oh, how I wanted to helicopter this entire brewery back north. Everything from the people to the vibe and the beer--especially the beer!--was truly awesome. How about franchising, Wicked!? We'll be your best costumers, promise.

^^I can't resist a cheeky sign.^^

Wicked Weed has an upstairs and a downstairs. Both levels are equally cool. Exposed brick and Edison lights fuel that industrial-chic, low-maintenance vibe I love right now. The downstairs opens up to a back patio, which is where we settled down to have a light nosh with our brews. "Pernicious Blonde," a lovely little sour ale, and "Freak of Nature," an imperial IPA with a big crisp finish, were our two favorites from their thirty or so craft brews on draft. 

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Finally on our way out of town, we decided to hit Biscuit Head at the urging of a friend. "It's like a little breakfast sandwich on a biscuit," he said. "Best I've ever had." OK, then. Just one more bit of Southern gluttony before heading home, we figured. So we turned into a parking lot surrounded by strips of brick medical buildings. Except for a small sign near the road, the location is rather unassuming. A nice place for a nice little breakfast, we thought. 

Inside, color dominates. So does the smell of sweet biscuits and a gloriously greasy breakfast. We knew this would be just the place to (err) settle our stomachs after a late night out the evening before. We ordered from a list of a dozen or so "biscuits," poured our coffee into a mug from the wall, and sat down. A "little biscuit sandwich" is what we expected to arrive at our table but, oh nooooooo ... 

Holyyyyyyy Moses, those biscuits be BIG. They were gigantic. Bigger than Bogie's head, even! To call what's served on Biscuit Head's platters a "sandwich" is a mighty mistake. Nobody could or would try to eat this Southern masterpiece with their hands, after all. A fork and knife are the only plan of attack for this 60,000-calorie (I'm guestimating) brunch. And this craggy and crunchy masterpiece was positively magnificent. A true treat. 

So there you have it. It's a really good thing I don't live in the true South, because I'm not sure I have the constant willpower to resist all the glorious calories we indulged in that weekend. But thank you, Asheville, for the Southern hospitality ... and for inspiring a juice cleanse upon my arrival home.

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a few more photos from our time at the little cottage ...

I'm not ready to let this trip go. It was just so lovely to be in a good place with great friends. So here are some more moments from our trip to The Little Cottage ...

^^A legitimate question!^^

^^Isn't it hysterical the way little kids are so enamored with older kids? Cecile and Declan were so placid watching Ainslie and Oliver romp around on the surf. It was great.^^

When her pal Oliver wasn't around for playtime, Ainslie took a real interest in Cecile. And Cecile just loved the attention, even if that attention came with some questionable headwear ;)

 ^^Such concentration, Miss C.^^

A short walk in the opposite direction from the cottage brought us to White Lake, where there is a small beach with a little less of a breeze than on Lake Michigan. It was the perfect change of scenery for the kids and did a fine job of wearing everybody out before dinner and bedtime. 

^^Be still, my heart.^^

We were so happy to visit this happy little place, and I can only hope that this trip becomes a yearly event (hint, hint!). Thanks for sharing your cottage with us, Alice ... xx

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the little cottage.

Before we slip into Labor Day Weekend (what? already??), I have to share my favorite, favorite week in all of August. Cecile and I traveled north and west to the little town of Whitehall, Mich. We were guests at The Little Cottage, a whitewashed bungalow perched on a hill overlooking Lake Michigan. There, we met up with two of my dearest friends and their kids: Ali and her son, Oliver, who's family has summered at The Little Cottage for decades; and Liz and her daughter, Ainslie, and son, Declan. I went to Denison with both of these girlfriends and, my oh my, how things have changed since we all roomed together senior year. Today Ali and her family live in Cambridge, Mass., and Liz's brood lives in Northville, Mich. If you had asked me years ago if I saw us vacationing with our young families together, I probably would have told you yes, of course. But I never could have anticipated just how perfectly perfect it could be. 

Really? In a house full of kids?, you ask. Why, yes. Everyone was working under the same circumstances, after all. Up early? Guess what: We all were. Beholden to a nap time (or two)? Heck yes. Want your kids fed and in bed on time? You can bet your bottom dollar each and every mama had that timing down, pat. And it was nice to be in a house where it took everyone 30 minutes to pack beach totes, lather up with SPF, and get those baby bums down to the beach. In short, it was fantastic not to be the only one looking out for a little. Oh, and my girlfriends were pretty great company, too ;) ;) 

^^Meet Declan :) :) Gorgeous child.^^

Once everyone was up and breakfast was finished, it was time to start the (long) process of getting to the beach ... beginning with a full strip-down and lotion lather-up. Pass the sunscreen, please.

^^"Welcome to our ocean," Liz said of Lake Michigan. Yes, please.^^

Cecile is cruising and standing everywhere and anywhere, and Declan, who just turned one on the first of the month, is a long-time expert walker. But the sand threw both these babes through a loop. Toes sinking! Uneven ground! What to make of it?? Declan eventually got the hang of it, and Cecile ... well ... let's just say she ate less sand this time around.

 ^^Cecile, my little thrill-seeker.^^

Ainslie and Oliver are two peas in a pod. Over the week they were inseparable. On the beach it was: dig, gather, stamp, splash together. Want to fill the bucket? Sure. Want to dig a hole? Yes. The two worked as such a team, giving and taking each other's orders, quarreling and negotiating and learning with one another. One could say they acted like more like old lovers than friends. It was wonderful to watch. 

And then there was Cecile. Never before has my girl been such an easy bean. She was so entertained by all the action that I barely heard a cry of complaint the whole week. It was great. 

^^Pile on Ali ... ha! With a mama like her, who wouldn't be a mama's boy??^^

The beach was cool enough to stay out for hours, it seemed. And the kids got plenty sandy and so tuckered out that they were (relatively) easy to march off to bath and bed. 

^^Everybody wanted a bit of bath time.^^

After a nice bath and a nice dinner, it was time for bed. But not before cuddling together for a few books ... and a bottle. 

With the kids tucked in (true confession: sometimes it took a few tries ... there was such excitement!), there was time for us mommies to gossip and drink wine. Now that's a vacation. Happy kids, happy mommies, happiest of nights. The Little Cottage, I hope, will become a tradition we keep for many years to come.

(P.S. You can check out more snaps on Ali's blog here.)

xx xx!

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