EAT: Rhubarb, Asheville, NC

 

I love Asheville! Even though most people come to Asheville for the fall leaf color or the Biltmore House, I do to Asheville for the fabulous food. Downtown Asheville has so many great restaurants, and many are allergy friendly. Case in point: Rhubarb. I now love Rhubarb even more because I found out that Chef John Fleer is a native of my hometown, Winston Salem, NC and a fellow alum of UNC (Go Heels!). John wants Rhubarb to be a special place, and it is.

Even though Rhubarb does not have a gluten free menu, it is very gluten free friendly. Just ask your server and surprise, a basket of gluten free bread will be delivered to your table.

My dinner companion and I could not resist trying the Rosemary-Sea Salt Pecans. So good! They arrived warm in a metal tin and were so tasty with the hints of rosemary and sea salt. Who does not love warm nuts??

For dinner, I ordered the Blackberry Glazed Duck Confit with Sweet Potato Anna Cake, Swiss Chard, Sweet Garlic, Wet Walnuts, Coffee-Cured Duck Ham, and Blackberry-Shiso Salad. The duck was cooked to perfection and all the flavors paired well together. Love the presentation as well.

My dinner companion decided on the Pinchito Roasted Heritage Pork Collar with Sweet and Sour Collard Greens, Sea Island Red Peas, Peach-Red Onion Marmalade, but no Crispy Okra. The pork was tender, definitely a southern dish. Our server was great about letting us know what was gluten free and what was not, in fact, most of the menu was naturally gluten free.

Even though Rhubarb does not have a gluten free menu, the restaurant prides itself on accommodating gluten free and allergy free diners. It is always so cool when the restaurant does not feel it needs to make a splash about accommodating, but gladly does so and surprises diners with gluten free bread and makes most of the dishes automatically gluten free. As an added bonus, I highly recommend sitting out on the patio to enjoy the live music played on the sidewalk by local musicians nightly.

Rhubarb
7 S Pack Square
Asheville, NC 28801
828.785.1503
http://www.rhubarbasheville.com/
Closed Tuesdays