Living in North Carolina Mountains Getaway blog
As I took my walk this afternoon around the neighborhood, I noticed a lot of my neighbor’s lawns were turning brown due to lack of rain. My lawn is all mulch so I dont have to worry about it. I heard that we were having a draught. It really hasn’t rained enough to do any good lately. Rain is suppose to come in this weekend. Sure hope we get a good drenching cause we sure do need it here in the NC mountains.
It was a pretty day today. Very nice weather. My boyfriend drove up to craggy gardens on the blue ridge parkway this afternoon. I had to do some things or I’d have gone with him. He said the Rhodendrons had bloomed out and that the Mountain Laurel were blooming now. It is beautiful here all year round. This is one of our favorite places to getaway here in the NC mountains. There are picnic tables. I have gone here on a rainy day and watched the rain from a far.
I took my son to Luella’s barbeque today. I always like to go back to a restaurant to review again to make sure my first findings were consistant. We both ordered the pulled chicken plate. I had okra and onion rings with my plate. My son ordered the potato salad and baked beans with his plate. The barbeque was excellent I thought. My son thought it was okay. I thought the sides were just okay again. What I am finding with most all the barbeque restaurants in Asheville is that the side dishes are just okay. So this is nothing unual. I picked up a menu here that said the recipe for the barbeque was from the owner’s grandma. Anyway, the 2 dinners cost close to $20.00 with drinks.
I hate driving downtown Asheville. They put cement islands in the road at various areas around Asheville. There is one near the Buncombe County courthouse and one at the UNCA entrance. These are the ones that I know about off hand. These islands are confusing. People dont always yield when they are suppose to. Its a wonder there aren’t more wrecks downtown than there are all ready. Anyway, I once read where the roads of Asheville weren’t laid out in any real order, that the roads followed old deer trails.
Luella’s Barbeque is located at 1950 Hendersonville Rd in South Asheville in the same Plaza as the Post Office. I was coming out of the Post Office when I was drawn to this Barbeque restaurant by the aroma. It smelled so good. First I went to my car, to make up my mind whether to try Luella’s or not. I surveyed the place and noticed that there were a lot of people eating there. I’ve noticed this before too. This is a good indication of a good restaurant. So, I went in and ordered a pulled chicken plate. There was a woman in front of me, that actually told the server, “That’s real barbeque, I’m so excited”. But, anyway, my barbeque plate consisted of an order of collard greens, baked beans, hush puppies and of course the pulled chicken. It cost was $8.27 which included tax. The bad thing was when I got home with my take out, I tried to carry it upstairs juggling a cup of coffee, a small watermelon and a bag of oranges. Before I got my plate out of the car, it shifted. Luckily I didn’t dump the plate in the garage floor. The food stayed in the container but it was all mixed up. I did my best to separate the mess. The chicken was super good anyways. The beans were spicy hot. The collards greens …. well I am not a big fan of greens anyways. The reason I ordered them was cause I dont like trying cole slaw when out cause I have never found cole slaw in a restaurant that I like so I didn’t think this place would be any different. I dont like grits period. Macaroni and cheese is a no no on my diet. And potato salad is never my favorite. I figured if I didn’t like the collards, my granddaughter would. The hushpuppies were soft and pretty much ruined cause all the juices got to them. But, even with the upset, the meal was pretty good. I choose chicken over pork cause of my diet. They also have Pork ribs, chopped pork bbq, turkey, beef brisket and smoked andouille sausage. They cater to groups too. The servers were friendly and pleasant. The price is in line with other barbeque restaurants in the area. You could split a meal. I only was able to eat a third of what I was served. The rest is in the refrigerator waiting on my son to try. I would go back again.
for some great restaurants in Asheville with hours of operation, pictures, gift certificates, online reservations (available through a few restaurant listings) and more information see: Restaurant.com enter the zipcode 28803