A weekend in Asheville, NC

On a sunny Friday morning, Britton and I set out for Asheville, NC to meet up with some of his former coworkers and their assorted girlfriends and to enjoy the scenery. After breakfast on the road, we made pit stop at Tallulah Hydro where Britton spent a couple weeks on a project while he was working with the Athens test group.

There were steps outside the building. No one was sure what it was we needed refuge from, but...you never know...zombies, velociraptors, the Illuminati. It's a jungle out there.

Below is a video of the Georgia Power guy heading down to the hydro facility at the bottom of the gorge. A wee bit north of us was the state park. The elevator looks safe enough, but carries you down at a weird 25 degree angle.

When we finally arrived in Asheville, just a couple hours later, we had some time to kill before we met Aaron and Darren (Britton's former coworkers) with their girlfriends Kari and Angie (respectively.) Britton discovered a coffee shop/chocolaterie (just made that word up) on a side street close to the art museum.

It was called French Broad Chocolate Lounge. IT WAS GLORIOUS.

Every kind of chocolate imaginable with only the finest local and fair trade ingredients. Chocolate liquer, hot chocolate, brownies, cakes, pies, truffles...along with some of the best coffee I've ever had via Counter Culture Coffee.

Britton tried the quintessential chocolate cake while I noshed on the flourless chocolate truffle torte with a raspberry sauce.

I was in a very very VERY happy place.

French Broad Chocolates is family owned and operated by two young entrepreneurs, and they ship to anywhere in the U.S.! So check them out already. Geez Louise.

After meeting up with the crew and settling into our hotel room, we headed over to Biltmore estate for the Christmas Candelight tour.

There's no filming in the house itself, so I'll just have to describe it.

This place isn't just a big effing house. It is a monument to American domesticity. With 250 rooms, it boasts a grand banquet room, billiard room, parlor, winter garden, master and mistress wings, bachelor's wing, numerous guest rooms, a full library, a bowling alley, an indoor swimming pool, fitness changing area, indoor gym, servants quarters, at least three kitchens, a rudimentary walk-in cooler, stables adjoining the house, and numerous gardens. The tour was a lot of fun...self-guided with the house all decked out for Christmas. There were dancers and Christmas carolers in the winter garden on the ground level.

Unfortunately, the tour offered little in the way of Biltmore history even though the guides stationed all around the house were extremely knowledgeable if you had any questions. Our tickets included a visit to the grounds (designed by the man who landscaped Central Park) the next day, but we did not have time to return. Britton and I agreed we would save that for another trip.

My favorite room in the whole house was the library. I know. Big surprise there. The library is two levels with an ornate spiral staircase accessing the loft-like second floor. George Washington Vanderbilt II owned over 23,000 books and could read in multiple languages. There were around 10,000 books in the library.

The next day we visited Chimney Rock State Park. Chimney Rock is a granite rock formation most known by me for its appearance in the final scenes of The Last of the Mohicans starring a sexy Daniel Day-Lewis.

The mountains were just shedding their fall colors, and the park was full of scenic photo opps.

Please enjoy this brief introduction to the park. It's the main title from The Last of the Mohicans featuring solo artisit Britton Carter in his film debut.

Britton playing photographer with Aaron and Kari on top of Chimney Rock.

This is a picture taken from the Opera Box which overlooks the top of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure below that.

Britton and I found a comfy patch of granite in the Opera Box.

That is correct. I hiked a freakin' mountain in a freakin' lacy dress. That's who I am.

This morning, before heading back home, we grabbed brunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe. Minus the 25 minute wait to get into the place, the food was delicious and the service was prompt.

Warm pimento cheese and tortilla chips.

Britton's lump crab omelette with a real orchid on top.

And a GIANT sweet potato pancake with granola and roasted pecans. I hate this picture of me, but I wanted to show you the scale of this pancake. I ate 1/4 of it and threw in the towel.

Don't worry about my booty, everybody. I just got back from the gym, and Britton's Dad, the patriarch, has a treadmill. Which reminds me. Thanksgiving 2010 is going to be broadcast from Tampa, FL this year. With the help of my mother, Pioneer Woman, and Mark Bittman from the NY Times, I will slay this honey-baked holiday beast.