Asheville Archives - Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com

Clemson 2024

Isaac Church — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 03:30:12 +0000

Welcome back, this time for a very short weekend trip down to Clemson, SC to see our Mountaineers take on the Tigers in football.

Saturday morning, September 7, we picked up Trevor (if you don’t know who that is by now, just read another football blog) first thing in the morning and drove to a house he’s building so he could give us a tour. Then, we hit the road towards western NC via I-40, en route to the game in Clemson.

Recess Coffee and Baked Goods

Our first stop was at Recess Coffee and Baked Goods in Black Mountain, NC. This cafe is fairly new, and serves excellent quality pastries and coffee. We got a tiramisu croissant and two turtle pecan monkey breads. Both were excellent, especially the turtle bread. Dad and I split Costa Rican (Cerrosan Luis honey process) and Colombian (Claudia Samboni Huila washed) pour overs, and Trevor got a latte. Everything was very good, as it has been every time I’ve visited.

Recess Coffee and Baked Goods

Recess Coffee and Bake Shop

Black Mountain, NC

Excellent coffee and pastries and extremely friendly service. They source their beans from Sweet Bloom Coffee in Lakewood, CO, an excellent roaster. If they roasted their own, I would probably give them three stars.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Haus Heidelberg

Leaving Black Mountain, we traveled south to the Asheville outlets so I could pick up a couple new dress shirts, and then continued on to Hendersonville, where we stopped at Haus Heidelberg for lunch. This is a traditional Bavarian-style tavern. We got a bratwurst and Bavarian lye-dipped pretzel as an appetizer, and then each got a Schnitzel sandwich with Bavarian hot potato salad for a side. Dad added melted Gouda and tomato to his sandwich, which Trevor and I both wish we’d also done.

Haus Heidelberg

The food was outstanding. It’s distinctly different from Berliner Kindl, the excellent German restaurant in Black Mountain, but equally as good. We’d definitely visit again!

Haus Heidelberg

hendersonville, NC

Outstanding Bavarian food in a relaxed atmosphere. You will leave stuffed!

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

From Hendersonville, we drove into Greenville, where we checked into our hotel just off of downtown. Most of the hotel was occupied by the Virginia Tech men’s soccer team. We settled into our room, requested an extra set of bedding for the pullout sofa, and then headed off for the game.

Football?

Soon we arrived in Clemson, and after FINALLY finding a place to park approximately 58 miles away from the stadium, we walked through campus and over to Memorial Stadium, also known as Death Valley. Clemson has a beautiful campus, and very friendly fans. They rank up in the top two or three nicest fanbases I’ve been around, probably.

Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC

After climbing approximately 159 flights of stairs up to our seats, we sat down to eat a few snacks from the concession stand and watch the game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much of a game at all, as we got blown off our feet right out of the gate.

Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC

We got beat so badly, so fast, that we really didn’t even have time to get worked up. After sitting there for a while in flabbergasted silence, I finally said “I think this is the nicest weather I’ve experienced at a football game”. It really was…we got to see a gorgeous sunset over the lake, and the temperature was absolutely perfect during the game. Somehow, that didn’t make the two mile postgame walk back to the truck any more pleasant.

Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC

We made it back to our hotel in Greenville without any real hassle other than traffic, and headed to bed.

Methodical Coffee

In the morning, we woke up respectably early, packed up, and headed out to find some breakfast and coffee. We settled on Methodical Coffee, right across from the Mast General Store in downtown. This was a wonderful choice, as we had a great breakfast. We split a few pastries (tomato tart, almond croissant, and morning bun), and got a few coffee drinks. Dad and I bought two bags of beans to split, which also came with two free to-go coffees. Everything was very good, and we decided we would likely order more beans from them in the future.

Methodical Coffee

Greenville, SC

Top quality beans and pastries in a great part of town. It’s also nice to drink and eat off of nice plates and mugs.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Roadside Produce

On our way back north, we stopped at a roadside stand to buy a large basket of SC peaches. The man at the stand said they were the last harvest of the year, and also gave us a free taste of some scuppernong and muscadine grapes.

P.F. Chang's

In Biltmore Park, we decided we’d stop to use the restroom, but while we were there, chose to go ahead and eat an early lunch at P.F. Chang’s, since they’d just opened and weren’t crowded at all. Trevor and I split a two-person deal they were running, which came with a house salad and Chang’s lettuce wraps as appetizers. For the main meal, Dad got orange chicken, Trevor got some kind of spicy chicken, and I got honey chicken.

P.F. Chang's

All the food was excellent. I don’t know that I’d give a chain like this any stars, because it’s always best to choose a local option, but it’s a great place to get a meal if you are in a hurry and it fits your schedule.

Home

We finally arrived back home, and then headed back up the mountain to Boone in time to see Faith and Walker before he headed to bed. It was a very fun trip, despite the terrible loss, and we’re glad we went.

Conclusion

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Thanks for following our travels! Stay tuned for more trips coming sometime in 2025.

– Isaac, Jerry, and Trevor

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Trip 2, Day 3/4 – San Antonio, Austin // Texas 2022

Isaac Church — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 02:00:05 +0000

The final two days of our trip, we explored San Antonio’s attractions, drove back to Austin, and then flew back home to NC.

Merit Coffee Co.

Around 08:00, we left our hotel in San Antonio and drove just down the road to Merit Coffee Company for some coffee and breakfast. I got a blueberry lemon muffin, Trevor got some kind of granola bar, and Cody got a pumpkin cream cheese muffin with chocolate chips and pepitas. Everything was very good, but Trevor was very disappointed they were out of breakfast tacos.

Merit Coffee Co.

Remember The Alamo

Next, we drove to downtown San Antonio, found parking in a parking deck, and walked a couple blocks to our destination for the morning: The Alamo. I booked a guided tour for the three of us, so we checked in at the kiosk and waited for the tour to begin, using the time to locate a place to dispose of our empty coffee cups.

The tour lasted about an hour, and took us all around the grounds of The Alamo complex, starting in the courtyard outside, and ending in the exhibit building. Several things surprised me about The Alamo; I’ll list them below. You can read about most of the site’s history elsewhere, so I won’t bore you with a historical recap.

The Alamo is in the middle of downtown San Antonio, and I literally mean in the middle of it.
In 2023, The Alamo is opening a huge collections center across the street. The majority of the artifacts will be from the world’s largest collection of Alamo artifacts, owned by Phil Collins. Yes, I’m talking about the musician.
The Alamo complex is far larger than just the Alamo chapel, which is the most recognizable structure from the original Spain mission. In fact, the whole complex was about five acres, including long barracks, a large courtyard, outbuildings, and more.
The Alamo chapel didn’t have a roof for much of its existence. Sometime after the US Army took control in 1846, the soldiers added a roof to a building.

The Alamo

After the tour, we took another half hour to walk around the grounds and through the exhibits. We enjoyed the tour, and it was fascinating to learn about the history of the area. You can stop by just for a quick visit, but I would highly recommend booking a tour or getting an audio guide if you want to fully appreciate the history of the area.

The Alamo

River Walk

We left The Alamo, stopping briefly at an exhibit marking the corner of one The Alamo’s walls to see a cannon. It was a shocking experience (the hand rails had tons of static electricity). Continuing north, we descended about a story and a half below ground to the famous San Antonio River Walk. Since it’s below street level, the temperature is significantly cooler on the River Walk than the city above.

San Antonio River Walk

It’s a unique and beautiful experience, with exquisite landscaping, and a sense of peacefulness thanks to the white noise of the water drowning out the bustling traffic above. This stands out as probably the most unique downtown I’ve visited in the US, and I’d recommend everyone to visit at some point if given the chance. The River Walk itself winds in various directions; there’s a main “circle”, but they’ve significantly expanded it over the years. My only complaint is that most of the restaurants and shops on the river are very high-priced and touristy (e.g., Hard Rock Cafe, Dick’s Last Resort, etc.).

San Antonio River Walk

San Fernando Cathedral

Kallison Love Lock Walk Bridge

San Antonio River Walk

We’d originally planned to take a boat tour around the Walk, but we ended up walking so far, we decided to just complete the circle on foot instead. We briefly popped back up to street level to see the Main Plaza and San Fernando Cathedral, and managed to witness a small outdoor wedding in the process. Around 11:15, all of us were starting to get very hungry (and tired of walking), so we decided to make our way back to the car and head towards lunch.

Rosario's

We attempted to go to two different restaurants before finally settling on Rosario’s Mexican Cafe Y Cantina in Southtown. The first place we tried had no parking, and the second was in a rather bad-looking section of town, so we left for the sake of our rental car’s safety. Rosario’s turned out to be a great decision. It’s an art deco-themed restaurant, augmented with pink décor, that specializes in Tex-Mex cuisine.

For an appetizer, we ordered their fire-roasted salsa and chips. It was the best chips and salsa I’ve ever had by far – slightly spicy, slightly sweet, and deeply savory and smoky from the fire-roasted tomatoes. The chips were airy, thin, and light, but didn’t break when dipping in the salsa. We all got tacos of some kind – Trevor’s were rolled, Cody’s were loaded with all kinds of toppings, and mine were griddled with a gooey layer refried beans and cheese hugging the meat inside. Everything was exceptionally flavorful, especially the meat in the tacos. The refried and charro beans will make any I eat in the future taste bland, since Rosario’s were laced with a savory blend of ground spices that gave them exceptional flavor.

Rosario's

San Antonio, TX

Honestly some of the best Tex-Mex food I’ve ever had, if not the best. Everything was super flavorful – I don’t think I’ll be able to eat “normal” refried beans for a while after tasting these. If you in San Antonio, be sure to stop by!

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Mission Espada

Thoroughly stuffed, we needed to kill some time before our next Dutch Bros run, so we drove south of the city to Mission Espada. This is the southernmost of the five Spanish missions in the area; we planned to start down here and work our way northward. Four of these missions now make up San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, excluding Misión San Antonio de Valero (The Alamo). We decided to visit all the missions in the park, spending a half-hour or so at each.

Mission Espada

Founded in 1690, this is the oldest of all the Spanish missions in Texas. It’s full name is Mission San Francisco de la Espada. The original church is still standing, but most of the mission complex is in ruins. We walked through all the exhibits, and then followed the San Antonio River north to the next mission.

Mission San Juan

We stopped briefly at Mission San Juan, which is a couple miles north of Mission Espada. There’s not much to see there, so we peeked inside the church and continued upriver.

Mission San Juan

Mission San José

Our next stop was Mission San José, the largest of the mission complexes. Inside, we toured the 18th Century church, and several exhibits. It amazed us how much of the original architecture was still intact, including the outer wall and the church with its stone archways. The park’s visitor center is on the opposite side of the parking lot from the mission, so we also stepped inside to browse the exhibits and visit the gift shop.

Mission San José

Mission Concepción

Mission Concepción (full name Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña) was founded in 1711, and is the oldest unrestored stone church in America. The church’s western entrance was built so it aligns with the sunset in an “annual double solar illumination event”, occurring around the Assumption of Mary in mid-August. The church was originally adorned with colorful frescoes, but those have since faded, and only small, faded sections remain. We kept our wanderings around the grounds fairly short, since we were starting to get tired and hungry.

Mission Concepción

Dutch Bros

After finishing our tour of the missions, we drove (once again) to Dutch Bros for a cold drink. By this point, we were scheming about how to open a franchise in NC. Turns out, it’s reasonably priced, but they only franchise internally, so you have to have been a Dutch Bros employee for at least three years. Trevor didn’t want to spend the next three years as a barista, so I guess our plan is defunct.

Redneck AC

Dutch Bros

Cabela's

Leaving Dutch Bros, we continued north to Buda, Texas, our home for the night. Buda (pronounced BYOO-də) is a small town situated on I-35 just south of Austin. It’s known as the “Outdoor Capital of Texas”, and is home to numerous outdoor retailers, including a 185,000 sq. ft. Cabela’s. So of course, when we had some time to kill before dinner, we we decided to visit the Cabela’s. It’s pretty much what you would expect, but with more wildlife displays than usual.

Cabela's

Matt's El Rancho

In search of dinner, we first stopped by Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ, only to find they were sold out of almost everything. Instead, we drove to Matt’s El Rancho, a Tex-Mex spot on the south side of Austin. Matt’s has been around since 1952, and serves classic dishes in a laid-back indoor/outdoor setting. We opted to eat outside by a fountain under a large oak.

For an appetizer, we split a Bob Armstrong dip, which is basically queso with taco-seasoned ground beef and guacamole mixed in. Additionally, they brought salsa and giant tortilla chips. For the meal, Cody got the Asadero tacos (beef tenderloin, grilled Asadero cheese, onions, and rajas, served with frijoles a la charra). Trevor and I split an order of beef enchiladas and the same tacos. All the food was very good, especially the tacos.

Matt's El Rancho - Austin, TX

Bob Armstrong Dip

Tacos

Enchiladas

After dinner, we headed back to our hotel for the night, and capped off the day with a lovely cold shower (apparently the hot water couldn’t quite make it to our room at the end of the building).

Matt's El Rancho

Austin, TX

Some solid Tex-Mex food, and in a unique setting – especially if you get to eat outside. The Asadero tacos alone are worth a stop.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Summer Moon

The next morning, we slept in a little, since we were thoroughly exhausted. After taking another [even colder] shower, we checked out of the hotel and headed out for the day. For breakfast, we originally wanted to return to Vaquero Taquero in Austin, but they are closed on Mondays. Instead, we headed to downtown Buda and landed at Summer Moon Fire-Roasted Coffee, a small Texas chain. Downtown Buda isn’t much to speak of, so we were able to easily grab a parking spot and head inside. We each got some coffee; Cody got a chocolate croissant, I got a strawberry “pop tart”, and Trevor got a cinnamon roll. The baked goods were pretty good, but the coffee was lacking. I don’t think that any of us finished our drinks.

Black's Barbecue

After surviving the drive up I-35 to Austin, we decided to go ahead and stop for a small-ish lunch on the north side of town. We ate at Blacks’ Barbecue, a Texas staple originating in Lockhart, the “Barbecue Capital of Texas”. We got three slices of moist brisket, one slice of lean brisket, one original sausage, three pork spare ribs, some street corn, and of course pickles/onions/white bread/jalapeños. They were out of turkey, so we didn’t get to try that. We opted not to get one of their signature beef ribs, since we weren’t exceptionally hungry.

Black's Barbecue

Brisket, street corn, and sausage

Pork ribs and white bread

The brisket was very good, the ribs were excellent, and the corn was very good, but the sausage was not our favorite. The ribs might have been the best I’ve had in Texas. It was nice to get some barbecue without waiting in line.

Black's Barbecue

Austin, TX + Other Locations

Good, traditional Texas barbecue. It’s not the best we had this year, but it’s a classic, and one every brisket lover should try.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Texas Landmarks

After lunch, we decided to drive by the Texas State Capitol and through the University of Texas campus, since Cody hadn’t seen them yet. Cody was navigating, and he managed to route us to the Capital Plaza shopping center instead of the State Capitol. After some confusion, we made it back to our intended destination. We snapped a few quick pictures from the car and then headed on our merry way.

University of Texas

Hat Search

Next on our (mostly Cody’s) Texas to-do list: find cowboy hats. We drove to a place just north of downtown, walked inside, and immediately knew we were looking at the wrong price range. It was a nice store, if you wanted to spend $900 on a pair of boots and $500 on a hat.

Ironically, we drove back to the Capital Plaza shopping center and went in a Boot Barn, which was definitely more our price range. Cody found a cowboy hat, but they didn’t have any big enough for me, nor any small enough for Trevor. Can’t say I was overly disappointed…

Dutch Bros

Mission complete, we drove to Dutch Bros for yet another drink run. I got a bonus kids sized orange-blue raspberry milkshake to go with my regular double chocolate mocha Dutch Freeze, and Cody and Trevor tried the seasonal pumpkin brûlée cold brew freeze.

Dutch Bros

Javi's Best of Tex Mex

Before heading over to the airport, we met Dad and Larry at Javi’s Best of Tex Mex, which was about the only decent-looking spot close to the airport. We all got tacos or something similar; the food was on par with good Mexican back home. After dinner, we filled up our rental car at the Exxon next door, and headed to the airport to drop off our rental car.

Javi's Best of Tex Mex

Travel

After dropping off our rental cars, we waited at least 45 minutes for the shuttle to take us to the AUS South Terminal, and finally arrived at the gate just before TSA opened for the evening’s flights. We boarded the plane, and managed to land a full 45 minutes earlier than scheduled – our pilot must have been in a hurry. When we landed on the AVL runway, he probably took the curves at 65mph.

We waited around 30 minutes for the shuttle to take us back to our car at the overflow parking lot. It was rather cold outside, so we finally gave up on the shuttle, and Larry and I walked (I would guess about a mile, maybe more) to get the car. We got back to the terminal and picked up the rest of our party just as the shuttle bus arrived. It was doubtful we’d even have been able to board that shuttle; there was quite the crowd waiting by then.

Flight home

Flying into AVL

I’d originally intended to spend the night in Granite Falls, and then wake up early and drive up the mountain for work the next morning. By the time I’d unloaded the car in the cold air, I was wide awake, so I decided to drive on up the mountain. I finally arrived home around 02:40 and crashed into bed.

Conclusion

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This was a great trip (so was the last one), and it’s been great to share it with you. Stay tuned for two more short trips this year: West Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay area.

– Isaac & Co.

Flying home

The post Trip 2, Day 3/4 – San Antonio, Austin // Texas 2022 appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Day 3 – Asheville 2019

Isaac Church — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 04:59:02 +0000

Our weekend in Asheville and Black Mountain was wonderful. Our cottage was great, save for the fact that it only had two bathrooms a tiny water heater, and often ran out of hot water. Thus, the Snapchat below:

Showering

Our original intention for Sunday morning was to have our own little worship service in our cabin, but unfortunately we all overslept and were in a rush, so we had to settle for a car singalong instead. We left Creekside Cottage shortly before 09:45, and headed to downtown Asheville for our brunch at Chestnut.

Brunch - Chestnut

Chestnut is one of my favorite restaurants not just in Asheville, but in North America. I had been several times, once with Faith on our honeymoon. However, I’d never gotten to experience their brunch before. As expected, it was absolutely wonderful; in my opinion, the best meal we had all weekend. I’ll list our menu selections and Chestnut‘s descriptions below:

CJ: Poutine
- House Cut Fries, Benton’s Bacon Red Eye Gravy, Local Cheese Curds, Sunny Side Egg, Scallions
Christina: Avocado Toast
- Del Vecchios’ Focaccia, Avocado Puree, Bacon, Sliced Heirloom Tomatoes, Eggs
Daniel: Eggs Benedict
- House-Cured Smoked Canadian Bacon, English Muffin, Poached Eggs, Hollandaise Sauce
Sarah: Shrimp & Grits
- SC Adluh Cheddar Grits, Bacon, Cherry Tomatoes, Serrano Peppers, Spinach, Peppercorn Cream Sauce
Isaac: Donut (+ Shrimp & Grits!)
- Served with a Chestnut Glaze and Powdered Sugar
Faith: Eagle Street Chicken and Waffle
- Southern Fried, F.S. Carbon Waffle, Creamy Sausage Gravy, Chipotle Honey Drizzle

Breakfast at Chestnut - Photo by Sarah

Chestnut

Asheville, NC

Excellent food, and has been consistently good every time I’ve been there. Bruch is great, but their lunch and dinner menus are great too.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Downtown Asheville

After breakfast, we explored downtown Asheville for several hours. We started at Diamond Brand Outdoors, headed up to the Mast General Store, and then went in many other shops, including a bookstore, the Chocolate Fetish to grab some truffles, and others.

Chocolate Fetish

Book shopping

Double D's Coffee Bus - Photo by Christina

The Ames and Hinshaws decided they wanted to tour Highland Brewing Company, and there were only four spots left, so Faith and I split off for a while to go to a few stores on Tunnel Road while the other four enjoyed the tour.

Foothill Local Meats

A short time later, we regrouped in downtown Black Mountain, where we decided to seek out a late lunch/early supper at Foothills Local Meats’ Butcher Bar. We got an assortment of cheeseburgers, house-made hot dogs, and fries. In lieu of fries, Faith and I got a mac and cheese skillet to split.

Notice the door handles

Watching a train go by

Chart of beef cuts

Beef cuts ordering guide

Some of the best mac and cheese I've ever had

Blue Ridge Butcher Bar

Blue Ridge Butcher Bar - Foothills Local Meats

Black Mountain, NC

Simple menu, but everywhere is exceptionally well done. They now have a new complex open closer to the heart of downtown, with broader menu offerings.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Montreat

Feeling satisfied after devouring our food, we decided to make one last stop before we wrapped up the weekend: Montreat, NC. Home to Montreat College and one of Ben Long’s frescoes, Montreat is a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the scenery. We walked around the lake for a while and took some group photos, finally remedying the lack of photos of the six of us.

Photo by Daniel

Montreat College

The girls

Lake Susan - Photo by CJ

Our years of marriage

Well, we tried to do a cute photo...

The dam

After wrapping up our photoshoot, we walked up to the Prayer Chapel to view the fresco.

The Chapel

"The Prodigal Son"

Heading Home // Conclusion

Leaving Montreat, we headed back home to impending snows, even colder temperatures, and an awaiting workweek. Welcome to Boone. It was a wonderful, fun, relaxing weekend in Western NC, and I’m sure we will all remember it fondly. We definitely hope to do it again sometime, and even talked about venturing up to Washington, D.C. for a long weekend sometime.

After a quick pitstop in Marion for gas, we made it safely back to Boone around 19:15. Faith and I went to her cousins’ house for dessert, and didn’t make it home until 21:45; thus, the reason this post is delayed.

Things to Come

As you may remember, I mentioned an upcoming surprise…

I’ll post details (via a new blog post) about that in the upcoming weeks. Faith and I are very excited to share our latest plans with you! I’ve been planning this for quite some time, and am almost ready to give you a preview.

Goodbyes

Thanks for following along with us this weekend! We hope you enjoyed reading our posts, and will follow along in the future.

From our “Family” to yours,

Isaac & Faith, CJ & Christina, Daniel & Sarah

"Family Dinner"

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Day 2 – Asheville 2019

Isaac Church — Sun, 27 Jan 2019 03:42:49 +0000

Creekside Cottage

This morning, we were somewhat ambitious, woke up early, enjoyed some coffee from CJ the brewmaster, and left the cottage around 08:00 to head to Blue Ridge Biscuit Company in Black Mountain for breakfast before heading to Asheville for the day. Everyone got some variety of biscuit, except for Faith, who got a waffle with fruit and cream.

Blue Ridge Biscuit Company

The "Run Chicken Run" biscuit

Blue Ridge Biscuit Company

Mountain Mama - a biscuit with pimento cheese, lettuce, tomato, a grit cake, and a blackberry balsamic reduction

Blue Ridge Biscuit Company

Black Mountain, NC

Always a great stop for breakfast if we’re in the area. Their more creative menu options are great too, in addition to the classics.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Shopping

We left downtown Black Mountain and headed down past the Asheville airport towards Arden to do some shopping at Target/Marshall’s/Ross, and then headed back north to REI in Biltmore Park.

CJ found a new camera at Ross

Lunch - Tupelo Honey

Around 14:15, we headed downtown in search of lunch, and ended up settling on Tupelo Honey, largely because a few of us were famished.

Round 2 of biscuits for the day

The Appalachian Salad - spinach, pumpkin puree, pecans, blueberries, and maple vinaigrette

Fried pickle and pimento cheese burgers

Tupelo Honey

Daniel liked the watermelon radish on his salad

Downtown Asheville

After quite the sustaining and tasty lunch, we walked over to see the Basilica of St. Lawrence.

The Basilica of St. Lawrance

We enjoyed the Basilica’s beautiful architecture for a while, and then took a short walk over to the Asheville Pinball Museum, which sports a rather impressive collection of antique pinball machines and arcade games. Surprisingly, most of the machines in the museum were still functioning.

A few of the many pinball machines in the museum

The inner workings of a pinball machine

Supper

On our way out of downtown, we headed over to Trader Joe’s on Merrimon Avenue. We all got several items to take home with us, and picked up some finger food for a light supper.

Summer sausage, cheddar/gruyere hybrid, and a Swiss cheese

Chopping up supper

Eating by the fire

CJ fell asleep, as usual

Around 20:00, we decided we were sad we hadn’t gotten cheesecake earlier, so CJ and I made a run to the local Ingles (which is the largest grocery store I have ever been in). We picked up a vanilla bean cheesecake and some strawberry topping, brought it back to the cottage, and enjoyed it while playing a variety of games and hanging out for the remainder of the evening.

Cheesecake

Conclusion

A fun fact to close the day: we counted 126 roosters in or on things in this cottage. The owner might have a bit of an obsession; however, it is very well decorated.

That’s all for today! Tomorrow morning we’re planning to eat brunch in downtown Asheville and then explore downtown some more. Until next time…

-Isaac, Faith, CJ, Christina, Daniel, and Sarah

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Day 1 – Asheville 2019

Isaac Church — Sat, 26 Jan 2019 02:51:03 +0000

The “Family Vacation” officially began at 5:30pm on Friday, January 25th, as we departed Boone and began our drive to Asheville, or more accurately, Black Mountain.

The Beginning

After a fairly eventless drive (save a few throwback songs that made us all feel old), our gender-segregated cars arrived at Creekside Cottage, our abode for the weekend. We took the time to look around and unload our luggage, but quickly headed back to downtown Black Mountain to grab dinner at My Father’s Pizza and Pasta.

My Father's Pizza and Pasta

Daniel, Faith, and I had all been there before, but the other three (Sarah, Christina, and CJ) had not. We split two pizzas, a Margherita and a Skinny Pig (balsamic, garlic, olive oil, bacon, arugula, and Asiago cheese), as well as two orders of breadsticks.

Creekside Cottage

After dinner, we headed back to our rental house for the evening. The cottage is very nice, and the owner even left a plate of cookies for us! I’ll post a few photos of the cottage. As I write this, we’re getting ready to play Scattergories, so I’d better hurry it up and get this posted…

Creekside Cottage

Trying to start a fire

Creekside Cottage

More fire attempts

The snack stash for the weekend

One of the bedrooms

Fire!

Scattergories at Creekside Cottage

Conclusion

For those of you just now joining us, this blog is a lot more low-key and uneventful than previous ‘Church Trip’ iterations. Tomorrow probably will be as well, but I will still keep up the blog so we can document this weekend together. Until next time….

– Isaac, Faith, Daniel, Sarah, CJ, and Christina

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Introduction – Asheville 2019

Isaac Church — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 16:21:01 +0000

For many years, I’ve hosted what we affectionately refer to as “Family Dinners”. While food is involved, family [usually] isn’t, and the meal is not necessarily at the end of the day. Basically, a group of 6 friends–sometimes more, sometimes less–gather together semi-regularly to cook together, eat, catch up, watch movies, play music, or take naps.

At our homes (typically my apartment), we’ve experimented with lots of recipes and cooking techniques over the years. The core six include: the Ames, Daniel and Sarah; the Hinshaws, CJ and Christina; and the Churches, Isaac and Faith.

This tradition started with Sunday post-church meals, where we would cook some food, and then collapse on the couch after a long morning of playing on the worship team at church (Daniel, Christina, Faith, and I play/sing; CJ runs sound; Sarah is the odd one out). We tend to make one fancy, well-presented plate of food, and then glop it on as we devour the rest of it. I’ll post a few pictures of our handiwork below.

Family Dinner Photos

Family Dinner

Daniel manning the stove

Polenta cakes with Italian sausage, fresh Basil, and a Florentine sauce

Clementine Cake - addmittedly, this was not as good as it looks

Background

The Ames and Hinshaws have been married for years now, so Faith and I have been the odd ones out. However, now that we’re married, we all decided to go on what one might call a “couple’s retreat”, or as we’re referring to it, the “Family Vacation”. We’re renting a cabin in the Asheville area (Black Mountain to be specific), and are going to explore the Asheville area for a weekend. CJ and Sarah have never really been to the area before, so we’re all excited to explore some, and hopefully have a fun weekend together.

Oh, and I’m now realizing I should probably introduce everyone…and I’m also realizing that a picture of the six of us doesn’t exist, which is quite remarkable if you consider how much time we’ve spent together over the years.

Asheville, NC

This is as close as I could get...apparently Christina was away from the table

A photo I took of Christina and CJ on Table Rock

Sarah, Faith, Isaac, Daniel

CJ and Christina at our wedding, feat. Vance doing something weird with his phone

Tailgating - plus Trevor, minus Faith

Another wedding photo

I thought I’d document our travels as best as time allows. As with my Washington, D.C. blog from a couple years back (if anyone has been reading my posts that long), I’m sure everyone will collaborate on the stories and photos. There are several capable photographers in our group, so maybe between us we’ll get a few decent pictures. Maybe we’ll even get a picture of the six of us.

Currently, we have no set itinerary, other than to explore downtown Asheville and Black Mountain, and eat some good food.

Thanks for reading along! You can subscribe to my email updates using this link. I know the newsletter was broken during my last trip, but the issues should be fixed now.

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Asheville Archives - Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com

Clemson 2024

Recess Coffee and Baked Goods

Recess Coffee and Bake Shop

Black Mountain, NC

Haus Heidelberg

Haus Heidelberg

hendersonville, NC

Football?

Methodical Coffee

Methodical Coffee

Greenville, SC

Roadside Produce

P.F. Chang's

Home

Conclusion

Trip 2, Day 3/4 – San Antonio, Austin // Texas 2022

Merit Coffee Co.

Remember The Alamo

River Walk

Rosario's

Rosario's

San Antonio, TX

Mission Espada

Mission San Juan

Mission San José

Mission Concepción

Dutch Bros

Cabela's

Matt's El Rancho

Matt's El Rancho

Austin, TX

Summer Moon

Black's Barbecue

Black's Barbecue

Austin, TX + Other Locations

Texas Landmarks

Hat Search

Dutch Bros

Javi's Best of Tex Mex

Travel

Conclusion

Day 3 – Asheville 2019

Brunch - Chestnut

Chestnut

Asheville, NC

Downtown Asheville

Foothill Local Meats

Blue Ridge Butcher Bar - Foothills Local Meats

Black Mountain, NC

Montreat

Heading Home // Conclusion

Things to Come

Goodbyes

Day 2 – Asheville 2019

Blue Ridge Biscuit Company

Blue Ridge Biscuit Company

Black Mountain, NC

Shopping

Lunch - Tupelo Honey

Downtown Asheville

Supper

Conclusion

Day 1 – Asheville 2019

The Beginning

My Father's Pizza and Pasta

Creekside Cottage

Conclusion

Introduction – Asheville 2019

Family Dinner Photos

Background

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