LatE-night BitEs
On the prowl for good eats after hours
By michaEL fRanco
Editor’s note: Michael Franco has explored dining options on the latenight scene. This installment investigates the Storm Rhum’s afterhours offerings.
not just a BaR: Although Storm Rhum is well-known for its cocktails, Executive Chef Owen McGlynn makes the food menu sizzle with his specialty meats and nose-to-tail approach. Courtesy of Micah MacKenzie.
will be consistently available at Storm. He plans to begin featuring the meat on Nov. 18 and continue through the Thanksgiving holiday. McGlynn likens the restaurant to “a well-traveled man, and these are things he’s eaten and collected along the way.” A nose-to-tail restaurant, Storm uses “every part of every animal,” and the charcuterie plate is one of its best-sellers. Eventually, Storm hopes to offer duck and quail sourced from Sugar Creek Meats, too, once De Francisco proceeds with plans to build a pond for the birds. He also wants to start sprouting his own barley for the pigs, to give them a diet that’s higher in protein and amino acids. And down the road, he’s even considering beginning a Red Wattle breeding program. McGlynn, meanwhile, says he’s excited about offering Storm patrons his first Red Wattle pork, knowing he’ll be giving them “a quality product that was raised properly by a passionate farmer.” Storm Rhum Bar & Bistro is at 125 S. Lexington Ave. in Asheville. De Francisco also sells both meat and CSA boxes to the general public. For more information, email sugarcreekmeats@gmail.com. X
The sun set hours ago. The early-to-bed set has retreated to their homes and hotel rooms, and the streets are left to the visitors, the vamps and the venturers who like to party and play till the wee hours. That’s when you feel it in your gut — the panic. You’ve whiled away the night carelessly sipping craft cocktails or hoppy nectar, and now it’s (gasp) 11 p.m. You haven’t eaten! Everything is closed! Or is it? While Asheville’s late-night folks have always been able to retreat to places like Tupelo Honey, The Vault and Rosetta’s Kitchen for a latenight bite, the opportunity to head to other locally owned eateries has been limited. That’s changing fast, as a handful of restaurants now offer specialized late-night menus that not only quiet your rumbling tummy, but let you try some of the town’s best eats at prices no one could grumble about.
featuring fresh, house-made terrines and patés served with irresistible slices of flame-kissed bread. One standout from the after-hours menu that’s atypically not produced on site is the Big City Red Hot Dog. Hailing from Chicago, topped with coleslaw and McGlynn’s caramelized-onion-infused ketchup, it’ll reintroduce this American classic to your late-night dreams. Manager Shannon McGaughey says that Storm’s late-night menu is particularly popular with food-service-industry folks, which was part of the impetus for the menu in the first place. “Downtown, once you hit that 10 o’clock mark, pretty much the whole restaurant industry closes down,” she says. “So we wanted to offer other industry folk, who worked late, somewhere they could let go of the day, have a bite and a drink.” X What and where are your favorite, locally owned late-night eats? Let us know at food@mountainx.com. Michael Franco freelance writer.
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nighttimE gnosh: A downsized version of the best-selling charcuterie plate graces the Storm’s late-night menu. Photo by Michael Franco.
stoRm Rhum BaR & BistRo sunday-wednesday 10 p.m.-1 a.m. thursday-saturday 11 p.m.-1 a.m. dishes: $4-$12 During my visit, Storm Rhum Chef Owen McGlynn and his helpers hauled in a significant section of a cow through the restaurant’s side door — fitting, considering McGlynn’s emphasis on nose-to-tail and farm-to-table. That ethos is exemplified in the star of the late-night menu, the house-ground Apple Brandy Farms burger — which, because of its fine provenance, can be served as rare as you like it. Another protein-rich, late-night bite is a smaller version of Storm’s popular charcuterie plate,
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octoBER 23 - octoBER 29, 2013
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